SDR module failed?

FlightAware ADS-B Flight Tracking
1

I recently purchased the ADS-B receiver kit. Indoors, so I didn’t expect much, but was reliably receiving approx. seven planes at a time. Worked for a few days, then suddenly stopped. Every once in a while a location gets reported but otherwise it seemingly stopped. Nothing when I tested the unit outdoors.

Repeatedly getting

May 10 01:20:39 piaware systemd[1]: **dump1090-fa.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.**

May 10 01:21:09 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 3.

May 10 01:21:09 piaware systemd[1]: Stopped dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).

May 10 01:21:11 piaware systemd[1]: Started dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).

May 10 01:21:11 piaware dump1090-fa[667]: Tue May 10 01:21:11 2022 UTC dump1090-fa 7.1 starting up.

May 10 01:21:11 piaware dump1090-fa[667]: rtlsdr: no supported devices found.

May 10 01:21:11 piaware systemd[1]: **dump1090-fa.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE**

but I rebooted and plugged in the SDR after boot (I verified USB on my Mac and then again on the Pi with lsusb). Now I’m getting

May 16 21:08:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Consumed 24min 34.730s CPU time.
May 16 21:08:56 piaware systemd[1]: Started dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 16 21:08:56 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: Mon May 16 21:08:56 2022 UTC  dump1090-fa 7.1 starting up.
May 16 21:08:56 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: rtlsdr: using device #0: Generic RTL2832U (Realtek, RTL2832U, SN 00001000)
May 16 21:08:56 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: rtlsdr: tuner gain set to about 58.6 dB (gain step 29) (tuner AGC enabled)
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: adaptive: using 10% duty cycle
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: adaptive: enabled adaptive gain control with gain limits 0.0dB (step 0) .. 58.6dB (step 29)
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: adaptive: enabled dynamic range control, target dynamic range 30.0dB
May 16 21:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: Allocating 4 zero-copy buffers
May 16 21:09:07 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: adaptive: reached upper gain limit, halting dynamic range scan here
May 16 22:13:55 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: Mon May 16 22:13:55 2022 UTC  Caught SIGTERM, shutting down..
May 16 22:13:55 piaware systemd[1]: Stopping dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization)...
May 16 22:13:55 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: Mon May 16 22:13:55 2022 UTC  Waiting for receive thread termination
May 16 22:13:56 piaware dump1090-fa[24613]: Mon May 16 22:13:56 2022 UTC  Normal exit.
May 16 22:13:56 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Succeeded.
May 16 22:13:56 piaware systemd[1]: Stopped dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 16 22:13:56 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Consumed 24min 35.581s CPU time.
May 16 22:13:57 piaware systemd[1]: Started dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 16 22:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: Mon May 16 22:13:57 2022 UTC  dump1090-fa 7.1 starting up.
May 16 22:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: rtlsdr: using device #0: Generic RTL2832U (Realtek, RTL2832U, SN 00001000)
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: rtlsdr: tuner gain set to about 58.6 dB (gain step 29) (tuner AGC enabled)
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: adaptive: using 10% duty cycle
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: adaptive: enabled adaptive gain control with gain limits 0.0dB (step 0) .. 58.6dB (step 29)
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: adaptive: enabled dynamic range control, target dynamic range 30.0dB
May 16 22:13:58 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: Allocating 4 zero-copy buffers
May 16 22:14:08 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: adaptive: reached upper gain limit, halting dynamic range scan here
May 16 23:18:54 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: Mon May 16 23:18:54 2022 UTC  Caught SIGTERM, shutting down..
May 16 23:18:54 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: Mon May 16 23:18:54 2022 UTC  Waiting for receive thread termination
May 16 23:18:54 piaware systemd[1]: Stopping dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization)...
May 16 23:18:55 piaware dump1090-fa[25019]: Mon May 16 23:18:55 2022 UTC  Normal exit.
May 16 23:18:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Succeeded.
May 16 23:18:55 piaware systemd[1]: Stopped dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).

Any ideas on what to try next?

2

The “no supported devices found” indicates a USB connection or dongle or power problem. But after the reboot it’s seeing the device OK. However the “PLL not locked” errors also suggest a dongle problem - it may not be managing to tune correctly. (Unfortunately librtlsdr is bad about actually reporting any tuning problems to the higher layers, so dump1090 won’t notice if this is indeed the problem)

A mostly-deaf dongle can also be because of RF connector / cable / antenna problems.

3

Thsi means you stopped the service or something has, that doesn’t just happen by itself.

Can you check if you have proper power?

sudo dmesg --ctime | grep voltage || echo No Undervoltage in dmesg.
4

When you say you purchased a kit, was it a sellers selection of components? Sometimes people get caught with a RP-SMA connector in the mix that looks ok, but usually doesn’t work at all.
Power supplies often cause problems, so well worth checking.
Did you do your own install or use one supplied?

5

No voltage messages logged.

Re. the service stopping: it does repeat a while after completing the dynamic range scan with no intervention.

May 17 09:03:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Consumed 24min 41.744s CPU time.
May 17 09:03:56 piaware systemd[1]: Started dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: Tue May 17 09:03:57 2022 UTC  dump1090-fa 7.1 starting up.
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: rtlsdr: using device #0: Generic RTL2832U (Realtek, RTL2832U, SN 00001000)
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: rtlsdr: tuner gain set to about 58.6 dB (gain step 29) (tuner AGC enabled)
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: adaptive: using 10% duty cycle
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: adaptive: enabled adaptive gain control with gain limits 0.0dB (step 0) .. 58.6dB (step 29)
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: adaptive: enabled dynamic range control, target dynamic range 30.0dB
May 17 09:03:57 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: Allocating 4 zero-copy buffers
May 17 09:04:07 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: adaptive: reached upper gain limit, halting dynamic range scan here
May 17 10:08:54 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: Tue May 17 10:08:54 2022 UTC  Caught SIGTERM, shutting down..
May 17 10:08:54 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: Tue May 17 10:08:54 2022 UTC  Waiting for receive thread termination
May 17 10:08:54 piaware systemd[1]: Stopping dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization)...
May 17 10:08:55 piaware dump1090-fa[28839]: Tue May 17 10:08:55 2022 UTC  Normal exit.
May 17 10:08:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Succeeded.
May 17 10:08:55 piaware systemd[1]: Stopped dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 17 10:08:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Consumed 24min 26.232s CPU time.
May 17 10:08:56 piaware systemd[1]: Started dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 17 10:08:56 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: Tue May 17 10:08:56 2022 UTC  dump1090-fa 7.1 starting up.
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: rtlsdr: using device #0: Generic RTL2832U (Realtek, RTL2832U, SN 00001000)
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: rtlsdr: tuner gain set to about 58.6 dB (gain step 29) (tuner AGC enabled)
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: adaptive: using 10% duty cycle
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: adaptive: enabled adaptive gain control with gain limits 0.0dB (step 0) .. 58.6dB (step 29)
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: adaptive: enabled dynamic range control, target dynamic range 30.0dB
May 17 10:08:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: Allocating 4 zero-copy buffers
May 17 10:09:07 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: adaptive: reached upper gain limit, halting dynamic range scan here
May 17 11:13:54 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: Tue May 17 11:13:54 2022 UTC  Caught SIGTERM, shutting down..
May 17 11:13:54 piaware systemd[1]: Stopping dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization)...
May 17 11:13:54 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: Tue May 17 11:13:54 2022 UTC  Waiting for receive thread termination
May 17 11:13:55 piaware dump1090-fa[29235]: Tue May 17 11:13:55 2022 UTC  Normal exit.
May 17 11:13:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Succeeded.
May 17 11:13:55 piaware systemd[1]: Stopped dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 17 11:13:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Consumed 24min 30.467s CPU time.
May 17 11:13:56 piaware systemd[1]: Started dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 17 11:13:56 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: Tue May 17 11:13:56 2022 UTC  dump1090-fa 7.1 starting up.
May 17 11:13:56 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: rtlsdr: using device #0: Generic RTL2832U (Realtek, RTL2832U, SN 00001000)
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: rtlsdr: tuner gain set to about 58.6 dB (gain step 29) (tuner AGC enabled)
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: [R82XX] PLL not locked!
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: adaptive: using 10% duty cycle
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: adaptive: enabled adaptive gain control with gain limits 0.0dB (step 0) .. 58.6dB (step 29)
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: adaptive: enabled dynamic range control, target dynamic range 30.0dB
May 17 11:13:57 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: Allocating 4 zero-copy buffers
May 17 11:14:07 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: adaptive: reached upper gain limit, halting dynamic range scan here
May 17 12:18:54 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: Tue May 17 12:18:54 2022 UTC  Caught SIGTERM, shutting down..
May 17 12:18:54 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: Tue May 17 12:18:54 2022 UTC  Waiting for receive thread termination
May 17 12:18:54 piaware systemd[1]: Stopping dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization)...
May 17 12:18:55 piaware dump1090-fa[29594]: Tue May 17 12:18:55 2022 UTC  Normal exit.
May 17 12:18:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Succeeded.
May 17 12:18:55 piaware systemd[1]: Stopped dump1090 ADS-B receiver (FlightAware customization).
May 17 12:18:55 piaware systemd[1]: dump1090-fa.service: Consumed 24min 30.564s CPU time.
6

I checked the connections several times. Unless antenna went bad, and given the sudden failure, seems more likely the SDR, right?

7

I bought the PiAware kit from FlightAware. Antenna is standard M SMA.

8

That’s not connected, at least it happens 1 hour after the gain stuff.

Could be piaware restarting it when you don’t get ANY messages.
Check the piaware log.

Either you have a bad antenna connection or the SDR has a defect.
An USB extension could also cause issues.

9

Do you have a spare SD card? It would be interesting to burn a fresh image just to check.

Also, do you have another computer you can try the SDR on?

10

Confirmed.

May 17 07:58:53 piaware piaware[415]: faup1090 exited with SIG SIGHUP
May 17 07:58:53 piaware piaware[415]: attempting to restart dump1090..
May 17 07:58:53 piaware piaware[415]: attempting to restart dump1090-fa using 'systemctl --no-block try-restart dump1090-fa.service < /dev/null'...
May 17 07:58:54 piaware piaware[415]: dump1090 restart appears to have been successful
May 17 07:59:04 piaware piaware[415]: ADS-B data program 'dump1090-fa' is listening on port 30005, so far so good
11

I at one point did reimage the flash disk and try again (no change). I just tried rtl-sdr on my Mac and I’m getting nothing (2x PLL not locked, similar to Pi logs). Pending any other suggestions I’m going to see about replacing the SDR.

12

Replaced SDR and it began working again.

13

Interesting.
I’ve just retired a receiver that had stopped receiving and was causing unexpected behaviour.
Swap in another receiver, and it’s running again.

14

This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.