Install GQRX on Linux

[last updated: 2019-06-22]
go to: SDR's
go to: SDR Study
go to: SDR Software
-----

Bottom line: I did manage to make it work, at least for a time, however trying to run it later failed...
In general the process was convoluted and I'm not sure which steps were critical and which were unnecessary.
------------

And below here are all the steps I fumbled through to get it "installed:"

Install rtl-sdr utilities:

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
$ sudo apt-get install rtl-sdr
$ dpkg -s rtl-sdr returns: install ok, with a list of command line functions, including rtl_test,
which finds the device ok, but sometimes when I try it, reports continuous stream of "samples being lost."

Proceed with: (link to:) Kenn Ranous tutorial

After doing $ dpkg -s [pkg name] to confirm packages were not already installed...
$ sudo apt-get install git
$ sudo apt-get install cmake
$ sudo apt-get install build-essential
$ sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev
$ git clone git://git.osmocom.org/rtl-sdr.git
$ cd rtl-sdr/
$ mkdir build
$ cd build
$ cmake ../ -DINSTALL_UDEV_RULES=ON
$ make
$ sudo make install
$ sudo ldconfig (lower-case L)
$ sudo cp ../rtl-sdr.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
Open /etc/modprobe.d folder as (right-click) an administrator.
Create a new file 'blacklist-rtl.conf' and add this one line:
blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxuC.
Save the file, close the editor and restart the machine.
$ rtl_test -t
Returned "No supported devices found" when RTL-SDR was unplugged,
but "Found 1 device" and other info when I plugged it in.
Yay!
Install gqrx:
At this point Kenn Ranous' tutorial says to go to gqrx.dk and follow instructions to install via PPA.

(link to:) gqrx.dk/
Selected to download: Generic Gqrx binary package for 64-bit linux
(in fact downloaded both the binary and the 'source files' package, but they both had the same .tar.xz filename...)
put into: .../masterWorkingFiles/tech/RTL-SDR/software/gqrx
There is an executable program there, named gqrx, and when you double-click this proghram, indeed gqrx runs, at least it did a few times, but now (2019-06-27) after a bunch more juggling, it doesn't receive any signal.
Readme in extracted files says I also need to install Qt5 components with the 'package manager' ...,
though Ranous tutorial doesn't mention that, and I didn't do it, at least explicitly. Suspect it gets installed through some other process, as indeed it must have been installed for the UI to work, as least as far as I understand it ...
So far this process downloaded gqrx, but it is not yet installed...
(link to:) This site says do this:
- $ sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:bladerf/bladerf
  $ sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:myriadrf/drivers
  $ sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:myriadrf/gnuradio
  ... all worked OK to here ...
  $ sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:gqrx/gqrx-sdr
  ... but this failed for "No JSON object could be decoded" ...
  
  $ sudo apt update -y
  $ sudo apt install gqrx-sdr -y (did not do this...)
Another site says I do this:
$ sudo apt-get install gqrx-sdr (did this one instead...)
So at this point, per dpkg, gqrx-sdr is in fact installed,
however $ gqrx-sdr returns: command not found,
while: $ gqrx returns: error while loading shared libraries: libgnuradio-osmosdr.so.0.1.4 no such file.

This suggests that gqrx is a valid command (did NOT get 'command not found')
Searching Google for the libgnuradio module...
There is a listing in the main menu for gqrx, however the spot for the icon is empty, suggesting non-functional install, and indeed clicking on it does nothing.

$ dpkg - L gqrx-sdr
returned a list of directories. Found: /usr/share/doc/gqrx-sdr, but no executables...
found: /usr/share/man/man1/gqrx.1.gz (an archive file)
found file: Gqrx (a command owned by root)
See also: (go to:) Instructions from NooElecSmart

.

.

.

eof

Main Menu

Main menu

Site Menu

You are here