This page covers installing and verifying the Software Defined Radio (SDR) hardware used with the srsRAN-based 5G Broadcast tools, including the rt-mbms-modem receiver. It walks through installing the SDR drivers, checking that the device is detected, and setting the right configuration for each supported board. The SDRs covered here are BladeRF, LimeSDR and HackRF One.
Recommended order: install the drivers, verify the device is detected (the "Check SDR availability" section below), and only then set the device-specific configuration.
The following instructions have been tested to work in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
Install SDR drivers
sudo apt install libsoapysdr-dev soapysdr-tools
Next, install the driver and firmware for your specific SDR board — pick the one you have:
Using BladeRF with Soapy
For BladeRF the relevant package is named soapysdr-module-bladerf. Install it by running:
sudo apt install soapysdr-module-bladerf
Finally, install the BladeRF firmware:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nuandllc/bladerf
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install bladerf
Using LimeSDR with Soapy
Lime Suite needs to be built from source at a specific commit. Do not use the package available through apt, as the version it packages does not seem to work reliably with LimeSDR Minis and causes calibration errors and unreliable reception. Please follow these steps:
LimeSuite Build from source at a pinned commit — do not use the apt package.cd ~
git clone https://github.com/myriadrf/LimeSuite.git
cd LimeSuite/
git checkout 28031bfcffe1e8fa393c7db88d4fe370fb4c67ea
mkdir buildir
cd buildir
cmake -G Ninja ..
ninja
sudo ninja install
sudo ldconfig
Using HackRF One with Soapy
It should be noted that the HackRF One is a half-duplex SDR and has issues synchronising using the internal clock, documented here. Synchronisation can be achieved by providing an external CLKIN signal using e.g. Keysight 33120A configured to output a 10 MHz sine wave with amplitude 1.5 Vpp and offset 0.75 V (as it is a high impedance input). Alternatively, a simpler option is to install this component following these instructions. You may also want to install some RF shielding.
For HackRF One , install by running:
sudo apt install hackrf soapysdr-module-hackrf
Plug in your HackRF and verify it is recognised using:
hackrf_info
Example output:
hackrf_info version: unknown
libhackrf version: unknown (0.5)
Found HackRF
Index: 0
Serial number: 0000000000000000xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Board ID Number: 2 (HackRF One)
Firmware Version: 2018.01.1 (API:1.02)
Part ID Number: 0xa000cb3c 0x0066435f
Adjusting configuration for rt-mbms-modem
After installing rt-mbms-modem, you must modify the rt-mbms configuration parameter in /etc/5gmag-rt.conf. Build and install steps are in its repository:
Example for BladeRF:
device_args = "driver=bladerf";
antenna = "RX"
Example for LimeSDR:
device_args = "driver=lime";
antenna = "LNAW";
Example for HackRF:
device_args = "driver=hackrf";
antenna = "TX/RX";
Check SDR availability
Check if the SDR can be found on your system
SoapySDRUtil --find
Example for BladeRF:
######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################
Found device 2
backend = libusb
device = 0x02:0x09
driver = bladerf
instance = 0
label = BladeRF #0 [ANY]
serial = ANY
Example for LimeSDR:
######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################
Found device 0
addr = 24607:1027
driver = lime
label = LimeSDR Mini [USB 2.0] 1D587FCA09A966
media = USB 2.0
module = FT601
name = LimeSDR Mini
serial = 1D587FCA09A966
Example for HackRF One:
######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################
Found device 3
device = HackRF One
driver = hackrf
label = HackRF One #0 75b068dc3_______
part_id = a000cb3c0066435f
serial = 000000000000000075b068dc3_______
version = 2018.01.1
Other SDRs
While we've only tested with Lime- and Blade-SDRs, Soapy supports a wide range of SDR devices, which should therefore also be usable with 5gmag-rt-modem if they support the high bandwidth/sample rates required for FeMBMS decoding.
You can find more info on device support at https://github.com/pothosware/SoapySDR/wiki
Running apt search soapysdr-module lists all available modules.
If you successfully (or unsuccessfully) try 5gmag-rt-modem with another SDR, please let us know!
Troubleshooting
When running the command SoapySDRUtil --find you might get a duplicate entry error:
######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################
[ERROR] SoapySDR::loadModule(/usr/local/lib/SoapySDR/modules0.7/libLMS7Support.so)
duplicate entry for lime (/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/SoapySDR/modules0.7/libLMS7Support.so)
This is because a duplicate limesuite apt package has incorrectly been installed when installing the Soapy module and LimeSuite. You can identify this package by running the command:
$ sudo apt list --installed | grep lime
< ... >
liblimesuite20.01-1/focal,now 20.01.0+dfsg-2 amd64 [installed,automatic]
You can fix this issue by deleting this package:
sudo apt remove liblimesuite20.01-1
Next steps
- Return to 5G Network to build a private 5G network using this radio hardware.
- Return to the project Tutorials or the 3GPP RAN and Core Platforms overview.