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TROUBLESHOOTING WORKSHOP

No reception?

From a silent speaker to an overloaded SDR: work through the receiving chain.

For analogue voice and SDR reception. Use a known station that is actually active. An empty channel alone does not prove a fault.

YOUR NEXT USEFUL TEST

Check whether overload is involved

More gain is not automatically better. Strong signals can overload a receiver.

  1. Note the current setting. Gradually reduce the preamplifier or RF gain, or use the provided attenuator; audio volume is a different control.
  2. Compare on the same signal: do distortion and spurious signals decrease while speech becomes clearer? Then use only as much gain as needed.

What to look for next

Improvement with less RF gain suggests overload; otherwise recheck mode and the signal source.

Related learning & practice

Technical sources for this check

Background and model-specific guidance; the check sequence is editorial. Match menu names against your own model’s manual.

Show check record
HB3YAQ · Check record: No reception?
Your answers; no automatic measurement.

1. Where is the sound missing?
→ On a web SDR in the browser
2. Is the waterfall updating?
→ Yes, new rows appear
3. Can you hear browser audio now?
→ Yes, I can hear something
4. Do frequency, mode and filter match?
→ Yes, checked against a source
5. What do you observe on the active signal?
→ Strong but distorted or full of spurious signals

Check whether overload is involved
More gain is not automatically better. Strong signals can overload a receiver.
1. Note the current setting. Gradually reduce the preamplifier or RF gain, or use the provided attenuator; audio volume is a different control.
2. Compare on the same signal: do distortion and spurious signals decrease while speech becomes clearer? Then use only as much gain as needed.
Improvement with less RF gain suggests overload; otherwise recheck mode and the signal source.

Analog Devices · Receiver sensitivity: https://wiki.analog.com/university/tools/pluto/users/receiver_sensitivity

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