CubicSDR doesn't find audio devices

[Jon Skanes]

Audio isn't available. Modem Settings does nothing. Audio Sample Rate menu is empty. This is a clean install of 24.10. Audio works fine with other apps and the Gnome desktop. Attached are a screenshot and alsa-info output. Here is a paste of cubicsdr's shell output:

$ CubicSDR
Loading:: configuration file '/home/jon/.CubicSDR/config.xml'
Loaded 283 rig models via hamlib.
ALSA lib control.c:1570:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL pulse
ALSA lib control.c:1570:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL pulse

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Audio Device #0
 Default Output? No
 Default Input? No
 Input channels: 0
 Output channels: 0
 Duplex channels: 0
 Native formats:
 Supported sample rates:

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Audio Device #1
 Default Output? No
 Default Input? No
 Input channels: 0
 Output channels: 0
 Duplex channels: 0
 Native formats:
 Supported sample rates:

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Audio Device #2
 Default Output? No
 Default Input? No
 Input channels: 0
 Output channels: 0
 Duplex channels: 0
 Native formats:
 Supported sample rates:

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Audio Device #3
 Default Output? No
 Default Input? No
 Input channels: 0
 Output channels: 0
 Duplex channels: 0
 Native formats:
 Supported sample rates:

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Audio Device #4
 Default Output? No
 Default Input? No
 Input channels: 0
 Output channels: 0
 Duplex channels: 0
 Native formats:
 Supported sample rates:

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Audio Device #5
 Default Output? No
 Default Input? No
 Input channels: 0
 Output channels: 0
 Duplex channels: 0
 Native formats:
 Supported sample rates:

SDR enumerator starting.
SoapySDR init..
 API Version: v0.8.0
 ABI Version: v0.8
 Install root: /usr
 Loading modules...
 Available factories...airspy, audio, bladerf, hackrf, lime, miri, null, osmosdr, redpitaya, remote, rfspace, rtlsdr, uhd
[INFO] [UHD] linux; GNU C++ version 13.3.0; Boost_108300; UHD_4.7.0.0+ds1-2
ALSA lib control.c:1570:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL pulse
Available vertical sync SwapInterval functions:
 glxSwapIntervalEXT: Yes
 DRI2SwapInterval: No
 glxSwapIntervalMESA: Yes
 glxSwapIntervalSGI: Yes
Using glxSwapIntervalEXT.

ALSA lib control.c:1570:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL pulse

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Loaded font 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono' from '/usr/share/cubicsdr/fonts/vera_sans_mono12_0.png', parsed 255 characters.
Loaded font 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono' from '/usr/share/cubicsdr/fonts/vera_sans_mono16_0.png', parsed 255 characters.
Loaded font 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono' from '/usr/share/cubicsdr/fonts/vera_sans_mono18_0.png', parsed 255 characters.
Loaded font 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono' from '/usr/share/cubicsdr/fonts/vera_sans_mono24_0.png', parsed 255 characters.
Loaded font 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono' from '/usr/share/cubicsdr/fonts/vera_sans_mono27_0.png', parsed 255 characters.
Loaded font 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono' from '/usr/share/cubicsdr/fonts/vera_sans_mono32_0.png', parsed 255 characters.
Loaded font 'Bitstream Vera Sans Mono' from '/usr/share/cubicsdr/fonts/vera_sans_mono36_0.png', parsed 255 characters.
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
  driver = rtlsdr
  label = Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001
  manufacturer = Realtek
  product = RTL2838UHIDIR
  serial = 00000001
  tuner = Rafael Micro R820T
Make device 0
[INFO] Opening Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001...
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
  index=0
  origin=https://github.com/pothosware/SoapyRTLSDR

Reporting enumeration complete.
SDR enumerator done.
[INFO] Opening Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001...
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
SDR thread starting.
device init()
[INFO] Using format CF32.
rtlsdr_demod_write_reg failed with -9
[R82XX] PLL not locked!
Enabled direct sampling mode, input 1
SDRThread : Device Stream set to MTU: 131072
Allocating 15 zero-copy buffers
starting readLoop()
^[[A^[[BTerminating SDR thread..
SDRThread::readStream(): 3.1 iqDataOutQueue output queue is full, discard processing of the batch...
readLoop() ended.
device deinit()
SDR thread done.
Terminating SDR post-processing thread..
Terminating All Demodulators..
Terminating Visual Processor threads..
Application termination complete.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.10
Package: cubicsdr 0.2.7+dfsg-4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.11.0-14.15-generic 6.11.0
Uname: Linux 6.11.0-14-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.30.0-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Fri Feb 14 22:38:02 2025
InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-02-04 (10 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 24.10 "Oracular Oriole" - Release amd64 (20241009.4)
SourcePackage: cubicsdr
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Jon Skanes (jon-skanes)]

alsa-info

[Jon Skanes (jon-skanes)]

Is CubicSDR compatible with pipewire?

[Jon Skanes (jon-skanes)]

Seems this is a bug in libsoapysdr0.8.

$ SoapySDRUtil --find
######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################

[INFO] [UHD] linux; GNU C++ version 13.3.0; Boost_108300; UHD_4.7.0.0+ds1-2
ALSA lib control.c:1570:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL pulse
ALSA lib control.c:1570:(snd_ctl_open_noupdate) Invalid CTL pulse

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

RtApi::getDeviceInfo: deviceId argument not found.

Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Found device 0
  driver = rtlsdr
  label = Generic RTL2832U OEM :: 00000001
  manufacturer = Realtek
  product = RTL2838UHIDIR
  serial = 00000001
  tuner = Rafael Micro R820T

[Jon Skanes (jon-skanes)]

$ apt-cache rdepends libsoapysdr0.8
libsoapysdr0.8
Reverse Depends:
  libsoapysdr-dev
  welle.io
  uhd-soapysdr
  soapysdr0.8-module-xtrx
  soapysdr0.8-module-uhd
  soapysdr0.8-module-rtlsdr
  soapysdr0.8-module-rfspace
  soapysdr0.8-module-remote
  soapysdr0.8-module-redpitaya
  soapysdr0.8-module-osmosdr
  soapysdr0.8-module-mirisdr
  soapysdr0.8-module-lms7
  soapysdr0.8-module-hackrf
  soapysdr0.8-module-bladerf
  soapysdr0.8-module-audio
  soapysdr0.8-module-airspy
  soapysdr-tools
  soapyremote-server
  rtl-433
  quisk
  python3-soapysdr
  odr-dabmod
  cubicsdr
  libgnuradio-soapy3.10.11
  libgnuradio-osmosdr0.2.0t64
  hacktv
  gnuradio

So this bug breaks pretty much everything that is software defined radio on Ubuntu.

Does anyone know if this is an issue in 24.04 LTS? If not, I'll be downgrading in a few days when the .2 point release is available. Unfortunately, the current 24.04 install release doesn't support networking on my lovely shiny new MSI motherboard. Woe is me! lol

[Jon Skanes (jon-skanes)]

Grasping at straws, I tried replacing pipewire with pulseaudio. It had no effect.

[aaron (awdmesh)]

I'm seeing the same/similiar issue with CubicSDR and I'm not sure why it's being said that it's a SoapySDR issue as SoapySDR and audio works just fine with SDRPP (when soapy is used), SigDigger (Soapy backed), and GQRX when using Soapy.

In 24.04 CubicSDR did not have an issue. If I had to guess, it's something with CubicSDR and/or audio packages. From the image shots above, I do agree with Soapy trying to access an audio device and there being an issue, but that's from Soapy audio package - not the same thing as when CubicSDR is using soapy to access the SDR and then audio needs to be produced.