GQRX Crash: rtlsdr_read_async returned with -5

[robotastic]

I am having an error with GQRX crashing about 2 seconds after I hit the button to go live. It is a pretty clean system running GR3.7. It looks like a couple of other people are having this problem: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/discuss-gnuradio/2014-03/msg00468.html

I have tried both the Master versions of GQRX and GR-OsmoSDR and the release versions and that hasn't helped. Running as SUDO doesn't seem to help. Anything else I should try?

linux; GNU C++ version 4.7.3; Boost_104900; UHD_003.007.000-1-ga8caec5f

gr-osmosdr v0.1.0-78-g1e8b45d0 (0.1.1git) gnuradio 3.7.3
built-in source types: file fcd rtl rtl_tcp uhd rfspace
Using Volk machine: ssse3_64_orc
gr-osmosdr v0.1.0-78-g1e8b45d0 (0.1.1git) gnuradio 3.7.3
built-in source types: file fcd rtl rtl_tcp uhd rfspace
Using device #0 Realtek RTL2838UHIDIR SN: 00000001
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Exact sample rate is: 1500000.014901 Hz
rtlsdr_read_async returned with -5
gqrx: pthread_mutex_lock.c:65: __pthread_mutex_lock: Assertion `mutex->__data.__owner == 0' failed.
Aborted (core dumped)

[csete]

Have you updated rtl-sdr library before gr-osmosdr?
Also, as mentioned in that email thread, it's unlikely that its a gqrx error since gqrx only uses generic gr-osmosdr API and does not talk to librtlsdr directly.

[robotastic]

I did. It is a clean install, so RTLSDR should be the latest version. Maybe I will try going down a version.

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 21, 2014, at 4:56 PM, Alexandru Csete notifications@github.com wrote:

Have you updated rtl-sdr library before gr-osmosdr?
Also, as mentioned in that email thread, it's unlikely a gqrx error since gqrx only uses generic gr-osmosdr API and does not talk to librtlsdr directly.

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[csete]

First try rtl_test / rtl_fm / rtl_sdr to check that the driver library works
Then you can try osmocom_fft to see if the gr-osmosdr library works with rtlsdr.

If both check out then it is a gqrx issu, however, I can't image what I can or could have done to trigger such an error.

I'm updating my packages now but it will take a few hours before it's done.

[csete]

I have updated all my packages using pybombs. Latest librtlsdr, gnuradio, gr-osmosdr, ... works fine here.

[robotastic]

Weird... Osmo-fft works fine for me. I will try again on Monday I left the machine at work.

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On Mar 21, 2014, at 6:01 PM, Alexandru Csete notifications@github.com wrote:

I have updated all my packages using pybombs. Latest librtlsdr, gnuradio, gr-osmosdr, ... works fine here.

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[profknivre]

Hi,

i can confirm, I've build gnuradio and rtlsdr on my machine using script from this address:
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki/InstallingGRFromSource
http://www.sbrac.org/files/build-gnuradio

on two machines:
Ubuntu 13.04 - it crashes that way
Ubuntu 13.10 - it works ok

but on both machines sdrsharp and osmocom_fft works fine, but gqrx crashes with segfault in libusb.

I'm using: Gqrx software defined radio receiver v2.2.0-119-gd71e

[csete]

What architecture?
Also, could your try to build gqrx in debug mode, i.e. "qmake CONFIG+=debug"

[profknivre]

x86_64

already done, please take a look here: http://paste.ubuntu.com/7167747/
and here http://paste.ubuntu.com/7167761/

I hope this helps ;)

[csete]

I can see from your trace where the problem occurs. It happens during the forced RX reconfiguration, which was introduced as a workaround necessary with the rtlsdr/gnuradio combination. While this code could be disabled to let gqrx come up, it will happen again as soon as you change mode, filter or similar.

Similar problem was discovered with USRP B2xx but was fixed in UHD, see issue #145.

So, the bad news is that there is not much I can do about this in gqrx. It is a "feature" of gnuradio that one needs to reset/reconfigure the flow graph when changing e.g. demodulator.

It surprises me though that I have never seen this issue when I was using Xubuntu 13.04. Perhaps a newer libusb is available that works better?

[profknivre]

maybe I've mislead you, but in fact I'm using xubuntu not ubuntu, but I don't think they differ in library versions.

output of: apt-cache showpkg libusb-1.0-0 is here: http://paste.ubuntu.com/7168237/

[robotastic]

Could this have anything to do with this Lock/Unlock bug in GR 3.7?
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/issues/598
I have the same problem in my 3.7 based C++ program, so I don't think it is Python specific.

[robotastic]

Forgot to add, that I did get everything to work fine on a different laptop with the same software stack installed, Ubuntu 13.10, GR 3.7, built through build-grnuadio script.

On the laptop I was getting this error I had previously tried to install that latest version of GQRX & GR-Osmosdr, I thought I had reverted everything, but I may not have.

[csete]

On Fri, Mar 28, 2014 at 6:04 PM, Luke Berndt notifications@github.comwrote:

Could this have anything to do with this Lock/Unlock bug in GR 3.7?
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/issues/598
I have the same problem in my 3.7 based C++ program, so I don't think it
is Python specific.

I don't think so since the error comes from libusb and already the first
time lock/unlock happens.

[robotastic]

Good point! It does look like there is a know error in libusb. There is a patch mentioned in this thread. I will try it out.

http://www.libusb.org/ticket/131

[csete]

On Fri, Mar 28, 2014 at 7:37 PM, Luke Berndt notifications@github.comwrote:

Good point! It does look like there is a know error in libusb. There is a
patch mentioned in this thread. I will try it out.

http://www.libusb.org/ticket/131

... except that you probably already have a later version, which is
actually libusbx (a fork). Confused yet?

Alex

[mnhauke]

I had the same issue on openSUSE 13.1 64bit (kernel: 3.11.10-7-desktop).
Updating libusb from the distribution supplied version 1.0.9 (vanilla from libusb.org) to 1.0.18 (libusbx/libusb from libusb.info) fixed the problem immediately.

[mark-orion]

I can confirm this problem on two machines running XUbuntu 12.04 64bit.
And osmocom_fft is working here too. The same with starting rtl_tcp and connecting to the spectrum server from gqrx - no problem. The crash only happens when gqrx tries to connect to RTL_SDR directly.
The error in the kernelbuffer says this:
[21126.551948] gqrx[27906]: segfault at 44 ip 00007fa7d7a115e7 sp 00007fa773ffeb70 error 4 in libusb-1.0.so.0.1.0[7fa7d7a0c000+e000]

[csete]

I appreciate the feedback; however, as you can see from the last messages it can not be fixed in gqrx but by upgrading libusb.

[mark-orion]

Just upgraded libusb to 1.0.18 and it works. I updated the wrong library because I was not aware that there are two libusb websites.... :-(

[csete]

Yeah, there is libusb and libusbx (fork). I think they are about to be merged again, but who knows...

[csete]

Any protests if I close this?
As I understand we are in agreement that upgrading libusb is the solution.

[robotastic]

Yep! Sorry I should have closed it.

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On Apr 5, 2014, at 3:23 PM, Alexandru Csete notifications@github.com wrote:

Any protests if I close this?
As I understand we are in agreement that upgrading libusb is the solution.

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[magicalbeard]

I know this issue is closed, but I am having the same problem after updating to libusb1.0.9.

[csete]

Yes, the problem was reported with libusb 1.0.9 and solved by upgrading to 1.0.18, so upgrading to 1.0.9 wont solve anything.

[magicalbeard]

Alright, my fault for some reason I was thinking 1.0.9 was the latest version. Updated to 1.0.18 and it is working great. I try reading harder next time.

[sweetpineapple]

I fellowed the step of http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/~krejzi/blfs-git/general/libusb.html to upgraded the libusb.
But I am having the same problem.

[stupoo]

I can duplicate the problem,

My GQRX was working, I then snaped the RTL usb port , after re soldering a cable to the board I now get the described error after same amount of time. (it was working with the cracked pcb)

opps

Stuart

[stupoo]

Ow it turns out I hadn't broken it but had upgraded my lib boost in the middle and forgot ;-) as the dongle is working with some other parts of gnu radio and osmo sdr

Lib boost issue seems to be plaguing many users as some distros seem to have recently updated them .

Stuart

[rfrail3]

I have the same error "rtlsdr_read_async returned with -5" on a Debian Wheezy and the problem was with libusb. Using the last version from backports libusb-1.0-0:amd64 2:1.0.19-1~bpo70+1 solved it.

Thanks for the info guys!

[l29ah]

libusb 1.0.26 here, getting this problem on a long usb cable once a while. Couldn't it just retry the data request instead of failing completely?