ADALM-Pluto and DATV

This is not a tutorial to install Pluto from scratch ! Just detailed notes following my 3-days workshop.
You should have installed your Pluto tools and have it tested enough : SDRangel, GNUradio... have drivers/packages installed to manage IIO device : libiio, gr-iio, libad9361 ...
Be sure to have "Industrial IO" listed as block section in GNUradio, with FMCOMM and PlutoSDR sub-sections.
May also work using SoapySDR or osmocom.

IMPORTANT REMINDER :

Always use a bandpass filter. No filter = harmonics.
You must have a license to transmit, except on very few frequencies.
You can cause serious trouble by transmitting on unauthorized frequencies !
This is your own responsability !
Outside allowed spectrum, use dummy load, or make test inside a Faraday cage, or in a deep tunnel under mountains :)

Update Nov 2019

F5OEO recently released a firmware for ADALM-pluto dedicated to DATV.
Features : using the pluto to transmit (DVB-S/DVB-S2) video/audio stream from host computer using "OBS" or "VMIX" apps or from mobile phone using "Larix Software" app.

Documentation is included on the firmware ( http://pluto.local )
To get the firmware, you have to register to VivaDATV forums

More information can be found here : http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=685
Tutorial (and more on Pluto) using OBS app : https://wiki.batc.org.uk/Custom_DATV_Firmware_for_the_Pluto

Setup DATV RX environment on Linux:

My choice goes to SDRangel. However to enable DATV plugin (Linux only) I had to compile SDRangel from sources. Information : https://github.com/f4exb/sdrangel/tree/master/plugins/channelrx/demoddatv

I played one day first using RPiDATV from @F5OEO_evariste : https://github.com/F5OEO/rpidatv

Receiving DATV using VLC and LEANDVB :

More infos here : http://www.pabr.org/radio/leandvb/leandvb.en.html

rtl_sdr -f 435008000 -s 2400000 -g 37 - | ./leandvb --gui --anf 0 --sr 500e3 --cr 1/2 --drift --tune 7e3  --drift  | cvlc -  

vlc can be replaced by mplayer, depending of the codec. However result is better using VLC

RX setup using an old DVB-S FtA receiver :

Made my tests using an old DVB-S receiver : a METRONIC "Touch Box 5"
Erased all channels, favorites. Deselected satellites, transponders.
Created a new "DATV" satellite, with some new transponders onboard this fake sat. For each transponder : freq 10720, don't care on polarity, and symbol rate : 1000, 1200, and 1500 kS/s

Send your signal from the Pluto (see below), then perform a channel scan once.

That's it, from now channel 1 will receive at 1000kS/s, channel 2 1200 kS/s, and channel 3 1500kS/s, all on the same frequency.

Note : using DVB-S receiver you can only receive MPEG-2 . MPEG-4 is for DVB-S2 mode (correct me if I'm wrong) however using SDRangel you can decode both MPEG2 and MPEG4 TS streams.

Thus you may have to convert mp4 video file to MPEG-2.
Transcode video to MPEG2 .ts format (can be improved by RTFM):

    ffmpeg -re -i my_file.mp4 -vcodec mpeg2video -s 360x288 -r 25 -b:v 1M -acodec mp2fixed -strict -2 -b:a 128k -f mpegts test3.ts  

GNURADIO setup :

The two provided files as examples (in "scripts" directory) are working in the same way, however not using same DVB-S blocks. You can change symbol-rate "in-the-fly" : 333, 500, 1000, 1200, 1500 KS/s.

dvbs_tx.grc :

To run dvbs_tx.grc you have to install DVBS blocks from here : https://github.com/drmpeg/gr-dvbs
Once installed it should appear in GNUradio in "dvbs" blocks :

dvbs_tx2.grc :

Blocks in use are native on GNUradio, under "Digital Television" blocks. Just run the script.
This example comes from @csete Alex, here : https://myriadrf.org/blog/digital-video-transmission-using-limesdr-gnu-radio/

Transmit video file using GNURADIO :

Copy the .ts files from "samples" folder to your Pluto USB Mass Storage (the files in the folder, not the folder itself)

*** From gnuradio-companion (GUI)

Open dvbs_tx.grc or dvbstx_grc2 and run it.

Default freq is set to 970MHz, allowing use of a DVB-S receiver without LNB (DVBS RX set to 10.720 Ghz)

*** Using python Just run files generated by GNUradio.

Files : dvbs_tx.py python python dvbs_tx.py python python

• Troubleshooting :

** Can't find the .ts files : GNUradio will try to open .ts files from : /media//PlutoSDR folder. in case of trouble, open GNUradio .GRC files from "scripts" folders: modify the path for "FILE SOURCE" block to your own needs to access video files.

(Python : edit file, modify path ...)

Transmit video file directly from Pluto using shell and LEANDVB/LEANTRX (GNUradio or python not needed)

This is based on the nice work of F4DAV and PABR team. Nothing new.

note 1: to transmit DATV from Pluto, leansdr/leantrx must be installed (at least running) on the pluto: Follow instructions from here : http://www.pabr.org/radio/leantrx/leantrx.en.html or very good alternative : reflash at your own risk your Pluto using Plutoweb firmware from unixpunk/ImDroided team : https://github.com/unixpunk/PlutoWeb

note 2: lot of variants are possible: you can also copy the file using SCP/SFTP protocol, or use runme0.sh script from external USB storage.

Copy MPEG2-lalinea.ts file to the USB_gadget volume (Pluto USB Mass Storage). Eject the gadget volume. Will auto-remount by itself after few seconds.
Connect via SSH (or serial) to pluto shell then type following commands :

mkdir /gadget
losetup /dev/loop7 /opt/vfat.img -o 512
mount /dev/loop7 /gadget
leandvbtx --cr 1/2  --s16 < /gadget/MPEG2-lalinea.ts    | leaniiotx -f 970000000 --bufsize 32768 --nbufs  32 --bw 3e6 -s 1e6 -v

Will stream video at 970 MHZ, BW 1MHz, symbrate 500kS/s, QPSK, CR 1/2

Variant :

leandvbtx --cr 1/2  --s16 < /gadget/MPEG2-lalinea.ts   | leaniiotx -f 970000000 --bufsize 32768 --nbufs  32 --bw 2e6 -s 666e3 -v  

--> 970 MHZ, BW 500kHz, 333kS/s, QPSK, CR 1/2

Pluto : transmit webcam+audio file using ffmpeg and GNUradio

Files are located in the gnuradio-webcam directory.

First we start streaming on the network from the webcam, also picking a long mp3 file located on the hard drive as audio stream.
Once streaming is started, we launch GNUradio to get this TS stream and send it as DVB-S mode.
It is possible to monitor the video/audio stream from the local computer (GNUradio input) : surprisingly the result is not always good, but at the same time it's OK on the sat receiver.

First start video+audio TS streaming using ffmpeg, in this example adding the local webcam /dev/vide0, and mp3 file as audio.
Also add OSD text (content of /home/user/datv_text.txt).
This line works well for me, but you will perhaps need to adapt/improve parameters.

ffmpeg -r 10 -i '/dev/video0' -i '/home/user/Musique/podcast_-_16bits.mp3'\
-acodec mp2  -f mpegts -b:v 0.7M \
-vf "drawtext=textfile=/home/user/datv_text.txt:x=60:y=34:fontsize=40:shadowx=3:shadowy=3:fontcolor=red:shadowcolor=white" \
-b:a 128k -ar 44100 -ac 2 -af asetpts=N/SR/TB \
-mpegts_service_id 1 -metadata service_provider=”CALLSIGN” -metadata service_name=CALLSIGN \
-r 15 -ignore_unknown -pix_fmt yuv420p udp://127.0.0.1:58000

You can use ffmpeg-start.sh script to perform this task. Edit paths on this file befire running it.
Keep the task running on the terminal.

Then start GNUradio, and run dvbs_tx_udp_monitor.GRC script. Pluto should start transmit on 970 MHz.

You can also run the python scripts located on the same directory.

Transmit mobile phone webcam using GNURADIO :

By installing application on your mobile to send the camera stream over network.
Using the same GRC script.

More details in the gnuradio-webcam directory.

Transmit RPi live-webcam on Pluto (using RPi and avc2ts from F5OEO) :

Thanks to F5OEO for suggesting this idea, and helping to debug.

• video source from RPi : Picam or USB webcam, desktop.
• Pluto is listening for video-TS multicast sent by RPi running avc2ts.

On the Pi side, install avc2ts : https://github.com/F5OEO/avc2ts
Installation is simple but can take a long time ! Do not interrupt.
Do not confuse with avc2ts utility included with RPiDATV, this one is not compatible.
Still on the Pi, install mnc : https://github.com/marascio/mnc

Pluto : download mnc tool (compiled binary) from here. : copy the mnc binary to /bin or /usr/sbin, make it executable

From shell on Pi run following command to start Picam streaming:

    ~/avc2ts/avc2ts -t 0 -m 403000 -b 300000 -x 640 -y 480 -f 20 -n 230.0.0.10:10000:0.0.0.0

Use : ~/avc2ts/avc2ts -t 3 ......... to stream USB cam.
Adapt settings !

On the pluto side, to transmit on 437 MHz, run following command :

    mnc -l -p 10000 230.0.0.10 | leandvbtx -f 4 --fill --cr 7/8  --s16  | leaniiotx -f 437000000 --bufsize 32768 --nbufs  32 --bw 3e6 -s 1e6 -v

This was tested using PiZero + Picam, and standalone Pluto powered by battery-pack and connected via WiFi, making a 100% mobile DATV transmitter (demo video)

Note : Pluto-firmware including mnc executable and more is available for download, please follow instructions from here : https://github.com/LamaBleu/plutoscripts

Credits :
LEANTRX/LEANSDR : PABR team and F4DAV : http://www.pabr.org/radio/leantrx/leantrx.en.html
rpidatv : F5OEO (tks Evariste for the video sample)

Enjoy @fonera_cork - LamaBleu 11/2018