DSD+ 1.

071 User Guide

--------------------Installation
-----------This application can create many audio files and log files,
so consider using a dedicated folder to run it from.
The folder can be on your desktop (desktop\DSDPlus) or
off the root folder (C:\DSDPlus), for example.
After copying the zip file contents to the installation folder,
you should probably create a shortcut on your desktop.
The shortcut should run cmd.exe in the installation folder
Shortcut properties:
Target: %windir%\system32\cmd.exe
Start in: <your DSDPlus folder>
Layout / Window size: Width should be about 100 (120 if displaying timestamps)

Usage/Options Summary
--------------------Usage:
DSDPlus [options]
DSDPlus [options] ? file
DSDPlus -h

Decode from audio stream

Decode from .wav file
Show help

Options ( [...] = default value):

Display/Logging options:
-Show command line options in window title
>file
Create log file
>>file
Append to log file
-t
Time stamp log file entries
-T
Time stamp log file entries and on screen data
-v<num>
Frame information verbosity (0-4) [-v2]
-wsl<v>.<h> Source audio waveform window location [10.10]
-wss<h>.<w> Source audio waveform window size (min 50.200; 0 blocks) [200.300]
-wsp<num> Source audio waveform window update period (10-1000) [100]
-wel<v>.<h> Event log window location [50.50]
-wes<h>.<w> Event log window size (min ?) [400.500]
-weh<num> Event log window font height [15]
-wcl<v>.<h> Channel window location [90.90]
-wch<num> Channel window font height [15]
Input/Output options:
-i<spec>
Input audio device (1-255) and channel (M/L/R) [-i1M]

-g<num>

Output audio gain (0.001-999; 0=auto) [-g0]

-o<spec>

Output audio device (1-255; 0=none) and channel (M/L/R) [-o1]

in/out channels are optional; default=in:mono, out:mode based

-Och <file> Output audio file channel count and name/type [-O DSDPlus.wav]
ch: M=mono,S=stereo,blank=auto; file: .wav or .mp3 (NUL=none)
-I<num>

Create new wav/mp3 file every <num> minutes (1440=daily) [-I0]

-M<num>

MP3 ABR kbps per channel (8-32) [-M15]

Decoder options:
-p
Invert signal polarity (may be required for X2-TDMA and dPMR)
-mp
optimize for PSK modulation (will not decode non-PSK)
-fa
-fd
-fn
-fN
-fr
-f1
-fx
-fp
-fm

Auto-detect all protocols / frame types except dPMR [-fa]

Decode D-STAR (no audio)
Decode NXDN4800 (Kenwood NEXEDGE and Icom IDAS)
Decode NXDN9600 (Kenwood NEXEDGE)
Decode DMR/MotoTRBO (TDMA inputs + both output slots)
Decode P25 Phase 1
Decode X2-TDMA
Decode ProVoice
Enable dPMR decoding (no audio)

-1
-2

Synthesize audio for first DMR timeslot

Synthesize audio for second DMR timeslot

-u<num>

Unvoiced speech quality (1-64) [-u3]

Advanced decoder options:

-dr<num>
Rolloff filter (1-11; 0=auto) [-dr0]
-dh<num>
Hotspot size (1-8; 0=auto) [-dh0]
-ds<num>
Scaling factor (55-75; not used with D-Star or ProVoice) [-ds64]
-dd<num>
Damping level (1-100; not used with D-Star or ProVoice) [-dd10]
-dv<num>
Viewport size (1-30; not used with D-Star or ProVoice) [-dv20]
Active keys:
?
Display active keys list in event log window
1
Synthesize audio for first DMR timeslot
2
Synthesize audio for second DMR timeslot
3
Synthesize audio for both DMR timeslots
Toggle command line options display
|
Toggle symbol phase display
B
Show/hide background events in event log window
F
Backfill source audio display
N
Reset/redisplay neighbor list
P
Toggle signal polarity
R
Start/stop recording of raw source audio to wav file
S
Close/reopen source audio waveform display
W
Display window locations
Esc
End program
Source Audio:
Right click

Pause/unpause source audio waveform display

Run Modes
--------The program can decode live discriminator audio or recorded .wav files.
Recorded audio files must be 48 or 96 kHz 16 bit mono PCM .wav files.

Logging
-------v
-v0 generates minimal output.
Use -v3 or -v4 for maximum data logging.
Program output can be sent to a log file ( DSDPlus >logfile )

Input/Output
------------i -o
WaveIn/Out devices are listed at program startup.
Select your devices if you don't want to use the defaults.
Use -o0 to disable output audio.
-O
By default, all synthesized audio is written/appended to DSDPlus.wav
Use -O name.ext to write synthesized audio to another .wav or .mp3 file.
Use -O NUL to disable recording of synthesized audio.
-I
Use -I# to start a new synthesized audio recording file every # minutes.

Decoder Options
---------------fa
Using -fa (or nothing) will (usually) auto-decode all supported protocols.
Polarity of signals is auto-detected.
Note: -fa does not enable dPMR detection; -fm must be used to enable dPMR
-fd -fn -fN -fr -f1 -fx -fp -fm
When monitoring a single type of traffic,
locking the protocol can provide slightly better decoding results.
Note: more than one protocol can be enabled via the command line.
-u
Lower values (slightly) reduce CPU load.

Advanced Decoder Options

-----------------------Fine tuning the advanced decoder options can greatly increase decoding rates.
Different systems, protocols, receivers and PC sound devices require unique

fine tuning values.

A 15 to 60 second recording of voice traffic on a target system should be made
and used as the input for tuning runs. Use the 'R' key to make recordings.
Recordings of control channels or rest channels are also useable.
To speed up the tuning process, audio synthesis should be disabled
and the protocol should be locked correctly:
DSDPlus ? rawAudio.wav -o0 -O NUL -f1
A decoding score will be displayed.
Pressing the up arrow will redisplay the previous command line,
which you can then edit and re-run.
Adjust a single parameter to determine which value produces the highest score:
DSDPlus
DSDPlus
DSDPlus
DSDPlus

?
?
?
?

rawAudio.wav
rawAudio.wav
rawAudio.wav
rawAudio.wav

-o0
-o0
-o0
-o0

-O
-O
-O
-O

NUL
NUL
NUL
NUL

-f1
-f1
-f1
-f1

-dr1
-dr2
-dr3
-dr4

When the optimal value for a tuning parameter is determined,

use that value (#) and add another parameter and repeat the tuning steps:
DSDPlus ? rawAudio.wav -o0 -O NUL -f1 -dr# -dh1
DSDPlus ? rawAudio.wav -o0 -O NUL -f1 -dr# -dh2
DSDPlus ? rawAudio.wav -o0 -O NUL -f1 -dr# -dh3
...
Repeat until all advanced decoding options have been fine tuned.
The recommended order for adjusting tuning parameters is:
1:
2:
3:
4:

Rolloff
Hotspot
Scaling
Damping

filtering (-dr)
size (-dh)
factor (-ds)
level (-dd)

Viewport tuning is rarely worth bothering with.

Damping settings do not affect D-Star or ProVoice,
so don't bother tweaking them for those protocols.
You do NOT have to try every value for a tuning parameter:
Rolloff: start at 1 and go up by 1 until the score starts trending down
Hotspot: most signals prefer an even hotspot size (usually 2, sometimes 4);
a few signals prefer an odd hotspot size; testing 2, 3 and 4 will
settle the odd/even question; continue until the score trends down
Scaling: test only 55, 60, 65, 70, 75; best is usually in the 60-65 range
Damping: start testing at 5; increment by 5 or 10; watch the trend...

Check your tuning by re-enabling voice synthesis:

DSDPlus ? rawAudio.wav -f1 -dr# -dh# -ds# -dd# -dv#
-orJust use the third party program - dsdtune.
When the optimal values for a system + receiver + sound input is determined,
consider creating a batch file to store the settings:
Local-PD.bat:
DSDPlus -f1 -dr1 -dh3 -ds66 -dd40 -dv20 -O PD.mp3
DMR.bat:
DSDPlus -fd -d21 -dh2 -ds58 -dd5 -dv20 -O DMR.mp3
Then to monitor a specific system, run its batch file.
If you prefer, instead of batch files, you can create desktop shortcuts.
If you scan multiple systems and protocols with a single receiver,
you can run multiple copies of DSDPlus in parallel with each one
protocol-locked and fine tuned as required. Each copy of the program
should write synthesized audio to separate files.

Active Keys
----------?
'?' generates a list of keyboard commands in the event log window.
1
2
3
When monitoring conventional DMR systems, you may want to block voice
synthesis for one timeslot. Press 1 or 2 to enable only one timeslot.
Press 3 to enable both timeslots.
Display of the command line parameters in the console window title
is enabled/disabled by pressing the '-' key.
|
The symbol phase display in the console window title
is enabled/disabled by pressing the '|' key.
B
The display of background events (like LRRP updates) in the event log window
is enabled/disabled by pressing the 'B' key.

F
Backfill source audio display. Just try it.
N
Press 'N' to force DSD+ to regather and display the current trunking site's
neighbor list in the event log window. Useful for when the neighbor list has
scrolled off the window.
P
Press 'P' to toggle the raw signal polarity. You may need to do this when
decoding X2-TDMA or dPMR signals.
R
'R' starts/stops recording of discriminator audio. Use 'R' to make 60
second source recordings of tuning data. Rename the files to identify
what they are.
S
If the source audio window has been closed, this key will reopen it.
W
When the source audio, event log and channel activity windows have been
placed onscreen where you want them, this key will display their current
locations in the event log window. You can copy these locations to
a batch file or shortcut.
Esc
To terminate real time decoding or .wav file processing, press Esc.

Window Title
-----------The window title area shows the command line parameters used (unless -- specifie
d),
symbol tracking/centering, auto-scaling factor, output audio gain,
symbol rate (2400/4800/9600), and protocol.
During raw audio recording, "<REC>" is displayed.

Data files
---------DSDPlus.networks
You can populate the DSDPlus.networks file with the network IDs and
network names for NEXEDGE, Connect Plus and Tier III trunking systems.
DSD+ will display the network names when those networks are monitored.
You can add or edit network entries in this file while DSD+ is running.
DSDPlus.sites
The names for each site on a network can be stored in this file.
Some non-networked DMR systems also broadcast system IDs,
so entries for them can also be added to this file.
DSD+ will use the contents of this file to display the name of the
currently monitored site as well as the names of sites in neighbor lists.

You can add or edit site entries in this file while DSD+ is running.
DSDPlus.groups
DSD+ will auto-populate this file with every group ID that is seen.
You can edit this file while DSD+ is running and add names/aliases to
group records.
DSDPlus.radios
DSD+ will auto-populate this file with every radio ID that is seen.
You can edit this file while DSD+ is running and add names/aliases to
radio records. This file replaces the DSDPlus.aliases file; if you
already have a large aliases file, you can use a text editor's
search/replace functionality to convert the contents of your aliases file
to match the format used in the radios file.
DSDPlus.frequencies
DSD+ uses this file to display frequency information when DSD+ is monitoring
a rest channel or control channel. The frequency records will also be
used to control channel steering for trunked voice following.
Note:
DSD+ uses two channel numbers for each DMR RF channel:
Channel
Channel
Channel
Channel
Channel
Channel
...

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6

=
=
=
=
=
=

first RF channel, timeslot 1

first RF channel, timeslot 2
second RF channel, timeslot 1
second RF channel, timeslot 2
third RF channel, timeslot 1
third RF channel, timeslot 2

For all DMR systems (DMR, Cap+, Con+, TIII), only one channel record has
to be added to the DSDPlus.frequencies file for each RF channel.
You can use the channel number that corresponds to timeslot 1 or 2 and
DSD+ will use the same frequency information for the other timeslot.
All of the records in these data files have a protocol field;
DSD+ recognizes the following protocol name strings:
D-Star
IDAS
NEXEDGE48
NEXEDGE96
dPMR
DMR
Cap+
Con+
TIII
P25
ProVoice

DMR TIII handling

-----------------

Tier III control channels broadcast a 14 bit identifier that indicates

the network model (tiny/small/large/huge), network ID, service area
and site number for the current site and for neighboring sites.
Many TIII DMR systems are set up using these programming defaults:
large network (uses a 4 bit NID field)
NID = 13
Service area field length: 5 bits
Site number field length: 3 bits
Physical sites are typically assigned unique area numbers (1, 2, 3, ...)
while their site numbers are all set to 1. So odds are good that any network
you find will have sites with area.site values of 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, etc.
When -v3 or higher is used, DSD+ will display a site's 14 bit "SysCode" in binar
y.
Example:
CSBK Aloha SysCode=10.1100.00010000
The first two bits encode the network model value. Here, 10 = large model.
The next set of digits encodes the network ID. A zero value is used for NID 1,
so here, 1100 = 12 = NID 13.
The last set of digits encodes the area number and the site number.
Since these two fields do not have a fixed length, DSD+ cannot automatically
decode them. The dividing line between the two fields is selected when the
network is created. This is similar to the variability found in Motorola Type I
fleetmaps.
To determine the correct field sizes, gather as many SysCodes as possible
by monitoring system sites and examining their neighbor lists.
Example:
CSBK Bcast SysCode=10.1100.00010000 Neighbor SysCode=10.1100.00000000, CC=60
0
CSBK Bcast SysCode=10.1100.00010000 Neighbor SysCode=10.1100.00001000, CC=62
2
From this small sample we have these SysCodes:
10.1100.00000000
10.1100.00001000
10.1100.00010000
It becomes clear that the SysCodes should be decoded as:
10.1100.00000 000 Model=large NID=13 Area=1 Site=1
10.1100.00001 000 Model=large NID=13 Area=2 Site=1
10.1100.00010 000 Model=large NID=13 Area=3 Site=1
So here, the area length is 5 and the site length is 3.

In the DSDPlus.networks file, an area length value can be appended to TIII

network records, so if the following line is added
TIII, 13, "network name goes here", 5
DSD+ will use the supplied area length value to properly decode this system's
SysCode fields.
These TIII sites can be added to the DSDPlus.sites file as:
TIII, 13, 1.1, "site name goes here"
TIII, 13, 2.1, "site name goes here"
TIII, 13, 3.1, "site name goes here"
The records in the DSDPlus.frequencies file also reference site numbers;
for TIII sites, use the same area.site format:
TIII, 13, 1.1, 600, 462.0, 0.0, 0
TIII, 13, 2.1, 622, 462.3, 0.0, 0

DSD+ Fast Lane

-------------Early access to features is being offered through the DSD+ Fast Lane program.
Fast Lane updates are expected to be released every 7 to 30 days.
Some Fast Lane updates WILL have issues/bugs. That is the nature of alpha softw
are.
These are a few of the features that are being worked on:
better tablet support
IDAS/NEXEDGE/Cap+/Con+/TIII trunk voice following
per-call audio recordings
other needed DSD+ upgrades
FMP upgrades
squelch
drift tracking
selectable sampling rates
adjustable windows sizes
TCP client/server mode (eliminates VAC / VB-C)
multiple VFOs
Airspy support
Fully tested public releases will continue, but less frequently,

probably every 4 to 6 months.

In light of the extra workload the Fast Lane program will create,
the DSD+ team is asking Fast Laners for:
US$10 for one year of Fast Lane updates
US$25 for unlimited Fast Lane updates
Donations above these amounts are welcomed, but it's up to you.
We're not looking to get rich here. Funds will be used for things like
needed hardware upgrades.
Funds can be sent our Paypal account (dsdplusfastlane@gmail.com)
Please include a comment that specifies the email address that
your Fast Lane updates should be sent to.
--