Superseded by RC2. Keep RC1 only for comparison; new testing should use RC2.
Experimental multi-dongle release
This pre-release expands OrcSDR beyond the RTL-SDR Blog V4 using the new esp_rtl_sdr 0.8.0-rc1 driver.
M5Burner
This experimental version is available as the attached M5Burner-ready image. Select the merged -m5burner.bin file, choose the Tab5 COM port and burn normally. The image contains the bootloader, partition table, and application at their correct internal offsets. A factory-style M5Burner installation clears saved OrcSDR settings.
Dongle support
- RTL-SDR Blog V4 remains the tested, non-regression baseline and should continue to work as before.
- RTL-SDR Blog V3 support is provisional and needs hardware feedback.
- Nooelec V5 support is provisional and needs hardware feedback.
- Frequencies below 24 MHz are blocked on dongles without an HF upconverter capability.
- Gain, automatic gain, RTL AGC, and Bias-T controls are shown or enabled according to the detected dongle capabilities.
Included OrcSDR work
- AM dashboard
- HF reception for capable dongles
- Automatic tuning and gain behavior
- Station finder
- Detected dongle profile and capability diagnostics
No unfinished station-database generators or scraped station data are included.
Testing status
The RTL-SDR Blog V4 path has passed the project build, driver regression, manual AM/FM/Home transitions, direct flashing, and an M5Burner installation smoke test. V3 and Nooelec V5 remain provisional until owners report physical enumeration, tuning, IQ streaming, and reception results. Bias-T was not tested for this candidate.
Known review findings
CodeRabbit identified two unresolved response-path issues in PR #81: a rejected frequency request may still report success, and a rejected RTL_TUNE request may stop active P25 automation before rejection is reported. This release is therefore experimental and must not be treated as the next stable OrcSDR release.
Source: #81
M5Burner image SHA-256: 1A095EDC65FBA2670EA1FF0FB52FE46C0CBF96219C73899AA9C9834AD5C56560
Current community test reports
- One RTL-SDR Blog V3 tester reports a blue-screen reboot loop when the dongle is inserted.
- One Nooelec NESDR SMArt V5 tester reports static and intermittent waterfall activity but no received stations.
- Neither provisional profile has passed repeatable physical reception testing in this OrcSDR build.
Please capture a complete cold-boot serial log before reporting results. This RC1 remains available for diagnostics only and should not be treated as confirmed V3 or Nooelec support.