# Problems associated with airprobe

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-associated-with-airprobe/225188>\
**Category:** GNU Radio\
**Created:** [December 19, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-associated-with-airprobe/225188 "2012-12-19T16:14:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@aris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/aris)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-associated-with-airprobe/225188/1 "2012-12-19T16:14:37Z")

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Dear All,  
I am working on decoding broadcast channel of GSM using airprobe.

I follow airprobe instructions  
[https://svn.berlin.ccc.de/projects/airprobe/wiki/WorkingWithTheUSRP](https://svn.berlin.ccc.de/projects/airprobe/wiki/WorkingWithTheUSRP)  
[https://svn.berlin.ccc.de/projects/airprobe/wiki/A](https://svn.berlin.ccc.de/projects/airprobe/wiki/A)

But still run into problems two errors are related with “cannot open  
usrp”  
and one error are related with " No module named gsm"

error 1 of “cannot open usrp”

shine@ubuntu:~/airprobe/gsm-receiver/src/python$ sudo ./capture.sh  
945000000/usr/local/bin/usrp\_rx\_cfile.py  
Capturing for 10 seconds to capture\_945000000\_112.cfile (5714280  
samples)  
usrp: failed to find usrp[0]  
Traceback (most recent call last):  
File “/usr/local/bin/usrp\_rx\_cfile.py”, line 106, in   
my\_top\_block().run()  
File “/usr/local/bin/usrp\_rx\_cfile.py”, line 62, in **init**  
self.u = usrp.source\_c(decim\_rate=options.decim)  
File  
“/usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/gnuradio/usrp/usrp\_swig.py”,  
line 1699, in source\_c  
return \_usrp\_swig.source\_c(\*args, \*\*kwargs)  
RuntimeError: can’t open usrp

error2 of “cannot open usrp”

shine@ubuntu:~/airprobe/gsm-tvoid/src/python$ ./gsm\_scan.py  
% offset = 0.0 clock = 64000000.0  
fusb\_block\_size = 4096  
fusb\_nblocks = 16  
usrp: failed to find usrp[0]  
Traceback (most recent call last):  
File “./gsm\_scan.py”, line 731, in   
main()  
File “./gsm\_scan.py”, line 726, in main  
app = stdgui2.stdapp(app\_flow\_graph, “GSM Scanner”, nstatus=1)  
File  
“/usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py”,  
line 36, in **init**  
wx.App. **init** (self, redirect=False)  
File  
“/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/wx-2.8-gtk2-unicode/wx/\_core.py”,  
line 7978, in **init**  
self.\_BootstrapApp()  
File  
“/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/wx-2.8-gtk2-unicode/wx/\_core.py”,  
line 7552, in \_BootstrapApp  
return _core_.PyApp\_\_BootstrapApp(\*args, \*\*kwargs)  
File  
“/usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py”,  
line 39, in OnInit  
frame = stdframe (self.top\_block\_maker, self.title, self.\_nstatus)  
File  
“/usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py”,  
line 60, in **init**  
self.panel = stdpanel (self, self, top\_block\_maker)  
File  
“/usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/gnuradio/wxgui/stdgui2.py”,  
line 81, in **init**  
self.top\_block = top\_block\_maker (frame, self, vbox, sys.argv)  
File “./gsm\_scan.py”, line 172, in **init**  
self.setup\_flowgraph()  
File “./gsm\_scan.py”, line 552, in setup\_flowgraph  
self.setup\_usrp()  
File “./gsm\_scan.py”, line 361, in setup\_usrp  
self.ursp = usrp.source\_c(decim\_rate=options.decim,fusb\_block\_size=  
options.fusb\_block\_size,fusb\_nblocks=options.fusb\_nblocks)  
File  
“/usr/local/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/gnuradio/usrp/usrp\_swig.py”,  
line 1699, in source\_c  
return \_usrp\_swig.source\_c(\*args, \*\*kwargs)  
RuntimeError: can’t open usrp

error3 of " No module named gsm"

shine@ubuntu:~/airprobe/gsm-receiver/src/python$ ./go\_usrp2.sh  
vf\_call6\_a725\_d174\_g5\_Kc1EF00BAB3BAC7002.cfile  
Traceback (most recent call last):  
File “./gsm\_receive100.py”, line 12, in   
import gsm  
ImportError: No module named gsm

According to my finding of the link  
[[Discuss-gnuradio] Decoding GSM uplink signals](http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/discuss-gnuradio/2011-09/msg00467.html),  
_Miguel  
Sanz_ has done Airprobe to decode downlink signals on N210.  
I wonder if there is anyway, I can contact him.

Thank you.  
regards

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xiangwei\_zheng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/c89c15/32.png) [@xiangwei\_zheng](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/xiangwei_zheng)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-associated-with-airprobe/225188/2 "2012-12-19T19:34:24Z")

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On 12/19/2012 09:13 AM, xiangwei zheng wrote:

> error 1 of “cannot open usrp”  
> Best guess: Thats probably a permissions issue. Run as root or setup  
> udev rules to give user permission for the device.

On a related note, is there a version of airprobe that uses UHD? That  
usrp1 API stuff has been out of mainline gnuradio for some time.

-josh