# Trouble with RTL-SDR source (Gain Mode?)

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/trouble-with-rtl-sdr-source-gain-mode/231294>\
**Category:** GNU Radio\
**Created:** [August 1, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/trouble-with-rtl-sdr-source-gain-mode/231294 "2014-08-01T16:05:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![addis\_a](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@addis\_a](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/addis_a)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/trouble-with-rtl-sdr-source-gain-mode/231294/1 "2014-08-01T16:05:04Z")

</div>

When adding the RTL-SDR source I get the following output:

linux; GNU C++ version 4.9.0 20140604 (prerelease); Boost\_105500;  
UHD\_003.007.001-0-unknown

gr-osmosdr 0.1.1 (0.1.1) gnuradio 3.7.4  
built-in source types: file fcd rtl rtl\_tcp uhd hackrf bladerf rfspace  
Using device #0 Realtek RTL2838UHIDIR  
Found Fitipower FC0013 tuner  
Exact sample rate is: 2000000.052982 Hz  
Traceback (most recent call last):  
File “/home/tinus/GNURadio/top\_block.py”, line 144, in   
tb = top\_block()  
File “/home/tinus/GNURadio/top\_block.py”, line 46, in **init**  
self.rtlsdr\_source\_0.set\_gain\_mode(0, 0)  
File “/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/osmosdr/osmosdr\_swig.py”, line  
1213, in set\_gain\_mode  
return \_osmosdr\_swig.source\_sptr\_set\_gain\_mode(self, \*args,  
\*\*kwargs)  
TypeError: in method ‘source\_sptr\_set\_gain\_mode’, argument 2 of type  
‘bool’

Strangely enough I have an example which does work, and here the RTL-SDR  
source has ‘False’ as ‘ch0: Gain Mode’ which isn’t even selectable when  
adding a new block.

Every other combination of setting gives the shown output…

EDIT: I’m on Arch Linux and had some problems installing and running the  
software but most seems to work now.