A New Radiosonde Decoder and Tracker Program for Windows and RTL-SDR
Thank you to Mario Ančić for informing us about his recently released software, "Radiosonde-decoder-and-tracker-for-Windows". As the name implies, this is Windows only software that can decode and track radiosondes.
A radiosonde is a lightweight instrument package typically carried by a weather balloon to collect atmospheric data such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and GPS position. It transmits this data back to the ground via radio signals. Using an RTL-SDR or another software-defined radio (SDR) along with appropriate decoding software, hobbyists or researchers can receive, decode, and visualize these signals.
Mario has shared the following information about his software:
The program supports four types of sondes: RS-41, M10, M20, and DFM (PS-15, DFM09, DFM17 tested).
The program is designed to run without any additional installations or software, except for the ZADIG driver for RTL-SDR (RTL2832). It uses RTL-FM for SDR reception and the popular open-source RS1729 for decoding. Decoding is also possible via the audio input (using Virtual Audio Cable and SDR# or SDR++ or any other SDR software).
The received data can be sent to servers such as Radiosondy, Wettersonde, or other APRS-based weather radiosonde servers. Optionally, the data can be sent to two servers simultaneously.
Further information and the downloadable program are available in the Release section on the page:
recently released software, "Radiosonde-decoder-and-tracker-for-Windows"The program is intended for 64-bit Windows OS (Windows 7 or newer) and is Freeware.
We note that the software is freeware; however, it does not appear open source, as no code has been shared.
When configuring APRS, can I only enter an amateur callsign? Is it possible to use another nickname? (non-amateur)
In the manual (which opens when you click the HELP button), the APRS functionality is explained in English on pages 21, 22, 23, and 24.
It is possible to use a different name instead of an amateur radio callsign, but only when selecting servers such as Radiosondy.info, Wettersonde.de, or another similar server.
Official amateur radio servers must not be used without a valid amateur radio callsign.
In this case, APRS is only a protocol and a method of parsing data used by radiosonde servers such as Radiosondy and Wettersonde.
It is not part of the amateur radio network, nor is there any requirement to be a licensed radio amateur or to hold a valid amateur radio license.
The passcode can also be generated as described, and the name should not exceed 9 characters (it might work for radiosonde servers with longer names, but I assume they have still kept the standard maximum of 9 characters).
Best regards,
Mario – 9A4AM
FYI this appears to be breaching several copyright owners GPL licences (librtlsdr, habhub/sondehub, sox, wget, RS1729 and probably many others)
Hello,
The program does not use libraries or code parts under the GPL2/3 license directly; instead, it calls them via subprocess routines. These are SOX (GPL2), RTL-SDR-BLOG (RTL-FM under GPL2), and RS1729 (GPL3). Otherwise, only standard Python libraries are used.
An explanation regarding licenses has been added to the ReadMe.md file. As far as I understand, this is sufficient for distribution when used this way. The source code is not necessarily required to be published if it does not fall under the GPL category, but the source code will be published (and is partially available) after cleaning up the code.
Regarding habhub/sondehub and wget, I’m not sure why that would be a violation, since I did not use them in the program; they were used exclusively for testing, as stated in the User Manual, and wget is not used at all in the program.
Thank you for the warning.
Mario
The way it’s packaged does not allow the user to replace out any of the gpl’d code. From sondehub/habhub you have used the paracute/balloon icons.
Hello,
Previously published versions have been removed, and a new version has been uploaded that complies with the GPLv2 and GPLv3 licenses of the tools I use.
RS1729 is licensed under GPLv3, and when the application is launched, it is extracted into a directory located within the application itself (as described in the User Manual and in the README.md).
For SOX and RTL-FM, extraction is not necessary since they are licensed under GPLv2 and can be used as external tools (invoked via subprocess — as can be seen in the running processes in Windows OS). This usage is also explained in both the User Manual and README.md in relation to GPLv2 compliance.
The balloon and parachute icons have been replaced with my own custom icons.
Apologies — I am not a lawyer, and the GPL licensing guidelines were not entirely clear to me at first. After spending the whole day studying them, I believe everything is now in order and fully compliant with the GPL requirements.
Hi Mario,
and support for Airspy receivers (Mini + R2) possible??
Thank you
73! Ladislav OK1UNL
Hi Ladislav,
Airspy devices cannot be used directly; instead, you can use appropriate software and forward the audio (e.g., via Virtual Audio Cable) to the decoder and tracker.
BR
73 Mario 9A4AM
Thanks for explanation, Mario.
Me configured MultiPSK (me have a license key) + SDR# and DXlab commander setup here
http://f6cte.free.fr/DXLab_Commander-Multipsk-SDRsharp.pdf
Works reliable and well.
73!
No temperature/humidity etc info is decoded?
The program is primarily designed for radiosonde hunters, so parameters like temperature, humidity, and similar data were not considered essential.
The main idea is to provide a decoder and tracker for Windows that assists radiosonde hunters, especially those who are not familiar with Linux-based systems.
There are already existing programs for collecting telemetry data from the sondes.
Mario
no longer working on v6.3
ignore working now