Category: Applications

Detecting GPS Jammers In Augmented Reality

The NT1065 is an all-in-one 4-channel global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver chip. It is highly versatile and can receive and decode multiple navigation satellites such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, IRNSS and QZSS. Being able to receive so many satellites, it is capable of centimeter level positioning.

The team at Amungo Navigation have taken this chip and have created a product called the NUT4NT+ which is essentially a development board for the NT1065, and all the software for signal processing with it is provided as open source software. In the near future they are planning to begin fundraising for the product over on the crowd funding site CrowdSupply.

One very interesting application that they have been developing with a device similar to the NUT5NT+ is a GPS Jammer/Spoofer detector system which they call the Amungo XNZR. This is a combined 4-channel GNSS receiver and 4-antenna GNSS antenna system built into a small package that fits onto the back of an Android tablet. When connected to the software it uses augmented reality (AR) to show you exactly where GPS jammers are in the vicinity by using coherent signal processing. If you're not familiar with AR, this is the technique of overlaying digital data/images on top of a live real world camera view.

Detecting a Kremlin GPS Spoofer in Augmented Reality
Detecting a Kremlin GPS Spoofer in Augmented Reality

In the video below they take their XNZR detector to Varvarka Street in Moscow Russia and determine the location of a GPS spoofer in the vicinity. 

More information about their product can be found on their homepage, and on various interesting forum posts by someone from the company that detail some of their experiments. Note that the forum posts are in Russian, but Google Translate can be used to translate the text.

XNZR is searching for Moscow GPS Spoofing Anomaly

Reading Household Wireless Utility Meters with an RTL-SDR and Plotting the Data in Home Automation Software

Over on YouTube Debashish Sahu has uploaded a video showing how he uses an RTL-SDR to capture and decode consumption data from his home electric/gas/water utility meters. He uses the rtl_amr software which already supports a wide range of meters such as Debashish's gas meter. Later in the video he shows a Python script that he's written which continuously grabs the data from rtl_amr, and passes it into the Home Assistant software using JSON. Then in Home Assistant the data is graphed, and he is able to determine points of interest, such as when appliances turned on or off.

Using RTL-SDR to read values from wireless electric/gas/water meters

An Enhanced Version of Freqshow for Raspberry Pi’s with Touch Screens

The Freqshow software is an RTL-SDR compatible tool for Raspberry Pi devices that can render live spectrum and waterfall displays. It is designed to run on portable touchscreens that plug into the Raspberry Pi. We've posted about freqshow a few times in the past.

Recently Dan Stixrud has created an enhanced version of Freqshow. Over on the his post on the Adafruit forums, Dan explains the improvements as follows:

The additional features are many. Additional features include: Full resolution zooming, I and Q Swap, 9 different pre FFT windowing functions to choose from. Center frequency offset or shift. PPM correction for the RTL2832. FFT averaging or FFT peaking. Easy frequency up and down from main screen. Easy Scale adjustment from main screen.

On YouTube he's also posted a video that demonstrates the software in action when running on an Adafruit 2.8" and Pi Foundation 7" TFT capacitive touch screen. Dan uses the software as a panadapter for his ham radio.

PLSDR: A Python Based SDR App with RTL-SDR Support

Programmer P. Lutus has recently released a new Python based software defined radio application that he calls "PLSDR". PLSDR is a full receiver, with spectrum and waterfall displays, a frequency manager, and support for multiple modes such as AM/FM/SSB/CW. Being Python based PLSDR supports both Linux and Windows. Compatible hardware includes the RTL-SDR, HackRF and SDRplay, however Lutus notes that he could only get the SDRplay working on Linux.

The PLSDR download page also contains various bits of information about the DSP math behind designing the SSB demodulator. Essentially he found that no online examples of GNU Radio based SSB demodulators were correctly implemented, so he decided to research and implement his own design. He also notes that PLSDR was designed by initially prototyping each function in GNU Radio first, before moving it over to Python. This approach allowed him to easily check his fundamental design before optimizing it for Python. If you are interested Lutus also has a very useful page dedicated to explaining the DSP basics behind SDRs.

PLSDR is fully open sourced and available on GitHub. Exploring the code may be a good way to learn about SDR concepts.

PLSDR GUI
PLSDR GUI

Using the Airspy HF+ as a Power Meter By Calibrating it with a Resistor

Over on YouTube, Leif (SM5BSZ) has uploaded a video where he shows how the Airspy HF+ can be used as an accurate power meter for RF signals. Leif notes that if the noise figure (NF) or minimum discernible signal (MDS) of an SDR is known, then it is possible to use that SDR as a power meter by calibrating it with a resistor (dummy load) at room temperature. To determine power levels Leif uses the signal diagnostics plugin which is built into SDR#. He writes in the video description:

When the noise figure (NF) or minimum discernible signal (MDS) of a software defined radio (SDR) is known we can use that radio as a power meter just by calibrating it on a room temperature resistor. Here the Airspy HF+ is used to demonstrate the principles. Note that MDS depends on the temperature. Manufacturer data is for a warmed up unit. Cold units have significantly lower MDS. Note the observations on bad adapters and attenuators towards the end of the video. One conclusion is that the HF+ is EXCELLENT in keeping common mode currents on the USB as well as on the antenna cable outside. They do not enter the receiver provided that the nut holding the SMA connector is firmly tightened.

In another video Leif also tests out a pre-production version of a HF+ preselector currently being designed by Youssef (designer of the HF+) by measuring the filter responses.

Video Demonstrating the iBiquity HD Radio Decoder

Over on YouTube user Rob Fissel has uploaded a nice video that demonstrates the iBiquity HD Radio decoder working with an RTL-SDR. HD Radio is a terrestrial digital broadcast signal that is only used in North America. It is easily recognized by the two rectangular blocks on either side of a broadcast FM station signal on a spectrum analyzer/waterfall display.

For a long time it was thought impossible to decode due to the closed and proprietary nature of the signal format. But thanks to Theori who was able to reverse engineer and create an HD Radio decoder it has now become possible to decode this into actual audio that you can listen to. In some areas it is even possible to extract the weather and traffic data encoded into some broadcasts from iHeartRadio.

Rob's YouTube video demonstrates him downloading and setting up the HD Radio decoder, then receiving, decoding and listening to some HD Radio stations in his area.

iBiquity HD Radio - RTL-SDR

Tysonpower Reviews our Triple Filter ADS-B LNA

Thank you to YouTuber 'Tysonpower' who is known for making various RF related videos as he has recently reviewed our Triple Filtered ADS-B LNA on his blog and on YouTube. Note that his video is in German, but it contains English subtitles. In the review he compares our LNA against a more expensive ADS-B LNA and found that it performs just as good, if not better in some cases. 

Our ADS-B LNA uses a triple filter design, as well as a two stage LNA which aims to significantly cut out interference from out of band signals which could overload the LNA and/or SDR dongle. It also has a low noise figure and high output gain of 27dB which is great for reducing losses on long runs of coax cable. More information about our LNA on the release post, and it can be purchased from our store.

[EN subs] Top ADSB LNA für nur 25€ - RTL-SDR Blog LNA

Part III of Calibrating your RTL-SDR with QIRX SDR Now Uploaded

Earlier in the month we posted about Clem's three part series on how his QIRX SDR software can be used to accurately calibrate an RTL-SDR using DAB signals. Back then only parts I and II had been released. Now part III has been released, and in the article he explains why it is beneficial to calibrate the frequency error, and also the sampling rate when attempting to decode DAB signals..

Clem begins by explaining how DAB signals work and why it is important to have accurate frequency calibration when receiving DAB. Later he goes on to explain the effect of sampling rate errors due to frequency inaccuracy on received DAB signals. He shows the effect of gradually increasing the sample rate error on the ability of the algorithms to decode DAB signals.

Comparing constellations with sampling rate error correction turned on and off.
Comparing constellations with sampling rate error correction turned on and off.