Category: Applications

SDR ProTrack: Android Radio Direction Finding with RTL-SDR and Directional Antennas

Thank you to Alexandre Gellibert for writing in and sharing his new Android App, "SDR ProTrack." SDR ProTrack is a radio direction-finding app that uses an RTL-SDR and directional antenna to determine a bearing towards a transmitter.

Interestingly, Alexandre notes that this app was initially developed to track Asian hornets, a bee-killing pest. With hornet tracking, a miniature RF transmitter is attached to a caught hornet, and the hornet brings it back to the nest. RF tracking techniques can then be used to find the nest.

It's possible to determine the bearing toward a transmitter by using a receiver such as an RTL-SDR paired with a directional antenna like a Yagi. Directional antennas have high sensitivity in one primary direction and significantly lower sensitivity in all others. By rotating the antenna until the strongest signal is identified, you can establish the precise bearing angle. Typically, following this bearing will guide you directly toward the signal's origin.

Alexandre wrote in an email to us the following:

Just to let you know we just launched a new Android app compatible with RTL-SDR dongles (though mostly tested on RTL-SDR v4).

App is free to use. Advanced features (like Compass to point the signal potential source) are for premium users.

It's plug and play, easy to use, much more user friendly than SDR++.

Any feedback is really appreciated :)

If you want to know more about the project or the 2 developers behind it (we develop it in France to be able to track asian hornets that kill all the bees), please feel free to contact us.

And the Android page describes SDR ProTrack in the following way:

Unlock the power of radio tracking with SDR ProTrack!
Transform your Android smartphone into a signal-tracking powerhouse using an RTL-SDR dongle and a directional antenna. Affordable, versatile, and perfect for enthusiasts, researchers, pros or anyone tracking signals—like Asian hornets or wildlife.

★ Key Features ★

• Automatic RTL-SDR dongle recognition and connection (free)
• Spectrum Visualization (Free): View signal shapes in the frequency domain effortlessly.
• Compass (Premium): Pinpoint the strongest signal direction with precision.
• Signal Strength Display (Premium): Monitor signal power with an intuitive interface.
• Custom Settings (Premium): Adjust bitrate, sample rate, and frequency sensitivity to your liking.

★ Requirements ★

• Requires an external RTL-SDR device.
• Check compatibility: https://osmocom.org/projects/rtl-sdr/wiki

Need an RTL-SDR dongle, emitters, receptors, or antennas?
Visit our website: https://www.intuite.fr/en_GB/pricing

★ About Us ★

Intuite is a company specialized in locating Asian hornet nests. We developed SDR ProTrack to provide a robust, cost-effective solution for radio signal tracking, combining innovative technology with our expertise in signal detection.

★ Open Source Community ★

Join our mission to advance radio tracking! Our open-source library, RTL-SDR Bridge Android Lib, powers SDR Pro Track.
Contribute to development, report issues, or explore the code at https://github.com/alexandreGellibert/RTL-SDR-Bridge-Android-Lib.
Support our work and help shape the future of signal tracking!

Download SDR ProTrack today and start tracking signals like a pro!

SDR ProTrack Screenshot
SDR ProTrack Screenshot

A Video Tutorial on Setting up RTL-SDR ADS-B Reception with Dump1090 and Virtual Radar Server

Thank you to Paul Maine for writing in and letting us know about his YouTube video showing how to set up ADS-B reception with an RTL-SDR, dump1090, and Virtual Radar Server on a Windows machine. ADS-B reception is a common project for RTL-SDR users; however, as Paul notes, most of the video tutorials available on YouTube are outdated.

Paul has also been uploading other videos to his YouTube channel recently, including tutorials on GNU Radio and setting up rtl_433, so check it out if you are interested.

E11 Tracking Airplanes using RTLSDR with Virtual Radar and ADS-B

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.

Radiosonde Decoder and Tracker Screenshot
Radiosonde Decoder and Tracker Screenshot

TechMinds: Testing the SDR++ Brown Fork with Built-In DSD and Remote KiwiSDR Support

Over on YouTube, Matt from Tech Minds has uploaded a video in which he demonstrates and tests an unofficial fork of the popular SDR++ software called "SDR++ Brown."

SDR++ Brown has some unique features such as the ability to connect to remote KiwiSDR WebSDRs directly within the UI, built-in FT8 and FT4 decoders with PSK reporter, a built-in DSD decoder allowing for DMR, P25 and NXDN to be decoded directly in the software, Hermes Lite 2 support, and various Android UI improvements for small screens.

Matt also notes a few bugs with the software, such as PSK Reporter and Multi-WebSDR waterfall display features being broken.

Over on X, Alexandre Rouma, creator of the original SDR++, has expressed concern about this fork. He notes that this is an unofficial fork that is not up to his standards and that support requests for SDR++ Brown should not be made to him. Instead, support requests should be made directly to the fork owner, Sanny Sanoff.

SDR Plus Plus - Brown Edition Adds New Features Including DSD!

RadioTransciptor: Real Time Radio Speech to Text Transcriptor using AI

Thank you to user theckid from our forums for submitting news about the release of his latest project called "RadioTranscriptor". RadioTranscriptor can be used for real-time speech-to-text transcription, which is especially useful when you want to log radio communications and create searchable text files. theckid writes:

I just released an open-source Python tool that does real-time radio transcription using OpenAI’s Whisper model. It uses voice activity detection to only transcribe when speech is actually happening — great for monitoring radio chatter or voice nets on HF/VHF/UHF.

It’s designed for use with SDRs (Software Defined Radios) where audio is routed into the script. It performs:

  • Live microphone or SDR audio monitoring
  • RMS-based voice activity detection (VAD)
  • Automatic transcription with Whisper
  • Timestamped logs saved per session
  • It’s perfect for:
  • Ham radio operators
  • Emergency scanners
  • Broadcast archiving
  • Signal analysis enthusiasts

The AI model used is Whisper by OpenAI. The software uses NVIDIA CUDA GPUs when available and defaults back to CPU if none are available.

RadioTranscriptor Block Diagram
RadioTranscriptor Block Diagram

SDR-Sharp Converter: Convert SDR# Frequency XML Lists to SDR++ Format and Vice Versa

Recently, we've seen news about the release of a new Windows program by "Majic Mushroom" called SDR-Sharp Converter. This simple software converts SDR# XML Frequency Lists to SDR++ format and vice versa. It is helpful if you use both programs and want to maintain identical frequency lists.

SDR-Sharp Converter Screenshot
SDR-Sharp Converter Screenshot

Hackaday Supercon 2024: Tracking Down Radio Transmissions

Talks from the Hackaday Supercon 2024 conference have recently been uploaded to YouTube, and one interesting talk by Justin McAllister and Nick Foster is about tracking down radio transmissions.

The talk focuses on using SDR hardware such as the RX888, RTL-SDR, and Airspy devices combined with directional antennas for radio direction finding. Interestingly, they also discuss using ultrasonic microphones to find power line noise from bad transformers or insulators. The talk also focuses on ensuring that your SDRs receive real signals and what noise might look like on the spectrum.

This talk provides a comprehensive guide to identifying and locating radio transmitters. Learn about practical techniques, common tools, and methodologies from decades of combined experience finding, squashing, and mitigating against radio frequency interference.

Supercon 2024: Justin McAllister and Nick Foster - How to Track Down Radio Transmissions

SkyRoof: New Ham Satellite Tracking and SDR Receiver Software

Recently VE3NEA has released a new Windows program called "SkyRoof". SkyRoof is both a satellite tracking and SDR receiver program. It supports the RTL-SDR as well as Airspy and SDRplay devices.

The software is designed for tracking and receiving ham radio satellites, and it can provide detailed information about all ham satellites, tracking them in real time, and provide pass prediction. It also shows a skymap and SDR waterfall display. The receiver software supports demodulation of SSB/CW/FM, and it automatically compensates for doppler. It can also interface with antenna rotators that support hamlib.

SkyRoof Satellite Tracking and SDR Receiver Software Screenshot
SkyRoof Satellite Tracking and SDR Receiver Software Screenshot

Over on YouTube Johnson's Techworld has also recently uploaded a video showing him testing out Skyroof, which may be of interest to some.

Brief review of SkyRoof, the latest satellite tracking software!