Category: HF

PortableSDR now on Kickstarter

Back in November, 2014 we posted about the PortableSDR, a 0 – 35 MHz portable software defined radio transceiver that was the third place winner in the Hackaday Prize competition. The PortableSDR project is gaining traction and now has a Kickstarter campaign. They write:

The Portable Software Defined Radio, or PSDR, is an Open Source, Fully stand-alone HF/Shortwave Software Defined Transceiver. It includes a Vector Network Analyzer and Antenna Analyzer as well as GPS. It’s built for rugged portable use. It is designed to be a flexible platform for development, a learning aid, and and a useful instrument for electronics enthusiasts.

Features:

  • Coverage from 0 to 35MHz
  • Waterfall display that lets you see radio signals
  • Receives AM, USB (Upper Side Band), LSB (Lower Side Band), and Morse code (CW)
  • Modulates USB and LSB signals
  • Variable bandpass filter

The campaign hopes to raise $60,000 USD to aid in the development of the hardware and software and with the manufacturing process. The kickstarter is offering kits at various stages of completion from $250 to $475 and a fully assembled kit at $499. They note that the current PSDR2 that you will receive from the Kickstarter is still a development version, not the final product. The PSDR2 is missing some key features that will be in the final version like filters and output amplifiers.

The PSDR v.1
The PSDR v.1
PortableSDR - 2014 Hackaday Prize Judge Recap

Receiving VLF with a PC sound card, Miniwhip Antenna and SAQrx

Over on YouTube user Mile Kokotov has uploaded a video showing how he is able to receive Very Low Frequency (VLF) signals between 300 Hz to 30 kHz using just his PC, a Miniwhip antenna connected to his sound card input port and a program called SAQrx Panoramic VLF Receiver. This allows reception of signals between 0-48 kHz with a sound card that can sample at 96 kHz.

Using this set up he is able to receive the Alpha navigation system beacons which are at around 10-12 kHz and some other Navy navigation system beacons between 18 and 48 kHz from his home in Macedonia.

Receiving VLF with PC and software only

Receiving WSPR with the RTL-SDR

Recently RTL-SDR.com reader DE8MSH wrote in to let us know about his experiments with receiving WSPR with his RTL-SDR. WSPR is an acronym for “weak signal propagation reporter” and is a software program and RF protocol designed for very weak signal radio communications between ham radio users. With less than 5W of transmitting power, a WSPR signal could potentially be copied all over the world.

To receive WSPR, DE8MSH used a direct sampling modified RTL-SDR dongle together with a 9:1 unun, 10m RG58 coax cable from RTL-SDR to unun and a 12m wire antenna outside his house. Then by using SDR# together with the WSPR software he is able to copy signals from all over Europe and Canada/USA from his home in Germany.

Some Received WSPR Locations
Some Received WSPR Locations
WSPR Report Information Including Distance
WSPR Report Information
The WSPR Software
The WSPR Software

Listening to FreeDV Digital Speech with an RTL-SDR

Over on YouTube user BSoD Badgers has uploaded a video showing his reception of FreeDV digital speech at 14 MHz. He uses SDR# combined with the FreeDV software to decode the signal.

FreeDV is a open source software application that allows digital speech to be sent at HF frequencies in a 1.25 kHz wide signal. The same software can be used on the receiving end to decode the signal into speech.

Improving HF Reception By Disconnecting the Switching Power Supply on the RTL-SDR

By using an upconverter, direct sampling mod, or experimental software driver the RTL-SDR can be used for HF reception. However, a problem with HF reception and the RTL2832U chip is that it uses a switching power supply in its design. This switching power supply causes significant amounts of noise spurs to appear in the HF spectrum.

Japanese RTL-SDR experimented ttrftech has recently posted about a modification to the RTL-SDR which he performed (note in Japanese, use Google translate to read). The purpose of the switching power supply in the RTL2832U is to step 3.3v down to 1.2v. In his modification, ttrftech disconnected the switching power supply and instead stepped 3.3v down to 1.2v by using three diodes. This works as each diode has a voltage drop across it of 0.7v.

His results show that there is a significant reduction in noise spurs at HF frequencies.

Switching power supply replaced by three diodes.
Switching power supply replaced by three diodes.
Unmodded reception at 7 MHz
Unmodded reception at 7 MHz
Modded reception at 7 MHz
Modded reception at 7 MHz

Receiving Hellschreiber with the RTL-SDR and an Upconverter

Over on YouTube user BSoD Badgers has uploaded a video showing reception of Hellschreiber on HF at 20m. To receive the HF frequencies he used a ham-it-up upconverter. He used SDR# to receive the signal and the Fldigi decoding software to decode the signal.

Hellschreiber is a fax-like communications mode used by amateur radio hobbyists.

Receiving BPSK63 with an RTL-SDR and Ham-It-Up Upconverter

Over on YouTube user Java’s Toys has uploaded a video showing a demo of his reception of a BPSK63 signal using his RTL-SDR and the Ham-it-up upconverter. BPSK63 is a text based digital communications mode used by ham radio enthusiasts to make contacts. It is twice as fast compared to the more commonly used BPSK31 mode.

Java’s toys used HDSDR together with Fldigi to receive and decode the signal.

Understanding Filtering in an Upconverter for the RTL-SDR

Over on YouTube user w2aew has uploaded a video tutorial explaining how filtering in an upconverter works. In a previous video w2aew explained how a simple upconverter for the RTL-SDR worked and noted that for best performance the upconverter needs three filters, one preselector at the input, one after the local oscillator and one after the mixing stage.

In this video w2aew takes a Nooelec Ham-it-up upconverter which has the three filters mentioned above implemented and scopes the output after each filter to show their effect on an input signal.

#175: Filter functions in an HF Upconverter used with RTL-SDR Dongle Receiver