Category: News

New Software Defined Radio “Matchstiq” by Epiq Solutions Announced

A new high-end small form factor software defined radio (SDR) transceiver called the Matchstiq has been announced by engineering firm Epiq Solutions. Pricing starts at a costly $4500 USD, as it seems to be aimed more at the professional market. It’s key features are

  • Single RF transceiver covering 300 MHz to 3.8 GHz
  • Supports RF channel bandwidths up to 28 MHz
  • Integrated CPU/FPGA for signal processing applications
  • Integrated GPS receiver with 1PPS
  • Run time loadable/executable software applications
  • Full suite of specialty applications available
  • SDK available for custom application development uSD provides up to 32 GB of onboard data and application storage
  • USB interface to host for system access
  • Size: 2.2” x 4.6” x 0.9” Power: <3 W (typical)
  • Optional external battery pack

It also has the ability to wirelessly interface with and Android host

With this and the BladeRF and HackRF, 2013 is looking like a good year for SDR.

Matchstiq

E4000 Gain Mod now Available on Windows

One of the advantages of using Linrad on Linux used to be the ability to use a modified rtlsdr.dll file with improved sensitivity gain settings for the E4000 tuner. This mod added the following settings.

  1. AGC mode.
  2. Compromise. This is the gain settings available in the rtl-sdr library as of October 2012.
  3. Linearity mode. For use without filters in environments with strong signals. Low front end gain and high gain after filters.
  4. Sensitivity mode. For use in rural locations or when filters and preamplifiers are placed between the antenna and the dongle. High front end gain and low gain after the filters.

Here is a Reddit thread discussing the improvements, and showing how to apply them to Linrad.

Now Reddit user rtlsdr_is_fun has ported this mod to Windows, and has written an SDRSharp plugin that enables the modified E4000 gain modes via rtl_tcp. This means you will need to run rtl_tcp first, and then connect to it using the RTLSDR / TCP option in SDRSharp. This mod also enables direct sampling for rtl_tcp.

There is a thread discussing the mod here, and you can download the mod from rtlsdr_is_fun’s webpage.

E4000 Linrad Gain Mod for SDRSharp

HackRF SDR Giveaway

HackRF is an upcoming open source DARPA funded ~$300 software defined radio that has both transmit and receive capabilities. It has a 100 MHz to 6 GHz range, 20 Msps sample rate, 8-bit resolution, and 500 beta units are about to be given away for free by greatscottgadgets. A good introduction to the HackRF can be found here, and on this wiki here.

Register here for a chance at receiving a free beta unit.

HackRF Jawbreaker Board with Enclosure

SDRSharp Frequency Manager + Scanner v1.31 Update

The SDRSharp Frequency Manager + Scanner plugin has just been updated to version 1.31. Scanning is now extremely fast.

Scanner

  • All scanning now uses automatic tuning based on peak signal strength. Mode and squelch do not matter; only the signal strength is used for tuning.
  • A completely re-written scanning engine now provides higher performance than in previous versions.
    • On my equipment frequency range scans average a speed of 782 MHz scanned per second. When the wind is blowing right I have reached 918 MHz per second!
    • On my equipment group scans average a speed of 161 “channels” per second!
  • The new watchdog timer will force the scanner to resume scanning after a defined period of time.
  • A new Hold/Release button lets you pause the scanner to stay on an interesting frequency.
  • You can now mute the audio while scanning.
  • There is a new window for editing scanner configuration and for tuning its performance to suit your equipment.
  • The last selected scan group, defined scan frequency ranges, and all other scanner configuration settings are now stored as your defaults for use the next time you start SDR#.
  • A built-in benchmark utility tells you how fast the scanner is running on your equipment.

Frequency Manager

  • Tuning Helper is now disabled by default.

Browse Window

  • “Clear” buttons on the Filter by Group and Filter by Flagged/Locked dropdowns.

See the Reddit release thread here, and the Yahoo Groups release thread here.

Download from http://www.sdrsharpplugins.com.

Digital Noise Reduction Plugin for SDRSharp

A new digital noise reduction plugin for SDRSharp has been released. It is packaged as part of the SDRSharp binaries. Head to the SDRSharp downloads page, and download and use the automated installer for rtl-sdr under the heading “Important note for RTL-SDR users”.

Then in SDRSharp, simply click “Enabled” in the Digital Noise Reduction plugin window and adjust the slider until you get good results. In testing I found significant improvements in noise reduction.

SDRSharp Noise Reduction Plugin

Cheap Satellite Receive Station with RTL-SDR

Blogger and Amateur Radio enthusiast N4JTC has posted a guide on setting up a satellite receiving station with the rtl-sdr. Originally the guide was intended for receiving the PhoneSat test satellites, but they have now gone offline after a week as planned. But, the guide is still useful for any current and future satellites.

The recent launch of the PhoneSats got my SDR and satellite juices flowing again. This time I decided to automate things because work seems to get in the way of my satellite listening fun. I found a combination that works great and incorporates FREE software and inexpensive hardware.

PhoneSatImg (http://www.n4jtc.com)