KerberosSDR App Update: Heatmap + Precise TX Localizing & Turn by Turn Navigation Demo Videos
We have just released an updated version of the KerberosSDR Android direction finding app. If you didn't already know KerberosSDR is our experimental 4x Coherent RTL-SDR product. With it, coherent applications like radio direction finding (RDF) and passive radar are possible. Together with the KerberosSDR direction finding Android app it is possible to visualize the direction finding data produced by a KerberosSDR running on a Pi3/Tinkerboard.
The KerberosSDR hardware is currently in preorder status on Indiegogo for the second production batch, and we expect it to be ready to ship out this month. If you preorder then you'll be able to purchase a KerberosSDR at a reduced price of USD$130. After shipping for batch two begins the price will rise to USD$150.
The new version of the KerberosSDR Android app adds the following features:
- Heatmap Grid Plotting
- Precise TX location pinpointing when enough data points are gathered
- Turn by turn navigation to the RDF bearing direction / TX location
- Bearing moving average smoothing
To understand what these features are, we've released two demo videos showing them in action. In the first video we use the new features to find an 858 MHz TETRA transmitter, and in the second video we find a 415 MHz DMR transmitter. The first video explains the new features so we recommend watching that first.
This is a neat project!! Mine arrived this morning.
Is there a schematic available?
Also, have you considered a hybrid DF antenna array – a 3 element linear array, plus a single antenna off to the side for ambiguity resolution?
These are awesome, I’ll have to see if I can save up to nab one. Also really cool to see my local city being used!
We’ll be teaching a ‘Radio Direction Finding’ class in September and I’ll be using 4 of our KerberosSDRs to show them some practical application. I have 3 questions:
1. Can we ask Tamas which of the common Radio Direction Finding techniques his KerberosSDR demo software uses? For example, is it using:
A. Doppler DF
B. Wattson-Watt
C. Correlative Interferometry
D. Something that isn’t one of the above common techniques?
E. A combination of the above (A,B,C,D)?
2. Regardless of what ‘technique’ you are using, would you consider your direction finding:
A. Frequency Direction of Arrival
B. Phase Direction of Arrival
C. Time Difference of Arrival
D. A combination of the above (A,B,C)?
3. I see he can use Capon (also called MVDR), MEM, Music, and Bartlett algorithms. Does that mean he’s just applying those algorithms to the different techiques or arrival methods?
This will help our class tremendously. It will also sell a crap-load of KerberosSDRs as it is our primary DF tool.
Thank you so much,
-Damon
Hi Damon, thanks for your questions! Answers below:
1) Correlative Interferometry – AKA Phase coherent direction finding
2) Phase Direction of Arrival – We measure the phase differences between the channels
3) These are all essentially beamforming algorithms that can be used for direction finding with correlative interferometry. If the KerberoSDR server program you can choose which algorithm to use because Tamas has implemented them all, but only MUSIC is really worth using as it is the best in most cases.
Working on getting some good magnetic mount antennas, just testing some prototypes now.
hello, impossible to pay with my visa however no concern of habitud. Are you going to release a version to a more serious site, a definitive version?
Thank
Not sure why your visa doesn’t work? The IGG checkout accepts visa.
We’ll probably have it up on the Othernet store after shipping begins again.
Great update! This is going to be almost too easy 😀
Btw, is there any news regarding magnetic base antennas coming back to your shop?
I recently moved and one of my portable dipoles didn’t make it thru in one piece 🙁 anyway I was looking to replace the dipoles with magnetic base antennas for easier setup.