Thank you to Kazuya for submitting an aircraft tracking app that he's created for use with RTL-SDR dongles and dump1090. The program currently exists only as Visual C++ code and is documented in Japanese, so it may be somewhat niche and intended for advanced users to try out. Kazuya writes:
I live near Tokyo Bay, so I enjoy watching the takeoffs and landings at Haneda Airport.
The unique feature of this app is that it visualizes the descent angle, which is difficult to see on a flat map.
This app has not been available for distribution. If you are an intermediate Visual C++ user, you may be able to rebuild or modify the app.
Topographical and landmark information is in text files, allowing you to customize area information in more detail for your airport.
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(3) Glide_Path Can be built independently.
Execution Environment Copy the folder (ADS_GLIDE_PATH) to C:.
・When using an ADS antenna Install the ADSB antenna and driver software on your PC. (As a mid-way test, you will be able to listen to radio broadcasts on your PC.) Launch dump1090_with_StdinAPL1.bat to ensure that tmp_ADS_B-0000****.txt is continually generated in C:\ADS_GLIDE_PATH\tmpDataFolder.
- Without an ADSB antenna You can use the data in DemoData (approximately 30 minutes, 6,000 entries) to check the software's operation. (Procedure) Launch Glide_Path.exe and, on the parameter change screen, set [S001] Demo Mode to 1. Exit Glide_Path.exe and restart it. The Start Demo button will appear; press it.
(4) Stdin_Apl1 Can be built independently. This is an auxiliary program when using the ADS antenna described above in (3). Stdin_Apl1.exe This program parses the standard output of dump1090.exe, provided by the ADS antenna manufacturer, into a text file and processes the data so that it can be read by Glide_Path.exe.
The researchers used a simple off-the-shelf 100cm Ku-band satellite dish and a TBS-5927 DVB-S/S2 USB Tuner Card as the core hardware, noting that the total hardware cost was about $800.
Simple COTS hardware used to snoop on unencrypted satellite communications.
After receiving data from various satellites, they found that a lot of the data being sent was unencrypted, and they were able to obtain sensitive data such as plaintext SMS and voice call contents from T-Mobile cellular backhaul and user internet traffic. The researchers notified T-Mobile about the vulnerability, and to their credit, turned on encryption quickly.
They were similarly able to observe uncrypted data from various other companies and organizations, too, including the US Military, the Mexican Government and Military, Walmart-Mexico, a Mexican financial institution, a Mexican bank, a Mexican electricity utility, other utilities, maritime vessels, and offshore oil and gas platforms. They were also able to snoop on users' in-flight WiFi data.
Cellular Backhaul We observed unencrypted cellular backhaul data sent from the core network of multiple telecom providers and destined for specific cell towers in remote areas. This traffic included unencrypted calls, SMS, end user Internet traffic, hardware IDs (e.g. IMSI), and cellular communication encryption keys.
Military and Government We observed unencrypted VoIP and internet traffic and encrypted internal communications from ships, unencrypted traffic for military systems with detailed tracking data for coastal vessel surveillance, and operations of a police force.
In‑flight Wi‑Fi We observed unprotected passenger Internet traffic destined for in-flight Wi-Fi users on airplanes. Visible traffic included passenger web browsing (DNS lookups and HTTPS traffic), encrypted pilot flight‑information systems, and in‑flight entertainment.
VoIP Multiple VoIP providers were using unencrypted satellite backhaul, exposing unencrypted call audio and metadata from end users.
Internal Commercial Networks Retail, financial, and banking companies all used unencrypted satellite communications for their internal networks. We observed unencrypted login credentials, corporate emails, inventory records, and ATM networking information.
Critical Infrastructure Power utility companies and oil and gas pipelines used GEO satellite links to support remotely operated SCADA infrastructure and power grid repair tickets.
The technical paper goes in depth into how they set up their hardware, what services and organizations they were able to eavesdrop on, and how they decoded the signals. The team notes that they have notified affected parties, and most have now implemented encryption. However, it seems that several services are still broadcasting in the clear.
Thank you to SignalsEverywhere, aka Sarah Rose, for writing in and sharing some updates on what she's been working on recently.
First, Sarah provides an updated video that shows off her Benshi Dash Android application (GithHub, Name-Your-Price Store Download) for VR N76, UV Pro, and other similar handheld radios with Bluetooth connectivity.
Benshi Dash | The Ultimate Radio Dashboard for VR-N76 UV-PRO Etc
Next, she notes that she uploaded a video showing the power of Google's Gemini AI, and how she was able to use it to vibe code a HackRF TV transmitter program on Linux in just a few minutes.
Vibe Coding a TV Transmitter on Linux with a HackRF
Next, she mentions that she also built an RTL-SDR NTSC Receiver for Android, based on the TVSharp decoder. It is available on GitHub and via her name-your-price store, with a $0.00 minimum spend.
RTL-TV. An NTSC video decoder for Android and RTL-SDR.
Finally, Sarah writes that she has also created a NOAA SAME weather encoder for use with a HackRF on Linux or Android. This allows users to transmit NOAA SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) alerts, which are weather alerts typically transmitted on the NOAA Weather Radio frequency, transmitted around 162 MHz. The software is available via GitHub, or via her store for $10 (Linux edition / Android edition).
Thank you to Chris Gianakopoulos for writing in and sharing with us the release of his open-source software-based Automatic Gain Control (AGC) library written in C. The library is hardware agnostic and designed to make it easy for programmers to implement an AGC algorithm into their programs. The AGC library can help automatically optimize the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) on SDRs with variable-gain amplifiers (VGA). Chris explains:
I converted my software AGC to C code with the following enhancements:
1. It is radio-agnostic. 2. Itis written in C so that both, C and C++ apps can use it. 3. The app provides two callback functions: one to provide the current amplifier gain setting and one to set the amplifier gain. 4. A signal magnitude is provided as input to the AGC algorithm 5. Among other things,the number of bits to represent the signal magnitude, at init time.
An Automatic Gain Control (AGC) is a feeback system that adjusts the gain of a variable-gain amplifier (VGA) to maintain an operating point such as a voltage magnitude level, current magnitude level, or in the case of a digital radio, the magnitude of signal samples presented to the AGC. Typically, an average magnitude of a block of data is used to perform a smoothing action to the input provided to the AGC.
An attempt was made to make an accurate implementation of what was described in the paper (by Fred Harris and Gregory Smith) in the doc/papers/ directory. For details on design and implementation, refer to that paper.
He goes on to mention why a software AGC is useful:
My motivation for creating an AGC was to give people the ability to run SDR software on radios which conain A/D converters that produce 8-bit output samples. With a 48dB (theoretically, ignoring implementation loss), you don't have much to work with in a radio environment with radically different signal strengths.
With an amplifier, whose output drives an A/D converter, on the rtl-sdr, when I listened to aircraft frequencies, I would hear strong tones when a strong signal would be received. The solution was to reduce the LNA and mixer gains.
I asked myself, why would I want to reduce front-end sensitivity when signal overload was not occuring at the variable gain amplifer input? It was A/D converter overload!
With an AGC, the user can establish a safe operating point that allows enough headroom to avoid overload when a strong signal arrives. When the signal goes away, the gain is increased so that you can hear weak signals.
Hopefully, developers of SDR software will see this and implement it into their software!
As mentioned in a previous post last week, UUGear have recently released their VU GPSDR expansion board for their Vivid Unit single board computer with touchscreen. Together, this combination results in a handheld Linux system, with built-in RTL-SDR and upconverter.
The VU GPSDR has some interesting features, including:
GPS-assisted 24 MHz clock for improved frequency accuracy and stability
An integrated 108 MHz up-converter for HF (under 30 MHz) reception
Dual programmable rotary encoders for tactile control
A software-controlled frequency output port for experiments
Software features, including OpenStreetMap integration and ADS-B aircraft tracking
Vivid Unit with VU Extender and VU GPSDR
Assembly
We won't repeat the assembly steps as the instructions show everything clearly, but we can say that the assembly steps were clear, and the assembly itself was easy. It was simply a case of plugging in a few jumper wires between the Vivid Unit and VU Extender board, screwing down the extender board, and then slotting in the VU GPSDR into the Extender boards mini-PCIe slot, before finally screwing down the GPSDR. Assembly took less than 10 minutes.
Physical Design Review
The system is put together like a sandwich. You have the screen and Vivid Unit on the top, then the Extender board, and finally the VU GPSDR on the bottom.
The Vivid Unit and GPSDR are essentially bare PCBs that connect to one another via the PCIe slot on the Vivid Extender board. This means that there is no enclosure, and you are essentially handling PCB parts in their raw form. In the future, we would like to see an optional enclosure to protect the unit better.
The exposed design results in some flaws that we have to point out. The shielding cans on the VU GPSSDR unit sit on the rear of the system, and during operation, they get very hot to the touch. So much so that handling the unit requires a bit of care to avoid the hot spots. Most of the heat appears to be coming from the AMS1117 LDO on the rear, which gets up to 80 °C, so be careful not to touch it accidentally. From the photos you can see that the RTL2832U and R860 are heatsunk to the shield. This is a good idea to keep the chips cool, but it also means that the metal gets quite hot to the touch. So handling the unit only from the edges is recommended.
Vivid Unit with the shielding cans removed.VU GPSDR Thermals
Secondly, because the Vivid Unit does not have a built-in battery, you need to power it separately via its USB-C port on the side. This makes the ergonomics of handling the unit a little trickier as you also have a cable sticking out. UUGear has noted that they are working on an 18650 battery pack, so this issue may be resolved in the future.
Finally, the "GPS" in the GPSDR comes from the fact that there is a GPSDO with a built-in GPS patch antenna on board. When active, a GPSDO provides excellent frequency stability, meaning that signals will be on frequency and will not drift.
But because of how the system is designed, the GPS patch antenna faces the ground when you look at the screen, even though it should face upward to get a clear view of the sky for satellite signals. However, despite this, we were happy to see that even while upside down, the patch antenna was able to receive several GNSS satellites with sufficient strength in order to obtain a fix when used outdoors.
Indoors, of course, no GPS fix is possible. But the uBlox NEO-M8N GPS module used in the GPSDR also has a fallback TCXO, so even without any GPS fix, the frequency accuracy of the system is good. UUGear also noted that the GPSDO automatically activates once a GPS fix is achieved, so no action is needed when you take the unit outdoors.
Realistically, the design issue with the GPS patch doesn't really matter anyway. For most use cases in handheld operation, the built-in TCXO will be sufficient. Any use case requiring extreme GPSDO precision will probably involve the device being mounted upside down and used remotely.
The screen is clear and bright, the two encoder wheels are non-indented and are in a good spot, and so is the SMA antenna port, although the VU Extender's USB-C plug can block the antenna SMA port if a really fat plug is used (normal-sized USB-C plugs fit OK). The screen is large and has a high resolution, making it possible to use the onscreen keyboard. However, it is still a little fiddly for typing and clicking, so we ended up plugging in a small wireless keyboard.
The PortaRF melds the HackRF and Portapack into a single PCB. They advertise it as an evolution of the PortaPack H4M, which is their popular clone of the original PortaPack, upgraded from the original. The PortaPack H4M has become one the most recommended HackRF PortaPack options on the market, even surpassing the original HackRF PortaPack, due to its high quality, excellent features, and significantly lower cost compared to the original.
The PortaRF features several improvements, including a larger 4" IPS screen compared to the 3.2" non-IPS screen on the H4M, increased flash storage from 1MB to 2MB, a higher internal battery capacity of 3000 mAh, and the addition of a new joystick control. Interestingly, OpenSourceSDRLab has also indicated that the production version may come with an AI module, which will allow the PortaRF to respond to voice commands.
The PortaRF is expected to ship around November 20, and it costs US$220, shipped from China. In comparison, the PortaPack H4M sells for US$165, shipped from China.
Recently, two reviews of the PortaRF were uploaded to YouTube. The first is by TechMinds, which provides an overview of the features and opens it up, showing the internals.
PortaRF - A NEW HackRF PortaPack Combo In One Single Board
The second review is from sn0ren who also reviews the features, and shows the internals. Sn0ren also makes some notes about his likes and dislikes with the new design.
Thank you to Shawn from UUGear for writing in and sharing with us news about the release of "VU GPSDR" an RTL-SDR expansion board for the "Vivid Unit" single board computer. The Vivid single-board computer (SBC) is based on the RK3399 CPU (same chip used on the Orange Pi 4), and comes with a built-in 5.5" touchscreen.
The VU GPSDR is an expansion board for the Vivid Unit that, when combined with a VU Extender board, sits on the back of the Vivid Unit, transforming the computing platform into a portable SDR capable of running software like their fork of SDR++ or an OpenStreetMap display of live ADS-B aircraft positions.
The VU GPSDR also integrates a GPSDO (GPS disciplined oscillator), with a built-in GPS patch antenna, for precise frequency tuning. It also comes with a built-in HF upconverter and two encoder wheels, presumably customizable, but primarily for tuning and volume control. Finally, they have also integrated a software-controlled frequency output port for experimenters.
The Vivid Unit costs €99.00 (approximately US$115) on its own. The Vivid Unit Extender, which is required for using expansion boards, costs €25.00 (approximately US$29). The VU GPSDR itself costs €65.00 (approximately US$75). So, in total, for a complete RTL-SDR system, you are looking at a total cost of €189 (US$220).
Shawn has also recently sent us a review sample, which we will be testing out and writing a review for within the next week, so stay tuned for that!
The VU GPSDR Expansion Board for the Vivid Unit Single Board Computer
Thank you to Süleyman Dündar for submitting news about the pre-release of their new product called "DSG-22.6 GHz". DSG-22.6 GHz is a compact, handheld, open-source RF signal generator covering a continuous range from 300 MHz to 22.6 GHz with 1 Hz tuning resolution, 40BC harmonic level, and power output ranging from 15 dBm to -50 dBm.
An RF signal generator produces a clean, stable radio frequency signal at a chosen frequency. It is a helpful tool for testing SDRs and other radio equipment, such as low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), RF filters, mixers etc.
Competition to the DSG-22.6 GHz may include the ERASynth Micro and moRFeus; however, neither covers the wide frequency range of the DSG-22.6 GHz, and it appears that the ERASynth Micro has been discontinued.
Currently, the product is in the pre-release crowdfunding stage on Crowd Supply, so pricing hasn't been revealed. Interested individuals can subscribe to receive updates on their campaign page. The open source code can also be found on GitHub.
DSG-22.6 GHz. An upcoming wide frequency range, hand held and fully open source signal generator.
