Thank you to Don for submitting news about the release of his new software titled "Skies-ADSB". Skies-ADSB is a browser based app that provides a 3D view of the air traffic around your area. The software can be served on a local networked Raspberry Pi, with ADS-B data being provided by an RTL-SDR connected to the Pi.
skies-adsb is a virtual plane spotting progressive web app (PWA) / virtual aquarium (with aircraft instead of fish) / interactive real-time simulation.
Aircraft are tracked via unfiltered ADS-B transponder data in real-time and rendered in 3D.
The charging port on Tesla electric vehicles is protected via a cover that can be opened by charging stations via a wireless signal transmitted at 315 MHz. It turns out that the command to open the port is totally without any security. This means it's possible to record or recreate the signal, and play it back anywhere using a transmit capable SDR device like a HackRF.
Twitter user @IfNotPike has done just that, managing to open the Tesla charging port using a handheld HackRF with Portapack setup. If you cannot record the signal, a repo hosting a valid signal file is available on GitHub from jimilinuxguy. Interestingly jimilinuxguy notes "The range for this is INSANE. I was able to perform this from VERY far away." and the same signal can be used to "open any and all Tesla vehicle charging ports in range"
Fortunately for Tesla owners, the level of damage a malicious party could cause through the charging port is limited, since the charging port is not active until a correct charging cable is connected. It also seems that the charging port on most models will automatically close after some time if no charger is connected.
Tesla Charging Port Opened with HackRF and Portapack | Credit: @IfNotPike
Thank you to Joseph IT9YBG for submitting his article describing how he has made an RTL-SDR based panadapter for his TECSUN PL660 portable shortwave radio. The post is a series of pictures that show how Joseph was able to open the PL660 and connect a coax cable to the IF output, and mount the connector on the plastic cover for easy access. He then connects that IF output to the RTL-SDR via a 10pF capacitor.
The result is that Joseph is able to receive the IF output of the PL660 at 451 kHz in SDRUno with his RTL-SDR Blog V3 running in Q-Branch direct sampling mode. He notes that although the IF bandwidth from the PL660 is small, it is possible to decode digital signals by passing the audio demodulated by SDRUno into decoding software.
On this weeks episode over on the Frugal Radio YouTube channel, Rob investigates if the YouLoop antenna works well at VHF and UHF frequencies. The YouLoop is a popular portable passive loop receiving antenna that can be used with sensitive radios like the Airspy HF+ Discovery. It is mostly used for HF reception, but advertised to work up to the VHF band as well.
In his video Rob describes how the YouLoop can receive on VHF frequencies by acting as a folded dipole. To test this capability he connects an indoor YouLoop to an RTL-SDR Blog V3 unit, and confirms that he is able to strongly receive VHF airband ATIS, airband communications and various VHF digital and analogue voice signals.
Rob then goes on to check if the YouLoop works in the UHF bands, which it is not advertised as being capable of receiving. However, Rob does find that the YouLoop worked well on relatively strong UHF signals up to around 800 MHz.
Does the Airspy Youloop work on VHF? What about UHF and 700/800 MHz?
Over on Twitter @dereksgc has been monitoring the 'Meridian' communications satellites, which are Russian owned and used for civilian and military purposes. The satellites are simple unsecure repeaters, meaning that actually anyone with the hardware can transmit to them, and have their signal automatically rebroadcast over a wide area. This has been taken advantage of recently by anti-Russian invasion war activists who have been trolling the satellite with SSTV images of the Ukrainian flag, as well as audio.
Apart from intentional abuse, a side effect of being an open repeater is that sometimes the satellite can pick up powerful terrestrial signals unintentionally, such as analogue broadcast TV from Turkmenistan. Over on his blog, @dereksgc has written up an excellent post documenting the background behind this finding, his entire setup involving the hardware he's using and how he's aligning with the satellite, and what software he is using to decode the TV signal. In his hardware setup he notes that he uses a HackRF, but that a RTL-SDR would suffice.
I've published a summary on how I received the analog TV broadcast via a Russian military satellite using an SDR, as well as the short story leading up to it.
Check it out if you're interested!https://t.co/mgCScsDEgPpic.twitter.com/1Oeokg3MYB
Over on Crowd Supply the SOCORAD32 project has been pre-announced for crowd funding in the future. The project is described as a "hackable, open source, ESP32 amateur radio board with walkie-talkie functionality and data communication". We note that this is not a software defined radio, rather it's a highly customizable software controlled radio.
Because it covers 400 - 470 MHz the device can be used without a license in the license free bands available in most countries. It's able to connect with a standard smartphone over Bluetooth, and can transmit and receive voice, supports voice encryption and compression, and can also transmit and receive SMS data.
SOCORAD32, aka the ESP32Software Controlled Radio, is a professional-grade hackable walkie-talkie for amateur radio exploration, voice, and data communication using simple AT commands. Just add a speaker and a battery and you get a fully functional walkie-talkie radio. With the onboard dedicated Push To Talk (PTT) button, SOCORAD32 can be used straight out of the box without touching a single line of code!
Unlike using complicated SDR for amateur radio operation, SOCORAD32 is an amateur radio-tailored device that makes things simpler. Using uncomplicated AT commands, users can configure the audio volume, tone squelching, CTCSS, CDSS codes, etc. SOCORAD32’s frequency range covers the license-free bands for most countries.
SOCORAD32 also features all of the operations of a standard walkie-talkie. It employs a proprietary RF design featuring the RDA1846 IC. This is the same IC used in commercial walkie-talkies such as in Baofeng, Motorola and Hytera. Because of this, SOCORAD32 can communicate with commercial walkie-talkies with ease.
In addition to all of this, SOCORAD32 utilizes powerful ESP32 Bluetooth functionality. All SOCORAD32 settings can be adjusted via a connected mobile device using a serial Bluetooth app of any choice, while also being adjustable via the dedicated physical buttons. You can store as many channels as you would like in the onboard memory of the ESP32. SOCORAD32 can also communicate data, so you can explore the amateur radio frequencys for IoT or send texts. Texts can be read via the onboard OLED screen or via a Bluetooth connected mobile device.
Beyond communication SOCORAD32 is fully open source and hackable. For high level enthusiasts the RF module can be opened and tinkered with, allowing features like upgrading the power amplifier, among other adaptations.
Overall, SOCORAD32 makes it fun and interesting to explore the intricacies of amateur radio, portable two-way radio walkie-talkies, and long distance audio or data communications similar to LoRa. All done using easy to understand AT commands and the power of the ESP32 module.
TPMS is a system installed on many modern cars (or retrofitted on older cars) that wirelessly monitors the tire pressure on vehicles in order to provide dashboard information that can improve safety and fuel economy. TPMS system typically transmit on license free bands, such as 315 MHz which can easily be received with an RTL-SDR.
Ross owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma which has a built in TPMS system. Unfortunately he found that one of his sensors was broken as the TPMS warning light was consistently on, despite knowing that his tire pressure was correct.
Instead of purchasing an expensive TPMS diagnostic tool, Ross broke out his RTL-SDR and fired up rtl_433 which already contains a ready to use TPMS decoder. From the data received, Ross was able to determine that only three sensors were transmitting. Ross then goes on to use the RSSI signal power strength measurements provided by the rtl_433 output, while moving the antenna next to each wheel to determine exactly which wheel had the faulty sensor.
Ross's post goes into further details about his setup and the data he received from the sensors. He also created a follow up post, describing a bash script he wrote to automate the process.
In our last post we mentioned that a 'pre-release' public version of SDR++ for Android was recently released. Now over on the SignalsEverywhere YouTube channel Sarah has uploaded a new video where she reviews and demonstrates the new SDR++ Android App.
In the video Sarah demonstrates how to connect and start a SDR, shows SDR++ in action, then tests listening to NOAA weather audio reports, Inmarsat reception via the bias tee support, P25 and broadcast FM. She also shows how it's possible to use the split screen multitasking feature on Android to send audio from SDR++ into APRSdroid for APRS decoding.
She goes on to show how to fine tune the screen PPI resolution for different sized devices, and how to set up multi-VFO listening on the HF bands. Next, she compares the audio decoding quality between SDR++, SDRTouch and RFAnalyzer. Finally she shows that a HackRF running at a wideband 20 MHz of bandwidth can run smoothly.
The Android SDR App That Beats Them All! Supports RTL-SDR Airspy HackRF and Many More!
