ScanEyes: Software for Visualizing, Listening to and Archiving Trunked Radio Traffic

Back in March we showed a beta version of Tyler Watts ScanEyes trunked call log recorder software. Now Tyler has released a more complete version of his ScanEyes software. A live version of the software can be found at sdrscan.com. ScanEyes works by using a software defined radio such as the RTL-SDR combined with trunking following software Unitrunker and optional P25 decoder DSD/DSD+ to archive all calls made on a trunked radio system. A user can then later go into the web interface and view and listen to archived calls.

ScanEyes Flow Diagram
ScanEyes Flow Diagram
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Matt

Shouldn’t it be possible with an SDR like HackRF to only require one SDR instead of two? Won’t the HackRF’s bandwidth be sufficient to capture the control channel and user channels? I would think one could digital tune to both simultaneously with sufficient IQ bandwidth? True?

tylerwatt12

Very possible. with the help of an experienced programmer, under linux of course. You could use GNURadio to get those samples, and pipe that straight into DSD, but it’s easier said than done.

Matt

Do you have any idea what kind of bandwidth would be needed, i.e. how far apart are the user channels from the control channel? Generally speaking… 5MHz? 20MHz?

tylerwatt12

depends on the system, the system I monitor is about 4.2MHz, 30 channels.

galaxie67w

It’s indeed possible, and I myself have done trunk tracking with a single RTL using two VFOs on SDR-Console V2. There are systems near me where the control channel and user channels are within a 2.5 Mhz span. However, the tower I prefer has many more channels and thus requires two RTLs to track properly. That is, until the Airspy is ready. With it’s 10Mhz bandwidth, it’ll be a trunk tracking monster.

vince48

galaxie67w
How would you set SDR Console vfo’s up? I have a HackRF, Ettus B200 and DSD+. I also use Unitrunker. However, I’m confused in how to get the control channel form SDR Console into Unitrunker and get the audio out of the other vfo in SDR Console into DSD+. Any help would be grateful.
vince48