SignalsEverywhere PlutoSDR Videos: Applying the Frequency Extension and Dual Core CPU Hacks and Running on SDR#

Over on the SignalsEverywhere YouTube channel, Corrosive has uploaded two new videos about the PlutoSDR. The PlutoSDR is a low cost (typically $99 - $149) RX/TX capable SDR with up to 56 MHz of bandwidth and 70 MHz to 6 GHz frequency range. It also has an onboard FPGA and ARM Cortex-A9 CPU.

By default the bandwidth and frequency range of the PlutoSDR is limited to only 20 MHz and 325 MHz - 3.8 GHz. A minor hack which requires some commands to be input via a terminal screen is required to unlock its full potential, and in the first video Corrosive runs through how this hack can be applied. He also shows an additional hack which unlocks a second CPU core which can be useful for increasing the available CPU power for apps running on the PlutoSDR's ARM processor.

In the second video Corrosive shows how to install the PlutoSDR SDR# plugin, which allows the PlutoSDR to run in SDR#. He then shows how to actually use the plugin to connect to the PlutoSDR.

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Not Sure

B210 user.

Favourite, SDR Console (usability, appearance, layout). 56MHz bandwidth is either too much for USB, or crashes out the prog altogether. Probably needs to have a soft-core placed on the FPGA for demod-on-device, and save the USB link.

Best for weak stations, HDSDR, (uses EXTIO.dll).

Best for bandwidth, HDSDR, can select 32MHz bandwidth (no 56MHz option), get overruns, but works fine just the same. Doesn’t look like EXTIO supports 56MHz.

Tx support, SoDaRadio. But frustrating Linux only. If using B210, can add a mixer, use both TX’ers and actually run a 10GHz station on the cheap. (which I plan to).

Cubic, never, ever worked, even with soapy.

michael

Since its only USB 2, obviously 20MHz of 56MHz can’t be streamed, what is the point? When using the full and width in Matlab does it save to the RAM and then it pulls the data off asynchronously?

Stefan

You are right – you can’t stream the full bandwidth over USB. But you can implement your own software on the Pluto itself and stream only your demodulated/decoded data to a PC, if you like. The Pluto-SDR is such a nice piece of hardware, very affordable and very friendly.

Val

The point is that you can see 56 MHz on screen at once, which is impossible with most SDRs in comparable budget.

michael

What screen can you see 56MHz on?

Val

Any screen pretty much. Think about signals that are 20/40/80 MHz wide, not a few kHz wide.

Michael Robertson

How would you see signals greater than say 5MHz if it can’t stream more than around 5MHz of complex samples continuously?

Val

It can capture whole 56 MHz spectrum and then decimate the data, so it looks fine on graph, but useless as audio. I’m not sure in which application I’ve done that, I believe it was GQRX