Tagged: android

SignalsEverywhere Android Project Updates: Satellite Tracker, HackTV NTSC Transmitter, OBS To HackTV, PacketShare and More

Recently, Sarah Rose Giddings (aka SignalsEverywhere) has been actively developing several radio and SDR based projects for Android, and she would like to provide an update on them.

First, as mentioned in a previous post, Sarah has been developing APRS.chat, an online mailbox system for APRS messages sent over RF. She has also been making progress on various other projects, including various useful Android apps, which she has updated interested people on in her latest livestream.

Hangout Chat | Linux | HackRF NTSC Transmission | Android APPS and More!

Some of the links to the Android software she's working on have been provided below:

Works with Benshi Protocol Radios (VR-N76 UV-PRO etc)

Stuff Created After The Livestream

Help beta test Play Store Releases (Benshi Dash, Benshi Commander, APRS Chat): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfNTrCBofQYam6f6CrZ8XxTxZw2vlOiaD6ehGs5NBOAbKkHWw/viewform?usp=header

Screenshots from Sarah's HackTV NTSC Transmitter
Screenshots from Sarah's HackTV NTSC Transmitter

RF Analyzer V2.0 Released: RTL-SDR Compatible Android App

Thank you to Dennis Mantz @dennismantz for writing in and sharing with us the news that RF Analyzer V2.0 has been released for Android devices. RF Analyzer is a popular multimode Android app compatible with a vast number of SDRs, including the RTL-SDR. It also now supports the RTL-SDR Blog V4!

To use the app, you'll need a compatible RTL-SDR such as the RTL-SDR Blog V3/V4, an Android Phone or Tablet with USB OTG support, and a USB-OTG adapter. 

The new V2.0 is a complete rewrite from scratch. Dennis notes the improvements to the app below.

The app has been completely rewritten from scratch. It now features a modern Material Design UI, a more powerful and intuitive interface, and improved performance across the board.

- Support for demodulation while app is in the background
- Improved stability, demodulation and recording features
- Integrated user manual and contextual help
- Added support for RTL-SDR Blog v4

The app is not free, but it is priced at only a few dollars, and there is a 7-day free trial with 60-minute time limit per session. The full feature list is shown below:

- Works with HackRF, RTL-SDR, or pre-recorded IQ files
- View live spectrum (FFT) and waterfall plots
- Demodulate AM, FM, SSB, and CW signals
- Record raw IQ samples for offline analysis
- A responsive and modern Material Design interface
- Scroll, zoom, and tune through the bands
- Built-in context-aware help and a full offline in-app manual

RF Analyzer V2.0 Running on an Android Mobile
RF Analyzer V2.0 Running on an Android Mobile
RF Analyzer V2.0 On a Tablet
RF Analyzer V2.0 On a Tablet

Dennis has also uploaded a video tutorial explaining how to use RF Analzyer V2.0, and there is a full online user manual available here.

RF Analyzer 2.0 - Quick Start Tutorial - Android SDR App

Spectrum SDR: New Android App for RTL-SDR FM/AM Decoding and Spectrum Viewing

Thank you to James Mainwaring of Knowle Consultants for submitting news of the release of his latest Android app called "Spectrum SDR" for RTL-SDR. Knowle Consultants have previously released a range of RTL-SDR Android apps for FM, Airband, Ham FM and ADS-B reception. The new Spectrum SDR app has a spectrum viewer, as well as the ability to demodulate AM and FM signals.

James writes the following about Spectrum SDR:

This application is about having a bit of fun with those amazing little RTL-SDR dongles, whilst listening to AM/FM radio signals. It's nice and easy to use so why not give it a try?

- Covers the full frequency range of your RTL-SDR dongle
- AM and FM, wide and narrow
- FFT display
- Sample rates 240000 Hz to 2160000 Hz
- Bias tee control
- 75 presets over 5 pages
- Gain controls
- Squelch
- Built-in help

Spectrum SDR Android App Screenshot
Spectrum SDR Android App Screenshot

Updates to Knowle Consultants RTL-SDR Android Apps

Thank you to James Mainwaring, who wanted to write in and share that he has made some updates to his suite of Android apps, which include ADS-B Radar (RTL-SDR), FM Radio (RTL-SDR), Airband Radio (RTL-SDR) and HAM FM Radio (RTL-SDR).

James notes that all his apps now support the ability to connect to an rtl_tcp instance running remotely. He also writes that the ADS-B app now automatically downloads and displays photos of the aircraft being tracked via the API connection to planespotters.net.

ADS-B Radar (RTL-SDR) Android App now shows aircraft images.

SDR++ Android APK now supports the RTL-SDR Blog V4

Thank you to SDR++ developer Ryzerth who has let us know that RTL-SDR Blog V4 support has recently been added to the nightly build of the APK. With this release, Android is now fully supported by the RTL-SDR Blog V4 via Martin Marinov's SDR Driver app (which many SDR applications connect to), SDRAngel and now SDR++.

A reminder: With SDR++ you may find that you will need to close (using the task manager on Android) and reopen the app a couple of times before it will detect an RTL-SDR dongle. 

If you enjoy SDR++ please consider supporting the developer on Patreon.

Blog V4 Receiving Broadcast FM on Android with SDR++
Blog V4 Receiving Broadcast FM on Android with SDR++

A WSPR Monitor Running on an old Android TV Box with OpenWebRX and RTL-SDR

Thank you to Joseph IT9YBG for writing in and sharing with us his experience in getting Armbian and OpenWebRX running with an RTl-SDR V3 smoothly on an old A95X Android TV Box. These TV Boxes have an AMlogic S805 chip and Joseph writes that he is quite impressed by the performance of the chip.

To install the Armbian Linux operating system Joseph used the instructions from i12bretro and installed OpenWebRX after. Then together with his RTL-SDR Blog V3 dongle he turned the device into a cheap dedicated WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) monitor allowing him to free up his Raspberry Pi 3 which was used for the task previously.

IT9YBG's Android TV Box converted into a WSPR monitor with an RTL-SDR Blog V3 and OpenWebRX
IT9YBG's Android TV Box converted into a WSPR monitor with an RTL-SDR Blog V3 and OpenWebRX

SDR++ Android App Public Pre-Release Now Available

SDR++ is an open source program compatible with most software defined radios including the RTL-SDR that has been going through rapid development making it now one of the top software choices.

Yesterday a public 'pre-release' Android version of SDR++ was made available for download. The release is announced as a 'pre-release' due to various bugs still existing. However, we note that we have been testing a private release for the past few weeks, and we can say that it is working great most of the time. The Android App replicates most of the desktop experience perfectly, and it operates very smoothly on most modern devices.

The author Alexandre Rouma writes:

I'm happy to release the first public pre-release of SDR++ for android. It's still quite early and has a few bugs and quirks that you might run into:

  • SDR MUST be plugged in before starting SDR++ and you MUST press refresh in the SDR source you're using before pressing play if you first plugged in the SDR or unplugged/replugged, otherwise expect a crash. The USB handling still needs some work.
  • There are still a few UI glitches
  • There is no easy way to select a path for recording or file for playback
  • The audio sink on Android may have higher latency
  • All menus sometimes close when app goes in the background.
  • Resizing the menu and/or waterfall is kinda fiddly, be precise when trying to grab the resize bar!!!
  • At some size menu sizes, the app crashes. If this happens, start in landscape
  • On Samsung devices, the keyboard doesn't always work for some obscure reason...

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

  • Android 9.0
  • OpenGL 2.1

Since phones usually have a high screen resolution, set the DPI scaling in the Display menu or you'll have a hard time using the app.

Current Device/Protocol Support:

  • Airspy
  • Airspy HF+
  • HackRF
  • PlutoSDR (network only)
  • RFspace
  • RTL-SDR
  • RTL-TCP
  • SDR++ Server
  • SpyServer

In any case, I'd love to get some feedback on it, so feel free to try it out and let me know!

Download Here: https://www.sdrpp.org/

PS: If you like this work, feel free to support me on Patreon, since putting it on the App Store won't be cheap and I want to make sure it's completely free with no ads!

SDR++ Android App Screenshot. Credit: goscickiw https://github.com/AlexandreRouma/SDRPlusPlus/discussions/703

New HAM FM and ADS-B Radar Android Apps

Thank you to James Mainwaring for submitting news about the release of his two new RTL-SDR compatible Android Apps "Ham FM Radio (RTL-SDR)" and "ADS-B Radar (RTL-SDR)". 

The Ham FM Radio app allows the user to quickly tune and listen in to the 144-148, 150-174 and 420-450 MHz ham radio communications via presets. For the second ADS-B app, James notes that it's an early release for feedback. It allows the user to receive ADS-B data and plot it on a radar like display.

We note that we've previously posted about James' other apps for FM Radio and airband listening.

The Ham RF and ADS-B Radar Apps by James Mainwaring