Tagged: android

RTL-SDR 433: A New Android App for Decoding 433 MHz Sensors with rtl_433

Thank you to Christian Ebner from ebcTech, who has submitted news about his newly released Android app RTL-SDR 433, which lets you run the rtl_433 decoder directly on your phone using an RTL-SDR dongle connected via a USB OTG cable.

The app bundles rtl_433 as a native Android library and supports all 258 device protocols out of the box, including weather stations, TPMS, wireless doorbells, PIR motion sensors, energy meters, door/window contacts, and remote sockets. Decoding runs entirely on-device with no internet connection required, no root, and no special drivers. It uses the standard Android USB Host API together with a libusb Android port.

The UI is built with Jetpack Compose and Material 3, and shows a live list of unique sensors with expandable cards (temperature, pressure, RSSI, raw JSON) plus a full history log. The app is free to try with a decreasing per-session reading limit, and a one-time purchase for a few dollars removes the limit permanently.

We note that the GPL-licensed native layer (rtl_433, rtl-sdr, libusb Android port and EBC's integration glue) is published openly at github.com/ebc81/rtlsdr433-native-gpl in compliance with GPL-2.0, while the UI layer remains closed-source. 

More information about the app is available on the ebcTech page at https://ebctech.eu/rtl-sdr-433-android.

RTL SDR 433 for Android

Pocket 25: An Android P25 Phase 1 Digital Voice Radio Decoder

Thank you to reader "EN53" for submitting news about a newly released open source Android app called Pocket 25. Pocket 25 is an Android-based APCO Project 25 (P25) phase 1 digital voice decoder based on the DSD-Neo decoder engine. It was developed by Sarah Rose (aka SignalsEverywhere), whose other software we have posted about in the past.

APCO P25 phase 1 trunked digital voice systems are commonly used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries by emergency services. As long as the P25 network is unencrypted, it is commonly decoded to audio with an RTL-SDR and decoding software such as DSDPlus or SDRTrunk.

Pocket 25 allows users to now decode P25 signals on portable Android devices. An RTL-SDR can be connected to an Android device via a USB-OTG cable, or a remote networked RTL-SDR can be used via an rtl_tcp connection. The app also supports RadioReference accounts, automatic GPS site hopping, smart filtering, and logging.

In the readme, Sarah also notes that, because Pocket 25 is based on the DSD-Neo engine, it supports additional digital voice protocols, including DMR, NXDN, and others. However, the interface is designed around P25, so non-P25 systems may show incorrect metadata.

The software is open source and code can be found on the GitHub. There is also an active discussion about the app on RadioReference.

Pocket25 | Running DSD-Neo on 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