Tagged: android

9GRadio: An Android RTL-SDR App for Spectrum Monitoring and Decoding Analog/HAM/Aviation/Marine Radio Traffic

Thank you to Richard (9G5AR) for writing in and sharing with us the release of his open source Android app called 9GRadio. Richard writes that 9GRadio is an app designed for spectrum monitoring/analysis and the decoding of analog/ham/aviation and marine radio traffic.

In terms of demodulation it supports AM, FM, NFM, WFM, WFM Stereo, USB, LSB, CW, CWR, DSB and RAW IQ modes.

For digital decoding, it supports APRS, digital voice modes such as DMR, D-STAR, YSF, dPMR, NXDN, and aircraft, marine, and datalink modes such as ADS-B, AIS, ACARS, RDS, and multilateration.

Richard also notes that 9GRadio includes a full multilateration stack for locating transmitters, which works with 2+ networked 9GRadio receivers. Interestingly, the multilateration stack is noted to be protocol-agnostic, meaning it should work not only with ADS-B, but also with any mode that provides a digital identity for a transmission, such as AIS, ACARS, RDS, and digital voice modes.

The app is not available on the Google Play Store, but the APK is available for sideloading on the project's GitHub Releases page, along with the open source code.

9GRadio GIF of various screens
9GRadio GIF of various screens

VibeSDR Now Available on the Apple App Store + Running on an Apple Watch

Back in June, we posted about VibeSDR, an AI vibecoded free and open-source mobile SDR client for rtl_tcp and UberSDR/KiwiSDR/OpenWebRX servers developed for iOS and Android. Recently, Stuart Carr (Stuey3D) wrote in again to let us know that VibeSDR is now available on the Apple App Store for £2.99 and is soon to be available on the Android Play Store too.

In terms of updates, Stuart also notes that he's now developed VibeServer, which provides a more network-efficient way to share RTL-SDRs remotely via an Android phone. VibeServer compresses the data and transfers it at 120KB/s instead of the full 4.8MB/s required by rtl_tcp. 

Stuart has also developed an Apple Watch Buddy app version of VibeSDR which runs directly on an Apple Watch, allowing you to view and listen to the spectrum on your wrist. The watch version is still in beta, but Stuart notes that you can join the free beta on TestFlight.

As before, the latest open source code can be found on the VibeSDR GitHub https://github.com/stuey3d/vibesdr.

Finally, Stuart has provided us with 20 free promo codes to give away for the Apple App Store version of VibeSDR. To win a promo code, simply comment on this post (making sure to enter an email in the email field), reply to the X post, or comment on the Facebook Post (note that for Facebook you must montior your comment for a reply as Facebook does not allow private messages). 

Update: All promo codes have now been allocated, thanks!

AI-Disclaimer: This software was vibecoded with Claude.

VibeSDR Running on an Apple Watch
VibeSDR Running on an Apple Watch
Introducing VibeSDR Jr: A full SDR Client on your wrist.

VibeSDR: A Mobile-First iOS and Android Receiver App for Remote SDR Servers and RTL-SDRs

Thank you to Stuart Carr (Stuey3D) for submitting news about his new software release, VibeSDR, a free and open-source mobile SDR client he has developed for iOS and Android. VibeSDR is designed to be touch-first rather than a desktop interface shrunk down to phone size. It is a fully native client for UberSDR, OpenWebRX/OpenWebRX+, and KiwiSDR with its own GPU-rendered waterfall and spectrum. It also supports local RTL-SDR dongles via RTL-TCP on both platforms and over USB on Android with no extra driver install required.

VibeSDR comes with a long list of features. The app has on-device decoders for RTTY, WEFAX, NAVTEX, SSTV, Morse, and FT8/FT4, plus access to server-supplied decoders, Leaflet-based HFDL and digital spot maps, FM stereo with RDS, a local bookmarks engine with daily EiBi schedule downloads, and full background audio. It also has band-aware blind tuning, where using lockscreen, headphone, or in-car media controls to tune across a band boundary automatically switches to the correct demodulator and step rate for that band and ITU region. The app also has Android Auto support with browsable bookmark and band plan lists and steering wheel tuning, and on iOS, it offers Siri voice commands to work around the current lack of full CarPlay approval.

Stuart is upfront and mentions that VibeSDR was AI vibecoded with Claude, hence the "vibe" part of the name. He notes that while he did not write code himself, he designed, extensively tested, and reported bugs over weeks of late nights. The app is not available on any app store at the moment, but he notes that the app will always be free and open source, with full source, APKs and IPAs available on the VibeSDR GitHub Releases page. He also plans to eventually list it on the App Store and Play Store for a fee of around £3 to cover store and development costs.

AI-Disclaimer: This software was vibecoded with Claude.

VibeSDR Screenshots
VibeSDR Screenshots

Dump1090 For Android Updated to V2

Thank you to Christian from ebcTech for writing in and sharing with us that their Dump1090 app for Android has recently been completely redesigned. We first posted about this app back in 2021. The developer notes that the V2 redesign is faster and has an improved UI.

The app allowes users to use an RTL-SDR dongle connected to an Android device to receive ADS-B signals from aircraft and plot their locations on a map. When selecting an aircraft, the app also shows the aircraft's live flight data and a picture of the aircraft.

Screenshots of the new UI
Screenshots of the new UI
RTL-SDR ADS-B Dump1090 Android

Spectrum SDR Android App Ported to iOS

Thank you to James Mainwaring of Knowle Consultants for submitting news about the release of an iOS port of his previously Android-only "Spectrum SDR" app for RTL-SDR. Knowle Consultants have previously released a range of RTL-SDR Android apps for FM, Airband, Ham FM and ADS-B reception. James writes:

As most people will be aware, it is not currently possible to connect an RTL-SDR dongle directly to an Apple mobile device. So the app is designed to be used with an instance of rtl_tcp running on a Mac, PC or maybe a raspberry pi.

It is also possible to install the app directly on an Apple Silicon Mac, so that is one with an M1, M2, ... etc. In that situation obviously rtl_tcp can be hosted on the same Mac too if needed.

Anyone needing help with this app or any of our existing Android SDR apps should contact [email protected]
 
For comparison, the Android version is available here:
 
Spectrum SDR iOS App Released

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