The LimeSDR is a new transmit capable software defined radio with a 100 kHz – 3.8 GHz frequency range, 12-bit ADC and 61.44 MHz bandwidth which is currently seeking crowdfunding. At the time of this post there is about four days left to reach the $500k goal, and it is only 80% funded. To try and reach their funding goal they have released another batch of discounted units which cost only $249 USD. After the crowd funding campaign the price will rise to $289/$299 USD. If the LimeSDR is not funded in time, they write that the project will unfortunately be put on hold and it’s future may be uncertain. We believe that this product is shaping up to be a very good TX/RX capable SDR, like the HackRF and bladeRF, but much better overall and for the same or even lower price.

Recently they also released some new updates that show off some LimeSDR features. In a post previously featured on our blog beta tester Alexandru showed how he was able to get the LimeSDR to transmit DVB-S2 HDTV. In later updates they showed how the LimeSDR can be used to:

• Reverse engineer and then control an off the shelf RF mains switch. They then combined it with a Bluetooth LE wireless temperature sensor and used Pothos to create a program that automatically turns the mains switch on or off depending on temperature.
• Control LoRa based IoT devices. In this post they used the LimeSDR to demonstrate how it can be used to transmit to, receive and simulate IoT devices running the popular LoRa wireless protocol
• Create a 10 MHz LTE cellular site. In this post they also show a mobile phone connecting to the cell site and using LTE mobile internet at 20MSPS.
• Create a spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope and signal generator in GNU Octave. Here they show how the LimeSDR can be used as an “all-in-one” lab tool replacement for several expensive devices.
• Create a Vector Network Analyzer. With the help of a directional coupler the LimeSDR can also be turned into a Vector Network Analyzer to measure parameters such as gain, insertion loss, return loss and VSWR.
• Build a remote radio head. By mounting the LimeSDR near the antenna and streaming the data back over an IP link, coax feed losses can be eliminated.