Thank you to Lincoln Boggs (KF8DPW) for submitting his open source RTL-SDR Blog V3 shield footprint PCB design, which is available on GitHub.
This PCB serves as a bare-bones starter design that precisely matches the footprint of the RTL-SDR Blog V3, allowing you to develop custom addon boards. The current layout provides connections to GPIO, I2C, CLK, and several other pins on the RTL-SDR Blog V3 that are exposed for experimental and bespoke projects. As Lincoln explains:
Recently in my spare time I have been looking into developing an open-source project for the RTL-SDR blog dongles, more specifically an addon board system similar to RPi hats and arduino shields through the I2C pins.
So far, I've gotten a board footprint published on GitHub for the V3's pins.
The idea is to allow easy addition of modules like external clocks, sensors, controller boards, or even something like a LoRa chip all with minimal soldering and easy swap-ability. I also plan to design 3D models of cases for the SDR to allow it to look cleaner or be more portable in different senses.
Thank you to Nagy István for writing in and sharing with us his video showing how he uses a home-made backfire helix antenna and the JAERO software to receive and decode Inmarsat Aero at 1545 MHz. AERO messages are a form of satellite ACARS, typically containing short messages from aircraft, and some channels also support digital voice communications.
The backfire helix is an antenna design that consists of a helically wound wire, typically wound around a 3D-printed frame, attached to a large backplane. Recently, a similar design called a 'heliocone' has become popular for use with 1.7 GHz polar orbiting satellites.
In the video, Nagy shows two designs, one of his own and the other by Digitalelektro, and the good SNR that he's achieved with them in JAERO.
Inmarsat Aero 1545Mhz decoding with Backfire helix / JAERO software
Thank yoy to Viol Tailer for submitting news about the release of his new software called "uAVD - Analog Video Decoder". uAVD is capable of demodulating the following:
AM (broadcast analog television - NTSC, PAL, SECAM)
FM (FPV drone video links)
RAW (composite output from VHS, camcorders, game consoles)
The software uses the uSDR software as a host, and it passes the IQ passband stream to the uAVD via a uSDR-TCP link. uSDR is a lightweight general purpose multimode software defined radio receiver Windows application that we have posted about on the blog in the past. Currently, it supports RTL-SDR, AirSpy, BladeRF, HackRF, FobosSDR, and LimeSDR devices.
The software supports full color and grayscale modes. With a wideband receiver, it will be possible to receive full-color video. With the reduced bandwidth available with an RTL-SDR, only grayscale will be available.
The image below shows it being used to receive video from a camcorder composite video output. A FobosSDR used in direct sampling mode is used to receive the signal.
uAVD Receiving Camcorder Composite Video via the Direct Sampling Input in FobosSDR
Below is a video from a user of the software demonstrating it in action.
Thank you to Craig Giles for writing in and sharing with us news about a club for teens that he's organizing called "Waveband Hack Club YSWS" for RTL-SDR dongles. Craig writes in his email:
Hack Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to teach teenagers how to code by building projects. Hack Club runs a variety of programs called YSWSs, or “You Ship, We Ships”, which are programs in which a teen works on a themed project and gets rewarded with a prize following the theme.
Waveband is a YSWS about RTL-SDR dongles, where teens make a computer program that uses an RTL-SDR dongle, and they get a V4 dongle and antenna kit in return. We are aiming to get more teens involved in SDR and give them the hardware to do so through this program.
The club has a clever interactive website that interested teens can go to to learn more. Currently, it appears that the club is running the program for a limited time from June 11 to July 11. During this time, teens can log on to the website and get a free RTL-SDR dongle if they submit a program they've written that uses an RTL-SDR in a unique way.
Thank you to Alexandre Gellibert for writing in and sharing his new Android App, "SDR ProTrack." SDR ProTrack is a radio direction-finding app that uses an RTL-SDR and directional antenna to determine a bearing towards a transmitter.
Interestingly, Alexandre notes that this app was initially developed to track Asian hornets, a bee-killing pest. With hornet tracking, a miniature RF transmitter is attached to a caught hornet, and the hornet brings it back to the nest. RF tracking techniques can then be used to find the nest.
It's possible to determine the bearing toward a transmitter by using a receiver such as an RTL-SDR paired with a directional antenna like a Yagi. Directional antennas have high sensitivity in one primary direction and significantly lower sensitivity in all others. By rotating the antenna until the strongest signal is identified, you can establish the precise bearing angle. Typically, following this bearing will guide you directly toward the signal's origin.
Alexandre wrote in an email to us the following:
Just to let you know we just launched a new Android app compatible with RTL-SDR dongles (though mostly tested on RTL-SDR v4).
App is free to use. Advanced features (like Compass to point the signal potential source) are for premium users.
It's plug and play, easy to use, much more user friendly than SDR++.
Any feedback is really appreciated :)
If you want to know more about the project or the 2 developers behind it (we develop it in France to be able to track asian hornets that kill all the bees), please feel free to contact us.
And the Android page describes SDR ProTrack in the following way:
Unlock the power of radio tracking with SDR ProTrack! Transform your Android smartphone into a signal-tracking powerhouse using an RTL-SDR dongle and a directional antenna. Affordable, versatile, and perfect for enthusiasts, researchers, pros or anyone tracking signals—like Asian hornets or wildlife.
★ Key Features ★
• Automatic RTL-SDR dongle recognition and connection (free) • Spectrum Visualization (Free): View signal shapes in the frequency domain effortlessly. • Compass (Premium): Pinpoint the strongest signal direction with precision. • Signal Strength Display (Premium): Monitor signal power with an intuitive interface. • Custom Settings (Premium): Adjust bitrate, sample rate, and frequency sensitivity to your liking.
★ Requirements ★
• Requires an external RTL-SDR device. • Check compatibility: https://osmocom.org/projects/rtl-sdr/wiki
Need an RTL-SDR dongle, emitters, receptors, or antennas? Visit our website: https://www.intuite.fr/en_GB/pricing
★ About Us ★
Intuite is a company specialized in locating Asian hornet nests. We developed SDR ProTrack to provide a robust, cost-effective solution for radio signal tracking, combining innovative technology with our expertise in signal detection.
★ Open Source Community ★
Join our mission to advance radio tracking! Our open-source library, RTL-SDR Bridge Android Lib, powers SDR Pro Track. Contribute to development, report issues, or explore the code at https://github.com/alexandreGellibert/RTL-SDR-Bridge-Android-Lib. Support our work and help shape the future of signal tracking!
Download SDR ProTrack today and start tracking signals like a pro!
Thank you to Paul Maine for writing in and letting us know about his YouTube video showing how to set up ADS-B reception with an RTL-SDR, dump1090, and Virtual Radar Server on a Windows machine. ADS-B reception is a common project for RTL-SDR users; however, as Paul notes, most of the video tutorials available on YouTube are outdated.
Paul has also been uploading other videos to his YouTube channel recently, including tutorials on GNU Radio and setting up rtl_433, so check it out if you are interested.
E11 Tracking Airplanes using RTLSDR with Virtual Radar and ADS-B
A radiosonde is a lightweight instrument package typically carried by a weather balloon to collect atmospheric data such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and GPS position. It transmits this data back to the ground via radio signals. Using an RTL-SDR or another software-defined radio (SDR) along with appropriate decoding software, hobbyists or researchers can receive, decode, and visualize these signals.
Mario has shared the following information about his software:
The program supports four types of sondes: RS-41, M10, M20, and DFM (PS-15, DFM09, DFM17 tested).
The program is designed to run without any additional installations or software, except for the ZADIG driver for RTL-SDR (RTL2832). It uses RTL-FM for SDR reception and the popular open-source RS1729 for decoding. Decoding is also possible via the audio input (using Virtual Audio Cable and SDR# or SDR++ or any other SDR software).
The received data can be sent to servers such as Radiosondy, Wettersonde, or other APRS-based weather radiosonde servers. Optionally, the data can be sent to two servers simultaneously.
At the beginning of this month, we posted about SkyRoof, a new software program by VE3NEA for receiving and tracking ham radio satellites with an RTL-SDR and other SDRs.
Recently, Matt from the TechMinds channel uploaded a video on YouTube testing out SkyRoof. In the video, Matt explains the software's various sections and features, such as Doppler correction. He then goes on to demonstrate various audio voice signals being received with the software.
SkyRoof - A Brand New Satellite Tracking Software With Built In SDR Software - This is awesome!
