Tagged: rtl2832u

Updates to the Lego Pi Radio Project

Back in 2018 we first posted about JJ's Lego Pi Radio, which was an all-in-one RTL-SDR + Raspberry Pi based FM and internet radio system enclosed in Lego.

More recently JJ has written in again sharing with us some updates to his Lego Pi project. First, he notes that he has now created a webpage showing all his radio builds, most of which consist of an Arduino Nano + Raspberry Pi and RTL-SDR, with most enclosed in Lego builds.

JJ also wanted to highlight his latest build optimized for DAB reception, made from an old Android TV box, RTL-SDR the welle-cli software, and of course a Lego enclosure.

My latest build, a FM / DAB+ / INTERNET / MP3 radio, was not made with a Raspberry Pi but with an older Android TV box flashed with Armbian + Ubuntu.
 
This was cheaper and allowed me to recycle some hardware that was gathering dust. Besides the board needs less power and best of all, the whole system fits into internal eMMC storage, so no more messing with fragile micro SD card. The only problem I had was with the onboard audio so had to use an inexpensive USB audio dongle. I also connected an Arduino nano through USB to easily control a small LCD display and some LEDs.
 
The board's IR port works well under Linux so I can control the radio with any cheap infrared remote. But I also made a web interface for a fun way to drive the radio from a tablet, PC or even smartphone.
The Lego Android RTL-SDR Build
Lego Android RTL-SDR Build
Lego Android RTL-SDR Build Web Interface

DeepRad – Modular RTL-SDR System Now Crowdfunding on Crowd Supply

Back in May, we posted about the upcoming DeepRad, which is advertised as a modular RTL-SDR system, providing RTL-SDR PCB boards without USB and SMA connectors that are seated into a custom motherboard. A few days ago they released their crowdfunding campaign on Crowd Supply.

The individual DeepRad RTL-SDR units are priced at US$80 each, whereas the 'DeepRad Quad' which includes four units and a motherboard is priced at US$340 with free US shipping and $12 intl. shipping for both products. It appears that the idea behind the modular boards is to allow people designing a custom PCB to easily seat an RTL-SDR on their design.

The DeepRad Quad advertises 'Synchronize TCXO', which implies that the four units can run from the same clock. However, we don't see any noise source, distribution, or switching hardware, and no heat management, so we don't expect it to be useful for coherent projects like the KrakenSDR is.

Over on Reddit there has been some discussion about the system.

The DeepRad Quad

Receiving Weather Images from NOAA Weather Satellites with an RTL-SDR Blog V4 and Multipurpose Dipole Antenna Kit

Over on YouTube Baltic Lab has uploaded a video showing how he was able to successfully use an RTL-SDR Blog V4 and the included multipurpose dipole antenna kit to receive images from polar-orbiting NOAA weather satellites.

In the video, Baltic Lab shows how to orient the dipole antenna in a "V-Dipole" shape which optimizes it for receiving from satellites. He also shows how to use a VNA to confirm that the telescopic elements on the dipole are extended to the correct length, noting that he was able to achieve a VSWR of less than 1.2 between the target frequencies of 135 to 138.1 MHz, with a near perfect match at 136.5 MHz.

He then demonstrates receiving the NOAA APT signals with his laptop, and successfully recovering the weather satellite image.

How To Receive Weather Images Directly from Space | NOAA Weather Satellites

BSidesPGH 2024 Talk: Introduction to Software Defined Radio For Offensive and Defensive Operations

Over on the YouTube channel "SecPGH" a talk by Grey Fox titled "Introduction to Software Defined Radio For Offensive and Defensive Operations" has been uploaded from the BSidesPGH 2024 conference. BSidesPGH 2024 was a security conference held in Pittsburgh, PA, USA on July 25.

The talks are generally about network security, however, Fox's talk is all about RF security topics and software defined radio. In the talk, he introduces SDR, and devices like the Flipper Zero and demonstrates various basic examples such as receiving FM from a handheld radio and ADS-B.

Next, he goes on to demonstrate security topics such as showing how to capture and analyze signals from a 433 MHz security alarm using an RTL-SDR and Flipper Zero, and how to jam frequencies and replay captured signals. Finally, he demonstrates WiFi cracking with the help of Kali Linux and Flipper Zero with WiFi dev board attached.

BSidesPGH 2024 Track 2 Grey Fox Introduction to Software Defined Radio For Offensive and Def

Easvesdropping on HDMI with TEMPESTSDR and SDRplay

Over on YouTube "Sam's eXperiments logs" have uploaded a video showing how he was able to succeed when using TEMPESTSDR to eavesdrop on HDMI cables with his SDRplay. TEMPESTSDR software combined with a software defined radio allows a user to eavesdrop on TVs, monitors, and more by wirelessly receiving their unintentional RF emissions and recovering information from those emissions. In many cases it is possible to recover live images of the display, clear enough to read text.  

Sam's video explains the challenges he faced with signal strength due to the highly effective shielding of his HDMI cables. To get around this Sam shows how he unshielded his HDMI cables for the test. This is good news for privacy, as it shows how effective shielding can be at stopping these kinds of attacks. He then goes on to show the results he obtained which show text being read from his screen.

I Finally Succeeded: HDMI Signal Eavesdropping with TEMPESTSDR

Tech Minds: Reviewing the Raspberry Pi 5 For Radio Amateurs Book by Elektor

Over on the Tech Minds YouTube channel, Matt has uploaded a video where he reviews a new book by Elektor titled "Raspberry Pi 5 For Radio Amateurs" (€5 off coupon code "Techminds"). The book is all about projects for the Raspberry Pi 5 that can be done with RTL-SDR Blog V3 and V4 software defined radios.

In the video Matt explores the books contents, showing off the various possible projects. Matt also shows how to get started with the book by installing Raspbian, and the RTL-SDR drivers, and then goes on to show how examples of the various software programs mentioned in the book such as SDR++, flrig, chirp, dump1090, predict, HamClock, rtl_tcp, rtl_433, qsstv, fldigi, Xdx and more.

Raspberry Pi 5 For Radio Amateurs With The RTL-SDR V4

Tracking Down an ATIS Tower with KrakenSDR

Over on YouTube The Comms Channel has uploaded a video showing how they used a KrakenSDR to track down the location of an ATIS transmission tower.

If you weren't already aware, KrakenSDR is our 5-channel coherent radio based on RTL-SDRs, and it can be used for applications like radio direction finding. It can be purchased on Crowd Supply.

Airports typically have an ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) transmission tower that broadcasts audio of recorded information such as weather, runway conditions, and any important notices.

In the video, they use the KrakenSDR to track down the location of an ATIS transmission tower at their local airport. In the future, they intend on using the KrakenSDR to help track down Meshtastic radios.

Radio Direction Finding with the KrakenSDR | Radio Direction Finding Series

RadioWorld Magazine Article about Software Defined Radios for Shortwave Listening

The latest August edition of the RadioWorld Magazine has included an article by James Careless about the use of software defined radios for shortwave radio listening. RadioWorld is a magazine targeted towards radio broadcast owners, managers and engineers all over the world. The article explores SDRplay and RTL-SDR Blog V4 units from the perspective of a shortwave listener new to software defined radios, comparing them to his high-end Sangean ATS-909X2 shortwave digital receiver.

The article can be accessed freely from this link and is found on pages 18-21.

First page of the RadioWorld Magazine article on SDRs.
First page of the RadioWorld Magazine article on SDRs.