Tagged: rtl2832u

An Inspiring Video about Getting Hooked on SDRs

Thank you to 'Tuned Signal' (TS) for sharing his video with impressive production quality, detailing his story on how and why he became hooked on software-defined radio. TS notes how it all started with an Outernet receiver that he purchased, which came with an RTL-SDR dongle. From there he ended up purchasing higher end SDRs and learning more about the different types of signals he could receive.

If you're interested, check out some of his other videos on his YouTube channel which cover topics like how to receive train radios, how to listen to CB radio and more.

Secret Behind SDR: Why You Can’t Stop Listening

SDR# Big Guide Book: 2024 Edition Released

Paolo Romani (IZ1MLL) has recently released the 2024 version of his SDR# Big Book. The book is available for download on the Airspy downloads page, just scroll down to the title "SDR# Big Book" and choose your language. (At the time of this post only English and Italian are available in the 2024 edition, but multiple languages are available for the older guides).

Paolo writes that the book has been updated for the latest SDR# v1920 version, and now the editions will be labelled by date, instead of version number. He also writes that page 25 of the big book now includes information about the differences between RTL-SDR Blog V3 and V4 dongles. 

The Big Book of SDR# Studio 2024 Edition

Tech Minds: Testing the NooElec FlyCatcher RTL-SDR ADS-B+UAT Raspberry Pi Hat

Over on YouTube Matt from the Tech Minds YouTube channel has tested out NooElec's new 'FlyCatcher', which is an RTl-SDR ADS-B hat for the Raspberry Pi. The FlyCatcher has two RTL-SDRs built into it, each with it's own LNA and SAW filter. One SAW filter is tuned for 978 MHz UAT, and the other for 1090 MHz ADS-B.

The device also has buttons that allow you to bypass the LNA stage, and just use filtering, in case you have an external LNA. They appear to be using the Qorvo TQL9063 LNA chip, which has a built-in bypass.

In the video Matt tests out the FlyCatcher, but only on 1090 MHz as 978 MHz UAT is not used in his country. He shows how to set up the software on the Raspberry Pi and then shows some results.

Easily Create Your Own Aircraft Virtual Radar Using The NooElec FlyCatcher Pi Hat

Decoding Meshtastic in Realtime with an RTL-SDR and GNU Radio

Over on his YouTube channel, Aaron, creator of DragonOS and WarDragon has uploaded a video showing how it is possible to decode Meshtastic with an RTL-SDR and GNU Radio project called Meshtastic_SDR. 

If you weren't aware of it, Meshtastic is software that enables off-grid mesh network based communications and can run on cheap LoRa hardware. The mesh based nature of the system means that communications can be received over long distances, without any infrastructure, as long as there are sufficient Meshtastic nodes in an area that are able to route the message to the destination node. One example application of Meshtastic is to use it as a mesh-based text messaging system. This might be useful for teams of hikers, pilots, or skiiers who operate in remote areas without cell phone coverage.

In the video, Aaron shows how to install the Meshtastic GNU Radio software on DragonOS (Linux), and how to run the GNU Radio flowgraph and Python decoder script. Later in the video Aaron shows some test text messages being received by the software.

The Meshtastic_SDR project can also be used to transmit Meshtastic messages with an appropriate TX-capable SDR.

WarDragon Real-Time Decoding Meshtastic w/ GNU Radio & SDR (RTLSDR v3)

SignalsEverywhere: Build an RTL-SDR Based OP25 Radio Scanner with a Mobile Control Head Android App

Welcome back to Sarah from the SignalsEverywhere YouTube channel who has recently returned to producing videos from a hiatus. In her latest video, Sarah shows off her new OP25 Mobile Control Head Android App which allows you to implement a full P25 digital radio scanner at a fraction of the cost of a commercial digital scanner. In the past, Sarah had released a similar application written for the Raspberry Pi but has decided to shift her focus to writing an equivalent Android app that is less clunky and can be deployed for a lower cost. 

The app controls and displays information from the OP25 software that runs on a Raspberry Pi with RTL-SDR connected. It works by using a server application on the Raspberry Pi that manipulates the OP25 instance and its configuration files.

Sarah writes:

The application is a wrapper for OP25 that uses a raspberry pi and an android device to provide users with a mobile control head for their OP25 P25 scanner setup. Currently it's just a basic application but I'll be adding features like automatic site switching, etc.

OP25MCH: https://github.com/SarahRoseLives/OP25MCH

There is also a separate application I call the OP25Display which is just a display for a users existing OP25 instance.

OP25Display: https://github.com/SarahRoseLives/op25display

Build Your Own Digital Radio Scanner With OP25 Mobile Control Head App

A 3D Printed Enclosure with USB Hub for RTL-SDR Blog Units

Over on Hackaday, we've seen a post about Jay Doscher's clever 3D printed enclosure that can hold two RTL-SDR Blog V4 units and a USB hub. The enclosure is designed to make it easy to take the two units mobile, and the USB hub inside means that only one USB connection is required to run the two units.

Jay has also thought about cooling, allowing for space between the two dongles, and adding vent holes. He has also ensured that the SMA ports on the dongles are protected while allowing space to hand-tighten the connectors.

Jay writes that he has tested his enclosure with RTL-SDR Blog V4 units, but given that the dimensions of the V3 (and V2) are the same, it will work for those units too.

A 3D Printed RTL-SDR Blog Enclosure with USB Hub
A 3D Printed RTL-SDR Blog Enclosure with USB Hub

uSDR Software Updated to V1.7.0

Thank you to Viol for writing in and letting us know that his uSDR software has recently been updated to V1.7.0. The uSDR software (not to be confused with the unrelated uSDR hardware) is a lightweight general-purpose multimode program for Windows that supports the RTL-SDR, Airspy, BladeRF, HackRF, LimeSDR, and other SDR radios.

Viol highlights the latest features added in the 1.7.0 update below:

  • Fobos SDR frontend native support, the very new SDR from RigExpert
  • bladeRF API v2.5.0 support, oversampling mode up to 122.88 MHz sample rate (do not forget to update FX3 firmware)
  • advanced IQ playback mode, precise timing and streaming
  • improved DSP routines and memory management, minimized CPU load
  • excellent ruler tool for spectrum frequency and amplitude measurements
uSDR Updated to Version 1.7.0. Images shows FobosSDR support.
uSDR Updated to Version 1.7.0. Images shows FobosSDR support.

YouTube Video Series on Iridium Satellite Decoding with an Airspy, RTL-SDR Blog Patch Antenna and DragonOS

Over on his YouTube channel, Rob VK8FOES has started a new video series about Iridium Satellite Decoding. Iridium is a constellation of low-earth orbiting satellites that provide voice and data services. Iridium was first decoded with low cost hardware by security researchers back in 2016 as mentioned in this previous post. Being unencrypted it is possible to intercept private text and voice communications.

Rob's video is part of a series, and so far only part one has been uploaded. The first video outlines the hardware and software requirements for Iridium decoding and demonstrates the gr-iridium software. An Airspy and RTL-SDR Blog Patch Antenna are used for the hardware, and the software runs on DragonOS.

Rob writes that in part two he will demonstrate the use of iridium-toolkit, which can be used to extract data and recordings from the Iridium data provided from gr-iridium.

Be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel so that you are notified when part two is released.

Iridium Satellite Decoding Part 1: The Tutorial That Goes Over Your Head, Literally!