What is Reddit's opinion of SDR Touch - Live offline radio?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I'm an android user, I cannot comment on an apple equivalent.

I use a OTG (On the Go) cable which allows me to connect devices to my phone in the same manner as you would a PC. These are effectively a crossover cable. They can be purchased on amazon.

I use SDRTouch as my tuner software. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2

It requires an additional driver to access the RTL-SDR. The driver may not work will all phones or tablets. The driver does not require root.

You don't even need a PC anymore... An Android device that supports OTG with an RTL-SDR + Upconverter OR modification for direct sampling should work. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2

There are a bunch of Android apps that support the RTLSDR. I use this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2&hl=en

It does not have the full capabilities that you'd normally get on a desktop but if you are looking for small and easy to carry around, that's the way to go.

I would recommend the prerelease of SDR++ and an android tablet. You can run it on a phone, but it's ported from a desktop program, so it's not the easiest to use on a small screen unless you have a stylus. The other program you can use is SDR Touch, but it's closed source, costs money, and doesn't have as many features. It's easier to use on a small screen though.

The android version of SDR++ has a more limited selection of supported hardware than the desktop version. An rtl-sdr is the cheapest and smallest supported device, but it will work with an airspy or hackrf as well.

The airspy and hackrf have more bandwidth than the rtl-sdr, but will need a higher end android device to make use of the additional bandwidth. I would avoid the hackrf since it doesn't have a very good RF front end and the transmit capability isn't needed.

easiest way it to buy a portable am radio. as others have mentioned there is also the semi-complicated rtlsdr method. I'll need an rtlsdr usb dongle, an otg/with power splitter cable, and a tuner app on ur phone. it will receive am/fm/ham radio and watch adsb traffic. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2

With a proper cable your SDR may work with your phone. I use a USB C hub with my S9 that just plugs into the phone's port and provides a female USB A port that you just plug the SDR into like normal. Add an app like SDR Touch and you're working mobile!

You can use an SDR with an android device to receive. The SDR Touch app supports RTL-SDR, SDRplay, and HackRF. They will drain your battery pretty quickly and since the SDR uses the USB port, you can't plug in a charger while using the SDR. The HackRF can transmit, but I am not aware of any android apps that support transmitting.

I'm not sure what you are asking about an Android app.

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I use SDRTouch via RTL_TCP at home when tuning my antenna, so I don't see why it couldn't be used with a handheld yagi as a directional signal finder. It can support RTL over OTG as well, for mobile usage.

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You would have to have the kit ready (preferably a second RTL), and start your normal APT capture, if the unwanted signal appeared, you would take out the phone, its RTL, and a little handheld yagi. It doesn't need to be tuned to the frequency to show up, that's for optimal signal. You basically want to take the handheld yagi, and spin 360 in place (slowly) while watching the phone SDR tuned to the frequency the signal is on. It will appear stronger when you are pointing towards the direction it is coming from.

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To address problem 1 with the OTG and charging, in theory if you were to set up a raspberry pi with a 5ghz wifi dongle and RTL, it could do RTL_TCP to your phone, allowing both the phone and pi to run off the powerbank, but then you would need a decent powerbank to run both.

Radio, as in the FM radio? There isn't one on the Nexus 6p. Only way to get one would be to connect an SDR through the USB and use something like SDR Touch

One interesting alternative is to use cheap $10 USB DTV dongle and an app like SDRTouch. With this setup you can listen to and record FM radio and loads of other interesting stuff like HAM radio, airport comms, taxis, etc.

You can get USB SDR receiver for around $10-$20 and turn your phone into a radio scanner with spectrum analyzer using this app

Looks like SDR Touch using an OTG-USB cable and dongle setup.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2

For an Android device, the only requirement is USB host mode support. I bought this one for development a while back, and never had to pay for a cell plan, just use wifi with it.

For apps, there's a few good ones out there depending on your exact needs. SDR Touch is the original, and can do audio demods along with a real time PSD and waterfall. RF Analyzer is another similar option that had worked well for me. A third option (full disclosure, I'm the author) if you don't need audio demod, but want more flexibility with the PSD and waterfall, e.g. pause, zoom through time and frequency, look through prior collections, then Radwave is available in beta.

All three of those use the same RTL2832U Driver.

You'll also need a USB-OTG cable. Just be sure to check reviews and get a good one because connections can be flaky.

SDR Touch to control an SDR directly attached to the phone using an OTG cable

glSDR to listen to WebSDR sites over the internet

APRSDroid to send/receive APRS packets via internet or RF

AmsatDroid to view satellite passes

Echolink to make QSO's even without a radio using just your phone

The app I'm using: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2

Correct. You don't even need to know which frequency they're tuned in on specifically, you could look at the whole spectrum using a Software Defined Radio like an rtl-sdr or bladerf with an upconverter and then spot them in a waterfall like SDRTrunk, SDRTouch, HD-SDR, SDRSharp, etc etc.

> An app doesn't actually receive radio signals,

this one does.

I had SW radios for years; I'd take them backpacking with me to listen to odd stations in the camp at night.

Now, I have a ham radio; I can still listen, but, now I can talk to other people too.

Small, good quality SW radios can be found for cheap - like this; though, this radio was the last one I owned before getting a ham radio. So, you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a SW radio.

You can also grab a USB SDR like this, couple it with this app, and you can turn your phone into a radio receiver too.

You can clip on some wire to make a longer antenna too, to boost reception.

There does not appear to be many numbers stations anymore; been a while since I heard any; but, years ago, when I was in my camps, I'd hear them every now and then. You can easily hear North Korea most mornings in Canada and other parts of North America too:

>North Korea 9435/11710 AM 1330 UTC/0830 EST/0930 DST

>North Korea 9435/11710 AM 1530 UTC/1030 EST/1130 DST

There is no shortage of religious nut-bags to laugh at, if that is your thing. Radio China has some great, classical Chinese concerts on at night here in North America that are great to listen too.

I find this app to be one of the better ones for getting schedules of SW stations.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2&hl=en_US

I think this is the app OP had.

TV tuners (or other sdr dongles like this one should work fine if you use an sdr app like this and driver app

Besides radio stations, you can totally pick up airplanes talking to air traffic controllers

Try SDR touch : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2

Yep: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marto.androsdr2

Using SDR Touch right now, it doesn't seem to bad.

Software defined radio!