What are /r/RTLSDR's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Edit: I'm here from the main page as well. Googling around I found this book "The Hobbyist's Guide to the RTL-SDR: Really Cheap Software Defined Radio" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KCDF1QI/

You can read it for free with a 30-day free trial of Amazon books.

It goes through everything from setup to advanced usage so I'm gonna give it a shot. Hopes it helps other people get started!

This response REALLY depends on what you're trying to do with the SDR. There are lots of uses where directional dishes come in handy. I'm desperately watching for any deals in my area! Edit to add second example.

this RTLSDR dongle & antennae are $25 https://www.rtl-sdr.com/buy-rtl-sdr-dvb-t-dongles/ and plugs right into your laptop/desktop. gqrx (which is free/open-source software) is an excellent place to start: http://gqrx.dk/

I started out with SDR because I wanted to decode the signals from remote thermometers & door/window sensors; but then ended up getting my technician class a few months back :-)

Let me know if you need any further assistance.

I think you pretty much have it. At stake was their redistribution of the GPL'd RTLSDR materials under an MIT license, as I recall.

They used to have open SVN access on Assembla and everyone was building their packages off that. They closed off access when their butts got super hurt and they decided they didn't even want to take a total of 15 minutes to navigate trivial licensing issues (i.e. stop distributing GPL source and just let users who want it link it??). Now, AFAIK, there is no SDR# source publicly available anywhere.

Anyhow, GQRX and SDRangelove are getting toward decently mature and, hey, they're even legit open-source projects authored by people who don't have some sort of overt hatred for users of their software!

Download an SSTV decoder app onto a phone (Android, iOS) and hold it near your radios speaker during the pass. That should get you some sort of image. Make sure the app is in PD120 mode.

For the hardware im using the Nooelec GOES bundle which can be found on their store pages right here, it comes with everything you need to receive GOES/GK-2A images minus the software. For software I used USA-Satcom's XRIT Decoder but unfortunately its not free, I bought it because to my knowledge its the only Windows based solution, then for false color and image processing I used a free program called Sanchez.

This antenna modified to better receive at 1.7 Ghz (cut a piece of pvc pipe to act as a spacer moving the secondary reflector out a bit), rtl-sdr.com v3 dongle, Sawbird GOES LNA & a Raspberry Pi 3 running goestools.

This antenna - https://www.amazon.com/Premiertek-Directional-High-Gain-Parabolic-ANT-GRID-24DBI/dp/B005M8KU3W with a 3d printed spacer to tune it to 1.6ghz, a nooelec goes sawbird, rtlsdr.com v3 dongle, and a raspberry pi 3b with goestools.

What about a portable airband radio, get a cheap 3.5mm plug with pigtails from Amazon, plug it into the external speaker port, tune to the freq you want and set the squelch. When the squelch breaks, the speaker tap outputs voltage, use that to trigger your GPIO pins on the PLC. Set your relays based on that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DRCKTP6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_KX6.FbDBW2W0A

I'm another one of the /r/askreddit crowd, and have always had a bit of an interest in amateur radio but never wanted to spend the cash to get started. That thread was exactly what I needed to get going!

My NooElec NESDR SMArt bundle arrived Monday afternoon, I had it and SDR# set up in no time and even managed to pick up some air traffic radio during my test run! I came back to the radio multiple times throughout the day never really finding anything else of interest, I was a bit disappointed. Luckily I made one last attempt before bed and found two gentleman having a conversation on 70mm short band!!! It was so exciting, I couldn't believe what I was listening to, with the stock telescoping antenna no less. Man I'm still excited.

The coolest thing about all of this though was that my girlfriend sat next to me while we searched the waves and she was just as interested and as excited as I was. She's agreed to let me put a discone antenna in the attic of our townhouse, and even pick up a HAMitup converter. I'm so happy. :) We're even discussing getting our HAM operator licenses this fall!

~~So I have some adapter questions about upgrading my setup with this discone, some RG-8 coax, and a HAMitup converter. I know the dongle and upconverter have SMA connections but I have absolutely no idea how to figure out which adapters I would need to connect it all together. Any advice would be very much appreciated, thank you!~~

Edit: /u/ivebeenfurthereven thanks for sharing that comment man, I've found my new hobby and it's because of your post. Cheers!

Edit 2: The folks at NooElec answered my question on Amazon, they are replying to almost every single question on there, top notch customer service!

According to the guides I've seen, and Amazon recommendations (and yes, I agree that's a tenuous slope to start down), the main kit folks are buying is this one (no referral):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME

Agree that just like in Step 1, there is a certain amount of figuring out what hardware you have and need. I was loathe to recommend a particular offering since most of these change over time, and I honestly only have experience with this one package (so far).

I am open to suggestions on how to write "Step 0" :-)

I seriously doubt that CPU can handle it, compared to a Core2 Duo E8400 or a Pentium E5800 (two now lower-end power CPU's that a great many people are familiar with) the entire CPU and it's 4 cores summed up don't even benchmark as high as a single thread on either of the aforementioned CPU's.

Hell, it's single thread performance is on par with a 2009 AMD laptop CPU.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2585&cmp[]=955&cmp[]=1102

Thanks! And also thank you for clarifying the black bars. It's unfortunate that it is a glitch in Meteor but I'm glad to hear its not a local error within my setup.

As for the radio I'm running I'm using a standard RTL-SDR dongle I got on amazon.

If you have an Android device, you can use Radwave: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.radwave.radwave.android. Full disclosure, I'm the author. For hardware, you'll just need an RTL SDR, USB OTG cable, and an antenna, around $30-35 total.

Yes, the Himawari-8 data is part of the data that's relayed from GOES-16. This is also why I'm able to capture some GOES-15 data too (which my antenna wasn't pointed at). If you look at the "Readme" in the text directory, you can see the types of data being broadcast (the NWS/NHC stuff is pretty interesting, too)

As for my antenna, I'm using this 1.9ghz parabolic grid antenna.

The power supply doesn't have to be exactly 70mA. That's just the minimum current the power supply needs to be rated for. Here is a 12v 500mA linear regulated power supply that will work well. It's more expensive than a switch mode, but it will not produce any rfi.

May be outdated, but your soundcard might work. Get a long wire and try it out. Would cost almost nothing.

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/receiving-vlf-pc-sound-card-miniwhip-antenna-saqrx/

Also look into upconverters

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076CYK8XZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_Sq73FbNKCQ2XS

I have not used the above product so cannot vouch for it, but something like that.

Sure it's ISS Detector Once you install it, there are filters you can purchase, they aren't expensive, and are worth it. They allow filtering and tracking various satellites. The one you'll want is Amateur Radio Satellites. However I just bought the "combo package" which gives them all to you and no ads.

I think it was a couple of bucks, but it's worked flawlessly. You can set up alerts for passes that are over a certain elevation.

Also, apps!

Tzumi wants you to use the MagicTV app, but Eardatek (the ODM) has this app for a device called the TEVEMO which I believe does the same thing.

This product page contains a downloadable CD with drivers and a software to watch DVB-T signals. You'll have to obtain a valid key for your self.

RTL2832U + R820T Mini DVB-T + DAB+ + FM USB Digital TV Dongle - Black - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

I use qgrx, it's more convenient than messing about with rtl_fm.

The antenna that comes with the tuner is crap. In my area it's usable for receiving commercial radio, but that's about it. Not even DVB-T works properly even though it's supposed to be designed for it. You can improvise some monopole/dipole configurations for the frequencies you're interested in, or get a discone.

You can try to raise the tuner's gain, but that seems to mostly be useful for improving the SNR of a signal rather than making one appear where it would otherwise be noise.

i bought one of these a few years ago to watch YouTube and Netflix when I was traveling. after disabling a bunch of unnecessary background processes, it runs really good and it runs most SDR software really well, even HDSDR. you have to have some patience, there's only so much a 4w processor and 2 gigs of ram can do lol.

I haven't been reading up on SDR in the past year or so... what's so different about these SAWbirds compared to other SDRs already out there on the market?

As for GOES-16, I know it's newer (and geostationary?) and uses a newer high speed transfer, but I don't know any of the actual details. Does it require specialized hardware, hence your wait for these SAWbirds? Or are you just waiting so you have the "newest" chip available to start your project?

Edit: Upon further reading, it seems the SAWbird is an LNA + SAW filter that's tuned to the right freq, yes? Also, NooElec seems to be selling these on Amazon right now, are they the SAWbird's predecessor, or are they actual SAWbirds?

Edit 2: Looks like the SAWbird specifically for the GOES isn't available and the one I linked is just L-band.

The noise floor can jump off there's wideband signals or if the gain is too high and the signal is clipping. That effectively produces wideband artifacts. It'd be helpful if you have a picture too.

If you're driving around still and you have an Android device, you could try Radwave https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.radwave.radwave.android

Full disclosure, I'm the author. It allows you to pause, rewind, and zoom in and out in time by pinching and stretching the waterfall plot. Then you can focus on driving a little better and not miss anything.

Why are you trolling this subreddit with such a question? It implies that SDR originated separately and also isn't pushed by the interests of hams. Dan Tayloe and other talents may disagree.

Amateur radio operators have always been involved: proposing ideas, developing hardware, writing code, etc. This concept goes back well before the softrock receivers and other devices doing DSP low frequency IF signals.

Yes, the NSA and telecom industry have their big budget labs involved in similar work, but be aware that many of the scientists are also hams. Perhaps hams aren't the main force in development, but they are not negligible.

Yeah, good for first timers I think. One I got: https://www.banggood.com/Ultra-thin-50KHz-200MHz-Malahit-SDR-Receiver-Malachite-DSP-Software-Defined-Radio-3_5-inch-Display-Battery-Inside-Nice-Sound-Black-400MHz~2GHz-p-1789700.html?p=HP080535844950201908&custlinkid=1429780

Good video on the device: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6EWqzeoGug

It looks like you have started a massive production :)

I have ordered copper foil but considering the post delay it will take another month or more to arrive.

I use this page.. https://launchpad.net/~gqrx/+archive/ubuntu/gqrx-sdr Follow the instructions (including remove what you have now) and it should install fine in Mint 17.x. I have not had any issue on either 17.2 or 17.3, besides the PPA was recently down. Also you get the latest update of gqrx which is newer than what is in the official repo. You may also have to blacklist the rtl dongle in /etc/modprobe.d if you have issues with your dongle being detected later on.

I have just uploaded the Mac OS X bundles to both github and sourceforge :-)

I have set up a new bundling process this time, so let me know if something is broken. The good news is that from now on bundling will be much easier and faster.

Typically in an array all the antennas are connected, either in phase or out of phase depending on how you want the propagation characteristics to behave.

For what you want to do its entirely possible for you to use multiple receivers. But if you're doing this make sure you're using dongles with 0.5 or 1PPM TXCOs over the other variants. Alternatively I would take a letter from passive radar applications and share a master oscillator between all devices.

Or check out how these guys did it (PDF warning).

Yup. yesterday. We were also on Al Jazeera America last night.

http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/live-news/2014/2/builders-makers-andhackersuniteathightechworkspace.html

We're hoping this causes a bump in traffic for the indiegogo we just launched. Design+Build a BLE prototype in 6 hours.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/metrix-create-space-bluetooth-low-energy-hardware-workshop/x/3139292

If you adjust the length of the dipole to the freq you're seeking might help.

https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/dipole

That said, NOAA should be easy to pick up regardless. Get antenna ouside (best) or near window. I know you asked about getting a different antenna, but you should be able to get NOAA and Broadcast FM easily with simple dipole.

I've been doing that with my $28 Pogoplug Pro. Some other guy does it with an NSLU2 https://sites.google.com/site/embrtlsdr/ . Works well. Edit: Also used Dockstar and Early Pogoplugs (V1-V2), same CPU as pwn plug. Also works well. Probably any ARM board like the Beagleboard, raspberry pi, et al works. I think a bunch of people have already tried this, one way or another.

I put the end of this page my picture of the modified rtl-sdr dongle, to receive with direct sampling. https://sites.google.com/site/embrtlsdr/ I attached to it appr. 5 m long wire, and I tuned it to 14.230 MHz, and some other frequencyes too. First I tryed it with the rtl_tcp and the gnuradio running on another machine. I used the tcp source in gnuradio, but I havenot any signal. Can be use in this time only with rtl-sdr source, compiled into gnuradio?

Transmitting data with a Pi and RTL-SDR

Apparently, I read that and totally forgot about it. Although, I would want to make it duplex.

Some ebay/aliexpress sellers were already passing these off as e4000/sdr http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale/wholesale-rtl2832u-r820t.html https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ultra-cheap-sdr/BQuMSujyV90

Everything ended up better than expected ;)

If you are using windows SDR# is debateably the best software for using the RTL-SDR, for linux GQRX is often used. Is possible to receive AM signals but an upconverter would be needed.

Controlling gqrx from a remote host It's very limited right now but they are working on adding fuctionality. Me personally, been using SDR# With RTL_TCP on the Raspberry Pi.

But if you want more of a web interface, you might want look into OpenWEBRX

raspberry pi 3 supports RCA/Analog! no need for bulky adapter and more power draw!

get a Pi3, and this

you get the processing power of the latest model to run GQRX, plus you don't have to buy any adapters!

For a while I had an in car setup of my raspberry pi, let me know if you have any questions! good luck!

You can listen to an audio clip of the signal here and check the relevant frequency allocations for my country (Portugal) here. It should be noted that I often found the real frequency to be 10 MHz lower than what shows on SDR#. Thanks in advance.

Correct. You could also create a standalone executable from the Python sources (topblock.py) with PyInstaller (http://www.pyinstaller.org ) which works on Linux, OSX, and even Windows, although you would need GnuRadio on the latter.

Also note that Matlab isn't interpreted but compiled through a JIT. It's not as fast as C for instance, but still faster than something fully interpreted such as Octave.

This is weird but the Signals and Systems Dummies book is actually good.

https://www.amazon.ca/Signals-Systems-Dummies-Mark-Wickert/dp/111847581X/ref=sr\_1\_1?dchild=1&keywords=signals+and+systems+for+dummies&qid=1632030594&sr=8-1

Just got this for my SDR. Really helped with the P25 I listen to

https://www.amazon.com/Phonetone-Outdoor-Directional-1710-2700Mhz-Connector/dp/B00EC804SO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Phonetone+7%2F9dbi+Outdoor+Directional+Yagi&qid=1625711194&sr=8-3

I got this long wire antenna outside 20 feet above ground and an AM broadcast filter and can hear strong ham stations on 80 m and 40 m but not successful with shortwave broadcast stations here in the noisy suburbs of Phoenix.

Long wire antenna

Might work better out in the desert.

Just throwing it out there, but I've found these sticks to be crazily awesome compared to a normal RTL device for ADSB. They have a filter and preamp.

I tested one with a non-ADSB-specific RTL antenna on top of my truck on the second floor from the top of a parking garage (concrete above and below me) in south Denver and heard planes in northwest Nebraska.

I have the filter you linked. It works well on receive. Also available via amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Broadcast-FM-Block-Filter-88/dp/B01LE9LRPM

As for NOAA Sats, I'm not familiar with any commercial offerings, but a 137 MHz bandpass filter should be doable.

Before that, I would recommend the 9:1 balun for random wire antennas. These seem to perform the best for me for HF, beyond the loops and miniwhips

On my PC, I really like David Taylor's WXTrack. But in this instance I used an app on my (Android) phone called ISS Detector. I purchased the extensions (IAP) and set it for the NOAA sats and Meteor. It's a really cool app, and back when they were a thing, even calculated Iridium Flares. You can get it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.runar.issdetector

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.

For Earth based signals you only need an Azimuth rotor, you do not need an elevation rotor. Makes your life simpler. see https://sourceforge.net/p/hamlib/wiki/Hamlib/ for Linux control APIs (has rotor control also)(in most distro libraries). For a USB rotor control device google "k3ng arduino rotator controller".

Oh yea that's useful too. I've used these sort of combo flush mount units in the past to save space:

https://smile.amazon.com/OBVIS-USB3-0-HDMI-Mount-Cable/dp/B07SR3G79Y/?th=1

https://smile.amazon.com/BATIGE-3-5mm-Female-Extension-Mounting/dp/B01NA9135J

I just posted an Instructable on how to setup gnu-radio and rtl-sdr tools on Ubuntu. Kudos to 2H20 for the excellent example gnu radio graph. Now I need to learn how to use all these things :) http://www.instructables.com/id/rtl-sdr-on-Ubuntu/

> joystick People are mostly using a knob or MIDI controllers for SDR software control. If you are looking for ready solution - SDRConsole supports MIDI controllers. If you want to remap USB gamepad controller's controls - use something like https://autohotkey.com/docs/misc/RemapJoystick.htm

yeah, I just wanted to make three, but I had enough for four, which worked out perfectly in the end. With the three antennas I can do better triangulation and listen to trunked radio a lot easier hopefully.

Looking at your copper foil its 0.1mm not 0.2mm I would suggest; https://www.aliexpress.com/item/0-2x200mm-1-meter-99-90-T2-Copper-foil-Copper-tape-Copper-Strip-Free-Shipping/32616502857.html (should make two per roll)

Yeah. It is definitely not an assembled HackRF. This vendor on Alibaba has two items listed. One is the bare PCB and one is an assembled unit.

"PCBA HackRF One PCBA board assembly manufacturing" for $6.72-15.62

"HackRF One, a complete hardware part" for $140

Thank you Adam. I decided not to use a dish in my case as horns antennas have a spectacularly cleaner signal in RF hostile environments such as mine: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/sara-list/gNGG51EdPI0/VkJ38hJWWJ4J http://www.qsl.net/la3eq/radioastronomy/para_horn.gif

The LNA and Airspy will be mounted serially and directly coupled to the back side of the antenna so they won't be in the side focus.

It's great news I can spare a second amplifier on the line. However I'm confused about the necessity of a filter, do you mean the Airspy would be "overwhelmed" by the loud L-band parasitic signals coming from the LNA and wouldn't be able to properly isolate the quieter band? That means I should put the filter right before the LNA, but the filter NF means it could dissipate what I'm looking for before it enters the LNA. Or I can mount it between the LNA and the Airspy, but then I'd be disappointed the Airspy can't do a proper narrow bandpass.

Check out this recent thread on the gqrx mailing list on how to convert iq file recorded with rtl_sdr to a float-complex file that can be opened in gqrx: https://groups.google.com/d/topic/gqrx/LkjGGe2KPQo/discussion

The file name has to have that funky format to be loadable within the gqrx UI, otherwise you can try to use the gr-osmosdr file source that may or may not work.

So, I've moved most of the packages I was able to. https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?sort=&q=&maintainer=FFY00 If you want other packages (ex. sdrangel), just go to the AUR and vote for them, after we hit 10 votes, I can move them to [community]. Thank you.

All of that has been done as plugins by many people and none of it can be done in gqrx. Google is your friend. Another proof of your lack of understanding/information is the higher cpu usage of gqrx for the exact same task on the same machine that runs sdr# on windows. And there are still a lot of aliases in gqrx's output. "database app language" vs. volk should give gqrx a clear advantage, but it's far from being true. I think you're confusing "source availability" and "end user functionality". Of course, no body can reuse sdr#'s components because its authors went closed source, which pisses me off too. Edit: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/gqrx/sdrsharp/gqrx/-mM0QJwO4WE/udedmR7b-XMJ

x86 Windows binaries.
EDIT: Above binaries might not work without mingw installed, so I recompiled them under MSVC12:
http://www.filedropper.com/rtlsdr_1
If these don't work either, let me know and I'll try again.

gnuradio is availble as a precompiled binary for most distributions. This thread seems to indicate that you would instead build from source. However, that was 3 months ago and I'd suspect that if you have the 'updates' repository enabled on your distribution you should be fine.

Install it and give it a shot. If it doesn't work, uninstall and ask here.

Sure! I was running dump1090 (https://github.com/antirez/dump1090) using the mode that outputs the raw data to port 30003. So I launched it with: ./dump1090 --aggressive --interactive --net --net-sbs-port 30003 then in another terminal I launched netcat to save that to a CSV: nc 127.0.0.1 30003 >> flights.csv

That CSV was then uploaded to http://cartodb.com which lets you make quick beautiful visualizations of geodata. Pretty simple. I'm working on making some tools for analyzing the raw dump file, giving you charts of the most busy times, number of flights, etc.

Sure. Installing stuff now.

That said, while I was looking I found this page which actually mentions performance: http://gqrx.dk/download/gqrx-sdr-for-the-raspberry-pi

Seems like you may be good to go.

Been thinking about the same thing recently.

I didn't know this until recently - gqrx has remote control via TCP built in: http://gqrx.dk/doc/remote-control

Protocol looks pretty simple. Could be useful if someone is willing to roll their own glue code.

I use mine on my Macbook all the time. Its quieter than my desktop (although the power supply produces some RF noise, if yours does too, for HF use you will want to put some ferrites on the cords. It doesn't matter on VHF)

GQRX (http://gqrx.dk is quite good. Its UI is simple to use but it has a lot of functionality, which means its designed well. Basically, you can do almost everything you need to do in an SDR program in GQRX. I would also look at Linrad, ( http://www.sm5bsz.com ) which is quite good but also quite complicated to use. However, its very configurable and with an RTLSDR it can be adjusted to be slightly better than other programs usually are. It's my program of choice for AM SWL, because of its notch filter and noise blanker. Make sure to run it in SHM mode,

Do you have a quad core Macbook Pro? If so, it should be a really good machine for SDR. Two core is quite adequate, though. Four core is best though because you can (probably) explore all of the settings of these programs without the programs getting unresponsive.

If you have four or more cores (it wont run so well with less) you should also look into running SDR# under mono, if you can find a copy of the source code from a few months ago. (I would email its author Youssef to ask what the last available version for running it under Mono is)

You can also use multimode.grc which is more feature rich than GQRX - Its a flowgraph that runs under One thing about OS X which is nice for SDR . I would go the full gnuradio install route if you plan to do a lot of SDR stuff. Because gnuradio is by far the most flexible SDR environment.

The web site is gnuradio.org Micheal Dickens has done a lot of great work to make the gnuradio OSX port very easy to install with almost no effort compared to how it used to be. Look up the gnuradio port on macports.org

You should join the gnuradio mailing list.

Interesting. A file like that would help splitting files the audio file with sox. If one didn't want to split the files you could silence the files (also with sox).

Audacity. http://www.audacityteam.org/download/

Just off the top of my head after the packet/sequence has started you need to figure out the timing and format. Zooming in with Audacity you can get a good look at the on - off sequences and say a period of 300ms "on" pulse - 100ms off - 100ms on - 200ms off - 100ms on would be 11101001.

You can see it plainly using that tool.

edit: tried to do an example with dashes and underscores but reddit screwed up my formatting.

Use antennas based on fractal technology.

This is why modern cars don't have huge antennas anymore.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal_antenna

https://lifehacker.com/5919128/build-your-own-paper-thin-super-powerful-hd-antenna

Late to the party... :) but i see these sweeps in the mil-UHF band from time to time (southern Sweden). Looks very similar. This is captured with a "regular" 225-400 LP (not intended for sat use).

I have no clue of its use but an idea would be a propagation scan similar to those on HF where you check interference in a specific part of the spectrum. You send this signal with one receiver, receives it with another one far away and you will know the current characteristics of this part of the band between those stations.

Had a few in the I/Q-archive, this from May 2018 https://imgur.com/a/X3OI7T2 I/Q-file: https://gofile.io/?c=Tbve8T

Okay guys, thanks for all the responses, it's working!!!

I did run into some trouble, I tried a few different ways, I couldn't get them both to run via the same method, but it seems to be working well now.

I have goesrecv running via rc.local

after the last fi

usr/bin/goesrecv -v -i 1 -c /home/pi/goesrecv.conf > /home/pi/goesrecvlog.txt &

exit 0

then goesproc in a crontab

@reboot /usr/bin/goesproc -c /home/pi/goesproc-goesr.conf -m packet --subscribe tcp://127.0.0.1:5004 > /home/pi/goesproclog.txt

​

...that ALMOST got things going. everything seemed to be running, but when the files saved, they would simply 'disappear'.....

I could see they were being saved to './goes16'.... and figured it was a directory problem. I edited the goesproc-goesr.conf file so that everywhere it said directory, I'd replace the "." with "/home/pi".... and bingo, everything was working after that.

I can then monitor both programs via Putty just as if I had started them manually,

in one session

tail -F goesrecvlog.txt

in another session

tail -F goesproclog.txt

that allows me to monitor things just as I did before. I'm very new to Raspberry Pi and Linux.

I've also setup Syncthing on the Pi to automatically sync all the folders with my pc... and I have Syncthing running as a service in windows so everything is pretty much automated at this point.

only thing I need to figure out is how to delete files off the Pi automatically when the SD card starts filling up.... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

on a side note, if you don't want the map overlays (I think it looks better without it), then comment out all the [[handler.map]] and the path on the next line

​

I don't have a Windows machine handy here.

The build system uses CMake. CMake can make Visual Studio project files, among others.

Here's some info on how that works: https://cognitivewaves.wordpress.com/cmake-and-visual-studio/

Funny, I was wondering the exact same thing yesterday... I was looking at this one, it helped a little:

https://readthedocs.org/projects/cubicsdr/downloads/pdf/latest/

I'm trying CubicSDR as an alternative to SDR# since that program is unstable and invariably ends up freezing and/or crashing.

IMO, the minimalist interface in CubicSDR makes it a PITA to figure out. Every control is a mouse gesture or keyboard shortcut within each pane, and the closest thing to instructions are hover text boxes that time out after a few seconds.

Edit: BTW, I dunno what your hardware/software setup is, but for me (Windows 10, Noolec NESDR Mini 2) the 64-bit version wouldn't recognize my SDR device, but the 32-bit version would.

I just use this ppa.

Edit: more explanation in case you don't know how to use that... just run these commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gqrx/releases sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install gnuradio gqrx librtlsdr-dev

You may only want gnuradio on the last line instead of all 3 of those things. But those are the packages that I use.

I've been interested in amateur radio since I was 10 (my great-grandfather was a radio op in WWII, kept a rig maintained until he was too old and went into a home). However, life happens, and I'm just now studying for my basic license (Canadian, here). Once I get that out of the way, I'm definitely going to work on my advanced license. I'm hoping to write my exam in the coming months, once I'm confident I'll ace the thing.

A big reboot of my interest in amateur radio is partly due to SDR on cheap tv-tuner dongles (the other part is the desire to build a synthetic aperture radar system to search for Mayan ruins under Belizean jungle cover). I'm still waiting for my dongle in the mail (bought a cheap one on eBay), so I don't think I can give any first-hand experience yet, but I'm looking at the capabilities of Gnuradio Companion, particularly when it comes to filters and protocol analysis.

Something you could use them for, and might peak some interest in your students, is retrieving images from weather satellites. Just a thought.

RTL Blog V3 on an Android can watch DVB TV with these;

Driver for DVB

Aerial TV tuner

Not bothered trying with PC software, although dvbtune/dvbstream should suffice for Linux.

for this price just buy a new one....

https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Indoor-Replacement-Antenna-Extension/dp/B07KMF3SSG/ref=sr\_1\_18?dchild=1&keywords=dipole+antenna+tv&qid=1627617515&sr=8-18

Someone on here made this app exactly for this purpose:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tortillum.signalid

Edit:

SignalID - Automatic Radio Signal Identification for Android

https://www.reddit.com/r/RTLSDR/comments/hzc819/signalid_automatic_radio_signal_identification/

Well sorry, this one ain't cheap but it's the best one I've run into.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078C53X4J?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Runs with SDRuno, a great piece of software. It has a steep learning curve but extremely versatile.

I'd try using a powered USB hub like this: https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-UH720-7-Port-Smart-Charging/dp/B00SCX6I8A

Let the SDRs take power from the hub's power supply instead of off the RPi's USB bus.

Hello I am using this one

Yes I have bought it for GNSS purposes as I am doing my MS in GNSS therefore I need it for my studies and research.

Being someone with physics background I am not familiar with engineering terms and stuff.

Go for it!

I'm the sysop of a GA WebSDR and its a fun hobby. I am about to swap in an Active Mini-Whip antenna. I am amazed at how well those little suckers work! I home-brewed one, then just for fun, grabbed one off of Amazon for ~$12 and the Amazon model works great. I did use my own build for the DC injector and there are a few things you need to do to make it work better.

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0828FD9GN/

This thing works great from VLF up to 20 meters. I can even see the 60kHz WWVB signal on the waterfall. Its pretty cool.

I threw one together as well for police band. Unfortunately my area uses P25 Phase II.

The connectors I bought are BNC to screw terminals. It worked out great for the bipole but made attaching radials difficult on the monopole. I also suspect shielding is non-existent.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07FXWMFBV/

Do you already have a VHF radio and antenna on your boat? I'd start with that antenna. Obviously it will be perfect for marine listening, and my guess it will work pretty well for aviation. Apparently the discone antenna is the best for receiving a wide range of VHF and UHF frequencies, but before you spend money, try what you already have.

That is the official RTL-SDR blog Amazon page

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_596MQ12Y3XZ7DG89R5RP

The first link was the unit by itself and my link is the kit. This is the one I have.

Oh boy these replies need a touch of ELI5.

• FM Broadcasts are crazy strong, and can overwhelm the receiving equipment.
• Get a filter like this on your antenna wire to knock the signal down so it stops messing with you.
  • https://www.amazon.com/Broadcast-FM-Block-Filter-88/dp/B01LE9LRPM

This is what I used to inject power to my C-Band LNB https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AME7Y8
It (as mentioned) uses F connectors, I ran a long coax from the power injector to the LNB, then a simple F to SMA fly lead to go from the injector to SDR.
It all works great, very low loss, no LNA needed (IF of 1.5gigs) and very clean setup.

SMA connector is RadioShack 278-019

I have ordered a straight-through SMA to BNC from amazon to eliminate the coax.

I also noticed that I could pick up strong WBFM broadcasts with no antenna, leading me to temporarily shield the board with some aluminum foil. This has reduced the noise floor by about 15db. I will move to a metal enclosure with an OCXO eventually..

Fishing line and blank guns.

Why the fuck am I getting downvoted. This is LITERALLY the proper application for a commercial product. You can buy them on amazon.

Fuck, reddit. It's like "Hey guys, I'm thirsty, what should I do?" and you get downvoted for suggesting they drink something.

Help me spend this $25 Amazon gift card ? I have a NooElec NESDR SMArt (25MHz - 1750MHz) and this RP SMA mag mount and I'm looking for suggestions for wide band/general purpose antennas. The only frequency I currently have in mind is 433MHz, otherwise I'm just looking for some wide band/general purpose suggestions.

Semi-newbie myself, and i threw my money at this really nice discone antenna. I set it up outside and am very satisfied with the large range of RF i can acquire:

amazon link

You can buy that thermal pad stuff for next to nothing on Amazon if you mess it up while taking it out. I've had good luck getting the PCB out (and back in) by going slowly and applying constant force.

https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-4237-Efficient-Conductivity-Handling/dp/B00UYTTLI4/

All right, update.

Baofeng uses the Kenwood connector - the "speaker" pin is wired to the tip of a 2.5 mm jack. I found a 2.5 mm > 3.5 mm jack cable (from my AT headphones). But you can't plug it into a phone jack socket, because the microphone pin gets shorted to ground with a regular 3-pin jack. And my 4-pin jacks are still en route from China.

So I plugged a cheap $1 USB sound card (plastic blue noisy trash) with line in and out via an OTG adapter into my phone. Finding an app which would allow me to record and monitor (listen to) the audio at the same time was a feat. Audio Evolution Mobile Studio works well so far, but because of its nature (multitrack "pro" studio), it's a bit cumbersome.

When I finally got out to capture some transmissions, I spent half of the pass fiddling with cables only to find, that my earbuds weren't working. Oh well, at least I can repurpose the cable for the 4-pin jack.

FYI, 902-928 MHz isn't really "reserved" for anything. It's an "industrial, scientific, and medical" (ISM) band that allows various unlicensed uses.

I'm inclined to agree with the other suggestions that it's a transmitter for some old analog wireless headphones. Something like these. Someone might have even stopped using the headphones and they've just got the base plugged in and forgotten.

Yuck. I guess they figured that copying the design except for the "rtl-sdr.com" part meant they weren't breaking any rules.

Yeah, just buy the real thing for $25.

I like the idea of a unit which has been ruggedized for the kind of abuse a tween can dish out. Do you know if you can upgrade the RAM? 4gb seems mighty paltry for the bandwidth of even midrange SDRs. It looks like it has all the I/O you might need though. Nice find!

(I had originally been eyeing one of these $600 micro laptops for a while before deciding just to juice up my old laptop.)

A screenshot and .wav file usually help. With no info other info than the frequency and that there is faint voice, my guess would be you're picking up whatever radio station is at 92.3 FM in your area. FM radio stations are very strong, and tend to also come in at multiples of their frequency.

If it does turn out to be FM radio, you can get a filter to block FM broadcasts for less than $20.

ya, I'm also a license amateur and recently came across this here on reddit. it was a whole new world for me because there isn't much on the air in my neck of the woods besides old-timers going to lunch. :) One really cool thing I discovered in the last two weeks is that you can plug your SDR into an Android phone. Just get what is called a "USB On The Go" cable - it is typically used for plugging USB storage into the Android's smaller USB input, but allows you to use your SDR on your phone. I haven't done much with it yet, but one thing that was really cool was to plug my SDR into the phone and be able to see aircraft overhead (no internet required - completely uses the SDR). Here's an app that works with my SDR: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bs.Avare.ADSB&hl=en

I've been using this for the time being. I stopped using the little extension cable it comes with in favor for a bundle of RG6 which, despite being longer, actually improved my signal strength by a few dB.

I have it stuck to my window in various arrangements in some attempt to tune it to a particular range. heard a guy on a ham radio once but dunno if the local police and fire department are unencrypted and analog or not. haven't found any police chatter yet but also not sure if it's because of the antenna or not. might need some filters and an amp if not close to a station.

https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-Balun-One-Nine-Applications/dp/B00R09WHT6

I use this and some scrap speaker wire for listening sub 20Mhz. you can easily get the adapter you need on amazon, so no soldering is required unless you wanna do that.

> My idea is to buy only the MLA30+ mag-loop circuit (that I wasn't able to find standalone)

Amazon has 'em, for around 6 bucks US. Shipping takes about 3 weeks :

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NB4ZZCQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details