Blogger OZ9AEC has written a post on his blog showing how he made a 2-channel AIS receiver using the RTL-SDR, GNU Radio and GNUAis. AIS is a radio protocol used by boats to broadcast their position and speed which is then used to create a type of radar system to help avoid collisions. AIS signals are transmitted periodically on one of two channels. Two channels are used to improve capacity and help avoid interference if two signals from different boats are broadcast at the same time.

Before this, most AIS receiver implementations we’d seen that used the RTL-SDR received only on a single channel. OZ9AEC’s GNU Radio program receives on both channels simultaneously like a commercial AIS receiver does and is thus a better receiver. He eventually plans to get this receiver to run on a Beaglebone.

See his post for instructions and to download the GRC files.

Update: Another AIS decoder known as gr-ais is also capable of 2 channel AIS, and bristromat from Reddit has written a tutorial on setting it up and running it with OpenCPN.

The post 2-Channel AIS Receiver with RTL-SDR and GNUAIS appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Over on instructables.com, user v3l0c1r4pt0r has created an instructable that shows step by step instructions on how to create an FM receiver in GNU Radio using an RTL-SDR and GNU Radio Companion. His instructable explains a bit about the theory of what is required to decode an FM signal, and shows which GNU Radio blocks are required, and how to connect them up.

The post Tutorial: Creating an FM Receiver in GNURADIO using an RTL-SDR source appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Over on YouTube, user superkuh2 has posted a video showing off osmocoms gr-fosphor GNU Radio block which shows a real time spectrum visualization using the GPU. He combines gr-fosphor with multimode for visualizing the ISM and pager bands with his RTL-SDR.

The post Demo of Osmocoms ‘Phosphor’ Spectrum Visualizer appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

The popular YouTube technology show Hak5 has recently been posting videos related to software defined radio and more specifically RTL-SDR. Two of their recent videos are about an easy to follow GNU Radio tutorial for complete beginners. In the first tutorial they show how to add an RTL2832U source in GNU Radio and output it to a FFT Sink. In the second tutorial they go further and show how to build an FM Receiver.

The post Video Tutorial: Hak5 GNU Radio FM Radio Receiver appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Hak5 has recently posted another video continuing their easy to follow series on GNU Radio and the RTL-SDR. In this video they talk about Radio Data System (RDS) and explain how it is a digital signal that is embedded in broadcast FM signals. They then download GR-RDS, a GNU Radio based RDS decoder program and use it to decode a local RDS signal.

The post Video Tutorial: Hak5 on Decoding RDS with GNU Radio and GR-RDS appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

The BladeRF is a software defined radio that has transmit and receive capability. Over on his blog, Clayton Smith has recently posted about his experiments which involve using the BladeRF to transmit DVB-T digital TV on one laptop to another laptop running an RTL-SDR in DVB-T mode. This is one of the few applications where the RTL-SDR is used as a DVB-T receiver as it was originally intended. Clayton used GNU Radio, a DVB-T package for GNU Radio and some python scripts to create the BladeRF transmitter.

The newer Linux kernels have DVB-T support for the RTL2832U chip, so the latest version of Ubuntu 13.10 will be able to recognize the RTL-SDR stick as a DVB-T receiver easily. Clayton used VLC in Ubuntu 13.10 to receive the DVB-T signal transmitted by the BladeRF which was tested on the 70cm, 33cm and 23cm bands.

The post Transmitting DVB-T with the BladeRF and Receiving it on a RTL-SDR appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

On YouTube user 王康 has been working with his HackRF One to create a computer keyboard controlled interface for his remote control car. The HackRF is a ~$300 software defined radio similar to the RTL-SDR, but with transmit capabilities.

To control the car he wrote a GNU Radio program to generate a control signal that is transmitted by the HackRF and a GUI to listen to keyboard presses on the PC.

The post Controlling a Remote Control Car with the HackRF appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Using an RTL-SDR Clayton Smith was able to reverse engineer his remote controlled ceiling fan. To do this he first used his BladeRF to determine that the remote control was transmitting a signal at 303.747 MHz. He then used a simple GNU Radio flow graph with the RTL-SDR to plot the amplitude of the signal over time which suggested that the signal was using on-off keying. From the plot he was then able to visually determine the bit pattern sent from each button on the ceiling fan remote.

Next he used his bladeRF and another GNU Radio flowgraph to replicate and transmit the the bit pattern which was able to control the ceiling fan from the PC.

Clayton notes that all this reverse engineering was done in half an hour, demonstrating the power of software defined radio.

The post Reverse Engineering a RF Controlled Ceiling Fan with the RTL-SDR appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Over on YouTube user MrCircuitMatt has uploaded two videos on how he was able to decode a temperature weather sensor using an RTL-SDR and GNU Radio. His videos go through the GNU Radio technical steps as well as the signal encoding theory he used to decode the temperature.

The post Decoding a Weather Temperature Sensor with the RTL-SDR and GNU Radio appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Over on his blog, Yashin has written a post showing how to analyze 433 MHz transmitters using several methods. Devices that transmit using low power 433 MHz are common and often include devices such as weather monitors, power monitors and alarm sensors.

To show his analysis methods Yashin used an ASK modulated FS1000A 433 MHz transmitter connected to an Arduino Teensy microcontroller. He first uses GQRX and baudline together with an RTL-SDR in Kali Linux to test that the transmitter is working and to visually inspect the RF spectrum. Then he shows how to use GNU Radio to receive the 433 MHz transmitter and how to record an audio file. The final tool he shows how to use is rtl_433 which will automatically decode the data into binary strings using the analysis option.

The post Analyzing 433 MHz Transmitters with the RTL-SDR appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

We’ve recently found what looks to be a new online video based course that uses the RTL-SDR to teach basic software defined radio topics. The course is not free, it is priced at $29.99, but the first three videos are free. Judging from the first three videos the content appears to be quite basic, but is presented in a very clear way that may be useful for beginners. Currently the lessons include:

1. Course Overview 

   Welcome to the exciting world of Software Defined Radio. In this video, we’ll discuss what SDR is, and why it’s such a hot button topic right now.

2. Setting up the environment

   In this module, we’ll setup our environment for development. If you’re already very comfortable with Ubuntu, you might want to just follow the guide below.

3. Browsing the spectrum 

   In this module, we’ll cut our teeth on GRQX, and learn a little about the radio spectrum.

4. Signals Intelligence

   In this module, we’ll learn how to find transmissions in the frequency domain, and capture them to disk for offline analysis.

5. Modulations

   In this module, we’ll learn how to identify two types of basic digital transmissions, and talk a little about the history of radio.

6. Demodulation – Part 1

   In this module, we’ll practice capturing signals in the wild, identifying the modulation, and demodulating the signal with GNU Radio.

7. Demodulation – Part 2

   In this module, we’ll learn about clock recovery. And we’ll pull out packets from the garage door remote.

It also appears that they plan to have some live classes in the future.

We note that there are also alternative SDR training courses available such as Micheal Ossmanns lessons at greatscottgadgets.com/sdr.

The post An online Software Defined Radio training course appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

The maximum usable and stable bandwidth of an RTL-SDR is about 2.4 MHz. In order to get larger bandwidths it is possible to combine two or more dongles, although doing so comes with a big limitation – since the clocks and signal phases between separate dongles would not be synchronised, it would be impossible to decode a wideband signal this way. However, combining dongles for larger bandwidths is still useful for visualizing the spectrum through an FFT plot, or perhaps for decoding various separate narrowband signals. Although creating a wide band FFT plot with multiple dongles is fairly simple, we haven’t seen much software do this before.

However now RTL-SDR.com reader Oliver wrote in to show us the GNU Radio script he’s been using to combine the bandwidths of two RTL-SDR dongles together to get a 4.4 MHz FFT display. The script can be used to get a combined 4.4 MHz spectrum visualization without a center dip from roll off, or a 4.8 MHz spectrum with rolloff. Oliver writes:

I simply took two RTL-SDR dongles at their max. band width of 2.4 MHz, resampled the signals to 4.8 MHz, then shifted the first signal down by 1MHz, the other one 1 MHz up, added them together, divided the combined signal by 2 and finally feed it into a FFT plot.

At first, I tried shifting the signals by 1.2 MHz to get full 4.8 MHz, but I realized, that I had a notch in the center, so I reduced the frequency shift until I had no notch anymore.

The post Combining the bandwidth of two RTL-SDR dongles in GNU Radio appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

A few days ago we posted how Oliver, an RTL-SDR experimenter, managed to (incoherently) combine the bandwidths of two RTL-SDR dongles to create a 4.4 MHz FFT display in GNU Radio. Now Oliver has taken this idea further and produced an updated version of his GNU Radio program. 

Oliver’s GNU Radio program is now capable of combining four RTL-SDR dongles and is now also capable of piping the output via a FIFO to GQRX. With four RTL-SDR dongles you can get a total bandwidth of 8.4 MHz. He also writes that it is even possible to listen to analog signals that are in overlapping areas.

The post Combining the bandwidth of multiple RTL-SDRs: Now working in GQRX! appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Recently an updated set of binaries and build scripts were posted for GNU Radio for Windows. GNU Radio is a graphical digital signal processing language that is compatible with many software defined radios such as the RTL-SDR. Normally it is used on Linux as the Windows builds have been known to be very buggy and difficult  to install. However the latest update appears to make it easier to install. The changes were announced on the GNU Radio mailing list by Geof Nieboer, and he writes:

An updated set of windows binaries and build scripts have been posted. Quick summary:

1- Added gqrx to package
2- Patched 2 x issues which would cause the generic version to crash on non-AVX systems (one in volk, one in FFTW)
3- Added gr-newmod to package

Plus a number of improvements to make the scripts more robust.

Binaries at http://www.gcndevelopment.com/gnuradio/downloads.htm
Scripts at https://github.com/gnieboer/GNURadio_Windows_Build_Scripts

To run GNU Radio for Windows you will need a 64-bit version of Windows 7/8/10. It appears that the installation is as easy as running the installer and waiting for it to download and install the 1.7 GB worth of files.

Also, over on his blog author designing on a juicy cup posted about how he’d been able to get the GNU Radio Windows binaries to run a ATSC HDTV decoder from a file recorded using an SDRplay RSP (ATSC is too wideband for an RTL-SDR to decode). ATSC is the digital TV standard used in North America, some parts of Central America and South Korea. He writes that one advantage to using GNU Radio on Windows is the ability to use a RAM drive for faster file processing.

The post GNU Radio for Windows + Decoding ATSC HDTV on GNU Radio for Windows appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

The GOMX-3 is a CubeSat which carries an experimental ADS-B repeater. Since it is a satellite the experimental receiver hopes to be able to receive ADS-B from orbit, then beam it back down to earth at a frequency of about 437 MHz using a GFSK at 19200 baud high data rate transmission protocol. From space the GOM3-X satellite can see many aircraft at one time and space based tracking allows for aircraft tracking over oceans.

Recently the creators of the satellite, GomSpace released a complete decoder for the ADS-B downlink, and now it has also been turned into a GNU Radio flowgraph by Daniel Estevez which can output decoded aircraft position data directly to a KML file which can then be opened in Google Earth or similar. This blog by DK3WN shows several logged decodes of the satellite and shows what the signal looks like in SDR#. Some of his posts also curiously shows what looks to be a Windows decoder, or logger, though we were unable to find a download for it.

Decoding the downlink should give you real time ADS-B data in your area, but the full log of stored stored data is apparently only downloaded when the satellite passes over the GomSpace groundstations which are mostly located in the EU.

The post An ADS-B Decoder for the GOMX-3 Satellite ADS-B Repeater appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

After listening to dock workers with his RTL-SDR for a few days, RTL-SDR.com reader Eoin decided that he wanted to try a more practical experiment. He decided to see if he could reverse engineering the wireless protocol on his garage door opener. Upon opening his remote he discovered a bunch of DIP switches, which are presumably used to program the remote to a particular garage door. Eoin’s next step was to determine at what frequency the garage door opener was transmitting at. He made an assumption that it would be in the 433 MHz unlicenced ISM band as this is where many handheld remotes transmit at. He was right, and found the signal.

His next step was then to record the signal audio in Audacity. From the audio waveform he could see a square wave which looked just like binary bits. By manually eyballing the waveform and translating the high/low squarewave into bits he was able to get the binary data. He then confirmed this data with the dipswitch positions and discovered that a 010 binary code matched with the UP position on the dip switch and 011 matched with the DOWN position.

Having decoded the signal manually fairly easily, Eoin decided his next challenge would be to automate the whole decoding in GNU Radio. In the end he was successful and managed to create a program that automatically determines the position of the DIP switches from the signal. His post goes into detail about his algorithm and GNU Radio program.

The post Decoding a Garage Door Opener with an RTL-SDR appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Back in September the GNU Radio 2016 (GRCon16) conference was held. GRCon16 is an annual conference centered around the GNU Radio Project and community, and is one of the premier software defined radio industry events. GNU Radio is an open source digital signals processing (DSP) tool which is often used with SDR radios.

A few days ago videos of all the presentations were released on their YouTube channels, and all the slides can be found on their webpage.

One of our favorite talks from the conference is Micheal Ossmanns talk on his idea to create a low cost $150 RX/TX radio. Micheal Ossmann is the creator of the HackRF which is a $299 USD RX/TX capable SDR. It was one of the first affordable general purpose wide frequency TX capable SDRs. Micheal also mentions his other projects including Neapolitan which will be an add on for the HackRF which will enable full-duplex communications and Marizpan which will essentially be a single board Linux SDR using the HackRF circuit.

Another is Balints talk on “Hacking the Wireless World” where he does an overview of various signals that can be received and analyzed or decoded with an SDR. Some applications he discusses include Aviation, RDS Traffic Management Channel, Radio Direction Finding, OP25, IoT, SATCOM and his work on rebooting the ISEE-3 space probe.

The post GNURadio Conference 2016 Talks appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

RTL-SDR.com reader Syed Ghazanfar Ali Shah Bukhari from the Frequency Allocation Board in Pakistan recently emailed us to let us know a trick he’s found which lets you combine the bandwidths of two HackRF software defined radios in GNU Radio. Syed’s program is based on Oliver’s flowgraph that we posted previously, which was used to combine the bandwidth of two RTL-SDR dongles.

Syed also sent us the GRC file to share which we’ve uploaded here.

He writes:

I have used grc flow graph of Oliver as mentioned in the link :-
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/combining-the-bandwidth-of-two-rtl-sdr-dongles-in-gnu-radio and modified it to be used with 2 HackRF Ones. I also shifted the two bandwidths inward by 1 MHz instead of 0.2 MHz to make a smooth continuation for a 38 MHz spectrum. Unfortunately one of my HackRF Ones has its RF Amp burnt up so I adjusted its IF and BB gain to have same noise floor as that of other HackRF One. It’s really awesome. I am sending you the diagram and grc file. The attached image is showing complete GSM900 downlink spectrum (38 MHz) in my area with active 2G and 3G signals.

The post Combining the Bandwidth of two HackRF’s appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Over the Horizon radar is typically used at HF frequencies and is used to detect targets from hundreds to thousands of kilometers away from the radar station. On HF they are very common and can be easily heard as continuous or bursty buzzing sounds.

Over on his blog Daniel Estevez writes how he was inspired by Balint Seebers GRCon16 talk to perform his own investigations into HF OTH radar. Daniel first analyzed a recorded IQ signal of a presumed Russian radar in Audacity, and noticed that it consisted of 15 kHz wide pulses repeated at 50 Hz intervals. He then used GNU Radio and the Quadrature Demod block to FM demodulate the pulse and see how the frequency changes over time. From this he was able to determine the original transmitted radar pulse characteristics

Next he performs pulse compression, which is essentially a cross correlation of the received pulse and transmitted pulse which was determined from the characteristics found earlier. The signal being received at Daniels location is distorted, because it will arrive from multiple paths, since the signal will bounce of multiple layers of the ionosphere. With this pulse compression technique Daniel is able to determine the time of flight for the different multi-path components of the received pulse. By graphing all the results over time he was able to obtain this image illustrating relative propagation distance over time.

Check out Daniels post for the full details and his code.

The post Analyzing HF Over the Horizon Radar in GNU Radio appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.

Over on YouTube the popular Hak5 channel has uploaded a video with several SDR related topics mentioned during Shmoocon 2017 conference.

One fun event talked about in the video was the Shmoocon wireless village SDR contest by Russell Handorf which involved wireless dog shock collars. These are collars usually placed on dogs, that emit a mild electric shock when a button on a wireless remote is pressed. This can help train the dog into better behaviors. Contestants were able to first make recordings of the wireless signals made by the shock collars. Then each contestant strapped a wireless shock collar to their leg and the goal was then to reverse engineer and understand the protocol as quickly as possible, then use that knowledge and a HackRF to shock the other contestants.

Another part of the video discuss GNU Radio reverse engineering with representatives from bastille.net who are wireless IoT security researchers. The video then goes on to interview Micheal Ossmann (creator if the HackRF) who talks a bit about his work in building an infrared (IR) software defined radio. Micheal explains how infrared is essentially just radio at terrahertz frequencies and that many SDR concepts can be applied by using a photodiode sensor. He mentions that there are several IR systems used these days, such as the common remote control, toys, and high bandwidth wireless IR headphones used in car entertainment systems and conferences. The hardware Micheal has created is called “Gladiolus” and is still in development.

The post Hak5 at Shmoocon 2017: Shock Collar Radio Roulette, GNU Radio, Sniffing IR (Terrahertz) Signals and More! appeared first on rtl-sdr.com.