Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 3 replies
  • Subscribers 17 subscribers
  • Views 173 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Raspberry Pi SDR

Former Member

My father is really big into HAM radio (QRZ Callsign Database Search by QRZ.COM and then searching for his call sign:  NZ5E).  I'm always looking for ways to support his hobby.  He has really been wanting to buy a SDR, but the majority of them are just too dang expensive.  I've looked into a HackRF, but I feel like the same could be done for considerably less using a Raspberry Pi.  He is mainly wanting one for analyzing the bands to easily pick out where to tune his radio for a QSO.  I would love if you would be interested in making it a project for your YouTube viewers and myself.  I want to do this for my father, but just have absolutely no idea where to start.

  • What frequency are you looking for?

  • in reply to clem57

    Honestly, I'm somewhat driving blind when it comes to anything HAM radio.  I got my tech license a couple years back so that I could rag chew with him a bit.  Rag chewing with him on occasion is the extent of my knowledge of HAM radio.  :-p  I am a tech over a department at my local college, so I'm well versed in computers, I'm just ignorant about the different bands and whatnot.  I was originally looking into the HackRF because of it's wide operating frequency.  I figure it would be useful to him to be able to use this not only for HAM radio, but other uses as well, whatever those uses may be.  Since I have the extra Raspberry Pi sitting here and some free time at work, I want to build something similar to the HackRF but instead make it an AIO unit using the Raspberry Pi.  Any help and direction would be greatly appreciated!

  • in reply to Former Member

    @saddog5523

    Take a look at this website http://hackaday.com/2013/09/09/an-rtl-sdr-spectrum-analyzer/. I think he could use the Raspberry Pi instead with the same software. The hardware is a USB  DVB-T dongles based on the Realtek RTL2832U can be used as a cheap SDR, since the chip allows transferring the raw I/Q samples to the host, which is officially used for DAB/DAB+/FM demodulation. Check out Amazon for some inexpensive versions. BTW, these recieve usually but do not transmit. Good to locate interesting "blips" to tune into. They do have an upper end less than 2 Ghz I believe. I am going to blog about one usage for ADS-B monitoring in near future.

     

    Cheers,

    Clem