[Bradford] A cheap USB Software Defined Radio

[Andrew Back]

On 2 April 2013 12:45, Brian A <bradlug at techchico.org.uk> wrote:
>
> RTL-SDR - A cheap  USB Software Defined Radio
>
> Features:
>
>     Freeview (not seen any evidence that anyone has this working in Linux)
>     FM radio,
>     DAB radio,
>     PVR hard-disk recorder ( I suspect that this feature will be with Windows Software),
>     Aircraft transponder tracking,
>     SDR (Software Defined radio).
>
> I heard about this on the FrequencyCast podcast, so I followed up the show notes here.
> http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/cast86.html
> That also gives a link to Amazon where you can buy it for £9.95 with Free delivery. It includes a remote control and a simple aerial.
>
> I wondered if this would work on Linux. It seems that it does. I found this website:
> http://www.rtlsdr.org/softwarelinux
>
> Then I  wondered if it could receive DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale). I discovered that it does do DRM. I've wanted to play with a DRM receiver this for years but I could never justify the cost of a receiver and I didn't want to mess about building one.
> Here is a YouTube video (I think it's the Windows software that is being used).
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3I9lWjvsQw
>
> The advantage of DRM is that it can use bands like LW, MW & SW. The sound quality is an improvement the standard AM transmissions, of which we are all familiar. It can be in stereo to and can transmit metadata.

As far as I know those dongles don't go below 64MHz, or thereabouts,
without modification or an upconverter. The former option being the
cheaper and making use of a hack to bypass the tuner IC. That is
unless someone has started selling a new or ready-modified version...

They are hugely fun, though! I used one to receive Mode S
transmissions from aircraft overhead [1].

Cheers,

Andrew

[1] http://www.designspark.com/blog/watching-planes-with-software-defined-radio

--
Andrew Back
http://carrierdetect.com