AnIntroductiontoSoftwareDefinedRadio

• What is it?• Why do I want one?• How do I choose one?

SteveBrightman

WhatisanSDR?

www.sdrplay.com

• A radio communication systemwheremanycomponentsthathavebeentraditionallyimplementedinhardware…

(e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators,detectors,etc.)

…areimplementedbysoftwareonaPCor embeddedsystem.

• Thehardwareportionconsistsofpre-selectionfilters,possiblysomeIFfilteringandaAnalog-to-digitalconverter

WhydoIwantone?

TopTenList1. Truegeneralcoverage2. Workonefrequencyandstillmonitortheband(oranotherband!)

• Panadapter (suddenlyyoureyescando1000Xwhatonlyyourearscoulddopreviously,onesignalatatime!)

3. Filters!(brick-wallenvelopes…improvingallthetimewiths/wupgrades)4. AudioandIFDigitalSignalProcessing(DSP)5. HarnessthepowerofyourexistingComputer6. MultipleVFOsand/orvirtualreceivers7. Recordlargebandwidthsofthespectrumandtunelater!8. Record/playbackofaudiofromaspecificsignal9. Allowsyoutoexplorenewapplications:

• Digitalmodes,WXsatellites,radioastronomy,aircraftmonitoring,digitalstations,TV,DAB,Ionosondes!etc etc

10. Canyoueverhavetoomanyreceivers?

www.sdrplay.com

ApplicationExamples

www.sdrplay.com

DigitalDecodingFldigi NBEMS(NarrowBandEmergencyMessagingSystem)

Credit:JeffKopcak,k8jtk

Fldigi:http://www.w1hkj.com

Credit:ErikMikkel Wied

…andWEFAX Decoding

AlsosupportsDSD,DSD+,MultiPSK,DM780andmoreviaVACandCATcontrol

www.sdrplay.com

ADS-BdecodingexampleusingDump1090andVRS

Credit:MaxSantos,AC5PY

Satelliteworking

www.sdrplay.com

www.sdrplay.com

NOAAWeathersatellite(137MHz)-Wxtoimg (RSP1)

Credit:JeffBroughton,WB8RJY

Credit:Sefi Merkel

Userpicturesfromthefacebook group:www.facebook.com/groups/sdrplay/

Wxtoimg:http://www.wxtoimg.com

www.sdrplay.com

HighResolutionsatelliteimages(1.7GHz)RSP2 ..includinglatestGOES-16

SDRplay forumonSatimaging

www.sdrplay.com

TuneintoJupiter!

www.sdrplay.com

www.sdrplay.com

DoublesasanewpieceofRFlabkit:anRFPowermeter– getoneforworkorplay!

Within1dBaccuracy!

SDRhardware

SDRVariety

www.sdrplay.com

Performan

ce

Price

8-bitDongles

HighEnd

GeneralPurpose

• $10– 100• Lowperformance• Introductory

• $100– 200• Goodperformance• WideCoverage• RSP,Airspy etc

• $500– 1000s• Highperformance• Specializedfunctionality• RFSpace,Flex,ELADetc

ReviewofSDRreceivers– whattoconsider:

• FrequencyRange: TherangeoffrequenciestheSDRcantune.• ADCResolution: Higherisbetter.Moreresolutionmeansmoredynamicrange,lesssignalimaging,alowernoisefloor,moresensitivitywhenstrongsignalsarepresentandbetterabilitytodiscernweaksignals.

• InstantaneousBandwidth: The sizeoftherealtimeRFchunkavailable.• RX/TX: Cantheradioreceiveand/ortransmit?• Preselectors: Analoguefiltersonthefrontendtohelpreduceoutofbandinterferenceandimaging.

• Software: Isyourfavouritepackagesupported?Doesmanufacturerprovide?• Price

www.sdrplay.com

www.sdrplay.com

• ContinuousSDRreceivercoveragefromVLFto2GHz• AlltheamateurradiobandsfromVLFto23cm• HighperformanceADCtechnology(notanothercompromiseSDR!)• Built-inhighperformancefront-endfilters• Useasastand-alonegeneralcoveragereceiver,orasahighresolutionpanadapter• Visualizeallthesignalsinmultiplebandssimultaneously• SDRuno WindowsSDRsoftwareprovidedfree-of-charge• Alsoworkswithotherplatforms(Mac,Linusetc)andpopularSDRSoftware(e.g.HDSDR,SDR-Console&CubicSDR)

• RunonaRaspberryPi3– downloadourSDCardimage• Idealforportableoperation(poweredviaUSB)• CanbeusedasaSpectrumAnalyzeroranRFPowerMeter• Backedbytheworld’sbiggestandbestSDRsupportcommunity!

SDRplay Receivers– RSPFamily

10MHzvisibility

www.sdrplay.com

1kHz 2GHz

Instantaneousbandwidthillustration

RSP1 RSP2 RSP2pro RSP1a

IntroducingtheRSPduo

www.sdrplay.com

…thebiggestchangetoSDRsincetheRSP1!

RSPduo -Dualindependenttuners!

www.sdrplay.com

1kHz 2GHz

Twoindependent“slices”anywhereinthecoveragerange

Monitortwowidelyspacedbands

www.sdrplay.com

Mixandmatchapplications,simultaneously

www.sdrplay.com

ADSBATC

Software

Software

• Popular 3rd Party free software includes:

• Manufacturer provided software, e.g. SDRuno for the RSP family

www.sdrplay.com

SDRConsole HDSDRCubicSDR

RSPSoftwareavailabilty/compatibility

• Multi-platformsupportforWindows,Mac,Linux,Android,RaspberryPi2/3

• SDRuno WindowsSDRs/w(basedonStudio1whichcost$179)providedfreeofcharge

• ExtIO compatibility

• SupportsCubicSDR forMAC,LinuxandRaspberryPi3users

• Softwareupgradeableforfuturestandards

• APIprovidedtoallowdemodulatororapplicationdevelopment

• Workswellwith3rd Partyfree softwareincluding:

www.sdrplay.com

SDRConsole HDSDRCubicSDR

SDRuno

www.sdrplay.com

SDRuno providesaruggedandflexible,highperformanceSDRreceivercapability,featuring:

• Multiple‘VirtualReceivers’whichallowforsimultaneousreceptionanddemodulationofdifferenttypesofsignalswithinthesamereceiverbandwidth

• Aselectivityfilterwithanultimaterejectiongreaterthan140dB

• Auniquedistortion-freedoublestageAGCwithfullyadjustableparameters

• MultiplenotchfilterswithBWadjustabledownto1Hz,NotchLockfeature

• AuniquesynchronousAMmodewithselectable/adjustablesidebands,dedicatedPLLinputfilter,andselectablePLLtimeconstants

• Recordandplaybackanentireamateurband!

• 29pre-setamateurandbroadcastbands

MultipleVFOs&differentdecodemodessimultaneously!

www.sdrplay.com

HamBandFraming+RFpowerlevel+SNRmeasurement&logging

www.sdrplay.com

Panadapters

WhatisaPanadapter?

www.sdrplay.com

• “Panadapter isshortforPanoramicAdapter.Thesimpleansweristhatitallowsustoseeapanoramicdisplayofthebandourradioistunedto.Wecanseeeverysignal”*.

• EarlyimplementationsusedaPCsoundcardtoachievethisfunctionbutwerethereforelimitedto200kHzofbandwidth becausetheyrelyonthe soundcard.

• TheadventofaffordableSDRhardwaresuchastheRSP1Ahasallowedimplementationswithmuchgreaterbandwidth,andhencemuchmoreusefulness.

• Combinedwithreadilyavailable,andcapable,SDRsoftwarePanadapters arenowanaffordableandeasytoimplementreality!

*DefinitioncourtesyKA9MOThttp://mypanadapter.com/

“Go-to”choiceforKenwood,Yaesu,Icom,Elecraft etc!

Whypanadapter?

• Addnewcapabilities/visibilitytoanyrig• SynchronizethetherigtothesoftwareifithasaCATport• Workonefrequencywhilemonitoringthewholeband• Monitormultiplebandsinadditiontotheoneyou’reworking• Arbitrarilylargespectrumscope• Lesscost,morefeaturesthanfactoryadd-ons,

Monitoring3bandswithSDRuno

TheperfectPanadapter companionforyourrig

www.sdrplay.com

• AnyoftheSDRSoftwareprogramsthatsupportRSPcanbeusedtoprovideabasicspectrumdisplay.

• SDRuno,HDSDRandSDRConsolehavebuilt-incapabilitiesforCATandotheradd-onsoftware,toallowforcommunicationbetweentheSDRsoftwareandthetransceiver.

• HamRadioDeluxeandOmniRig arecommonlyusedforsynchronization/controlbetweentheTRx andSDRRx.

• Appnotesandvideosavailablefromsdrplay.com

UseaT/RswitchifnotusingprotectedtransceiverIForRFout!

www.sdrplay.com

Supportandfurtherinformation

Softwareanddocumentation,appnotes,how-toguides

www.sdrplay.com

How-tovideos:SDRplay YouTubeChannel

www.sdrplay.comwww.youtube.com/c/SDRplayRSP

FacebookGroup

www.sdrplay.com

8000usershelpingeachother!

DirectsupportfromSDRplay

www.sdrplay.com

Hardware+Software+Community=

www.sdrplay.com

Formoreinformation

• Companywebsite:www.sdrplay.com• Wehavedistributorslocatedworldwide• USDistributor:HamRadioOutlet

• CommunityForums:www.sdrplay.com/community/

• Email:• NorthAmerica:support-usa@sdrplay.com• RestofWorld:support@sdrplay.com

• Facebook:SDRplay andSDRuno specifically• Independentgroupsrunbyenthusiasticusers!

• Google/YouTube• Manyvideoscoveringhowtousethevarioussoftwarepackages,implementingpanadapters andmuchmore.UsetheGooglesearchfunction!

• SDRplay channel:www.youtube.com/c/SDRplayRSP

www.sdrplay.com

SeetheRSPfamilyattheHRObooth!