Explore Software Defined Radio

Use SDR to Receive Satellite Images and Space Signals

Wolfram Donat

Combine your desktop or laptop computer with easy-to-find Software Defined Radio ( SDR ) equipment, and tune in a wide range of signals in no time at all. Then, go one step further by converting a Raspberry Pi into your own dedicated SDR device.

SDR USB dongles are usually designed to receive and decode high-definition digital television broadcasts, but the rising popularity of SDR has led to several of these devices being specifically made for—and marketed to—the software radio crowd. With step-by-step instructions, you'll have no problem getting everything up and running on both Windows and Linux.

The antenna is the final piece in the SDR puzzle: Which antenna do you use? What shape do you need? How big does it have to be? And where do you point it? Get all the answers you need and learn what's possible when it comes to picking out or building an antenna. And if you're not particularly handy, don't worry. You can use an old-school set of rabbit ear antennas without too much modification.

Discover the fun of this growing hobby and then open your ears to the hidden signals that surround you.

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