There are many amazing and useful things one can do with a DVB-T TV Tuner USB Dongle (> $20.00 usd),using the RTL2832U chipset. Plus a low-cost Tablet or laptop PC.
Like a computer based radio scanner or wideband real-time spectrum analyzer.
Decoding RDS information
Lexicon:
ADSB = Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is used by aircraft as an alternative to secondary radar. It broadcasts GPS position
DAB = Digital Audio Broadcasting
DVB-T = is an abbreviation for "Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial"; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998.
FM = Frequency Modulation
RDS =Radio Data System (RDS) is a communications protocol standard for embedding small amounts of digital information in conventional FM radio broadcasts.
RTL = IC manufactor Realtek
SDR = Software defined radio
Good Links:
Our Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeasingTesla/
RTL2832 Datasheet – RTL2832U Realtek QFN 48Pinhttp://www.datasheetcafe.com/rtl2832-datasheet-pdf/
Spectrum Analyzer using RDT-SRL dongel and Linux Beaglebone Black board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YhrKMBrJ2g
Spectrum Analyzer using Android phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-K1Sslw1Q
Beaglebone Black
https://beagleboard.org/black
Spectrum Analyzer using RDT-SRL dongel and Linux Beaglebone Black board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YhrKMBrJ2g
Spectrum Analyzer using Android phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-K1Sslw1Q
Beaglebone Black
https://beagleboard.org/black
rtldsr.org Wiki
www.rtl-sdr.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Data_System
The Hobbyists Guide To RTL-SDR - Carl Laufer.pdf
http://www.qsl.net/yo4tnv/docs/The%20Hobbyists%20Guide%20To%20RTL-SDR%20-%20Carl%20Laufer.pdf
A list of other Uses:
>>
AIS
Trunked Radio
Police/EMS Scanner (P25/TETRA/Analogue)
Weather Satellites
HF Reception
Filter & VSWR Meter
L-Band Satellites
Radio Astronomy
Air Traffic Control
ACARS
Weather Balloons
Reverse Engineering
Monitoring Pagers
Amateur/Professional Research
VHF Amateur Radio (APRS/Voice etc)
Panadapter
General Signal Browsing
Passive Radar, Direction Finding, Coherent Experiments<<
>>
What are some RTL-SDR Radio Scanner Applications?
The RTL-SDR can be used as a wide band radio scanner. Applications include:
- Listening to unencrypted Police/Ambulance/Fire/EMS conversations.
- Listening to aircraft traffic control conversations.
- Tracking aircraft positions like a radar with ADSB decoding.
- Decoding aircraft ACARS short messages.
- Scanning trunking radio conversations.
- Decoding unencrypted digital voice transmissions.
- Tracking maritime boat positions like a radar with AIS decoding.
- Decoding POCSAG/FLEX pager traffic.
- Scanning for cordless phones and baby monitors.
- Tracking and receiving meteorological agency launched weather balloon data.
- Tracking your own self launched high altitude balloon for payload recovery.
- Receiving wireless temperature sensors and wireless power meter sensors.
- Listening to VHF amateur radio.
- Decoding ham radio APRS packets.
- Watching analogue broadcast TV.
- Sniffing GSM signals.
- Using rtl-sdr on your Android device as a portable radio scanner.
- Receiving GPS signals and decoding them.
- Using rtl-sdr as a spectrum analyzer.
- Receiving NOAA weather satellite images.
- Listening to satellites and the ISS.
- Radio astronomy.
- Monitoring meteor scatter.
- Listening to FM radio, and decoding RDS information.
- Listening to DAB broadcast radio.
- Use rtl-sdr as a panadapter for your traditional hardware radio.
- Decoding taxi mobile data terminal signals.
- Use rtl-sdr as a high quality entropy source for random number generation.
- Use rtl-sdr as a noise figure indicator.
- Reverse engineering unknown protocols.
- Triangulating the source of a signal.
- Searching for RF noise sources.
- Characterizing RF filters and measuring antenna SWR.
Furthermore, with an upconverter or direct sampling mod to receive HF signals the applications are expanded to:
- Listening to amateur radio hams on SSB with LSB/USB modulation.
- Decoding digital amateur radio ham communications such as CW/PSK/RTTY/SSTV.
- Receiving HF weatherfax.
- Receiving digital radio monodial shortwave radio (DRM).
- Listening to international shortwave radio.
- Looking for RADAR signals like over the horizon (OTH) radar, and HAARP signals.
Ref. www.rtl-sdr.com<<
FYI this is a living blog and may be updated many times.
