Learn the fundamentals of software-defined radio
via a USB port, and off-the-shelf SDR software provides the user interface on the computer/laptop. The manufacturer recommends Airspy’s SDR Sharp (SDR#) in their getting started guide. Software installation takes less than five minutes and is well documented. The antenna connection on the receiver is through an MCX connector. The MCX jack on the receiver accepts the plug mounted on the antenna cable, or the supplied antenna can be replaced with a user-supplied custom antenna. If the user decides to replace the supplied antenna with a different one, it can be connected using an MCX plug. Coaxial adaptors can be used to mate the MCX input connector on the SDR with either SMA or BNC connectors, which are more commonly used. Amphenol RF offers both an MCX plug to SMA jack (242127) or a BNC jack to MCX
Figure 2: The 1497 is a low-cost SDR receiver that fits in a package the size of a quarter and comes with an accessory antenna and remote control.
This receiver tunes from 24
MHz to 1.85 GHz, interfacing with a host computer via USB. Image source: Adafruit Industries
Broadcasting – Terrestrial (DVB-T) coded orthogonal frequency- division multiplexing (COFDM) demodulator with a separate tuner IC. The DVB consortium is a European- based standards organization for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television. This system uses an MPEG transport stream to transmit compressed digital audio, digital video, and other data, using COFDM or OFDM
modulation. These devices can be repurposed by programming to other applications and are ideal for hobbyists and DIYers wanting to listen to and investigate VHF, UHF, and low-microwave-frequency radio signals. For all the signal processing power in the Adafruit SDR, it has an exceedingly small physical size at only 22.24 millimeters (mm) x 23.1 mm x 9.9 mm (Figure 2). It interfaces with the host computer
Figure 3: The Airspy SDR# user interface controls the SDR receiver from the drop- down menus on the left. The spectrum analyzer display is shown in the top grid while the spectrum history is below it. Image source: Digi-Key Electronics
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