Unboxing the Raspberry Pi RTL-SDR Kit

Computers and digital techniques have become very popular with amateur radio operators, as even a cheap Raspberry Pi computer can work with almost all amateur radio software. Along with the RTL-SDR USB stick, a low-cost software-defined radio system (SDR) is available, offering a wide range of functions.

The main system can consist of an RTL-SDR switch with a suitable antenna and a Raspberry Pi with an audio output. With such a simple setup, it is possible to receive signals from about 24 MHz to over 1.7 GHz from stations using different bands, including MW / SW / LW broadcasting, radio station, utility, air traffic control, PMR, SRD, ISM, CB, weather satellite and radio astronomy.

Besides the RTL-SDR dongle with its set of dipole antennas, the book Raspberry Pi for radio amateurs is included in set too. The book is suitable for the full range of beginners through old hands in the radio with ham. The step-by-step installation of the operating system is described in great detail about commonly used Linux commands.

Exemplary projects developed in the book include a stationary clock, waveform generation, transistor amplifier design, active filter design, Morse code training, frequency counter, RF meter, and more. The block diagram, wiring diagram and complete lists of Python programs are given for each project, including the full description of the projects.