202209 QSO Today Virtual Ham Introduction to Software Defined Radio with emphasis on Avaiation Applications
- 1. David B. Horvath, KB3RIJ 202209 QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Introduction to Software Defined Radio with Focus on Aviation Frequency Applications
- 2. Presenter The Author can be contacted at: 504 Longbotham Drive, Aston PA 19014-2502, USA Phone: +1-610-859-8826 Email: dhorvath@cobs.com Web: http://www.cobs.com/ LI: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dbhorvath David B. Horvath, CCP, MS, KB3RIJ Copyright © 2022 David B. Horvath, CCP — All Rights Reserved
- 3. Abstract Software Defined Radios (SDR) use computing power to process incoming RF rather than discrete components. As a result they can cover large swaths of bandwidth. They can also be very inexpensive allowing the crowdsourcing of this data to other users. Software Defined versus traditional Radios Using SDR Set up Sharing Data ADS-B Data Sharing Air Traffic Control Audio Sharing General Reception and Sharing Portable Operation The use of Raspberry PI with USB SDR dongle will be highlighted.
- 4. My Background David is an IT Professional who has worked with various platforms since the 1980’s with a variety of development and analysis tools. He has presented at various workshops and seminars in Australia, France, the US, Canada, and Oxford England (about the British Author Nevil Shute). He holds an undergraduate degree in Computer and Information Sciences from Temple University and a Masters in Organizational Dynamics from UPENN. He achieved the Certified Computing Professional designation with honors. Most of his career has been in consulting (although recently he has been in- house) in the Philadelphia PA area. He is currently in Data Analytics "Engineering" at a Regional Bank. He has several books to his credit (none radio related) and has been an Adjunct Instructor covering IT topics. David held a Third Class Radio Telephone license in High School and passed the Technician and General Amateur exams on the same day in 2008
- 5. Software Defined Radios Apply DSP (Digital Signal Processing) techniques to incoming signals Come in all shapes, forms, and price levels Was first created in 1982 at RCA using the COSMAC/CDP1802 chip (a version of which is on Voyager) The inexpensive day of USB SDR began with the DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial) in Europe Realtek RTL2832U controller and tuner like the Rafael Micro R820T Available on Amazon for $22 including an antenna and remote NooElec has a variety of popular USB SDR from $30 Up to the HackRF SDR and SDX (Transmitter) around $350 SDR are being included in HF Transceiver like the ICOM 7610 and Flex 6100 ($2,000 - $4,000 range)
- 6. DVB-T, NooElec Nano 2+ and 3
- 7. HackRF One, ICOM7610, Flex 6400
- 8. Software Defined Radios 3Mhz – 7Mhz of bandwidth (what does your home Ham radio have? 3.5 Khz?) 10Khz to 3Ghz tuning capability Require computing power to convert the signal to usable information Relatively easy to connect to the Internet for sharing Can be connected to a variety of computing equipment (PC, Mac, Raspberry PI, tablets, cell phones) Can share received signals in analog or digital form – sound or data Can listen in on unexpected sources Aircraft (more about that coming) Your tire pressure monitors https://hackaday.com/2022/04/09/sdr-listens-in-to- your-tires/
- 9. Sharing – Audio Publicly available like KiwiSDR http://www.blackcatsystems.com/kiwi.html http://68.33.101.145:8073/?f=7181.0lsbz6 http://71.58.182.42:8073/?f=5950.0lsbz6 http://k2zn.ddns.net:8073/?f=5950.0lsbz6 http://kiwisdr.ku4by.com:8073/?f=5950.00samz9 http://kiwisdr.k3fef.com:8073/?f=5950.00samz0 http://websdr.k3fef.com:8901 http://k3fef.com And Many More!
- 10. Sharing – Audio Live ATC http://www.liveatc.net From my receiver: http://s1-fmt2.liveatc.net/kphl2_twr_app
- 11. Sharing Data – Aviation Aircraft are now required to broadcast “ADS-B” (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) in most areas of the country. Includes position (in three dimensions), speed, identification information, and more Is broadcast without encryption around the world Original receivers were expensive ($200-$250 range in 2009) Like the SBS-1er:
- 12. Sharing Data – Aviation Can be base station (like the SBS-1er) or Raspberry Pi solutions Provides real-time tracking without intervention of government aviation authorities This particular plane flew from Pottstown to Cape May County Airport (N47 – KWWD) and back. My receiver provided tracking data a few times.
- 13. Sharing Data – Aviation This is an example of the screen I can watch the results in real-time All provided by a couple of little USB SDR dongles (and a good Antenna) https://flightaware.com/skyaware/ for an example Flightaware ProStickPlus SDR + pre-amp + 1090 filter is $39.99, RPi 3b+ $184-249 or RPI4B $145- $239 (7/13/2022 amazon prices)
- 14. Sharing Data – Aviation Other places to share include: www.flightaware.com www.radarbox.com www.coaa.co.uk (planeplotter) www.flightradar24.com/ And others Sharing typically gets you benefits (like higher capability accounts) Is part of the Internet’s sharing ethos.
- 15. Using Data – Aviation Can be in a portable form (tablet, cell, Raspberry Pi) For fun (when a passenger) or for situational awareness (when a pilot) A Stratux is a Raspberry Pi/SDR based device for mobile decoding of ADS-B data – powered by a 5volt phone charger or battery. Because this is pre-recorded, I can’t show my Stratux live.
- 16. Set up The setup is very simple: Plug USB dongle into selected computer (PC, Mac, Raspberry PI, tablet, etc.). Connect an antenna (the better the antenna, the better reception) Load appropriate software (varies by application and purpose) Configure the software Enjoy! If you’re sharing over the internet, you should be provided with URL and other necessary configuration
- 17. My SDR Setup This is my setup in a closet (antennas in or fed through the attic) SDR dongles (USB Hub) SBS-1er Raspberry Pi
- 18. My SDR Setup And the Dongles a bit more visible: Live ATC, empty, 1090 Mhz, APRS, and 978 Mhz
- 19. Acronyms ADS-B: Automatic Direct Surveillance – Broadcast 1090 Mhz and 978 Mhz, broadcast by each aircraft TIS-B: Traffic Information Services – Broadcast 978 Mhz: FAA rebroadcast of traffic data received from aircraft FIS-B: Flight Information Services – Broadcast 978 Mhz: FAA broadcast of weather and flight restriction data APRS: Automatic Packet Reporting System Ham radio system broadcasting coordinates, rebroadcasting over the air, sharing over internet DSP: Digital Signal Processing – converting incoming signals to digital data (Analog to Digital conversion), performing processing on the digital data, and then returning it to analog form for use if needed (Digital to Analog conversion)
- 20. Ethics You can really annoy Billionaires with this data (Elon Musk): https://twitter.com/JxckSweeney or https://nypost.com/2022/05/19/teen- tracking-elon-musks-jet-says-hes-found-mark-zuckerbergs/ Or you can put the President at risk while on his way to a battle zone: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/27/politics/donald-trump-secret-trip-iraq Even if the information is legal to share, should you? With an automated system, you don’t have individual data item choices Could be used for “good” additional information in the event of a crash Tracking of lost aircraft Could be used for “evil” (first two examples) Some of what you hear may not be legal to share under FCC regulations
- 21. Notes and Links Hackrf: https://greatscottgadgets.com/hackrf/one/ FLEX-6400 HF Transceiver: https://www.flexradio.com/products/flex-6400- signature-series-sdr-transceiver/ SBS-1er: http://www.radiopics.com/Flight%20(Air%20Band)/SS- Radar/Kinetic%20Avionic/Kinetic%20Avionic_SBS-1er.htm
- 22. Final Thoughts Thank you to the organizers of the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, held September 17-18, 2022 See https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/sept2022presentations.html It is all about choices Sometimes it is better to have a computer to process your radio signals Sometimes it is better to use discrete components