Post on 01-Apr-2015
Using DVB-T sticksas Wideband SDR Receivers
Phil Crump M0DNY
Architecture
I smell very cheap poor man's software radio here :) – Antti Palosaari
E4000 Tuner
• 50-2200MHzGap at 1100-1250MHz
• Tunable CMOS Bandpass filter
• Zero-IF I/Q output
RTL2832 ADC
• DVB-T Demodulator
• Also contains 8-bit ADC at up to 3.2Msps– Designed for WFM, DAB.
• Est. 48dB Dynamic Range
Vs Funcube Dongle
Funcube Dongle Pro
RTL-SDR TV Dongle
Vs Funcube Dongle (Specs)FCD Pro FCD Pro + RTL-SDR (E4000)
Bandwidth ~80KHz 192KHz 3.2 MHz
ADC Resolution 16 bits (~14 actual) 24 bits (~20 actual) 8 bits (~7 actual)
Dynamic Range ~90dB ~120dB ~42dB
XTAL Accuracy ~50ppm 0.5ppm TCXO ~200ppm
Cost £100 £125 ~£20
Potential Uses
• Anything the FCD can do– WFM, NFM, SSB, TETRA, ...
• Wider Bandwidth stuff– ADS-B, GSM, LTE, GPS, ...
• Yes, even GPS!
Software
• Windows– Zadig for drivers– SDR # (SDR Sharp)
• Linux– GNU Radio• gqrx
– QT Radio
Demo
Time to see how good a Faraday cage this place is..
VHF NFD (2m SSB Band)
E4000 Frontend Filter
Add-ons• HF Upconverters– Push HF up to ~100MHz
• LNAs– With bandpass Filters
Useful Tips
• ESD Diode often not installed.– BAV99 is a suitable
replacement.
• Crystal Temperature– Keep it out of the wind!
• USB Extension cable
Availability
• eBay: ~£20
• Alternative Tuner Chips:– FC0012/FC0013– FC2580
• Beware scam sites.
More Information
• http://sdr.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/rtl-sdr
• http://www.reddit.com/r/rtlsdr
• ##rtlsdr on irc.freenode.net
• Slides and references will be available at: https://www.thecraag.com/RTL-SDR
Questions?