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

23. Wrap Up
Questions
and
Answers
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