using dvb-t sticks as wideband sdr receivers

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?