Do you want to be able to receive satellite images using nothing but your computer an old TV
antenna and a $20 USB stick? Now you can. At last the technology exists to turn your computer
into a super radio receiver capable of tuning in to FM shortwave amateur ham and even
satellite frequencies around the world and above it. Listen to police fire and aircraft
signals both in the clear and encoded. And with the book's advanced antenna design there's no
limit to the signals you can receive. Combine your desktop or laptop computer with easy-to-find
Software Defined Radio (SDR) equipment and tune in a wide range of signals in no time at all.
Then go one step further by converting a Raspberry Pi into your own dedicated SDR device. SDR
USB dongles are usually designed to receive and decode high-definition digital television
broadcasts but the rising popularity of SDR has led to several of these devices being
specifically made for - and marketed to - the software radio crowd. With step-by-step
instructions you'll have no problem getting everything up and running on both Windows and
Linux. The antenna is the final piece in the SDR puzzle: Which antenna do you use? What shape
do you need? How big does it have to be? And where do you point it? Get all the answers you
need and learn what's possible when it comes to picking out or building an antenna. And if
you're not particularly handy don't worry. You can use an old-school set of rabbit ear
antennas without too much modification. Discover the fun of this growing hobby and then open
your ears to the hidden signals that surround you. What You Need: You will need a relatively
recent computer or laptop running either Windows or Ubuntu Linux. You can also use a Raspberry
Pi. All of the software necessary is free and open-source and the book describes in detail
where to get it and how to install it depending on your operating system.
