Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

HackRF, an open source SDR platform

kickstarter.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 57 posts

Re: HackRF, an open source SDR platform

#21

Post by rsync »

est wrote: post #2

The spec from HackRF github wiki: https://github.com/mossmann/hackrf/wiki/Jawbreaker * half-duplex transceiver * operating freq: 30 MHz to 6 GHz * supported sample rates: 8 Msps to 20 Msps (quadrature) * resolution: 8 bits * interface: High Speed USB 2.0 (with USB Micro-B connector) * power supply: USB bus power

I'm interested in comparing this to the bladerf device:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1085541682/bladerf-usb-3...

... since I already have one.

HackRF appears to be about half the size, which is very nice. Freq range is 30-6000, vs. the bladerf which is 300-3800.

Bladerf is USB 3.0, however, and appears to have a higher sample rate ? "capable of capturing 40MHz 12-bit full duplex quadrature samples in realtime."

The HackRF appears to be about half the price, currently.

Re: HackRF, an open source SDR platform

#22

Post by SigmundA »

sparky wrote: post #18

Man it'd be nice if this (or BladeRF) went down to DC like the USRP, so you could also use it as an oscilloscope. It's easier on the USRP because of its motherboard/daughterboard architecture, which adds some cost and complexity, but the cost adder should be pretty small relative to the several-hundred-dollars these things cost.

Yeah I am annoyed at the separation in SDR hardware most seem to be 0-30Mhz or 30Mhz and up.

HackRf is even offering a Ham-it-up upconverter to go with, the same one you would use with a DVB-T dongle. This gets you into the lower range but uses a mechanical switch to engage. Would really like soft control of it and be more integrated into the design. I might even try to wire a relay in to a Ham-it-up along with a raspberry pi for a integrated device that can go below 30Mhz with IP based connection.

Re: HackRF, an open source SDR platform

#23

Post by xradionut »

SigmundA wrote: post #22
sparky wrote: post #18

Man it'd be nice if this (or BladeRF) went down to DC like the USRP, so you could also use it as an oscilloscope. It's easier on the USRP because of its motherboard/daughterboard architecture, which adds some cost and complexity, but the cost adder should be pretty small relative to the several-hundred-dollars these things cost.

Yeah I am annoyed at the separation in SDR hardware most seem to be 0-30Mhz or 30Mhz and up. HackRf is even offering a Ham-it-up upconverter to go with, the same one you would use with a DVB-T dongle. This gets you into the lower range but uses a mechanical switch to engage. Would really like soft control of it and be more integrated into the design. I might even try to wire a relay in to a Ham-it-up along with a ras…

That's the nature of the RF business. Most folks are interested in one ( HF), or have money for equipment that handles both. Building good equipment that handles the full spectrum is challenging.

Re: HackRF, an open source SDR platform

#24

Post by xradionut »

SubZero wrote: post #5

Would this be able to say...oh, idk...spoof and overpower digital TV channels in a localized area? I need to know...for science.

No.

And you don't need to be an jerk and interfere with broadcasts. It's an antisocial activity frowned on by 99.99 percent of the public and hardware hackers. There's plenty of good science that can be done in all aspects of RF experimentation for a small investment of time and little money.

Re: HackRF, an open source SDR platform

#25

Post by xradionut »

cypher517 wrote: post #3

What cool projects could someone build with this besides scan radio waves?

Scanning radio waves is fairly cool in the first place. Most people really don't have a clue what's going on and it's fascinating. There's an plethora of various services and devices in this area of spectrum.

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/page/2011/united-states-frequency-al...

Some uses I would consider besides general scanning and exploration would be: amateur radio (multiple bands), NOAA weather stations and satellites, various aviation services, device monitoring and prototype assistance, etc....

Re: HackRF, an open source SDR platform

#28

Post by phaet0n »

For people interested in other SDR options, I believe these guys were YC funded: Per Vices, http://www.pervices.com/

Their hardware is significantly meatier, supporting frequencies from 100kHz to 4GHz with a bandwith of 250MHz. The HackRF only has a bandwith of 20MHz, and bottoms out at 30MHz.

I haven't heard much from them, or discussion about them, but they are out there.

Re: HackRF, an open source SDR platform

#30

Post by cottonseed »

This is great. I met briefly with a company developing software radio products that led me to believe such devices are illegal or require special licensing. Is my impression wrong or has this changed recently?

Second, can this do GSM, receive at least? Frequency band works, but maybe it doesn't have the bandwidth?

Post reply on HN