Christmas is coming, and with it comes a little downtime. Why not fill some of it by exploring the airwaves? $50 or so will get you an SDR receiver and a simple dipole antenna. Install the OpenWebRX+ software, and start browsing. (And if you've got kids, it might be fun to show them what a radio is...)
Listen to: - AM radio
- Aircraft ↔ ground
- Airport weather (ATIS)
- Amateur radio
- CB radio (we got ourselves a convoy; the other Rubber Duck)
- Digital radio (DAB)
- FM radio (and associated station/song information, and perhaps traffic information)
- Freenet
- the ISS
- Maritime weather
- the infamous Number stations (used by spies?)
- Taxis
You can also decode transmitted data: - Aircraft data messages (ACARS)
- Aircraft positions (ADS-B)
- Amateur packet radio
- GPS signals
- Navaids (such as VORs)
- Satellites (and decode satellite images)
- Sensors (temperature, humidity, air pressure, motion, security, ...)
- Ship positions (AIS)
- Time signals
- Utility meters
- Weather balloon data
My hardware arrives this week, and with Richard's book at my side I'm really looking forward to exploring this new world.
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