Software-defined radio (SDR) technology can be used for many interesting technical experiments. With listening only SDR you can do many interesting things, but having a SDR that can also transmit opens many new doors. Here are some interesting videos related to SDR and cyber security:
Universal Radio Hacker – Replay Attack With HackRF
Download here: https://github.com/jopohl/urh
Radio Hacking: Cars, Hardware, and more! – Samy Kamkar – AppSec California 2016
Hacking Car Key Fobs with SDR
Getting Started With The HackRF, Hak5 1707
Hacking Ford Key Fobs Pt. 1 – SDR Attacks with @TB69RR – Hak5 2523
Hacking Ford Key Fobs Pt. 2 – SDR Attacks with @TB69RR – Hak5 2524
Hacking Ford Key Fobs Pt. 3 – SDR Attacks with @TB69RR – Hak5 2525
Hacking Restaurant Pagers with HackRF
Software Defined Spectrum Analyser – Hack RF
Locating Cellular Signal with HackRF Spectrum Analyzer SDR Software
GSM Sniffing: Voice Decryption 101 – Software Defined Radio Series #11
How To Listen To Trunked Police Radio And Why Im Done
Transmitting NTSC/ATSC Video With the HackRF One and Gnuradio
Check also Using a HackRF SDR to Sniff RF Emissions from a Cryptocurrency Hardware Wallet and Obtain the PIN article.
268 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/08/19/off-grid-radio-also-repairable-off-grid/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/27/the-evil-crow-is-ready-to-cause-some-rf-mayhem/
https://pwnieexpres.com/products/evil-crow-rf2-cc1101-with-radiofrequency-modules-for-pentesting
https://github.com/joelsernamoreno/EvilCrow-RF
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/07/07/russian-weather-satellite-reuses-name-yields-images/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrial 6GHz RF analyzer/generator in a desktop
https://hackaday.io/project/192236-industrial-6ghz-rf-analyzergenerator-in-a-desktop
Hardware solution to fit a PXIe modular measurement instrument into a
While browsing eBay the other day I noticed that the used price of NI’s (National Instruments) 1st generation PXIe-5644R VST (Vector Signal Transceiver) plummeted and can be bought from some sellers for a few hundred USD.
It could be used as a very capable SDR (Software Defined Radio) platform or as general use instrumentation in the home lab.
The low price is due to the instrument being a add-in card type module, instead of a standalone bench unit. I’ll attempt to create a hobbyist wallet compatible hardware solution to integrate the device into an ordinary desktop PC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/06/its-numbers-all-the-way-down-with-this-tape-measure-number-station-antenna/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/192584-picking-up-number-stations-with-a-tape-measure
Tomi Engdahl says:
RF Basics Technology Guide
https://www.rigolna.com/rf-basics-technology-guide/?utm_source=ED&utm_medium=personif&utm_campaign=RF+Tech
Tomi Engdahl says:
TESTING DIODES FOR CRYSTAL RADIOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yzr4kx8SJ4
Which crystal diode is best for a crystal radio? This session we test a range of common diodes to see which will give you the best sensitivity in a crystal set.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/07/transistor-radio-repair-more-complex-than-it-seems/
Tomi Engdahl says:
SDR dock 1.0
Raspberry pi based open source device with SDR and easy to use controls for exploring RF signals and data.
https://hackaday.io/project/192534-sdr-dock-10
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/12/putting-the-magic-smoke-back-into-a-dodgy-spectrum-analyzer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/21/radio-apocalypse-the-bbc-radio-program-that-couldnt-have-started-wwiii/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/18/satellite-hunting-hack-chat/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Ups and Downs of Amplitude Modulation
https://blog.minicircuits.com/the-ups-and-downs-of-amplitude-modulation/?utm_source=mwrf&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=personif-display-amplitude-modulation&utm_campaign=05-23-bannerads
An Introduction to the History, Principles and Applications of AM Radio
When you think of advancements in signal modulation, your mental time machine might go back to the turn of the 21st century and LTE which was proposed by NTT DOCOMO as “Super 3G” in early 2004.1 But over a hundred years earlier, on June 3rd, 1900, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, the Reverend Father Roberto Landell de Moura demonstrated the transmission of voice messages over a distance of 8 km using amplitude modulation.2 Several months later, on December 23, 1900, Reginald Aubrey Fessenden successfully transmitted an amplitude-modulated signal approximately 1.6 km.3 Throughout the nearly 123 years since these transmissions occurred, arguably no modulation scheme has been of greater significance in world history than amplitude modulation (AM).
While AM is an inexpensive and simple way to transmit and receive signals over great distances, it is also susceptible to natural and man-made noise, which tend to be amplitude modulated as well. In this article, we first review the importance of some of the traditional frequency bands in which amplitude modulation has been utilized over the years and why it continues to be important today. Next, we describe the basic principles of amplitude modulation in both the time and frequency domains, enabling us to delve further into its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we discuss modern modulation schemes for which amplitude modulation still plays a key role.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize 2023: A Software-Defined Radio With Real Knobs And Switches
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/25/hackaday-prize-2023-a-software-defined-radio-with-real-knobs-and-switches/
When cheap digital TV dongles enabled radio enthusiasts to set up software defined radio (SDR) systems at almost zero cost, it caused a revolution in the amateur radio world: now anyone could tune in to any frequency, with any modulation type, by just pointing and clicking in a computer program. While this undoubtably made exploring the radio waves much more accessible, we can imagine that some people miss the feeling of manipulating physical buttons on a radio while hunting for that one faint signal in a sea of noise. If you’re one of those people, you’re in luck: [Kaushlesh C.] has built a portable, self-contained SDR system with real knobs and switches, called SDR Dock 1.0.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/22/ham-radio-mini-beam/
Tomi Engdahl says:
That donut thing is for 60 Hz lighting power. Only. AM towers are powered either by direct feed into an insulated base, or through a gamma match into a grounded base. If the tower is grounded, the donut thingy is not needed. The AC lines are effectively grounded at RF. Their direct connection to the tower would be at least a lossy one, if not disrupting the RF match entirely. Thus the isolation afforded by the donuts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Base of an AM tower. The tower is the antenna. These rings couple AC power to the tower lights. The two steel balls dissipate lightning strike energy to ground.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Full band Full mode SDR Radio /AM/FM/LSB/USB/ All Band Ham Radio Malahit DSP Malachite SDR Portable SDR Receiver SDR600
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003900871568.html?src=criteo&albch=criteo_New&acnt=criteo-LF&albcp=157651&device=pc&clickid=651690c505198ac698f6d1c92685c05a_1695977668_1005003900871568&cto_pld=2xfMZ8LKAADVJttEUmOaMA&aff_fcid=959919ddf3314f2cac7b14671e6b2937-1695977686983-07721-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=959919ddf3314f2cac7b14671e6b2937-1695977686983-07721-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=a84dd682a66047c694dfe5628f2eb974&afSmartRedirect=y
Description
PRODUCT NAME : Full band full mode SDR Radio
MODE : AM/FM/SSB(LSB+USB)
SCREEN : 3.5 inch Color screen200
FREQUENCY : 50KHz-250MHz AND 400MHz-2GHz
POWER SUPPLY : USB 5V
Battery ： 2500mAH Lithium Metal Battery
Tomi Engdahl says:
RF POWER Stepped Variable Key Button Press Step Attenuator RF N-F 5W 3GHz 90dB
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004930787023.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.14b5OKldOKldtD&gps-id=pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40000.327270.0&scm_id=1007.40000.327270.0&scm-url=1007.40000.327270.0&pvid=c2a2d56c-7981-456f-a5af-1a5cccd62a61&_t=gps-id:pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40000.327270.0,pvid:c2a2d56c-7981-456f-a5af-1a5cccd62a61,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238111%231996&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21EUR%2153.05%2153.05%21%21%2154.80%21%21%402101ef6816959783296332141ef6ad%2112000031059613518%21rec%21FI%212528467667%21&search_p4p_id=202309290205296697766628830766423885_1
Tomi Engdahl says:
6GHz 2W 0-10db SMA 1dB / Step Variable Attenuator Rotary RF-POWER Free Shipping
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004896538488.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.5a55IP27IP27h4&gps-id=pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40000.327270.0&scm_id=1007.40000.327270.0&scm-url=1007.40000.327270.0&pvid=c3daaf98-0b7a-4c56-ad4e-1b981bc7ce88&_t=gps-id:pcDetailTopMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40000.327270.0,pvid:c3daaf98-0b7a-4c56-ad4e-1b981bc7ce88,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238111%231996&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21EUR%21123.39%21123.39%21%21%21127.46%21%21%402101ef6816959783466292409ef6ad%2112000030933752722%21rec%21FI%212528467667%21&search_p4p_id=202309290205466666059194439993951723_0
Tomi Engdahl says:
10kHz-380MHz 404MHz-2GHz Malahit-DSP2 SDR Malachite Receiver Radio 5000mAh Battery Firmware 2.30 Genuine Authorized Malahit SDR
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005993649263.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.1.7318zbb3zbb3Mh&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40000.326746.0&scm_id=1007.40000.326746.0&scm-url=1007.40000.326746.0&pvid=3180b8ab-ee52-485a-9ee6-ceee1442ff76&_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller,scm-url:1007.40000.326746.0,pvid:3180b8ab-ee52-485a-9ee6-ceee1442ff76,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238111%23456&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21EUR%21614.03%21368.42%21%21%21634.26%21%21%402101ef6816959783169181966ef6ad%2112000035220086055%21rec%21FI%212528467667%21
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/02/using-lora-nodes-as-soil-moisture-sensing-antennas/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Flipper Zero Controlling Traffic Lights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrVLmTLHgew
Flipper Zero using its onboard Signal Generator and interfaced through the GPIO’s with a high power Infrared LED array can imitate a 3M OptiCom transmitter. This system is known as Traffic Signal Preemption and can cause the traffic light controller to give the OptiCom equipped vehicle the right-of-way. OptiCom uses 10, 12, & 14 Hz strobe flash rates.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/13/this-packable-ham-radio-antenna-is-made-from-nothing-but-tape/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/13/crabapplepad-folding-keyboard-is-actually-pretty-sweet/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/14/lessons-learned-plastic-injection-molding-for-products/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/18/designing-a-pcb-gps-antenna-from-scratch/
Tomi Engdahl says:
SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO
SDR uses digital techniques to replace traditional radio hardware like mixers, modulators, demodulators, and related analog circuits.
https://www.mwrf.com/magazine/51338
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi HF radio – step by step instructions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omwT8ItMHyg
Raspberry Pi 4 Boot from USB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFM01mQ9qrk
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/21/junk-bin-cyberdish-turns-you-into-the-satellite-tracker/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.minicircuits.com/demystifying-transformers-baluns-and-ununs/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Antennilasi on tutkitusti toimiva ratkaisu ehkäisemään kuuluvuusongelmat
https://www.pihlapro.fi/antennilasi-on-tutkitusti-toimiva-ratkaisu-kuuluvuusongelmiin/
Ikkunavalintoja ohjaa useampi eri tekijä, joista nykypäivänä yksi tärkeä asia on mobiilikuuluvuuden varmistaminen sisätiloissa, että asuminen ja arki sujuvat.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.maximus-randd.com/tv-tuner-history-pt5.html#summary
Tomi Engdahl says:
RTL-SDR Releases New V4 USB Dongle
A new RTL-SDR dongle offers improved functionality at a lower price.
https://www.hackster.io/news/rtl-sdr-releases-new-v4-usb-dongle-40b5d3ee6faa
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.watchduty.org/blog/inside-watch-dutys-echo-radios-remote-listening-tone-detection-and-early-warning
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://dl2man.de/?fbclid=IwAR2bjOPuz1M_CdHffBz96PDMfhibA4wqqjIqSQd6cR5uR7IwrU1S7956XiM
(tr)uSDX is the successor of the uSDX Project. It´s the Result of the Collaboration between PE1NNZ and DL2MAN. The design was intended as an easy to build (pre-assembled) Kit, that can be sourced (in a group buy situation) for abt. 50,-€. 3D Printed Housing not included in this price
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://shop.flipperzero.one/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.wikihow.com/Build-Antennas
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/exploring-software-defined-radio-without-the-annoying-rf-part-1/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/exploring-software-defined-radio-without-the-annoying-rf-part-2/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/01/28/no-dish-try-a-portable-weave-helix-antenna/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/01/14/simulating-a-time-keeping-radio-signal/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/02/03/hf-in-small-spaces/
Tomi Engdahl says:
74HC240 Qrp Transmitter.
https://www.qsl.net/5z4ft/74hc240qrp.html
The ARRL HB describes an experimental 0.5W transmitter that uses a 74HC240 octal inverting buffer. One section is used as a fundamental frequency oscillator, four sections are used as an amplifier, while three sections are grounded, and unused. The three unused sections can be put to use in further expansion into a TCVR. Q1 is used to key the transmitter, while the 7808 provides a stable 8V DC supply. THe IC will dissipate heat, and a heat sink should be glued onto it using epoxy. The low pass filter is standard, and the values for some HF bands are given in the table above. This design forms the basis of a minimal QRP TCVR that I am developing, as part of my education in electronics.
https://www.ti.com/product/CD74HC240
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/02/15/why-stealing-a-car-with-flipper-zero-is-a-silly-idea/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top DNG Builds a $600 Digital Radio Scanner on the Cheap — with a Raspberry Pi 5 and RTL-SDR
Designed as a more affordable alternative to a Uniden P25, this digital radio scanner picks up emergency traffic and more.
https://www.hackster.io/news/top-dng-builds-a-600-digital-radio-scanner-on-the-cheap-with-a-raspberry-pi-5-and-rtl-sdr-18209905583e
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/top-dng-builds-a-600-digital-radio-scanner-on-the-cheap-with-a-raspberry-pi-5-and-rtl-sdr-18209905583e
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/02/04/decoding-js1ymg-first-ham-radio-station-on-the-moon-after-slim-mission/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cnx-software.com/2024/02/16/m1-flipper-zero-alternative-with-faster-stm32h5-microcontroller-wifi/