DragonOS, a Debian Linux-based distribution specifically packaged for software-defined radio functionality, surfaced during the start of various pandemic blockages last year. Since then [Aaron], the creator of the operating system, is busy adding features to the distribution, as well as creating many videos that show its capabilities and also function as instructions for people who may want to learn about software-defined radio. The latest is a video on the use of this software to detect radio signals in certain specific spectra.
This design uses two RTL-SDR devices, paired with the DragonOS software package, to automatically detect active frequencies within a certain frequency range and which also exceed a threshold measured above the average floor noise. The video includes setting up the software and using it to detect these signals, but also includes setting up influxdb and Grafana, which also provide logging capabilities. Using this setting, multiple receivers, either local or over the Internet, can be configured to discard all identified frequencies, powers, and timestamps in DragonOS.
[Aaron] also helps developers build SDR4space.lite an application that includes GPS support, so he hopes that in future video the user will be able to easily associate the location with the identified frequencies. Projects like these also serve as a reminder that getting into a software-defined radio is as easy as buying a $ 10 USB radio and configuring some free software to do everything you can imagine. such as real-time ship and aircraft tracking.