The HackRF One acts in just this way, an all-in-one SDR in a small enclosure a little bigger than a cell phone.Įvery HackRF One is protected by an injection molded plastic enclosure and comes with a micro USB cable. It's like a very fast sound card with the speaker and microphone replaced by an antenna.
#HACKRF ONE USES SOFTWARE#
Just as a sound card in a computer digitizes audio waveforms, a software radio peripheral digitizes radio waveforms. It is similar to the software-based digital audio techniques that became popular a couple of decades ago. SDR is the application of Digital Signal Processing to radio waveforms. Designed to enable test and development of modern and next generation radio technologies, HackRF One is an open source hardware platform that can be used as a USB peripheral or programmed for stand-alone operation.Ī Software Defined Radio is essentially a radio communication device that implements the use of software instead of the typically implemented hardware (these would include mixers, amps, and modulators for example). The HackRF has a significant advantage over the ADALM Pluto in this area.This is the HackRF One, a Software Defined Radio (SDR) peripheral capable of transmission or reception of radio signals from 1MHz to 6GHz. However, the absence of one is not a show-stopper as the ADALM Pluto can always be complemented with an external Bias Tee.ĬLK IN / CLK OUT Clock references are used for synchronization across multiple systems and also enables the use of a better quality reference oscillator.
Having a Bias tee is invaluable for remote operation. The ADALM therefore has an advantage in being suitable for full-duplex operation, while the HackRF offers half-duplex.īIAS TEE We have discussed Bias Tees in detail here. Using these you can both transmit and receive at the same time. The ADALM Pluto has two RF ports – one for transmit and the other for receive. You can only transmit or receive at one time. While the filter bank is not as extensive as the SDRPlay, it is better than the ADALM Pluto SDR which has no filtering. HackRF has a few filters that accomplish this. PRE-SELECT FILTERS Filters are used to eliminate signals that would otherwise result in interference. The ADALM Pluto is a clear winner in this regard. We have discussed this in a separate post. I got mine working today after a few hours of effort, and I wanted to share what I did so others could benefit, because it’s a little arcane.
#HACKRF ONE USES HOW TO#
Each bit contributes 6 dB to the dynamic range – which is quite significant. The HackRF One is an amazing tool, but the documentation about how to use it with GNURadio is scattered, to say the least. The frequency range of the ADALM Pluto is narrower and doesn’t cover anything lower than 325 MHz or higher than 3.8 GHz.ĪDC/DAC # OF BITS The number of ADC bits determines the dynamic range of the receiver and transmitter. At the high end, it allows capture and processing of signals operating in the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band. At the low end, this allows operation at HF which is a very popular band for amateur radio. Let’s take a look at each of the specifications and features in the table above and delve a little further into what they mean and how they impact the user.įREQUENCY RANGE The frequency range of the HackRF goes down to 1 MHz and all the way up to 6 GHz. SPECIFICATIONĪs seen from the comparison table above, the HackRF and ADALM Pluto each have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Here is a comparison of various hardware and system attributes of the HackRF One and ADALM Pluto SDRs. So without further ado, let’s get right down to it. For instance it uses the AD9363 transceiver chipset.įor this article, we decided to take a closer look at their products to understand how they differentiate and which one might be the better value for money. Needless to say it uses parts made by Analog Devices wherever possible as it serves as a showcase or evaluation platform for their technology. The ADALM Pluto was Analog Devices’ foray into the SDR market with a similar transceiver platform.