Software Defined Radio for Education: Spectrum Analyzer, FM Receiver/Transmitter and GSM Sniffer with HackRF One

Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology enables a programmable radio platform that can serve as a multimode transceiver. One such example of SDR is the HackRF One, which covers the frequency of 30 MHz – 6 GHz and can be programmed as an FM receiver/transmitter, a GSM receiver, or a simple spectrum analyzer. Compared to an expensive spectrum analyzer, the HackRF One provides an affordable solution for education and simple research projects. We compare the measurement of HackRF One with a spectrum analyzer and found that spurious signals were seen with HackRF One due to the mixing and down-conversion process. However, such imperfections may offer opportunities for hands-on learning and deeper understanding of the radio signal processing. Due to its half-duplex operation, HackRF One cannot be used as a GSM BTS. However, it can still function as a GSM signal sniffer. The flexibility and programmability of SDR provide an ideal platform for project-based learning in telecommunication engineering.

[1]  Marcelo R. Doallo,et al.  Analog and Digital Demodulation Process Examples Using GNU Radio , 2018, 2018 IEEE World Engineering Education Conference (EDUNINE).

[2]  Joseph Mitola,et al.  Cognitive radio: making software radios more personal , 1999, IEEE Wirel. Commun..

[3]  Héctor Miyashiro,et al.  Software defined radio for hands-on communication theory , 2017, 2017 IEEE XXIV International Conference on Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computing (INTERCON).

[4]  A.A. Abidi,et al.  The Path to the Software-Defined Radio Receiver , 2007, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[5]  Gerhard Fettweis,et al.  The digital front-end of software radio terminals , 1999, IEEE Wirel. Commun..

[6]  Joseph Mitola,et al.  The software radio architecture , 1995, IEEE Commun. Mag..

[7]  Henri P. Uranus,et al.  Software Defined Radio Applications for Mini GSM BTS and Spectrum Analyzer with BladeRF , 2018, 2018 International Conference on Radar, Antenna, Microwave, Electronics, and Telecommunications (ICRAMET).

[8]  E. Buracchini,et al.  The software radio concept , 2000, IEEE Commun. Mag..

[9]  Bruce E. Dunne,et al.  Software Defined Radio: Choosing the Right System for Your Communications Course , 2016 .

[10]  Tutun Juhana,et al.  An SDR-based multistation FM broadcasting monitoring system , 2017, 2017 11th International Conference on Telecommunication Systems Services and Applications (TSSA).