Description
KrakenSDR is a phase-coherent software-defined radio with five RTL-SDRs
KrakenSDR is a five-channel, RX-only, software-defined radio (SDR) based on the RTL-SDR and designed for phase-coherent applications and experiments. Phase-coherent SDR opens the door to some very interesting applications, including radio direction finding, passive radar, and beam forming. You can also use KrakenSDR as five separate radios.
KrakenSDR is an upgraded version of the previous product, KerberosSDR. It provides a fifth receive channel, automatic phase-coherence synchronization capabilities, bias tees, a new RF design with cleaner spectrum, USB Type-C connectors, a heavy-duty enclosure, upgraded open source DAQ and DSP software, and an upgraded Android app for direction finding.
RTL-SDR
KrakenSDR makes use of five custom RTL-SDR circuits consisting of R820T2 and RTL2832U chips. The RTL-SDR is a well-known, low-cost software-defined radio (SDR), but throw five units together and using them on the same PC will not make them 'phase coherent;' each one will receive signals at a slightly different phase offset from the others. This makes it difficult or impossible to achieve a high degree of precision when measuring relationships between signals that arrive at different antennas.
To achieve phase coherence, KrakenSDR drives all five RTL-SDR radios with a single clock source, and contains internal calibration hardware to allow the phase relationship between channels to be measured precisely and corrected for. Additionally, the overall design of KrakenSDR works to ensure phase stability, with care taken in the areas of heat management, driver configuration, power supply, and external-interference mitigation.
Features
- Five-channel, coherent-capable RTL-SDR, all clocked to a single local oscillator
- Built-in automatic coherence synchronization hardware
- Automatic coherence synchronization and management via provided Linux software
- 24 MHz to 1766 MHz tuning Range (standard R820T2 RTL-SDR range, and possibly higher with hacked drivers)
- 4.5 V bias tee on each port
- Core DAQ and DSP software is open source and designed to run on a Raspberry Pi 4
- Direction-finding software for Android (free for non-commercial use)
Applications
- Physically locating an unknown transmitter of interest (e.g. illegal or interfering broadcasts, noise transmissions, or just as a curiosity)
- HAM radio experiments such as radio fox hunts or monitoring repeater abuse
- Tracking assets, wildlife, or domestic animals outside of network coverage through the use of low power beacons
- Locating emergency beacons for search-and-rescue teams
- Locating lost ships via VHF radio
- Passive radar detection of aircraft, boats, and drones
- Traffic-density monitoring via passive radar
- Beamforming
- Interferometry for radio astronomy
Specifications
| Bandwidth | 2.56 MHz |
| RX Channels | 5 |
| Frequency Range | 24-1766 MHz |
| Radio Tuner | 5x R820T2 |
| Radio ADC | 5x RTL2832U |
| ADC Bit Depth | 8-bits |
| Oscillator Stability | 1 PPM |
| Typical Power Consumption | 5 V/2.2 A (11 W) |
| Enclosure Type | Heavy-duty CNC Aluminum |
| Dimensions | 177 x 112.3 x 25.9 mm |
| Weight | 560 g |
Included
- 1x KrakenSDR (fully assembled and installed) with Aluminum enclosure
- 1x Manual
Required
- USB Type-C cable
- 5 V/2.4 A USB Type-C power supply
- Antennas
- Raspberry Pi 4 (for computing)
- Android phone/tablet with mobile-hotspot capabilities (with direction finding)
Downloads
