This year I’ve decided to delve into radio.
However, like any other hobby , it branches into several areas :
- The classic , analogue HAM radio. With its several HF, VHF, UHF bands, PR443
- Digital HAM, including ft4 , ft8 and DMR.
- SDR technology
- Antenna designs
- SSTV (Slow Scan TV)
- RFID
Although I got a Baofeng DM32 and a RTL-SDR , I’ve decided to assemble a rack in order to test and experiment different radio technologies.
As a starting point, it will be centered around a raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.
However , as for the SDR with Tx capabilities , i’m still undecided :
| Model | Price | Frequency range | Interface | Notes | Link |
| CaribouLite SDR ISM | 151€ | 389.5-510 MHz / 779-1020 MHz | Rpi HAT | Not compatible with Rpi 5 | Link |
| CaribouLite SDR | 271€ | 30 MHz up to 6 GHz | Rpi HAT | Not compatible with Rpi 5 | |
| RadioBerry V2.0 | 114€ | 0-30 MHz | Rpi HAT | Not compatible with Rpi zero 2w | Link |
| SDRPlay RSPdx R2 | 271€ | 1kHz to 2GHz | USB | Unknown if it works on Rpi | Link |
| HamGeek (Zynq7020) | 145€ | 70MHz-6GHz | USB + Ethernet | Unknown if it works on Rpi , x2 Tx , x2 Rx | Aliexpress |
| Zynq7010 AD9363 | 120€ | 70MHz-6GHz | USB + Ethernet | Unknown if it works on Rpi , x2 Tx , x2 Rx | Aliexpress |
And of course, I still have to decide on the rack : if I buy a pre assembled one, or 3d print one.