Station setups
You’ve seen the client. Now put a radio behind it.
A networked software-defined radio usually means a commercial rig costing thousands of euros. With SDR-SLC it doesn’t have to. A Raspberry Pi and an RTL-SDR dongle, for not much more than a hundred euros, already give you a live spectrum and waterfall, several receivers at once, and digital voice, all on your Mac. Add a bladeRF and you transmit on 2 m and 70 cm. Build the HF transceiver and you’re on every band from 160 m to 10 m.
You start small and grow, and the client stays the same the whole way. Pick a setup below, follow the guide, and you can be listening to your local repeater tonight.
At a glance
| Setup | Coverage | RX | TX | Auto‑discovery | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTL‑SDR + rtl_tcp | HF – 1.7 GHz | ✓ | – | – | lowest |
| RTL‑SDR + sdr‑slc‑rtld | HF – 1.7 GHz | ✓ | – | ✓ | low |
| bladeRF 2.0 micro | 70 MHz – 6 GHz | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | medium |
| SDR‑SLC HF Transceiver | 1.8 – 30 MHz | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | build project |
The RTL-SDR and bladeRF setups each run on a Raspberry Pi. With rtl_tcp you enter the Pi’s address in the client by hand; every other setup shows up by itself.
Digital voice (DMR, YSF and D-STAR) needs the optional codec server. You can add it to any of the Raspberry Pi setups (see the codec server section below).
Raspberry Pi + RTL-SDR V4, with rtl_tcp
The quickest way to see the bands. An RTL-SDR Blog V4 dongle on a Raspberry Pi, running the standard rtl_tcp server that most SDR software already understands.
- What you get: a wideband receiver covering HF through to about 1.7 GHz, with spectrum, waterfall and multiple slices in the client. AM, FM, SSB and CW, and with the codec server also DMR, YSF and D-STAR receive.
- What to know:
rtl_tcpdoesn’t announce itself on the network. In the client you add the Pi by hand, with its IP address and port (1234 by default).rtl_tcphas no access control, so keep it on your home network. - Best for: trying SDR-SLC with hardware you may already own, or a receiver you also want to share with other SDR programs.
Set up a Raspberry Pi + RTL-SDR with rtl_tcp →
Raspberry Pi + RTL-SDR V4, with sdr-slc-rtld
The same dongle, as a proper SDR-SLC radio. Instead of rtl_tcp, the Pi runs the open-source SDR-SLC daemon for RTL-SDR.
- What you get: everything the
rtl_tcpsetup gives you, plus automatic discovery. Click Discover in the client and the receiver appears, already configured, without typing in addresses. The client and the receiver talk through the open SDR-SLC protocol, the same way they do with every other SDR-SLC radio. - What to know: you build and install a small service on the Pi, about half an hour of work.
- Best for: a permanent receiver at the antenna, for example in the shack or the attic, that you just switch on and use.
Set up a Raspberry Pi + RTL-SDR with sdr-slc-rtld →
Raspberry Pi + bladeRF 2.0 micro
A networked VHF/UHF transceiver. A Nuand bladeRF 2.0 micro (xA4 or xA9) on a Raspberry Pi 5, running the open-source SDR-SLC daemon for bladeRF.
- What you get: receive from 70 MHz and transmit from 47 MHz, both up to 6 GHz, with a far better receiver than an RTL-SDR. Transmit from the client in FM, and with the codec server also in DMR, YSF and D-STAR, including through your local repeater. The radio appears automatically in the client, and transmit is protected with a key, so nobody else on your network can key your transmitter.
- What to know: the bladeRF’s own output is a few milliwatts. For real contacts you add an amplifier with its own power supply, plus a receive/transmit switch. Transmit only within your licence.
- Best for: an all-mode 2 m and 70 cm station, and experimenting with digital voice on VHF/UHF.
Set up a Raspberry Pi + bladeRF transceiver →
The codec server (optional, for digital voice)
DMR, YSF and D-STAR on any of the setups above. These modes use the AMBE family of voice codecs. The client hands that work to a codec service on your network, sdr-slc-vocoderd.
- What you get: digital voice, received in every setup and transmitted with the bladeRF. The codec server appears automatically in the client, next to your radio.
- Hardware is optional: with a DVSI AMBE-3000 stick plugged in (DVMEGA DVstick30, ThumbDV and compatibles), the chip does the work. Without one, the open-source mbelib-neo decoder takes over, and you can plug a stick in later without restarting anything.
- Where it runs: on the same Raspberry Pi as your radio, or on any other Linux machine on your network.
Every setup guide includes the installation. What the codec server is, and why it’s a separate program →
SDR-SLC HF Transceiver
The HF radio SDR-SLC was designed around. A self-built transceiver for 1.8 to 30 MHz, from open schematics and firmware.
- What you get: receive and transmit on all HF amateur bands from 160 m to 10 m, connected to the client over your network. LSB, USB, AM, FM, CW, the DIGU/DIGL data modes and FreeDV.
- What to know: this is a build project: you make the hardware yourself, and the schematics and firmware are free.
- Best for: radio amateurs who want to build their own HF rig and operate it from the Mac.
Schematics and firmware →
Setup guide coming soon.
Which one should I start with?
- Just curious? An RTL-SDR V4 with
rtl_tcp. It’s the smallest step and receives a great deal. - Want a receiver you never have to think about? The same dongle with
sdr-slc-rtld. - Want to transmit on 2 m and 70 cm, or work your local DMR or YSF repeater? The bladeRF, with the codec server.
- HF, and you like to build? The SDR-SLC HF Transceiver.
Every setup uses the same SDR-SLC client. If you outgrow one setup, you keep the client and everything you’ve learned.