I have a dormant project (because my sdr died and I need a new one, and after moving house I need to build a proper antenna) that involves listening to maritime MF DSC calls. (8414.5MHz), and plot the call on a map. These DSC calls are mostly distress and similar, so yhey don’t happen often, but the TX power of ships that send them gives these calls such a long range that you should be able to pick them up almost anywhere.

Id be curious to try SDR. Will anyone experienced in it outline a simple ‘hello world’ type project a tech-savvy SDR noob could try to get started? The article is good but I guess I am seeking insights and discussion on the best starting point.

That is quite a lot of interesting experiments, thanks for introducing. :)

I’m inclined to add one more:

51: monitor the radio spectrum for drones (and if their signature looks hostile, warn people about them) - there’s a DIY recipe for a monitoring station out there somewhere, and some Ukrainian guys scan their sky using HackRF

SDR is definitely a technology worth learning. I’m already a happy user of RTL-SDR, but if I want to really see what my WiFi is doing, I should get a HackRF eventually too. (Note: WiFi is too fast to intercept without loss, except with another WiFi card, unless a slower bitrate is deliberately chosen.)