Tag Archives: KiwiSDR

Should web-based SDR loggings be included and shared in regular logging columns?

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Operating a KiwiSDR in Iceland from my vacation spot in Québec (circa 2018).

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, who writes:

Radyo Pilipinas is one of those English language stations that are not very likely to make to my Pennsylvania location, even under excellent conditions, simply because propagation of their frequencies wouldn’t reach eastern North America when they’re on the air.

Web tunable SDRs change all that…I caught them today from 0315 to their 0330 signoff on 15640 and 17620, in English, with a chatty travelogue program.

I was listening via an Indonesian Kiwi SDR located in Jakarta.

I’m left wondering — is there interest in reporting logs like this? We wouldn’t normally include them in the regular Loggings column in the NASWA Journal, because I’m not tuning my radio, I’m in front of a computer screen tuning half a world away.

FWIW, Radyo PIlipinas broadcasts in English daily from 0200 to 0330 on 15640, 17700 (announced but not heard) and 17620 kHz.

73 – Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA (virtually in Jakarta, Indonesia…)

Wow–what a great question, Rich.

I suspect some DXers have very strong feelings about WebSDR loggings, both for and against.

In terms of loggings columns with various radio clubs and organizations, I suppose it’s up to the governing body to decide. As you say, I suspect it will come down to whether or not remote radio operation counts. With a KiwiSDR, for example, you’re controlling a remote receiver–one that is physically located in a known geographic spot–and the audio is being piped over the Internet. I know it wouldn’t be in the spirit of the thing if you submitted logs implying you’d logged Radyo Pilipinas from your home receiver and antenna. If, however, you disclose that you were using a remote RX station in Jakarta, the logging would be accurate. Whether or not it’s allowed is a separate issue.

Anyone care to share their constructive comments? What do you think about WebSDR loggings? Please comment.

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CATSync: Control web SDR tuning from your rig

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rob (PE9PE), who writes:

This is an interesting tool for those hams suffering from lots of local QRM.

https://catsyncsdr.wordpress.com/

Thanks, Rob! CATSync seems to allow control of a web-based SDR from any OMNI Rig-supported radio via CAT control (which is the majority of transceivers). It appears CATSync allows control of tuning and mode changes via your radio and from the web SDR interface back to your rig.

One interesting use of this would be to use a remote SDR for receiving while using your home antenna for transmitting. This could help those inundated with RFI at home. While this might not be an allowed practice for contesting (having your receiver and transmitter in two different locations) it’s certainly permitted if you want to check in with a net or chat with friends. You don’t need CATSync to do this–you can always manually tune a web SDR separately–it would simply facilitate keeping both your RX and TX on the same frequency.

CATSync has a free trial with limited control–you can purchase the full version for 9.95 EUR.

Click here to check out CATSync.

Thanks for the tip, Rob!

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KiwiSDR.com’s simple urls for popular KiwiSDR portals

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Many thanks to the crew at KiwiSDR.com who have made simple subdomain style forwarding links to open and explore popular KiwiSDR portals:

Thank you–this makes it so much easier to remember KiwiSDR portal addresses!

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KiwiSDRs are back on Amazon

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The KiwiSDR (Photo by Mark Fahey)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike, who writes:

Hi Thomas, I just noticed that Amazon has an inventory of KiwiSDRs for sale. I’m planning to snag one even though I don’t plan to put it online (because my IPDSL connection is just too slow). I’ve always wanted one and let’s just say I’ll be ready to join the community if I ever get a bandwidth upgrade! Price on Amazon is $299 for the full kit.

Thanks for the tip, Mike! You and I are in similar situations–my KiwiSDR (a gift from Mark Fahey–thanks!) would be online right now if I had the bandwidth and enough monthly data to support it. Like you, when I get an Internet pipeline upgrade, one of the first things I’ll do is put my KiwiSDR online!

Click here to view on Amazon (this affiliate link supports the SWLing Post at no cost to you)

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The SDR.hu web SDR portal is no more, but we have several excellent alternatives

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In January, András Retzler–owner of the SDR.hu KiwiSDR portal–started requiring registration and a ham radio license in order to access their extensive online database of SDRs.

Today, we learned of the site’s closure.  Here’s the message posted at SDR.hu:

The SDR.hu project has been finished

I’d like to say a big thanks to everyone who joined my journey with this project!

I hope you had a good time listening on the site, and learnt some things about SDR. The purpose of this site was to provide a technological demonstration for amateur radio operators about Software Defined Radio, and I hope this goal has been reached. As this website was a one-person hobby project, with my tasks and responsibilities growing, and my focus moving to other projects at which I hope to make a greater positive impact, I’m unable to further develop SDR.hu and protect it from abuse.

Furthermore, I think this site has some good alternatives now. Nevertheless, in my opinion amateur radio receivers should be shared with strict access control in the future.

If you have more questions, feel free to consult the FAQ.

73!

Andras, HA7ILM

SWLing Post contributor, Mark Fahey, shared the following message sent by Andras to all KiwiSDR owners in the database this morning:

Hello,

You are receiving this e-mail because you were listing a receiver on SDR.hu in the last 3 months.

I wanted to let you know that the SDR.hu project is discontinued.
This is because I have to focus on my PhD and unfortunately I don’t have enough time anymore to maintain the website and protect it from abuse.
If you have questions, there’s a FAQ on the front page: https://sdr.hu/
For KiwiSDR users there is another listing service available on the KiwiSDR website: http://kiwisdr.com/public (I’m not involved with this one.)
Thank you very much for having participated in the project!

VY 73!

Andras, HA7ILM

Alternative KiwiSDR Portals

Fortunately, there are a number of other KiwiSDR portals that do not require registration or a call sign. Here’s a list:

If you prefer another KiwiSDR portal, please comment with a link.  I’ll try to update this post with any new additions!

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KiwiSDR: A brilliant new map portal!

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Last month, we noted that the popular SDR.hu KiwiSDR portal now requires registration and an amateur radio callsign to use the site.  While SDR.hu is still online, we certainly get the impression all site development has been halted. This is not the end of the world because SDR.hu is only one of several KiwiSDR portals–we linked to others in our January article.

Personally, I only used the SDR.hu map view to keep track of KiwiSDR sites and found it quite useful because I typically select sites based on geographic location.

A better KiwiSDR map portal

I’ve just learned via the KiwiSDR Twitter account that Priyom.org has updated their KiwiSDR map portal using Dyatlov maps. The results are brilliant and, in my opinion, even better than the SDR.hu’s map.

The Priyom.org map uses the full window, is uncluttered and easier to navigate.

If you click on a KiwiSDR site, you’ll see a pop-up window with basic site information. If you hover the cursor over that site info, another window will pop up with current details about the receiver, number of users, antenna, SNR, and GPS clock (see above).

This is now my favorite way to geographically surf KiwiSDR sites.

Click here to check out the new map portal.

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