{"id":67260,"date":"2026-09-30T17:17:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T21:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=67260"},"modified":"2026-09-30T06:17:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T10:17:45","slug":"an-analog-touch-of-class-for-sdrangel-two-new-open-source-tools-for-swls-and-sdr-enthusiasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/an-analog-touch-of-class-for-sdrangel-two-new-open-source-tools-for-swls-and-sdr-enthusiasts\/","title":{"rendered":"An Analog Touch of Class for SDRAngel: Two New Open-Source Tools for SWLs and SDR Enthusiasts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-67261\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1914\" height=\"1077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob.png 1914w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SDRAngel-S-meter-e-vintage-knob-624x351.png 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1914px) 100vw, 1914px\" \/><\/a>Many thanks to <em>SWLing Post<\/em> contributor Patrizio (IN3032SWL), who writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Dear SWLing Post Readers,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Before presenting the projects, I would like to share a brief personal reflection. I am 59 years old, not a professional programmer, I still use an old PC running Windows 7, and I am studying to take the amateur radio license exam next November 26th. All the software you see below was developed entirely and for free with the valuable help of <b>Gemini<\/b>. This proves that at any age you can challenge yourself and create useful tools: Artificial Intelligence is not a demon to fight, but the natural evolution of technology that we can all access today to cultivate our passions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">As shortwave enthusiasts, we know how fascinating the visual and operational aspect of radio frequency is: having clear instruments, a nice analog dial, and essential data right at hand makes listening much more engaging. Often, modern SDR software is powerful but cold, lacking that classic warmth of traditional tabletop receivers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">To bridge this gap and optimize the listening station, I created two lightweight open-source projects designed to integrate seamlessly with <b>SDRAngel<\/b>.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">1. What is it?<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">These are two modules designed to accompany SDRAngel by bringing dedicated tools to the desktop:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><b>SDRangel Shack Dashboard:<\/b> A compact, always-on-top panel combining an <b>analog S-meter<\/b> (with selectable aesthetic skins such as the classic amber yellow, white, blue, black, or green), a digital frequency meter of the active VFO, and a UTC clock with a permanent time reference.<\/li>\n<li><b>SDRangel VFO Faceplate:<\/b> A true virtual front control panel equipped with an interactive rotary tuning knob (a virtual knob that can be rotated with the mouse or scroll wheel), a numeric keypad, and quick step selectors (from 1 Hz to 10 kHz) for fine frequency tuning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">2. Who is it for?<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">For all SWLs, SDR users, and radio amateurs who use SDRAngel and want a clean, independent, and customizable interface for signal monitoring, without having to dig through the complex menus of the main software.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">3. What problem does it solve?<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">It allows you to monitor signal strength at a glance (via the needle instrument) and tune or verify the exact frequency with an ergonomics similar to a traditional hardware receiver, keeping the windows freely positionable on the screen.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">4. What does it require and how does it work?<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><b>Cross-Platform Soul:<\/b> These applications are designed to run smoothly on different platforms. In my shack, for example, I run them without any issues on an old PC with <b>Windows 7<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li><b>Maximum Simplicity:<\/b> No complex installation procedures are needed; once you download the code, launching it takes literally a <b>double-click<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li>It requires Python installed on your computer and SDRAngel running locally (the program connects automatically via the software&#8217;s local REST APIs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">5. Where can you see it in action and download it?<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">You can see the programs in action in the demonstration video published on YouTube: ? <b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mX-Cb6NyO80\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">Watch the demonstration video on YouTube<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mX-Cb6NyO80?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">All source code, instructions, and graphic skins are available freely on GitHub: <b><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/i5184an\/SDRangel-VFO-Faceplate-Analog-S-Meter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">GitHub Repository &#8211; SDRangel VFO Faceplate &amp; Analog S-Meter<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Happy listening and 73 to everyone!<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>Patrizio (IN3032SWL)<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Patrizio (IN3032SWL), who writes: Dear SWLing Post Readers, Before presenting the projects, I would like to share a brief personal reflection. I am 59 years old, not a professional programmer, I still use an old PC running Windows 7, and I am studying to take the amateur radio license [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[836,3,158],"tags":[11150,11193],"class_list":["post-67260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-products","category-news","category-software-defined-radio","tag-patrizio-in3032swl","tag-sdrangel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-huQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66505,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/patrizio-shares-his-bcl-swl-radio-logbook-pro-project\/","url_meta":{"origin":67260,"position":0},"title":"Patrizio Shares His &#8220;BCL-SWL Radio Logbook Pro&#8221; Project","author":"Thomas","date":"July 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Patrizio (IN3032SWL), who shares his BCL-SWL Radio Logbook Pro, an open-source logging application that he has developed in Python with AI assistance and recently published on GitHub. Patrizio notes that the application is designed to provide SWLs with a straightforward way to log receptions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56624,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/05\/patrizio-uses-speechtexter-to-translate-foreign-broadcast-content\/","url_meta":{"origin":67260,"position":1},"title":"Patrizio uses Speechtexter to translate foreign broadcast content","author":"Thomas","date":"May 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Patrizio (IN3032SWL), who writes: If you are a fan of foreign radio broadcasts (BCL), you may have experienced the difficulty of transcribing the details of the programs, especially if they are in an unknown language. In addition, many radio stations have their own web\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;How To&quot;","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Speechtexter-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Speechtexter-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Speechtexter-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Speechtexter-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58339,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/patrizio-seeks-information-about-mystery-signals-hes-discovering-across-the-hf-bands\/","url_meta":{"origin":67260,"position":2},"title":"Patrizio seeks information about mystery signals he&#8217;s discovering across the HF bands","author":"Thomas","date":"December 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Patrizio Cardelli, who has discovered some interesting signals on the HF bands and is seeking information about them. A little background: Patrizio asked me about these signals a few weeks ago and based on a quick glance at the spectrum and waterfall images I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Digital Modes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Digital Modes","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/digital-modes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Spectrum-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59538,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/patrizio-receives-detailed-information-about-the-woofferton-test-transmission-he-confirmed\/","url_meta":{"origin":67260,"position":3},"title":"Patrizio receives detailed information about the Woofferton test transmission he confirmed","author":"Thomas","date":"April 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Patrizio Cardelli, who shares the following background story (via our friend, Dave Porter) about a Woofferton test transmission received at his QTH in Italy: Hi Patrizio, Thank you for your report and I confirm the details for 9885 kHz are correct. These transmissions were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Woofferton_transmitting_station_2011.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Woofferton_transmitting_station_2011.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Woofferton_transmitting_station_2011.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Woofferton_transmitting_station_2011.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43158,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/patrizios-simple-homebrew-ncpl-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":67260,"position":4},"title":"Patrizio&#8217;s simple homebrew NCPL antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"May 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Patrizio Cardelli, who writes: I'm Patrizio (SWL I - 5184 \/AN) from Riva del Garda, Italy. A few days ago, I built a Noise-Cancelling Passive Loop (NCPL) antenna. I built the 1:1 balun with a couple of ferrite 175 - 285. I got a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antennas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Screen-Shot-2020-05-07-at-7.35.59-AM-e1588851426131.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Screen-Shot-2020-05-07-at-7.35.59-AM-e1588851426131.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Screen-Shot-2020-05-07-at-7.35.59-AM-e1588851426131.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Screen-Shot-2020-05-07-at-7.35.59-AM-e1588851426131.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37363,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/the-hermes-lite-sdr-an-open-source-hf-transceiver-based-on-a-broadband-modem-chip\/","url_meta":{"origin":67260,"position":5},"title":"The Hermes-Lite SDR: an open source HF transceiver based on a broadband modem chip","author":"Thomas","date":"May 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Pete Eaton, who writes: Don't know if you are familiar with this project, a full blown 5 watt HF SDR Transceiver for less than $300! No sound cards, DUC\/DDC architecture. 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