This is how you set up software-defined radio on Fedora. You'll need a cheap Realtek RTL2832U TV dongle. I used this one from Amazon.

Install Driver

You need to install OsmocomSDR which is essentially a special driver for your TV dongle.

  1. sudo yum install libusb-devel
  2. git clone git://git.osmocom.org/rtl-sdr.git
  3. cd rtl-sdr/
  4. mkdir build
  5. cd build
  6. cmake ../
  7. make
  8. sudo make install

Add rtl-sdr lib path to ldconfig

This is necessary on Fedora.

  1. sudo su
  2. echo '/usr/local/lib' > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/rtl_sdr.conf
  3. ldconfig

Disable default driver

There is a default driver module provided automatically called dvb_usb_rtl28xxu. You need to "blacklist" or prevent this driver from loading.

  1. sudo su
  2. echo 'blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu' > /etc/modprobe.d/rtl_sdr.conf
  3. Reboot your computer.

Test rtl-sdr is working

Run rtl_test and ensure the output is free of errors.

Get Gqrx

Gqrx is a simple/easy to use SDR receiver that gives you a spectrum and waterfall UI.

sudo yum install gqrx

Simply run Gqrx, it should auto-select the correct device. This is what mine looks like: device selection

Hit the top-right power button icon to turn on the spectrum analyzer. Enjoy!

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