Software-defined radio has transformed radio experimentation. Tasks that once required dedicated hardware can now be carried out in software, making it possible to inspect, process, and transmit signals in ways that were once reserved for specialized equipment. In SDR with HackRF One & HackRF Pro: Programming with GNU Radio, author Burkhard Kainka takes readers inside the world of software-defined radio through a combination of radio theory, practical experiments, and software development.


In the foreword, Kainka acknowledges that digital signal processing can seem intimidating at first, but argues that today's SDR tools make it easier than ever to learn through experimentation. That philosophy runs throughout the book. Using the HackRF One and HackRF Pro as the hardware platform, readers investigate signal reception, transmission, digital signal processing, and SDR application development while gradually discovering how modern radio systems receive, process, and transmit signals.
 

HackRF One and HackRF Pro

From Early Radio to SDR with HackRF

Before diving into software-defined radio, the book takes a look at the technologies that laid the foundation for modern receivers. Crystal radios, audions, superheterodyne receivers, and IQ mixers are introduced as part of the evolution that eventually led to SDR systems.

This historical perspective provides context for the chapters that follow, where radio functions traditionally performed by hardware are recreated and examined through software tools.

SDR with HackRF in Practice

Throughout the book, the HackRF One and HackRF Pro serve as the experimental platform. These SDR transceivers support both reception and transmission across a broad frequency range and are used to investigate a wide variety of signals and applications.

The projects move from signal reception with SDR Sharp to practical experiments involving shortwave listening, FM signals, digital modes, and activity in the GHz range. Along the way, Kainka examines image frequencies, filtering, gain settings, alias signals, and other factors that influence receiver performance and signal quality.
 

FT8 signals in the 10 m band

Programming with GNU Radio

GNU Radio occupies a substantial portion of the book. Readers work with signal generators, mixers, filters, modulation techniques, and complete radio applications while becoming familiar with one of the most widely used open-source environments for SDR development.

The projects progress from basic signal generation and analysis to digital filters, FM receivers, shortwave receivers, test transmitters, and amateur radio applications. By building and examining signal-processing chains, readers gain a better understanding of what happens between the antenna and the final output.
 

Signal generation and analysis in GNU Radio

Beyond the Waterfall Display

Many SDR users spend their time tuning across bands and watching signals appear on a waterfall display. This book goes further by examining the mechanisms behind those signals and the tools used to receive, process, and transmit them.

If you plan to experiment with the HackRF Pro, there's an additional benefit: for a limited time, anyone who orders the HackRF Pro will receive the e-book SDR with HackRF One & HackRF Pro: Programming with GNU Radio (worth €20) free of charge.

Whether your interests include GNU Radio, RF experimentation, amateur radio, or software-defined radio in general, SDR with HackRF One & HackRF Pro provides a detailed look at the technologies and techniques behind modern SDR systems.

Subscribe
Tag alert: Subscribe to the tag Software Defined Radio and you will receive an e-mail as soon as a new item about it is published on our website!