Fast cheap AIS using $20 rtl-sdr DVB-T SDR Dongles !

[audeojude]

Yep I won't be relying on it for dedicated AIS either..

I got a dedicated transceiver. I didn't want to spend the money but I heard to many stories about big ships that never seemed to see smaller boats all of a sudden hailing those boat that now had boats that transmit capability by name. Not a sure thing but one more little thing in your favor as a small boat on a big ocean with even bigger boats.

Most of all a good watch and vigilance.

[broncus]

I imagine most might stumble upon my first post in another thread but if not, look here:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1405967

[prof_mariner]

Great thread, lots of good info. I "discovered" SDR the other day while looking for a cheap HF radio for weather fax. As someone who started with a Heathkit tube SWL receiver back in the 60's, I think this is pretty neat stuff. Think I'm going to pull the plug on one of KN0CK's dongles (http://www.easy-kits.com/rtlsdr-for-...onverter-rev-4) to play with. Only goes up to ~50 Mhz so would likely need a different dongle for AIS / 162 Mhz. Anyone else using SDR for AIS, weather fax, and HF SSB reception?

[larsed]

prof_mariner,
I must admit that I do not quite understand what you're asking, and my reply therefore is a kind of shot in the dark, but anyway:
If you've got the freq's you need for the different purposes, you could try these:
compatibility - RTLSDR
and
rtl-sdr
to find a suiting RTL2832U dongle.
Regards
Lars

[prof_mariner]

Hi Lars,

I was asking if anyone is using a RTL SDR in place of an actual receiver on their boat? If they are finding it suitably reliable for the task?

It's a very interesting and fast growing technology. Just downloaded "SDR Touch" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ndrosdr2&hl=en) on my Android phone, which turns my phone into a VHF/UHF receiver. Pretty darn cool.

[larsed]

Ok, I misunderstood, thought you were asking for a working dongle.
Through this thread I've read many who claims using rtl-sdr on their vessels. I myself would never trust the rtl-sdr AIS in real navigation.

Regards
Lars

[Jacekpio]

Hi all,
I try to understand how to install this new plugin but your discussion is to complicated for non professional Please explain it for profanes like me! Just a simple manual for normal computer user. Thanks in advance
Jacek

[seandepagnier]

The plugin has no manual.

What operating system, which dongle do you have and which decoder are you using (gnuradio or aisdecoder) ?

[denverd0n]

At this point there is no "simple manual" for setting up an SDR dongle. If you can't figure it out from the information in this thread, then it is probably something that you should just leave alone for now. Perhaps in the future there will be "plug-n-play" options available, but right now it is just not that simple.

[seandepagnier]

I can make the plugin plug and play capable under linux very easily, but I didn't get any feedback that this is desired.

[Sailor_Hutch]

I hate to bring up a subject related to this, and to US citizens. But, I am one of those weird people who actually read eula and terms of service agreements, etc.

I'm not a lawyer, so would appreciate input from any forum members who are (so long as it's free advice :-)

US citizens are often more restricted in what they can do, relative to the rest of the world. This phenomenon may again be brought to fore. US 47 CFR part 15.37f specifies that it's not legal to use (or to purchase/import) equipment into the US that can be used to intercept cell phone frequencies. (The cell phone companies are exempted, of course).

So, does this dongle gizmo blank out the frequencies of the cell carriers? If it doesn't, then it's probably not legal in the US. (Again, just my (unofficial) opin.

Can someone correct me?

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by Sailor_Hutch

US citizens are often more restricted in what they can do, relative to the rest of the world.

Yes, the "land of the free" is a joke.

This phenomenon may again be brought to fore. US 47 CFR part 15.37f specifies that it's not legal to use (or to purchase/import) equipment into the US that can be used to intercept cell phone frequencies. (The cell phone companies are exempted, of course).

So, does this dongle gizmo blank out the frequencies of the cell carriers? If it doesn't, then it's probably not legal in the US. (Again, just my (unofficial) opin.

Can someone correct me?

Mine picks up anything from 12mhz to 1.2ghz. I know another which goes to 2.2ghz. So, yes you can pick up cell phone transmissions. I looked up the section you quoted, and it is stated by fcc.gov that it's obsolete and without effect.

[Sailor_Hutch]

I had to go poking around some more, due to one of my tendencies...

It seems that in the US, the gubmint has decided to regulate SDR. Fortunately (by my reading of the laws as a non-lawyer) it looks like they define SDR as a combination of the things needed to make a radio (physical device + software). So, by their definition, the software side of the SDR is not really a complete radio, since the software by itself cannot receive or transmit anything. The software is the "software defined" part and not the "radio wave transmitter/receiver" part, so I think we'd get a pass on the software part. I don't think the coasties will break down your companion way hatches to get your SDR gnu-radio stuff (but please don't take my word for it).

Mostly, my reading (uneducated opinion) of the regs suggest that any real SDR (a combination which contains both a physical radio and the software for modulating/processing it) must be certified by the FCC). It's clear to me that they include transmitting devices, but it's not clear, to me anyway, that they include receiving devices in the explicit SDR regs. However, the "cell phone reception" law is a completely separate rule from the SDR one.

[Sailor_Hutch]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Yes, the "land of the free" is a joke.

Mine picks up anything from 12mhz to 1.2ghz. I know another which goes to 2.2ghz. So, yes you can pick up cell phone transmissions. I looked up the section you quoted, and it is stated by fcc.gov that it's obsolete and without effect.

Good to know. Maybe that is because cell phones are digital and encrypted now, and the rule was made when cell phones were analog. Now the same effect is probably enforced by other laws against decrypting communications, etc.

As far as the SDR stuff goes, here's some codes for those others who read EULAs and TOS agreements in spare time:

47 USC 2.501, 47 USC 302, 47 CFR part 15.3, 70 FR 23039,
47 CFR 2.944, 47 USC 605,
etc, etc

[larsed]

Well Jacekpio, I was wondering why you never got back to boat_alexandra when he tried to help you out?

And in fact I really might be talking through my hat here ?
You were asking about a plugin, and I know someone has written one. Maybe boat_alexandra, but I could not find it in this thread, just among the ocpn plugins downloads.
Then it's called rtlsdr_pi_0.10-1_[arch].pkgtype. (Are you the author boat_alexandra? I really got curious about that plugin but haven't tried it yet.)

But if you by "plugin" meant the whole gnuradio builds leading to gr-ais I must agree with denverd0n, there really are information enough in this thread (depending on OS/Distribution) to build it on your own. At least for deb- and rpm-distributions.

For the "Debianists", that is including derivatives, I noticed that the latest Mint17 has got most part of the gnuradio-rtl-sdr src's built as packagages. That should simplify the installation a lot!

The same does not go for the latest OpenSuSE . I'll try to reproduce the builds of gr-ais I made in v. 12.2 and 12.3 in 13.1 (Evergreen, i.e. 3 years) later this year.

But to conclude Jacekpio, as you could see there are people in this forum trying to help you out, but it's important you specify what you mean with "plugin", and what boat_alexandra asked: OS, dongle (chipset) and decoder (gnuradio or aisdecoder)?

Regards
Lars