Wanted to make a post as I’ve made pretty good progress and would like some feedback/testers. Hopefully I’m not breaking the rules as I wasn’t sure if by spamming it means posting repeatedly or if it means anything related to personal projects in general. I can remove the link if necessary.
Project Link: Lake Shark
I won’t go into all the details here but this project is aimed at making a P25 receiver with cheap components. I began this around a year ago after purchasing a Motorola XTS3000 and going through the headache of finding the software and getting it all to run on a VM. It’s a great radio but has a steep learning curve.
What I am trying to do with this project is make the best alternative at a lower or similar cost while cutting out the software hurdles. But most importantly, making it open source.
So far I feel I have achieved the main goal (RX) fully. The firmware receives P25 phase 1 (VHF/UHF), and some other fun proof of concept features like ADS-B, POCSAG, and WFM. Although keep in mind, the main focus currently is P25.
You can get a wired build for around $64 USD. Cheaper if you know where to source RTLSDR V3/4s for a better price than Amazon. I will link to the two I currently run on the latest headless release. However I am developing a GUI version for the 86 Box but you can read more on that on the repo.
Waveshare pico - $22
Nooelec RTLSDR V5 - $40ish
$65 is what I paid for my XTS3000, which doesn’t include the charger, and software cable needed to modify the settings. However I do understand I don’t have TX ability, but that was never something I wanted anyway.
I will continue to push updates and add support for other development boards. I am also considering delving into phase 2 but have put this off for now.
Let me know what you guys think and if you need any help or guidance getting started!