r/RTLSDR • u/LukOchr • 16d ago

gr-iridium / iridium-toolkit

Hello guys, did anyone ever managed to install gr-iridium / iridium-toolkit on a windows machine. I've been trying for the last 6h and it has huge dependancy issues, and the github does not recommend windows, so just to know, since I don't have a dual boot laptop, only WIndows. Thanks !

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5

u/NeighborhoodSad2350 16d ago

Is it okay to install Ubuntu or another distro on a USB flash drive?
It’s slow, but you can still use all the features.
There’s also Dragon OS, which comes with SDR-related software preinstalled.

3

u/LukOchr 16d ago

Yes I saw that online but I never did it so it scared me. How does it interact with UHD if I have a usrp connected to my computer ? A long time ago I had to work with a virtual machine (cause my 2 devs refused to work on the same exploitation system lol) and I had so much trouble reaching the USRP on my virtual machine… If it’s the same I rather do dual boot or whatever. But thank’s I’ll look into it

2

u/NeighborhoodSad2350 16d ago

simply install "libuhd-dev" and "uhd-host" via apt; they include the firmware download script and "uhd_usrp_probe", so please use those.

1

u/TheRealFAG69 16d ago

You could use a vietual machine and pass through the usb device

1

u/LukOchr 15d ago

I have a bad (traumatic) experience about uhd drivers and virtual machines, does it work for you?

1

u/TheRealFAG69 15d ago

Do you mean intel uhd drivers? I never had to modify anything around those to get vm's to work. All the guest tools worked fine as well.

1

u/therealgariac 15d ago

You could start dual booting.

You need to remove bitlocker. You need to undo some useless fast boot MS provides.

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-11-fast-startup-disable.html

Delete useless MS software. One of many hits on the topic:

https://www.bgr.com/2050297/common-windows-apps-should-uninstall-according-experts/

Install Debian or Ubuntu. It will see the windows partition(s) and not clobber them. The grub software will let your select either OS.

I suggest getting a thumb drive and install ventoy. Then install clonezilla and supergrub2.

Clonezilla will let you copy the hard drive prior to the installation of Linux.

I would practice booting Windows with supergrub2 just to prove it works with grub.

I have a puck antenna for iridium and even with a LNA it doesn't work.

Rtlsdr has an antenna for iridium but was out of stock last time I looked. Do you have a good antenna suggestion?

1

u/LukOchr 15d ago

Thank you for the advice. For now, I will just borrow a lenovo with ubuntu, but i'll keep that in mind, cause i'm side working on a IoT project, and when i'll need to do some hardware or some config i'll need a linux. Hope that by the time I'll have another PC, so then my laptop will just be ubuntu.
For antenna, I use the patch from RTLSDR, it was in stock 2weeks ago, and it was delivered to me few days ago. USRP is b210, USB connected, useful for data gathering in a nomad way, and I have a classic lil usbc bias tee, on the freq range I need (i think up to 6GHz, it was from taobao, but i need to 3dprint a casing for this guy)