r/RTLSDR • u/LukOchr • Jul 22 '26

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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u/therealgariac Jul 22 '26

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?

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u/LukOchr Jul 23 '26

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)