Getting Started with SDR

A Practical Introduction to Software-Defined Radio

by Paul Clark and David Clark

March 2025, 328 pp.

ISBN-13:

9781718502543

Look Inside!

Software-defined radio (SDR) is transforming wireless communications through flexible, inexpensive devices that can be programmed to receive AM and FM broadcasts, transmit signals over Wi-Fi, monitor GPS location data, communicate with the International Space Station, and more. This book provides a beginner-friendly introduction to this revolutionary technology. Its learn-by-doing approach will take you from total beginner to confident SDR practitioner, without confusing math or technical jargon. Working with intuitive, graphical software, you’ll explore how SDRs work, discover how to demodulate, filter, tune, and transmit analog radio signals—and get hooked on an exciting new hobby!

Author Bio

Paul Clark is the owner and chief engineer at Factoria Labs, an organization dedicated to the propagation of software defined radio. He has experience ranging from chip design to firmware development to RF reverse engineering. He teaches classes and workshops on SDR in the U.S. and abroad.

David Clark is an engineer interested in how things work, and enjoys sharing what he learns. He’s been working with radio technology since the late 1980s and was using SDRs before they were cool.

Table of contents

Introduction
Part 1: Radio Basics
Chapter 1: What Is a Radio?
Chapter 2: Computers and Signals
Chapter 3: Meet GNU Radio
Chapter 4: Your First Radio: A Simple AM Receiver
Chapter 5: Frequency, Gain, and Filters
Chapter 6: Understanding Your AM Receiver
Part 2: Beyond the Basics
Chapter 7: Creating an FM Radio
Chapter 8: The RF Spectrum, Modulation, and Noise
Chapter 9: Improving Your FM Radio
Chapter 10: SDR Hardware
Chapter 11: Peripheral Hardware
Chapter 12: Transmitting

The chapters in red are included in this Early Access PDF.

Extra Stuff

Click here to download a supporting file for the Early Access chapters.