Software Defined Radio

An SDR radio is a software defined radio. That means a radio receiver is connected to and controlled by a computer. A web based SDR Radio is one which you access and operate via the internet using your web browser. You do not need any other hardware. An up to date web browser will serve you well as these systems tend to use modern web technologies.

Web SDR's are usually decent Radios with a decent Antenna. If you connect to one you can listen to the radio through your earphones / speakers as if you were at the same location with a good Radio.

Using one of these gives you a taste of what can be picked up at a particular location, and there are many worldwide. Some have a set number of bands, others have a wider range. One I listen to regularly is at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. It has a wide range of Coverage.

An excellent one at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire covers 2M, 70CM, 6M, 80M and 60M as well as PMR and CB. These are worth having a play with, you can't break them. If you mess up the settings, just close the web page and start again.

April 2024