It is often helpful to think of a radio as a series of interconnected functional blocks—hence the use of block diagrams to convey how a given radio operates. [Julian Haag] has brought this ethos to SDR–, a software-defined radio program where you can patch together your setup.

There are many software defined radio tools out there, with various interfaces and methods of configuration. [Julian] wanted to keep things intuitive and simple, and so built SDR– with an interface similar to that of a modular synth. You drop in blocks, like a radio, a demodulator, or a speaker, and then you link them together with patch cables to route the signals where they need to go.

[Julian] has populated the tool with plenty of useful decoders, too, so you can have lots of fun from the get go. You can play with things like ADS-B, POCSAG, SSTV, DAB, and RDS right out of the box. There’s also some fun passive radar and direction finding tools there too if you want to dive in. Files are on GitHub for the curious.

We’ve featured lots of neat SDR hacks over the years, like this neat real-time beamforming setup. Meanwhile, if you’re cooking up your own radio experiments in the homelab, don’t hesitate to let us know on the tipsline.