HDSDR

HDSDR is a popular free software-defined radio program for Windows. It supports a wide range of SDR hardware and allows listening to and decoding digital signals like DRM radio, DAB, HD Radio, Inmarsat STD-C EGC, ACARS, ATC, and more.

Audio & Music Radio Software

sdr radio digital-radio

HDSDR alternatives ➤

HDSDR: Free Software-Defined Radio Program for Windows

What is HDSDR?

HDSDR is an advanced yet easy-to-use software-defined radio program for Windows. It supports a wide variety of SDR receivers, including models from SDRplay, Airspy, RTL-SDR, FUNcube Dongle, Elad, and more. With HDSDR, you can listen to FM radio, AM radio, HF radio communications, satellite signals, and decode digital transmissions including DRM, DAB, DAB+, HD Radio, Inmarsat STD-C EGC, ACARS, POCSAG pager signals, ATC, and numerous other analog and digital modes.

Some of the key features of HDSDR include a customizable frequency scanner with signal auto-detection, excellent noise reduction algorithms, variable bandwith filters, synchronous AM with selectable sidebands, a built-in frequency manager database as well as support for external ones, IQ file recording and playback, digital autocorrelation, digital inphase synchronization, and a spectrum waterfall display with selectable color themes. The interface is highly customizable with dockable windows.

HDSDR also supports a wide range of plugins for added functionality. Some popular plugins add support for certain hardware, provide specialized decoding capabilities or enhance the feature set. Common decoding plugins include ones for digital voice like DMR, dPMR, D-Star and more.

An active community provides support for the software as well as plugins and extensions. The software receives periodic updates with new features and is available entirely free of charge, although donations are accepted.

HDSDR Features

Features

Supports many SDR hardware devices
Decodes digital signals like DRM, DAB, HD Radio, Inmarsat, ACARS, ATC
Spectrum analyzer and waterfall display
Record and playback audio
Schedule recordings
Plugin architecture

Pricing

Free
Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Wide hardware support

Lots of features

Active development and user community

Cons

Windows only

Steep learning curve

Can be resource intensive

Official Links

Official Website
https://www.hdsdr.de/

The Best HDSDR Alternatives

Top Audio & Music and Radio Software and other similar apps like HDSDR

Here are some alternatives to HDSDR:

SDR#

Gqrx

GNU Radio

inspectrum

Linrad

SDR Touch

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SDR#

SDR# (pronounced SDR Sharp) is a popular free software package that enables software-defined radio (SDR) reception on Windows computers. It works with many common software-defined radios like the RTL-SDR dongle to open up a wide swath of radio frequency signals for listening and experimentation.Some key features and capabilities of SDR#...

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Gqrx

Gqrx is an open source software defined radio (SDR) receiver designed to operate with hardware SDRs like the RTL-SDR. As an SDR, Gqrx takes advantage of the computing power of modern PCs to process received radio signals that have been converted to a digital data stream by the SDR hardware.Key...

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GNU Radio

GNU Radio is a free and open-source software development toolkit that provides signal processing blocks to implement software-defined radios and signal processing systems. It can be used for rapid prototyping, experimentation, and education.Some key features of GNU Radio include:A graphical UI called GNU Radio Companion to develop signal processing flowgraphsA...

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Inspectrum

Inspectrum is an open-source program used for signal analysis of captured data, primarily from software-defined radios (SDRs). It has a graphical user interface that allows you to visualize, process, and analyze signals in various ways.Some of the key features of Inspectrum include:Decoding analog signals like FM radio, AM radio, and...

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Linrad

Linrad is a software-defined radio application designed specifically for weak-signal reception, such as on the VHF, UHF, and microwave bands. It was created by Leif Åsbrink and first released in 2003.Some of the key features of Linrad include:Very high sensitivity and dynamic range, making it excellent at pulling weak signals...

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SDR Touch

SDR Touch is a versatile software defined radio application for Android. It takes advantage of the built-in tuners in smartphones and tablets to allow you to listen to radio signals across a wide range of frequencies, from commercial FM broadcasts all the way up to microwave and satellite frequencies.Some key...

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SDRangel

SDRangel is an open source software defined radio application that allows you to receive and transmit radio signals using software defined radio receivers. It works with many common SDR hardware devices like the RTL-SDR, Airspy, HackRF, LimeSDR and more.With SDRangel you can listen to various radio signals that are transmitted...

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CubicSDR

CubicSDR is an open-source software-defined radio (SDR) application capable of receiving and transmitting radio signals using commodity hardware. Unlike traditional hardware radios, CubicSDR performs most radio functions like modulation, filtering, and demodulation in software rather than dedicated analog hardware.Some key features of CubicSDR include:Cross-platform support for Linux, Mac, and WindowsCompatible...

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SDR++

SDR++ is an open source, cross-platform software defined radio application capable of receiving and transmitting radio signals using software defined radio hardware connected to a personal computer.Some of the key features of SDR++ include:Supports many common software defined radios like the RTL-SDR, Airspy, HackRF, and SDRplayIntuitive graphical user interface for...

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SodiraSDR

SodiraSDR is an open-source, cross-platform software defined radio (SDR) application designed for hobbyists and home users. It enables accessing radio spectrum using PC hosted software radios for activities like listening, scanning, and transmitting across a wide frequency range.Some key features of SodiraSDR include:Supports many common SDR hardware devices like RTL-SDR,...

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Sdrangelove

SDRangelove is an open source software defined radio program that allows you to set up various radio applications like FM radio, ADS-B aircraft radar tracking, amateur radio decoders, trunked radio scanners, RF spectrum analyzers and more. It works with common low cost SDR hardware like the RTL-SDR USB dongles.Some of...

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QRadioLink

QRadioLink is an open-source, cross-platform Internet radio software solution developed by Georgy Yunaev. It allows both streaming audio content over IP networks to set up Internet radio stations as well as accessing existing radio streams.Some of the key features of QRadioLink include:Cross-platform support - Works on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android,...

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