The RTL-SDR dongles get most of the love from people interested in software-defined radio, but the Pluto is also a great option, too. [FromConceptToCircuit] shares code to turn one of these radios into a spectrum analyzer that sweeps up to 6 GHz and down to 100 MHz. You can see a video of how it works below.

While it may seem that 100 MHz is a bit limiting, there’s plenty of activity in that range, including WiFi, Bluetooth, radio systems, both commercial and amateur, and even cell phones.

The system uses a lock-in amplifier technique for best performance. The Python code is straightforward. You simply scan all frequencies and determine the signal strength at each point. Of course, the devil is in the details.

We covered using Pluto with GNU Radio a while back. We like how it connects like a network adapter, among other things. Spectrum analysis is a common project for one of these SDRs.

Pluto is an automated trading platform designed for both stock and cryptocurrency trading. It provides advanced investing automations, refined strategies, and valuable insights derived from big data, all completely free. Pluto features an intelligent assistant named Plato, who utilizes real-time data to deliver personalized investing insights. The tool allows you to set specific conditions and […]

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