Devlog #1 – Wideband Software Defined Radio

I started this project about three weeks before I found out about Hack Club Stardance, so I’m jumping in a little late with the documentation. Instead of trying to recreate everything I’ve already done, I’m going to use these devlogs to document the project from where it is now and everything going forward.

Project Goal

The goal of this project is to build a custom Software Defined Radio (SDR) capable of receiving signals from 50 MHz to 800 MHz. Instead of relying on a single integrated tuner chip, I’m designing much of the radio myself so I can better understand how modern radio hardware actually works.

Current Progress

So far I have finished most of the system architecture and decided on the overall signal chain, including:

• Bandpass filter bank
• Low-noise amplifier
• Quadrature receiver
• FPGA-based digital signal processing

Right now I’m working on one of the most important parts of the design: the local oscillator. This circuit generates the precise frequencies needed for the receiver to tune across the spectrum.

Next Steps

• Finalize the local oscillator design
• Select the frequency synthesizer and reference oscillator
• Finish the receiver front-end
• Begin schematic capture
• Start PCB layout