TechMinds: Demonstrating OpenWebRX Plus
In one of his videos from a few days ago Matt from the Tech Minds YouTube channel tests out OpenWebRX+, an unofficial fork of OpenWebRX. OpenWebRX is open source software which enables users to put software defined radios like RTL-SDRs on the internet, allowing people from all over the world to access the receiver if desired, or just letting yourself access it remotely if you want to keep it private.
OpenWebRX+ adds several additional decoders and features on top of the official version. In the video Matt demonstrates OpenWebRX+ running on a Raspberry Pi 4, with an SDRPlay RSPdx. He demonstrates the web GUI in action and shows decoding examples of the various decoders that OpenWebRX+ comes with.
Video was nicely done. The video, particularly the section on adsb coerced me into giving openwebrx a third shot but for a third time I was disappointed. While trying to set up for adsb I could not even find the adsb protocol/decoder. Their website provided no direction or troubleshooting on adsb. Sigh! And maybe its just me but web interface seems to be lacking some important features. Like, an off or stop button so you don’t have close the page. I really wanted to see this work as in the video but I think for a lot of people it just will not happen easily.
Ok well after re-watching the video realized that I had downloaded pi image from wrong site. And there we are… all the digital modes and adsb working. Really high cpu usage on Pi 4 2 gb version Next hurdle .. what does one have to do to get map to work without internet connection. ie private network.? I believe this is one problem that forced me to give up on past versions of adsb software.
Well, I was quite dissapointed. I have the RTL v4 and a PRI4, an the latest OpenWebRx that supports it. and i’m not able to tune frequencies. Just listen to a range, how boring. The Nice ting is the decoders, but no easy frequency input or tuning makes the whole project useless.
I second that observation when online I avoid openwebrx & it plus version because it tuning interface totally non functional.
here is my take on the whole online web based sdr ecosystem.
We have basically 3 server platforms Kiwisdr, Websdr (university of twent netherlnds) & Openwebrx
—- Kiwisdr —-
kiwisdr user can can tune the full 32mhz of bandwidth ansd supports up to concurrent 128 users I think, but kiwi sdr is limited to HF 1khz – 32 Mhz, and has many more decoder then even openwebrx+
there are currently 800+ kiwisdr web sdrs exist for HF after while will get boring.
and its tied to beagle bone hardware development platform.
— Websdr from (university of twent Netherlands) —
Is the only software I can see that offers full independant concurrent muti user tuning capability, without tuning restiction if desired.
but the software is not publicly available for download & barely available.
The Guy that started the first WEBsdr in 2008 out of the University of Twent in the Netherlands, Has unusually strict criteria for who can obtain the server software.
-End user must agree to have a Websdr server listed on his site
-Prove that end user can add a proposal that is both acceptable & useful to WEBsdr project
-and meets his approval in order to obtain the software.
-Websdr users are not allowed to redistribute the Websdr software.
-Distribution of WEBsdr software is solely up to the authors discretion.
this leaves
— openwebsdr+ —
So when I dug in and set up openwebsdr+ for testing, I was totally disappointed to find I cannot define the upper and lower limit for a range of freq I want to share and have user be able to freely tune the full badwidth of that range or tune the Sdr device full range.
so this centre freq / offset is also purely nosense since the offset in more likely related to the use up/down converter but has nothing to do with setting a tuning range. as its described.in documentation, the software only allows tuning in +- 500,000 khz either side of a presets center freq. forceing the admin to set up multple tuning profiles bullshit.
Opemwebsdr+ not a good solution for a websdr it client side tuning functionality is so limiting with it admin defined preset mentality.
Sadly OpenwebRX & plus Version is the only freely available web based SDR server option available.
— lost opportunity —
I was hoping to set up a user controllable websdr but openwebrx+ is a disappointment.
for the time being i have cancelled my plans to set up a EME Moonbounce server for
sharing monitored international 2m (144mhz).70cm (440mhz) 23cm (1296mhz). EME /moonbounce activity online.
Luckily he did not show it with an RTL-SDR stick V4 as it does not work at all. While a V3 worked fine the new V4 produces tons of warnings and crashes the system. Don’t get a V4 if you try to run OpenWebRX!!!
You need to update to the new driver.