The box started as a prototype of a hardware for an interdisciplinary research project, which requires sensing of RF spectrum. Since the project is still in very early stage, I'd rather not discuss it, but instead I want to focus on the part that will be more useful for fellow hackers - a small and handy box, which contains everything what is necessary to build a portable digital radio.

The heart of the box is a micro-ATX board with Intel Atom processor. Not a very powerful CPU, but strong enough to run DSP software built using GnuRadio. 

The centrepiece of the box - Intel Atom microATX motherboard.

The DSP application is fed by two receivers: One is a ubiquitous RTL dongle, the second radio is a bladeRF with a transverter board. The two receivers have been installed to evaluate their performance during the experiment. Of course bladeRF is a better radio, however it is also much bigger and heavier. If the RTL dongle will perform well during the tests, most likely it will be chosen for the final design.

The two radio acting as the RF interface.

The information extracted from the radio signals is geolocated using coordinates provided by the GPS. In the initial design the GPS board was installed inside the box and only the antenna was installed outside, however it was very difficult to check if the receiver obtained a fix, so I installed it outside, right next to the antenna.


For connectivity with the world the box use wireless network.  This allows for remote access and data transfer using ssh. Since the system is designed to be operated away form network infrastructure, I can not rely on external access points. Instead, the box creates own access point, which allows to connect to it using a laptop or even a tablet or phone with terminal app. The WiFi dongle shown on the picture is used as a radio interface. hostapd has been used to implement the software layer of the accesspoint.

The entire system is powered from a 12V sealed lead-acid battery mounted at the bottom of the box, powering the components through a 12V microATX power supply.


The box in its current state makes a great base for an ultra-chap, portable HAM radio station, or a GSM base station. Supplemented with solar cell and battery charging circuit can be installed in a remote location and accessed only when hardware failure occurs.