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OrcSDR turns an M5Stack Tab5 and an RTL-SDR Blog V4 into a handheld radio. Plug in the receiver, connect an antenna, and use the touch dashboards to tune FM, watch aircraft, monitor LoRa traffic, and explore the air around you—without carrying a laptop.
- Set up the Tab5 by following Getting Started.
- Connect the RTL-SDR Blog V4 and a suitable antenna to the Tab5 USB Host port.
- From the boot screen, wait for Ready, then tap OrcSDR.
- Open FM Radio, tune a familiar local station, and turn up the volume.
You have your first win when you can hear the station and see its signal on the spectrum. Home is the safe place to return to: it remembers recent dashboards and keeps the live spectrum, waterfall, frequency, and volume close by.
- FM Radio — Implemented. Listen, tune, and read station text.
- ADS-B Aircraft — Experimental. Watch 1090 MHz aircraft traffic; live results depend on your antenna and location.
- LoRa Monitor — Experimental. Receive-only monitoring of compatible LoRa and Meshtastic traffic.
- P25 Preview — Experimental. Clear-voice trunking work; encrypted voice is not decoded.
- Settings — Implemented. Device settings, with optional connectivity features still evolving.
- RF Lab — Implemented test bench. Inspect the live receiver path and save short measurement sessions to SD.
- RTL-SDR Driver — The supported Blog V4 USB path and its current integration boundary.
OrcSDR is continuing to harden the standalone radio while exploring limited Wi-Fi analysis at 2.4 GHz. We are also investigating Wi-Fi CSI with additional ESP32 nodes to learn what is practical for mesh experiments.
This is early exploration, not a current downloadable receiver feature. The repository feature-status guide remains the detailed source for what is implemented, experimental, deferred, or unavailable.
If something works beautifully—or does not—share what you found. Include your Tab5 and SDR, antenna and band, what you expected, and what happened. Real-world reports help set the next priorities.