How to spy and intercept any radio signals

All of you have seen videos on movies and YouTube of how they intercept radio signals, aircraft signals, etc.

But in the modern world this is not a fantasy, almost everyone can realize it. Do you want to know how? Read on ...

Let's go

Preparation

There are 2 ways - the first one includes buying specials. equipment, the second is a simple internet connection . Let's take a little look at the first and move on to the second. So, the first way we need to have in stock or purchase: RTL-SDR module (cost about $ 25).

In my opinion, the best, inexpensive and effective option. You can also HackRF, but it costs 300 US dollars, but its advantage is that it can receive and transmit signals, and RTL-SDR only receive. This is not the last advantage of HackRF, but you can compare it yourself. My task is to provide an inexpensive and effective option, as such is the RTL-SDR module.

Buy RTL-SDR module

Online: stores: AliExpress , Amazon ,  eBay .

What is RTL-SDR module?

RTL-SDR is a very cheap USB dongle that can be used as a computer radio scanner to receive live radio signals in your area (no internet required). Depending on the specific model, it could receive frequencies from 500 kHz to 1.75 GHz. Most of the RTL-SDR software is also community developed and provided free of charge.

What applications are there for RTL-SDR radio scanner?

RTL-SDR can be used as a broadband radio scanner. Applications include:

• Use as a police radio scanner;
• Listening to messages of the emergency service / ambulance / fire brigade;
• Listening to air traffic controllers' conversations;
• Aircraft location tracking as radar with ADSB decoding;
• Decryption of ACARS short messages of aircraft;
• Scanning of trunking radio communications;
• Decoding unencrypted digital voice transmissions such as P25 / DMR / D-STAR;
• Tracking the location of sea boats as radar with AIS decoding;
• Decryption of POCSAG / FLEX pager traffic;
• Search for cordless phones and baby monitors;
• Tracking and receiving meteorological agency launched weather balloon data;
• Tracking your own high-altitude balloon for payload recovery;
• Receiving wireless temperature sensors and wireless power meter sensors;
• Listening to amateur radio on VHF;
• Decoding of APRS packets of radio amateurs;
• I watch analog TV broadcasting;
• Sniffing GSM signals;
• Using rtl-sdr on your Android device as a portable radio scanner;
• Receiving GPS signals and decoding them;
• Using RTL-SDR as a spectrum analyzer;
• Receiving satellite images of NOAA weather;
• Listening to satellites and ISS;
• Radio astronomy;
• Monitoring of the dispersion of meteors;
• Listening to FM radio and decoding RDS information;
• Listening to DAB radio broadcasts;
• Listening and decoding HD-Radio (NRSC5);
• Use rtl-sdr as a panadapter for your traditional radio hardware;
• Decoding the signals of the mobile data terminal of the taxi;
• Use rtl-sdr as a high quality source of entropy for random number generation;
• Use rtl-sdr as a noise figure indicator;
• Reverse engineering of unknown protocols;
• Signal source triangulation;
• Search for sources of radio frequency noise;
• RF filter characteristics and antenna SWR measurements;
• Decoding of geostationary satellites Inmarsat STD-C EGC;
• Listening to ISS (International Space Station).

To install drivers and additional software, read here .

Also, YouTube is full of guides on how to use this device.

But alas, not everyone has a budget of $ 25, then in order to just fool around we can listen to frequencies online. To do this, we turn to the second option.

Wiretapping online

There are sites on the network that broadcast frequency intercepts in Live mode. They work on this principle.

You can find most of the sites on the network yourself, now I will give you several services:

DPS, RUVD, MES - http://dps-fm.com (Flash Player required);

Air Station - http://live.radioscanner.net/audio/ulli ;

US Police - http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/ .

Thank you all for your attention!