LimeSDR

The LimeSDR is the better radio of the two on paper: 12 bit rather than 8, full duplex rather than half, and two channels on the USB version. For receiving a crowded band with a strong transmitter nearby, those extra bits are the ones that matter.

A 61.44 MS/s span holds two neighbouring satellite transponders at once, and a 23 Msym/s DVB-S2 multiplex is read in real time off it. LimeSuite is opened when a LimeSDR is looked for rather than linked, so it works on Linux, macOS and Windows with whatever version is installed.

On a LimeSDR the transmit port has to be the right one, which is a setting rather than a guess: pointing the transmitter at an unselected port is a silent failure that used to cost people an afternoon.

What it reaches

• Everything the HackRF reaches below 3.8 GHz
• DVB-S2 transponders at 23 Msym/s and more, two at once
• Full duplex: transmit and receive at once
• 12 bit dynamic range in a crowded band

What it will not do

• Above 3.8 GHz is out of range, so 5.8 GHz FPV needs a HackRF
• Needs LimeSuite installed, except in the macOS app
• Not in the browser version: LimeSuite is a native library

Setup

Install LimeSuite from your distribution or Homebrew; on Windows put LimeSuite.dll on the PATH or beside waveshark.exe. The macOS app carries its own copy. Transmit and receive ports are picked by the names printed on the board.