KaaSDR: put the cheese back into radio!

Get the current release (v0.10) here.

What is KaaSDR?

KaaSDR is a simple open-source software-defined radio program written in C++. It uses the PC’s soundcard to process I/Q signals from a receiver, such as the Softrock 40 or some other simple homebrew SDR RX.

I wrote KaaSDR primarily for myself to experiment with DSP techniques. A second goal of KaaSDR is to provide other enthousiasts with a framework they can change and learn from.

For the record: KaaSDR is not meant to replace PowerSDR or Rocky; it’s a learning tool (but still fun to use!).

What do I need to run KaaSDR?

At the moment you need a PC running windows 98 SE or better. I haven’t tried it on Vista, but it should work. You also need a soundcard capable of sampling at 48 kHz in stereo full-duplex mode (almost all modern soundcards can do this). Additionally, you need an SDR receiver, such as the Softrock 40.

KaaSDR can easily be ported to Linux because it uses cross-platform libraries. At the moment, however, porting KaaSDR to Linux is a long-term thing.

Where can I get the KaaSDR source code?

The source code for KaaSDR 0.10 is here.

Why is KaaSDR written in C++ (I much prefer C# or Java)?

I am a firm believer in efficiency. Hardware designers build ever faster CPUs and the software people find ways to waste that speed. One of those speed wasters is the virtual machine that is used by Java or C# and its .NET environment. Wasting such CPU power is a slap-in-the-face of those hard-working electrical engineers!

I chose C++ because it has objects and can be incredibly fast, under certain conditions.

If you really want C#, take a look at the PowerSDR source code.

What do I need to compile the KaaSDR source code?

You’ll need Microsoft Visual C++ Express, the PortAudio V19 audio library and the wxWidgets 2.8.4 GUI toolkit.

All the tools you need to build KaaSDR are free!

Why is KaaSDR called KaaSDR?

I hope that, like cheese (called ‘kaas’ in Dutch), KaaSDR will become a big export product of The Netherlands.