Also known as: PlutoSDR, ADALM-Pluto, Pluto
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ADALM-Pluto (often PlutoSDR) is Analog Devices’ low-cost learning software-defined radio: a pocket-sized, transmit-and-receive radio built on the AD9363 transceiver, covering 325 MHz to 3.8 GHz with 12-bit ADC sampling.1 It was designed as a teaching tool — an active learning module — pairing capable RF with Analog Devices’ documentation and courseware.2
Key takeaways A learning transceiver, not a scanner. The Pluto is a 12-bit, full-duplex TX/RX radio (325 MHz–3.8 GHz on stock firmware) built for teaching digital comms with tight MATLAB/Python tooling. For trunking it’s a poor fit: stock firmware misses VHF, dynamic range is ordinary, and transmit is irrelevant to receive-only scanning. GopherTrunk support is network only and receive-only: it drives the Pluto over a SoapySDR/rtl_tcp bridge (not the pure-Go USB path used for RTL-SDR, HackRF, and Airspy). Around $230. Like every receiver, it can’t decode AES encryption.
GopherTrunk support: network only. GopherTrunk drives the ADALM-Pluto over the network via SoapySDRServer/SoapyRemote (or an
rtl_tcp-style bridge), not as a direct USB device — you run a SoapySDR server against the Pluto’s IIO/libiiostack on the machine it’s plugged into and mount it over TCP, using its receive path only. GopherTrunk’s pure-Go USB drivers cover only RTL-SDR, HackRF, and Airspy. See the hardware guide and rtl_tcp notes.
Overview
The Pluto’s job is to make hands-on RF affordable: for the price of a mid-range dongle you
get a full transmit-and-receive radio you can build modulators, demodulators, and links
around. It streams IQ over USB while the host runs the signal
processing, and it integrates cleanly with MATLAB/Simulink, GNU Radio,
and Python via libiio/pyadi-iio. Because it transmits, learners can generate a signal
and receive it on the same device — closing the loop that a receive-only SDR cannot.
What it is
Inside is a Xilinx Zynq SoC (an ARM processor beside an FPGA fabric) paired with the AD9363 zero-IF transceiver. The Zynq runs embedded Linux and Analog Devices’ IIO framework, which exposes the radio to the host over USB (and optionally Ethernet-over-USB). Instantaneous bandwidth is up to about 20 MHz. A well-known detail: the AD9363’s stated 325 MHz–3.8 GHz range is a specification limit, not a hard wall — the closely related AD9364 covers 70 MHz–6 GHz, and a widely documented firmware tweak lets many Pluto units tune the wider AD9364 range and enable a second channel. Treat that as unspecified/unguaranteed operation rather than a rated feature.
Variants
The Pluto is a single product rather than a family, but a couple of distinctions matter:
- Rev B vs Rev C/D — later hardware revisions changed the RF connectors (from SMA to U.FL on some revs) and internal details; software is common across them.
- AD9363 vs “unlocked” AD9364 behaviour — the extended tuning range and dual channels are the unofficial modification noted above, not a factory configuration.
Its natural peers are other affordable transceivers such as the HackRF One and LimeSDR Mini; the Pluto’s differentiator is its explicit learning focus and tight MATLAB/Python tooling.
Relevance to SDR
The Pluto is squarely an education and prototyping device: teaching digital communications, building modem experiments, testing a receiver against a self-generated signal, and general UHF/microwave tinkering. Its full-duplex path and courseware make it a common classroom SDR.
For trunking reception it is a poor fit and not the intended use: its lower frequency limit (~325 MHz on stock firmware) misses VHF systems entirely, its dynamic range is ordinary, and transmit is irrelevant to scanning. GopherTrunk offers native USB backends for RTL-SDR, HackRF, and Airspy, not for the Pluto’s IIO stack, so any use would rely on an external bridge. It belongs in the learning and RF-development category rather than the scanning toolbox.
Where to buy
The ADALM-Pluto is sold by Analog Devices and its distributors, and listed on Amazon. If you’re buying it to use with GopherTrunk, remember two things: support is network only (through a SoapySDR/rtl_tcp bridge, not GopherTrunk’s direct USB drivers — see the hardware guide) and GopherTrunk uses receive only. For actual trunk-tracking, a RTL-SDR or Airspy is the cheaper, better-matched, plug-and-play choice; buy the Pluto for learning and TX/RX experiments.
As an Amazon Associate, GopherTrunk earns from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.
Sources
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ADALM-PLUTO — Wikipedia, on the PlutoSDR, its AD9363 transceiver, Zynq SoC, and the AD9364 frequency-range modification. ↩
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ADALM-PLUTO — Analog Devices, official product/learning page with tuning range, bandwidth, and tooling. ↩
Frequently asked questions
Does GopherTrunk support the ADALM-Pluto?
Only over the network, and receive-only. GopherTrunk’s pure-Go USB drivers cover RTL-SDR, HackRF, and Airspy — not the Pluto’s IIO stack. You drive it over the network via a SoapySDRServer/SoapyRemote (or rtl_tcp) bridge: run the Soapy server against libiio on the machine the Pluto is plugged into, then mount it over TCP. GopherTrunk uses only its receive path. See the hardware guide.
Is the PlutoSDR a good choice for scanning trunked systems?
Not really. On stock firmware its lower limit of ~325 MHz misses VHF systems entirely, its dynamic range is ordinary, and its transmit capability is irrelevant to receive-only scanning. The Pluto is designed as a learning and RF-development tool, not a scanner front end.
Can GopherTrunk transmit with a Pluto?
No. GopherTrunk is a receive-only decoder; it uses the Pluto purely as an IQ source over the bridge and never keys the transmitter. Transmitting also requires appropriate licensing and is outside GopherTrunk’s scope.
Pluto or a directly-supported SDR for GopherTrunk?
For trunk-tracking, a plug-and-play RTL-SDR or Airspy is both cheaper and better matched — they cover VHF, need no network bridge, and have GopherTrunk’s native USB backends. Buy a Pluto for learning digital comms and TX/RX experiments, not for scanning.