Also known as: rtl_tcp

rtl_tcp is a small server that streams raw IQ samples from an RTL-SDR over a TCP connection, letting the dongle be used from another machine on the network.¹

rtl_tcp streams IQ over the network, so the dongle can sit at the antenna while decoding runs elsewhere.

Overview

A common setup runs rtl_tcp on a Raspberry Pi right at the antenna — keeping the coax run short — while the decoder runs on a more capable host elsewhere.

Relevance to SDR

GopherTrunk can attach to an rtl_tcp (or SoapyRemote) source, treating a remote dongle like a local one.

Sources

1. rtl-sdr (osmocom) — the Osmocom rtl-sdr project wiki, home of rtl_tcp and the RTL-SDR driver tools. ↩

See also

• RTL-SDR
• SoapySDR
• IQ data
• Software-defined radio (SDR)

Learn it step by step

• SDR hardware — RTL-SDR, HackRF, Airspy