ONE OPEN-SOURCE BOARD THAT CAN LISTEN TO ALMOST EVERY RADIO SIGNAL IN THE AIR AROUND YOU
One board, one USB cable, and you can tune into aircraft transponders, weather satellites, pagers and garage remotes without changing a single component.
by Great Scott Gadgets (Michael Ossmann and team)
Open-hardwareScience
- difficulty
- ●●●●○
- time
- a weekend-plus
- license
- GPL-2.0
- repo
- repo ACTIVE8,140 stars
●●●●○ · a weekend-plus · GPL-2.0 · 8,140 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
COMPAREE VERDICT
HackRF One is not a weekend kit you solder at the kitchen table — it is a reference design for a professional-grade software defined radio that you either order pre-assembled or have fabricated commercially. The repository gives you everything to do that: KiCad schematic and board files with manufacturer part numbers, firmware source, and laser-cut case designs. The span it covers, roughly 1 MHz to 6 GHz, takes in most of what fills the air in an ordinary street, and because there is no fixed tuning, the same board becomes a completely different receiver depending on which program you run. The hardest part is not the hardware — it is learning how software defined radio actually works, which signals are legal to receive in your country, and which ones you are absolutely not allowed to transmit on. Great Scott Gadgets publishes a full free course for that. The most likely mistake is buying this thinking you will build a working radio in a weekend without prior RF experience — you will not. If you have that experience, or you are willing to spend the time learning, this is one of the most capable open hardware radios ever published. If you just want to listen to weather satellites, buy the finished unit or start with something narrower.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Full KiCad schematic and board files (with manufacturer part numbers) and firmware source are in the repository; the hardware is CERN-OHL-P v2, the software GPLv2.
- —Enclosure designs are in the hardware folder as 2D files: a laser-cut acrylic sandwich case and a Sick-of-Beige style plastic case (DXF); the board also fits a Hammond 1455J1201 aluminium case.
- —No assembly instructions for the PCB — this is a board you order fabricated and assembled, or buy ready-made.
- —Great Scott Gadgets sells the finished unit; the repository is for those who want to modify the design or build derivative hardware.
- —Comprehensive usage tutorials are hosted at greatscottgadgets.com/sdr, not in the repo.
- —The hardware is under the permissive CERN-OHL-P v2, so commercial derivative boards are allowed; the firmware and host tools are GPLv2.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the repository README and the hardware documentation (Tells you what the hardware can and cannot do, and where the design files are)
- 2.Decide whether you are ordering a board, buying the finished unit, or modifying the design(If you have never worked with SDR before, the finished unit or an assembled board is the correct choice)
- 3.Work through the Software Defined Radio course(Hosted at greatscottgadgets.com/sdr — covers the theory and practice you need before touching the transmit side)
- 4.Check transmit regulations in your country(Licensed bands, power limits and permitted uses vary. Receiving is almost always legal; transmitting almost always is not without a license.)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- Using the wrong design files — the open KiCad design in the repository is HackRF One; the hardware folder also holds old prototypes (Jawbreaker, Jellybean and others), and the newer HackRF Pro sold by Great Scott Gadgets is not among the hardware design files.
- Assuming you can hand-solder this as a first RF project — the 0.5 mm pitch QFN packages and RF layout requirements make this an expert-level self-build.
- Not checking local transmit regulations before powering the TX path — in most countries transmitting without a license on certain bands is illegal, and the penalties are not hypothetical.
- Expecting plug-and-play receive: SDR software setup on Windows especially can be fragile, and you will spend time on driver installation and sample-rate tuning before you see a clean waterfall.
- Buying this to receive one specific thing when a cheaper, narrower receiver would do the job — if all you want is ADS-B or weather satellite images, a purpose-built dongle is faster and easier.
- Transmitting on the wrong frequency, at the wrong power level, or into the wrong antenna impedance — all three can damage the RF front-end permanently.
Can I actually build this from the files in the repository?
Yes, but 'build' here means ordering PCB fabrication and assembly from a commercial house, or buying a bare board and placing over a hundred components under a microscope. The KiCad schematic and board files, with manufacturer part numbers, are complete — you export Gerbers and a BOM from them. What is not in the repository is a step-by-step assembly tutorial, because almost no one hand-builds these.
What is the difference between this and a cheap RTL-SDR dongle?
HackRF can transmit, covers a vastly wider range (1 MHz to 6 GHz versus ~24 MHz to 1766 MHz for most RTL dongles), and has a much higher sample rate. The tradeoff is cost, complexity, and the fact that transmitting legally requires knowledge and often a license. For receive-only, an RTL dongle is easier and cheaper.
Is it legal to use this?
Receiving is legal almost everywhere. Transmitting is not, unless you have the appropriate license for the band and mode, stay within power limits, and follow your country's rules. The repository is explicit: having transmit capability does not grant permission to use it.
Do I need to 3D print the case?
No. The board works without an enclosure. The repository has laser-cut acrylic case designs if you want one and do not want to buy the finished unit.
Can I modify this and sell it?
Yes. The HackRF One hardware design is released under the permissive CERN Open Hardware Licence v2 (CERN-OHL-P), so you can build and sell derivative boards; keep the copyright and licence notices. The firmware and host software are GPLv2, so changes to that code you distribute must stay open.
Community builds
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
Over 8,000 stars, open hardware under CERN-OHL-P, and transmit-capable from 1 MHz up to 6 GHz — but almost no one hand-assembles one. Did you buy yours pre-built, have boards fabricated, or solder it yourself?
Great Scott Gadgets (Michael Ossmann and team)
Michael Ossmann is the principal author of HackRF, an open source software defined radio platform for testing and developing radio technologies. Great Scott Gadgets manufactures and sells the finished HackRF One and the newer HackRF Pro, and publishes the HackRF One hardware design, firmware and host software openly.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the repository is actively maintained and holds both the hardware design (KiCad schematic and layout, with manufacturer part numbers in the schematic) and the host software and firmware; documentation is on Read the Docs. Hardware is licensed CERN-OHL-P v2 and the software GPLv2. Enclosure options are a laser-cut acrylic case and a DXF plastic case in the repo, and a Hammond aluminium box also fits. Help is available through GitHub issues and the project's Discord. The most common mistake is buying this to receive one specific signal, such as weather satellites or ADS-B, when a cheap receive-only RTL-SDR dongle would do that job more easily. HackRF's strength is breadth and transmit capability, and both come with a learning curve. If you have never touched RF before, work through Great Scott Gadgets' free SDR course before you order anything. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.