BrowSDR browser receiver adds multi-SDR support and DMR decoding

BrowSDR, an open-source SDR receiver that runs entirely inside a web browser, can now drive several radios at the same time. Each SDR gets its own receiver tab with separate tuning, waterfall and VFOs, and a single WebRTC sharing link gives remote listeners access to all of them.

The program, written by developer Joel (jLynx), talks to SDR hardware directly through WebUSB, so nothing has to be installed on the computer. That makes it a quick way to put an RTL-SDR or HackRF on the air from a shack laptop or a borrowed machine, or to share a receiver with club members.

On the hardware side, the update adds the LimeSDR-USB at sample rates up to 61.44 MSPS and fixes Airspy R2 support. HackRF and LimeSDR users also get automatic gain control. The developer says all new features were tested on real hardware, including the RTL-SDR Blog V4, the LimeSDR and the HackRF Pro.

The items of most interest on the ham bands are DMR voice decoding, with P25, NXDN and D-STAR listed as still experimental, and support for upconverter offsets. An upconverter shifts HF signals up into the range a typical RTL-SDR dongle can tune, and an offset setting lets the display show the true frequency. Other reception changes include automatic squelch, stereo FM with RDS, a Signal Discovery panel and a reworked POCSAG decoder.

The update also brings a long list of non-ham decoders that run in the browser: ADS-B aircraft and AIS ship tracking with live maps, VHF ACARS with plain-language message explanations, RS41 weather balloon tracking, rtl_433 for weather sensors and tire pressure monitors, and passive Bluetooth Low Energy scanning for receivers that reach 2.4 GHz.

The source code is available on the project's GitHub repository.