Software Defined Radio using MATLAB & Simulink and the RTL-SDR
The availability of the RTL-SDR device for less than $20 brings software defined radio (SDR) to the home and work desktops of EE students, professional engineers and the maker community. The RTL-SDR can be used to acquire and sample RF (radio frequency) signals transmitted in the frequency range 25MHz to 1.75GHz, and the MATLAB and Simulink environment can be used to develop receivers using first principles DSP (digital signal processing) algorithms. Signals that the RTL-SDR hardware can receive include: FM radio, UHF band signals, ISM signals, GSM, 3G and LTE mobile radio, GPS and satellite signals, and any that the reader can (legally) transmit of course! In this book we introduce readers to SDR methods by viewing and analysing downconverted RF signals in the time and frequency domains, and then provide extensive DSP enabled SDR design exercises which the reader can learn from. The hands-on SDR design examples begin with simple AM and FM receivers, and move on to the more challenging aspects of PHY layer DSP, where receive filter chains, real-time channelisers, and advanced concepts such as carrier synchronisers, digital PLL designs and QPSK timing and phase synchronisers are implemented. In the book we will also show how the RTL-SDR can be used with SDR transmitters to develop complete communication systems, capable of transmitting payloads such as simple text strings, images and audio across the lab desktop.
Why Read This Book
You will get a practical, hands-on introduction to building real SDR receivers using a sub-$20 RTL‑SDR dongle and the familiar MATLAB/Simulink environment, learning DSP algorithms from first principles as you apply them to real RF signals. The book emphasizes worked examples — time/frequency analysis, filtering, FFTs, modulation/demodulation and simple radar/comm systems — so you can move quickly from concept to a working receiver on your desktop.
Who Will Benefit
Electrical engineers, advanced students, and makers with basic signals knowledge who want to learn SDR receiver design and DSP implementations using MATLAB/Simulink and an inexpensive RTL‑SDR front end.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Introductory signals and systems (Fourier transforms, sampling), basic digital signal processing concepts, and familiarity with MATLAB (scripts, arrays) — Simulink familiarity is helpful but not strictly required.
Key Takeaways
- Acquire and visualize real RF signals from an RTL‑SDR and inspect them in time and frequency domains
- Design and implement digital filters, windowing, and FFT-based spectral analysis in MATLAB/Simulink
- Build practical demodulators for analog (FM/AM) and basic digital (FSK/PSK) signals using DSP building blocks
- Apply adaptive filtering and statistical signal processing techniques to reduce interference and noise
- Prototype simple communications and radar processing chains (e.g., ADS‑B, AIS, GNSS snippets, basic pulse/radar analysis) using the RTL‑SDR
Topics Covered
- 1. Introduction to Software Defined Radio and the RTL‑SDR
- 2. Setting up MATLAB, Simulink and RTL‑SDR drivers
- 3. Sampling, IQ demodulation and baseband representation
- 4. Time‑domain and frequency‑domain analysis (FFT, spectrograms)
- 5. Digital filter design and implementation for RF
- 6. Windowing, spectral estimation and leakage control
- 7. Modulation and demodulation: AM, FM, FSK, PSK basics
- 8. Communications receiver building blocks and examples (GSM/3G/LTE overview)
- 9. Radar signal processing fundamentals and simple pulse processing
- 10. Adaptive filtering and noise/interference mitigation
- 11. Advanced topics: wavelets, statistical signal processing and practical considerations
- 12. Worked examples and projects using RTL‑SDR (ADS‑B, AIS, GNSS, FM broadcast)
- Appendices: Installation notes, MATLAB/Simulink code listings and troubleshooting
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Compared with Collins' Software Defined Radio for Engineers (broader theory and modern RF hardware), Stewart's book is more narrowly focused on MATLAB/Simulink and low‑cost RTL‑SDR hands‑on experiments; compared with The Hobbyist's Guide to the RTL‑SDR, it provides deeper DSP algorithm explanations and MATLAB implementations.
