How To Install rtl-sdr on Ubuntu
Posted on April 1, 2023 (Last modified on May 20, 2023 )
2 minutes • 414 words
Introduction
In this tutorial we learn how to install rtl-sdr on Ubuntu.
What is rtl-sdr
rtl-sdr is:
rtl-sdr is a software defined radio (SDR) receiver software for certain low-cost DVB-T/DAB(+) USB dongles based on the Realtek RTL2832U chip.
This package contains a set of command line utilities:
- rtl_adsb: a simple ADS-B decoder for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
- rtl_eeprom: an EEPROM programming tool for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
- rtl_fm: a narrow band FM demodulator for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
- rtl_sdr: an I/Q recorder for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
- rtl_tcp: an I/Q spectrum server for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
- rtl_test: a benchmark tool for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
There are three methods to install rtl-sdr on Ubuntu. We can use apt-get, apt and aptitude. In the following sections we will describe each method. You can choose one of them.
Install rtl-sdr Using apt-get
Update apt database with apt-get using the following command.
sudo apt-get update
After updating apt database, We can install rtl-sdr using apt-get by running the following command:
sudo apt-get -y install rtl-sdr
Install rtl-sdr Using apt
Update apt database with apt using the following command.
sudo apt update
After updating apt database, We can install rtl-sdr using apt by running the following command:
sudo apt -y install rtl-sdr
Install rtl-sdr Using aptitude
If you want to follow this method, you might need to install aptitude first since aptitude is usually not installed by default on Ubuntu. Update apt database with aptitude using the following command.
sudo aptitude update
After updating apt database, We can install rtl-sdr using aptitude by running the following command:
sudo aptitude -y install rtl-sdr
How To Uninstall rtl-sdr on Ubuntu
To uninstall only the rtl-sdr package we can use the following command:
sudo apt-get remove rtl-sdr
Uninstall rtl-sdr And Its Dependencies
To uninstall rtl-sdr and its dependencies that are no longer needed by Ubuntu, we can use the command below:
sudo apt-get -y autoremove rtl-sdr
Remove rtl-sdr Configurations and Data
To remove rtl-sdr configuration and data from Ubuntu we can use the following command:
sudo apt-get -y purge rtl-sdr
Remove rtl-sdr configuration, data, and all of its dependencies
We can use the following command to remove rtl-sdr configurations, data and all of its dependencies, we can use the following command:
sudo apt-get -y autoremove --purge rtl-sdr
Dependencies
rtl-sdr have the following dependencies:
References
Summary
In this tutorial we learn how to install rtl-sdr package on Ubuntu using different package management tools: apt, apt-get and aptitude.