TheOrc.devOregon Radio Company LLC · Springfield, OR

guides/build-your-own-orcsdr

Build your own OrcSDR

OrcSDR runs on parts you can buy yourself. Here's the whole list, and what to check for each part.

parts list

  1. M5Stack Tab5. The ESP32-P4 tablet that runs everything. OrcSDR's bench unit is hardware revision 1.3.
  2. RTL-SDR receiver. RTL-SDR Blog V4 is the tested baseline. See which RTL-SDR.
  3. Antenna. Pick for the bands you care about. See antennas.
  4. USB-C data cable. For installing. Charge-only cables don't work.
  5. microSD card (optional). Maps, data packs, logs and IQ recordings. OrcSDR reads and writes to it; v0.3.0-beta.1 sped writes up about 15×.
  6. Headphones or a small powered speaker (optional). The 3.5 mm output sounds much better than the built-in speaker.
  7. Power. The Tab5's battery or a stable USB-C supply. Don't leave it running from the PC cable; it can contribute to brownouts.

putting it together

Install OrcSDR first (browser, M5Burner or the release installer; see getting started). Then plug in the dongle, attach the antenna, and tap the OrcSDR button on Home. Dongles can be plugged in any time.

parts

[PRODUCT SLOT — M5Stack Tab5]
Required.
Link: TODO · Price: not shown (write "check current price")
[PRODUCT SLOT — RTL-SDR Blog V4]
Tested baseline receiver.
Link: TODO · Price: not shown (write "check current price")
[PRODUCT SLOT — Antenna kit]
Starter dipole kit.
Link: TODO · Price: not shown (write "check current price")
[PRODUCT SLOT — USB-C data cable]
Data-capable, short.
Link: TODO · Price: not shown (write "check current price")
[PRODUCT SLOT — microSD card]
Optional.
Link: TODO · Price: not shown (write "check current price")
An Oregon Radio Company OrcSDR parts kit is planned. Nothing to buy yet.

Facts about OrcSDR from the OrcSDR README, user guide and release notes (2026-10). General radio advice is rule-of-thumb, not OrcSDR test data.