Pysdr: a Guide to Sdr and Dsp Using Python

Posted9 days agoActive8 days ago

kklisura

227 points

13 comments

pysdr.orgTech Discussionstory

informativepositive

Debate

0/100

SdrDspPython

Key topics

Sdr

Dsp

Python

Diving into the world of Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Digital Signal Processing (DSP), a new Python-based guide has sparked enthusiasm among enthusiasts and experts alike. Commenters rave about the resource's practical, engineering-oriented approach and its accessibility, with one DSP expert calling it "delightful" and useful for onboarding new team members. While some users wish for more rigorous mathematical explanations and references, others appreciate the guide's hands-on Python code and intuitive explanations. The discussion highlights the resource's value in bridging the gap between theory and practice in the SDR and DSP community.

Snapshot generated from the HN discussion

Discussion Activity

Light discussion

First comment

Peak period

0-3h

Avg / period

1.6

Comment distribution11 data points

Loading chart...

Based on 11 loaded comments

Key moments

01Story posted
Dec 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM EST
9 days ago
Step 01
02First comment
Dec 28, 2025 at 4:27 PM EST
1h after posting
Step 02
03Peak activity
3 comments in 0-3h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03
04Latest activity
Dec 30, 2025 at 11:42 AM EST
8 days ago
Step 04

Generating AI Summary...

Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns

Discussion (13 comments)

Showing 11 comments of 13

martinky24

9 days ago

1 reply

This is an excellent resource. I'm not a DSP expert, but I work in the field, and this is usually the first resource I go to when I need to re-familiarize myself with some basics.

galangalalgol

9 days ago

1 reply

I am a dsp expert. I still find it's explanations delightful and useful perspectives. Also very good for new team members who are better at code than dsp, which is most of them.

mmaunder

9 days ago

Thanks both. Appreciate the insight.

Neywiny

9 days ago

2 replies

I spent some time reading the later chapters which are what I'm fuzziest on. It's nice to have the python code there. I do overall think this is a good resource. However, the hand-waviness of the specifics gets to me. The author even admits at one point that there was theory behind choosing specific constants that they won't get into. But they don't say how I can figure that out. Did example, if I know my preamble length and maximum frequency offset, how do I choose loop parameters to lock on within the needed time but stay stable? I have no clue. Would've been nice to get pointed in the right direction.

CamperBob2

9 days ago

Did example, if I know my preamble length and maximum frequency offset, how do I choose loop parameters to lock on within the needed time but stay stable? I have no clue. Would've been nice to get pointed in the right direction.

It's heresy to suggest such a thing around here: but, seriously: ask an LLM.

Everybody now has access to their own personal graduate-level TA. Use it. The learning process, from this point forward, is all about learning to ask the right questions.

sevensor

9 days ago

I would like to see references out to less hand wavy material. It’s a free resource, so I’m not going to complain too hard. Gnarly windowing effects on the square wave example in the first chapter; I do think if you’re going to show something like that, you should show that it’s dependent on sample rate and duration. Maybe that’s coming later in the text. To be fair, the perfect train of sinusoids you get in a linear systems class is equally unrealistic.

mmaunder

9 days ago

Wow! Thank you!!!

stackedinserter

8 days ago

IQ mod/demod finally clicked for me!

abirch

9 days ago

I love your logo and Fourier animation. Thank you for sharing your time and effort on this.

Skyy93

9 days ago

I am currently learning with this book. It has a very good practical and engineering oriented guide, I would recommend it!

Also the mentioned and covered hardware is cheap to get, I am currently using a RTL-SDR from nooelec and for learning the basics you have to invest like 50 euros, which is fair IMO.

ofalkaed

9 days ago

I spent the last week reading a great deal about this and researching the current radio market, realized I really missed listening to the radio and figured I better get back to it now while there are still radio stations to listen too. Ended up ordering a Tecsun PL-880 since if I am going to use the computer for this, I might as well just stream. I still might dig into SDR if I end up wanting more than what the Tecsun offers since I have no interest in having a pile of radios or even a large desktop radio.

2 more comments available on Hacker News

View full discussion on Hacker News

ID: 46413975Type: storyLast synced: 12/31/2025, 7:55:31 PM

Want the full context?

Jump to the original sources

Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.

Open link View on HN