Yesterday, I wrote about a 2-year-old open-source hardware ESP32-based DAB+ receiver project, but it turns out there’s also a digital radio project for the Raspberry Pi that was released about three weeks ago.
Raspiaudio’s Digital Radio V1 HAT adds AM/FM, DAB/DAB+, and HD Radio support to any Raspberry Pi SBC with a 40-pin GPIO header and is supported by CLI or web-based software for configuration and control.
Â
Digital Radio V1 HAT specifications:
- Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi Zero 1/2, Raspberry Pi 4/5, etc…
- Digital radio receiver chip – Skyworth Si4689-A10 (see product brief)
- Worldwide FM band support (76 to 108 MHz)
- Worldwide AM band support (520 to 1710 kHz)
- DAB, DAB+ Band III support (168 to 240 MHz)
- Advanced RDS/RBDS decoder
- FM HD Radio support with on-chip IBOC blend (note from Raspiaudio: subject to licensing. Please verify that you are legally allowed to use it in your country and for your intended application)
- Supports WorldDMB Receiver Profile 1
- Integrated OFDM channel demodulator
- Integrated de-interleaving SRAM
- I2S digital audio out with ASRC
- Integrated 97 dB stereo audio DAC
- Concurrent I2S/L-R stereo audio out
- Full range of signal quality metrics
- Fully-integrated VCO/PLL/synthesizer
- Host interface – SPI and I2C
- Package – QFN 48-pin, 7 x 7 x 0.85 mm
- Antenna
- SMA antenna connector for digital radio
- AM loop antenna connection support
- AM balun for impedance matching
- Audio
- Stereo audio jack output
- Built-in 5W amplifier and speaker
- Screwless passive speaker output for an external speaker; 4 ohm recommended, 8 ohm supported
- Switchable onboard speaker output (built-in or external selection)
- Analog audio output on the shield for audio capture
- Amplifier enable on GPIO17
- I2S audio path for digital capture and recording
- Misc – Onboard 3-way navigation button: up, down, and push
- Dimensions – pHAT form factor
While the board itself is not open-source hardware, the software is open source. Raspiaudio provides a browser-based Web UI and CLI access for automation, scripting, and custom applications, both written in Python, on GitHub. The radio.py script provides a local Web UI to scan, browse, tune, change volume, manage favorites, and handle audio recordings, all without needing an Internet connection. As a side note, DAB/DAB+ is mostly used in Europe and a few other countries like South Korea and Australia, while HD Radio (also called IBOC) is mainly used in the United States.
You can get started quickly as follows:
|
1 2 3 |
git clone https://github.com/RASPIAUDIOadmin/Digital-Radio-for-Raspberry-Pi.git cd Digital-Radio-for-Raspberry-Pi python radio.py serve --port 8686 |
You can now access the web interface by going to http://piradio.local:8686/
Using the Raspiaudio Digital Audio HAT will also be easier than putting together the open-source hardware DAB+ receiver we covered yesterday, because you can buy/pre-order it from the company’s store for 59.90 Euros. This kit includes the HAT itself, a telescopic antenna, and a riser for mechanical compatibility with Raspberry Pi boards using a 40-pin GPIO header. So all you have to do is insert the HAT on your Raspberry Pi, connect the antenna, install the software, and you’re good to go.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.
