Alexandru Csete OZ9AEC
Open-source software-defined radio receiver for Linux and macOS. The Mac and Linux equivalent of SDR# — provides spectrum display, recording, and radio monitoring with RTL-SDR hardware.
GQRX is the primary open-source SDR application for macOS and Linux, developed by Alexandru Csete. It provides the same core capability as SDR# on Windows: real-time spectrum display, audio reception, and recording from RTL-SDR and other compatible hardware. For Mac and Linux investigators who want to use SDR radio monitoring, GQRX is the standard tool.
GQRX supports all standard reception modes: AM, FM, USB, LSB, CW, and more. The waterfall display shows RF activity across a configurable frequency span in real time. The application is available on macOS via Homebrew (brew install gqrx) and on Linux via most distribution package managers — straightforward installation with no manual build required.
GQRX can record IQ (raw radio) data for later re-processing — you can record the raw radio environment during an investigation and replay or re-tune it afterwards. When used with the gqrx-ghostbox Python script, it becomes a controllable ghost box system on Mac and Linux. For RF monitoring, establish a baseline scan of all radio activity before investigation, then compare against real-time during the session.
Investigator Note
GQRX is a scientific radio monitoring tool. For ghost box usage with gqrx-ghostbox, apply the same methodological cautions as any radio sweep tool — outputs are radio noise, not paranormal evidence.
Airspy / SDR-radio community
The most widely used software-defined radio application for Windows. Combined with a low-cost RTL-SDR dongle, creates a sophisticated radio monitoring station for radio sweep investigation, RF anomaly monitoring, and frequency baseline documentation.
SDR-radio community (plugin)
A plugin for SDR# that automates frequency scanning for ghost box-style ITC investigation using a software-defined radio receiver. Provides transparent, configurable sweep parameters unlike any hardware ghost box.
Doug Haber (open source)
Open-source Python script that controls GQRX via its remote API to perform automated frequency sweeping for ghost box-style investigation on Mac and Linux. The transparent, scriptable SDR ghost box for non-Windows investigators.
