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# (pronounced 'SDR Sharp') is a Windows software-defined radio receiver application. It receives radio signals in real time from an SDR hardware device — typically an RTL-SDR USB dongle (~£25) that covers 24MHz to 1766MHz. The receiver can tune to any radio frequency in that range and display the radio spectrum as a real-time waterfall, allowing an investigator to see and hear all radio activity across a wide band simultaneously.
In paranormal investigation, SDR# has two main applications. First, as a controlled radio sweep ghost box: unlike commercial ghost boxes whose sweep parameters are unknown, SDR# makes the sweep algorithm completely transparent and reproducible. Second, as an RF anomaly monitor: use it to document baseline radio frequency activity at a location and alert on anomalous signals that cannot be attributed to known broadcast sources.
SDR# supports an extensive plugin system. The GhostSDR plugin automates ghost box sweep functionality. The Frequency Scanner plugin can monitor specified frequency ranges and log signal presence events with timestamps. A directional antenna allows investigation of specific locations within a building — RF signal strength mapping across a floor plan can reveal anomalous RF sources.
Investigator Note
Radio sweep ghost box use generates audio from radio noise and broadcast fragments. This is not controlled paranormal evidence. Use SDR# for RF monitoring and signal documentation rather than ITC voice communication attempts if you want scientifically defensible data.
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.
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.
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.
