After much anticipation, SDRplay released SDRconnect Preview 1 on August 10, 2023. It looks great and works well cross platform.

Windows, Linux and Macintosh OS are all supported by this new radio control software from SDRplay. All current SDRplay RSP gear is supported, including diversity reception on RSPduo. I found installation easy and you are up and running quickly without “reading the manual”.

So, yes, SDRconnect Preview 1 has limited functionality at this stage of release. But, I found that most of the basics are there. You can enjoy using it right now.

Developing a cross-platform real time control system (RTC) is challenging. You can find GUI libraries that support cross-platform presentation. You can develop C++ or other code and compile it for multiple OS. But the real trick is interfacing with the hardware layer to get real time performance for USB, streaming data, audio and other interfaces.

We can use the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern as a guide. The Model is the underlying software engine to connect to PC and hardware and process all kinds of data. You can think of View as the GUI or presentation layer for interacting with users. And, your Controller layer is how everything connects together to respond to events, inputs and commands.

SDRconnect Preview 1 is a testbed for the entire MVC architecture across multiple OS. Once you can prove that works successfully across thousands of users, it is relatively straightforward to add features such as memories, scanning, persistence and even plug-ins.

SDRconnect Preview 1 in Action

While I could comment on colors, font sizes, waterfall display contrast, and so on, all of that is fine tuning that will work itself out during subsequent releases. The presentation layer works well with the new docking mechanisms. Adding additional windows, controls and DSP for more features will come along nicely once you know your concept works.

The remote server works well, although configuration through command line parameters is really clunky in its present form. You may have difficulty setting this up. But when you do, remote operation on your LAN will work great, although sadly diversity reception is missing.

I have tried SDRconnect on Windows 10 and Linux, local and remote, and everything runs as expected. Looking forward to “more to come”.