by Jim Sosnin VK3JST

SPARC has recently acquired a KiwiSDR HF receiver that has been temporarily set up for initial testing at my QTH in Mt Eliza. SPARC members are invited to try it out, bearing in mind that there may be some teething problems. Also, the HF antenna connected for the moment is a ZS6BKW, rather than either a Mini-whip or an untuned loop antenna, as are usually used for these radios.

You can connect to it via the internet, using a browser on a computer, a ‘tablet’ device, or even one of the newer (larger screen) smartphones. The KiwiSDR provides several configurations, each with a different trade-off between the number of simultaneous users and the features available to each user.

I’ve left it in its default configuration for this initial test, so the maximum number of users is limited to 4, but each user has full access to all features (spectrum, waterfall, reception of a selected frequency, and so on). If there are already 4 users connected when you try to connect, your browser will display an explanatory message from the KiwiSDR server.

If you’d prefer some more information about the KiwiSDR before you try connecting, a useful introduction is on the KiwiSDR website.

This web page includes a short description, followed by some tips to get started. Note that some features have been updated since this was published, so allow for some variations in detail. I’m planning to leave the KiwiSDR running continuously during this test, for perhaps a week or two, barring unexpected problems, eg with internet connection or speed.

Club members can connect to the SPARC Kiwi SDR via the member’s page.

SPARC Kiwi SDR