RESOURCES FOR GNU RADIO USRP DEVELOPERS AT UBC
Several researchers at UBC are implementing software defined radio (SDR) projects using the GNU Radio Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP). This web page provides links to useful respurces both at UBC and elsewhere.
USRP HARDWARE
The Universal Software Radio Peripheral is a computer-hosted software radio designed and sold by Ettus Research, LLC.
The Ettus USRP is offered in two major versions: Networked (Ethernet) and Bus (USB) Series.
The project selected the USRP N210 Networked Series given its higher speed Gigabit Ethernet interface and its larger FPGA for better functionality over the N200.
A detailed description and datasheet of the USRP N210 can be found here.
HOST OPTIONS
There are a variety of host computers to choose from depending on the work environment and performance capabilities.
In this case, preference goes to rugged form factor computers suitable for field testing and long term processing capabilities. Also, the processor of the hardware unit will have to support our preferred Operating System (Linux/Ubuntu) for simpler implementation.
Below are several possible options:
Conventional desktop computers have plenty of processing power required for this project with decent pricing compared to laptop computers. However, due to its bulky size and power consumption, desktop PC are not recommended for field operations.
Conventional laptop computers are light and easy to move around, but has a short battery life and not made to withstand harsh environmental conditions.
All-purpose Box Computers such as the one by Lanner Inc. is quite suitable for field use.
The Panasoic Toughbook is also a reputable system used in the industry.
For other single board embedded system computers, refer to companies such as WinSystems,VIA Embedded or Corevalent.
FPGA
The FPGA involved with the project will be referred by VectorBlox.
SOFTWARE DESIGN
The GNU Radio is a free open-source software toolkit that provides processing blocks to implement software radios.
C++ is used to write signal processing blocks while Python 'glue' these blocks together to implement easy-to-use applications.
The GNU Radio Companion is a graphical tool for creating signal flow graphs and generating flow-graph source code.
To get started, first install the UHD driver for the Ettus USRP by following the directions shown here.
USRP-BASED WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH PROJECTS
Here are links to several recent publications that describe USRP-based wireless communications research projects:
- X. Li, W. Hu, H. Yousefi'zadeh and A. Qureshi, "A Case Study of A MIMO SDR Implementation," in Proc. IEEE MILCOM 2008, 16-19 Nov. 2008, pp. 1-7.
- A Software Defined Radio Based Adaptive Interference Avoidance TDCS Cognitive Radio
- An SDR architecture for OFDM transmission over USRP2 boards
- Bluetooth Clock Recovery and Hop Sequence Synchronization Using Software Defined Radios
- Configure Cognitive Radio using GNU Radio and USRP
- DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF COGNITIVE RADIO HARDWARE PLATFORM BASED ON USRP
- Design and realization of the hierarchical broadcast system based on GNU Radio
- DSL Impulse Noise Measurement System Implemented in USRP and GNU Radio
- Enabling Dynamic Spectrum Access for Cognitive Radio Using Software Defined Radio Platform
- Energy Detection Sensing based on GNU Radio and USRP an Analysis Study
- Experimental Study of OFDM Implementation Utilizing GNU Radio and USRP SDR
- Implementation and Evaluation of Cooperative Communication Schemes in Software Defined Radio Testbed
- Low-Cost GSM Telephony in the Amazon Region Based on Open Source Open Hardware Projects
- Multihop Transmission Opportunity in Wireless Multihop Networks
- Prototyping with GNU Radio and the USRP - Where to Begin
- Reconfiguring Software Defined Radio Platform for Dynamic Spectrum Access
- Spectrum Sensing Based on Time Covariance Matrix Using GNU Radio and USRP for Cognitive Radio
- Supporting Integrated MAC and PHY Software Development for the USRP SDR
- The Implementation of TETRA using GNU Radio and USRP
- The Study of OFDM ICI Cancellation Schemes in 2-4 GHz Frequency Band Using Software Defined Radio
NEWS
- 8 Apr 2011 - RSL's Team ReFleX wins NYC Next Idea Competition.
- 10 Mar 2011 - RSL welcomes Visiting Professor Changying Wu from Northwestern Polytechinical University, PRC.
- 18 Feb 2011 - RSL researchers receive the 2011 R.W.P. King Best Paper Award from the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society.
- 3 Jan 2011 - RSL welcomes PhD student Sina Mashayekhi.
- 3 Jan 2011 - RSL welcomes MASc student Saqueib Khan.
- 3 Jan 2011 - RSL welcomes MEng student Xuejun (John) Wang.
- 28 Dec 2010 - RSL receives the 2010 University Grant Award from the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society.
- 6 Dec 2011 - Wavefront wins the 2010 NCE CECR Competition.
- 12 Oct 2010 - RSL welcomes visiting PhD student Rui Zhang.
- 7 Oct 2010 - Prof. Michelson is appointed to the IEEE AP-S Wave Propagation Standards Committee.
EVENTS
- Mentum User Conference (Dallas TX), 4-5 May 2011
- IEEE CCECE 2011 (Niagara Falls, ON), 8-11 May 2011.
- IASTED Wireless Communications 2011 (Vancouver, BC), 1-3 Jun 2011.
- IEEE APS/URSI 2011 (Spokane, WA), 3-8 Jul 2011.
- IEEE EMC-S 2011 (Long Beach, CA) Aug 2011.
- 2011 Canadian Utility Telecom Conference (St. John's, NL) 30 Aug - 2 Sep 2011.
- IEEE VTC 2011 Fall (San Francisco, CA) 5-8 Sep 2011.
- IEEE PIMRC 2011 (Toronto, ON) 11-14 Sep 2011.
