Just a thought, not sure if it’s feasible.
Imagine if the HAT included a self-aware chip that negotiates with local radio towers for priority bandwidth using Morse code diplomacy. It could even adjust frequency based on your mood detected via Pi’s thermal sensors.
Dear Volumionauts,
A note on where we are.
Less than a month ago I posted the initial concept for this plugin - FM and DAB radio via RTL-SDR dongles.
Today we have:
All of this running on hardware as modest as a Pi Zero W2 with budget RTL-SDR dongles.
This was an intense month. The plugin is now feature-complete for its intended purpose - receiving FM and DAB radio through Volumio.
Community feedback summary:
Music fingerprinting - no interest. Current artwork system is sufficient. Not pursuing.
CSV import/export - interest confirmed. Implemented in v1.3.3.
Dedicated hardware HAT - clear interest from multiple users. Points raised:
Hardware development requires research and focused effort. This is a separate project track from the plugin - different timeline, different skills, different risks. I will share more when there is something concrete to discuss.
Going forward, plugin focus shifts to maintenance:
Thank you for the honest feedback, suggestions, and hours of testing. @Wheaten was foot locked with me through late nights and edge cases. @Darmur, @Steve1 - your real-world testing found issues that bench testing never would.
This is a community success.
Kind Regards,
You going faster then I can type…
Yeah that comment made me smile. The originated writer has a point there.
Hey @aidihant,
The spectrum analyzer can only show if there is a transmission pressure within a given frequency band. It does not check quality of tuned to nor locked on specific station or assembly. This has been explained when feature was introduced.
Kind Regards,
Hi @aidihant
You can also try to run my script and optimize gain.
Lower the gain has more impact on the noise then peak levels.
It might boost your overall performance.
Hej @nerd
I would go for option 3. Hat with bundle antenna 50-80 € or something like that. Very good idea!
Best Regards/ Claes
)
Sadly, I don’t see this available in the UK. There are, however, some very similar-looking ones on Amazon and eBay.
Hi @Steve1
you mean this one?
You can always explore other active alternatives.
One advantage of buying through Amazon is the easy return process if the product doesn’t meet your expectations.
Thanks @Wheaten!
Yep, that looks good. You’re right about Amazon — I grabbed the RTL-SDR Blog V3, but returned it hassle‑free once speedy @nerd pointed out that V4 was probably the better choice 
Have currently 2 active antennas in use.
One with the exposed copper for the windscreen and the one from Amzon. Both work perfectly.
So I think every active DAB+ antenna will do, just avoid those that needs 12V power 
Dear Volumionauts,
This release adds an SNR measurement tool for finding your optimal DAB gain setting, plus a fix for blocklist backup restore.
What’s New in v1.3.5
SNR Measurement Tool (Gain Optimizer)
Automatically find the best gain setting for your location and antenna setup. The tool measures Signal-to-Noise Ratio for DAB channels across a range of gain values and identifies which setting produces the highest average SNR.
Location: Station Manager > Antenna Positioning tab > Tool 3
How It Works
The tool uses fn-rtl_power to measure RF power across your DAB channels at each gain step. For every channel, it calculates:
After sweeping through all gain values, it presents a summary table showing min/max/average SNR per gain setting and highlights the recommended gain.
Channel Selection
Three options for which channels to measure:
Configuration
Smaller steps give finer resolution but take longer. For initial testing, the defaults work well. Once you identify a promising range, narrow it down with smaller steps.
How To Use
Results Display
Blocklist Backup Fix
Fixed a regression from v1.3.3 where uploading blocklist backup files failed with “Invalid backup file” error. Blocklist backups now restore correctly via Maintenance > Upload Backup.
Credits
SNR measurement algorithm based on snrd-api_V2.sh by @Wheaten. Beyond the original shell script, @Wheaten provided invaluable testing, feedback, and technical challenges over the past month that significantly improved the implementation - from gain range validation to hardware insights.
Notes
Kind Regards,
Thanks @nerd for the kind words,
But testing
Spectrum scan:
Channel scan:
Gain scan:
Channel scan after gain adjustment:
Yeah, I have to say, job well done!!!
