With the support of ARDC in partnership with TAPR, we at Great Scott Gadgets are developing URTI (Universal Radio Test Instrument). URTI is an open-source software-defined radio platform with a set of radio investigation and experimentation functions in one device.

Two forms of URTI are in development as part of this project: The first is a portable system with a handheld user interface, and the second is a computer peripheral device without the handheld user interface.

Functionality Goals

Our goal for URTI is to design a single hardware platform capable of serving as many popular types of one-port or two-port RF test instruments. We plan to build a directional coupler into a wideband, full-duplex SDR platform to enable URTI to function as a:

• spectrum analyzer
• vector network analyzer
• vector signal generator
• vector signal analyzer
• antenna analyzer
• power meter
• frequency counter
• full-duplex SDR transceiver

Project Status

The Great Scott Gadgets engineering team will develop URTI in eight overlapping phases. These phases will include:

• Mainboard component selection and sub-circuit evaluation
• Initial mainboard hardware design
• User interface board component and sub-circuit evaluation
• Mainboard firmware and gateware development
• Host software development to enable use of the mainboard as a USB peripheral
• Final mainboard prototype design
• User interface board hardware design
• Handheld user interface firmware development

We are currently in the “Mainboard component selection and sub-circuit evaluation” phase.

Documentation + Technical Information

You can view our current progress on URTI in the lab notes repository on GitHub. To give feedback or to help with project development, please watch our blog and join the Great Scott Gadgets Discord server. Read the latest news about URTI in our URTI-tagged blog posts.