i need to know how to download radio signals out of the air using a laptop. what kind of software would i need and also would i need to get a receiver or would the laptop have one on there. would i need to get a receiver of some sort to go into the usb port of the laptop. the software would need to allow me to download a specific frequency. the software would need to allow me to view the signal and send it to other programs and software on my laptop where i could then do things with the signal and change it if i so choose.

i'm sure there must be some kind of software somewhere that will allow me to download radio signals onto the laptop. and also i would need a program that would allow me to send out signals on a specific frequency. and would i need so type of hardware or some type of transmitter to send out the signal. how could i hook it up to the laptop. do they have something i could put into the usb. or would i need to open up the laptop and do some geeky shit with soldering and stuff like that.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

any software you could reccommend would be helpful.

I'm going to download this over to RFA.

You would probably need a RF receiver for your laptop (i know mine didn't come with one), along with a program to tune it. Might I ask what you plan on doing with it?

are you trying to set up some kind of data link? google around to find info about repeaters, RF modems and whatnot.

if you just want to record voice without all the silence use the vox recorder i posted in another thread

1. i want to try my luck with robots with cameras and other data inputs that will be sent to the laptop. also maybe gps (that would be real hard though). i would have to put a processor on board. i dont know how to do all that shit.

also thinking it would be cool to listen in to peoples cordless phone conversations.



maybe if i get real good with writing my own programs i could steal peoples cars. but i doubt i will get that good. anyways i know what i need to do now.

i'm just gonna join a forum that specializes in electronics engineering and robotics engineering and shit like that. they would know how to control a robot with a laptop and how to put a receiver and transmitter onto the laptop. if not i could just email a company that manufactures gps controlled robots and ask them. most robots like that are run by laptops. maybe email a university or something they have students and shit that would know. they would also know how to write a program for the interface on the laptop. and how to write programs to send out specific signals.

although i did run across a site yesterday where i guy talked about how he was about to send out sine waves on any frequency he wanted using a program that he whipped up in a short time. sounds like he knows what he is doing. he could probably help me with designing a program to send out a robots commands. i should email him about it.

my best bet is to join a forum that specializes in that stuff. i just need a simple user interface to go on the laptop where i can type in or click a button to make the robot do a certain thing. toughest thing would be writing the program to send out the commands in a signal on the correct frequency. then i would have to write a program that automatically converts any robot commands i type or click into signal form so that it could be sent out on frequency.

my main motivation is saving on remote control costs. those remote controls can cost 100's of dollars. and only put out signals on so many channels. if i could use a laptop as a remote control then i could save that money and send out on as many channels as i want. plus remote controls only have joysticks....which are basic inputs and are only good for accelerating, breaking. or if the robot has arms and legs they are only good for moving them.

if you wanted to equip a camera on the robot to take pictures you could not control the camera with the remote control. or if you wanted to control lots of outputs. such as lights. if you wanted lights on the robot that could be controlled like dim-dimmer lights then you would need a laptop. a remote control could not handle controlling all those outputs.

plus on a laptop you could design a user freindly interface. their is not remote control that have user freindly interfaces to control the robot. they are just joysticks. some have buttons.

i already know how to design build and program robots. i just dont know how to control them with a laptop.