Software Defined Radio: Investigating Hardware and Software Integration

This report analyzes aspects of the Cognitive Radio for the purpose of research by educational institutions. The main focus is to understand the relationship between hardware and software components currently being used in this field of research. The software chosen was the open source GNU Radio, which is the primary software used in several researches in Stevens Institute of Technology. Several hardware components were considered, in regards to their architecture, bandwidth, and compatibility with the GNU Radio. Some of the hardware included the USRP by Ettus Research, the High Performance Software Defined Radio, the Quicksilver, the FlexRadio Systems family, and the Persaund. Theses from different universities and organizations, as well as specifications for each of the hardware were investigated to help in the comparison between the possible front end components. As a result, the USRP family proved to be the most suitable to the GNU Radio amongst the investigated hardware. The USRP seemed to be the choice of many researchers due to its high degree of customization, low cost and flexibility. Table of