RTL-SDR Manager Library for .NET

A modern .NET library for managing RTL-SDR devices

RTL-SDR Manager provides a high-level, type-safe API for controlling RTL2832U-based software-defined radio devices from .NET applications. The library handles device lifecycle, tuner configuration, and sample acquisition with support for synchronous and asynchronous operations, multiple simultaneous devices, and advanced features such as KerberosSDR coherent arrays.

Features

• Async/Await Support — Non-blocking sample reading with concurrent queue buffering for real-time signal processing.

• Multiple Tuner Support — Works with E4000, R820T/R828D, FC0012, FC0013, and FC2580 tuner chips.

• Advanced Configuration — Gain control, frequency correction (PPM), direct sampling for HF reception, and bias tee power control.

• KerberosSDR Ready — Frequency dithering and GPIO control for coherent SDR arrays used in direction finding.

• Type-Safe Frequency API — Strongly-typed Frequency values with factory methods (FromHz, FromKHz, FromMHz, FromGHz) and arithmetic operations.

• Cross-Platform — Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS via platform-specific native interop.

• High Performance — Uses LibraryImport source-generated P/Invoke for optimal native library calls.

• Production Ready — Proper exception handling, IDisposable patterns, null safety, and scoped console output suppression.

Installation

Via NuGet Package Manager

# .NET CLI
dotnet add package RtlSdrManager

# Package Manager Console (Visual Studio)
Install-Package RtlSdrManager

# PackageReference (in .csproj)
<PackageReference Include="RtlSdrManager" Version="0.5.2" />

Prerequisites

The librtlsdr native library must be installed on the system:

Windows:

# Using Chocolatey
choco install rtl-sdr

# Or download from: https://github.com/osmocom/rtl-sdr/releases

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt-get install librtlsdr-dev

macOS:

brew install librtlsdr

Quick Start

Basic Usage

using RtlSdrManager;
using RtlSdrManager.Modes;

// Get the singleton device manager
var manager = RtlSdrDeviceManager.Instance;

// Check available devices
Console.WriteLine($"Found {manager.CountDevices} RTL-SDR device(s)");

// Open the first device with a friendly name
manager.OpenManagedDevice(0, "my-rtl-sdr");

// Configure the device
var device = manager["my-rtl-sdr"];
device.CenterFrequency = Frequency.FromMHz(1090);  // ADS-B frequency
device.SampleRate = Frequency.FromMHz(2);
device.TunerGainMode = TunerGainModes.AGC;
device.AGCMode = AGCModes.Enabled;
device.ResetDeviceBuffer();

Console.WriteLine($"Tuner: {device.TunerType}");
Console.WriteLine($"Center Frequency: {device.CenterFrequency.MHz} MHz");

Console Output Suppression

By default, librtlsdr diagnostic messages (such as "Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner" and "[R82XX] PLL not locked!") are shown on stdout/stderr. The library provides a global static property to suppress these messages during device operations:

// Suppress librtlsdr diagnostic output globally
RtlSdrDeviceManager.SuppressLibraryConsoleOutput = true;

// Device operations are now silent
manager.OpenManagedDevice(0, "my-rtl-sdr");
var device = manager["my-rtl-sdr"];
device.SampleRate = Frequency.FromMHz(2.4);

// Re-enable output
RtlSdrDeviceManager.SuppressLibraryConsoleOutput = false;
device.CenterFrequency = Frequency.FromMHz(1090);  // Shows librtlsdr messages

Suppression is scoped to individual device operations using reference-counted file descriptor redirection. Stdout and stderr are redirected to /dev/null (Unix/macOS) or NUL (Windows) only for the duration of each native call, then restored. This prevents interference with console applications and avoids file descriptor corruption when multiple devices operate concurrently.

For detailed documentation, see Console Output Suppression.

Synchronous Sample Reading

// Read samples synchronously (blocking)
var samples = device.ReadSamples(256 * 1024);

foreach (var sample in samples)
{
    // Process I/Q samples
    Console.WriteLine($"I: {sample.I}, Q: {sample.Q}");
}

Asynchronous Sample Reading

// Configure async buffer
device.MaxAsyncBufferSize = 512 * 1024;
device.DropSamplesOnFullBuffer = true;

// Start async reading in background
device.StartReadSamplesAsync();

// Option 1: Event-based (recommended for real-time processing)
device.SamplesAvailable += (sender, args) =>
{
    var samples = device.GetSamplesFromAsyncBuffer(args.SampleCount);
    // Process samples in real-time
};

// Option 2: Manual polling (for custom processing logic)
while (running)
{
    if (device.AsyncBuffer.TryDequeue(out var data))
    {
        // Process data
        Console.WriteLine($"Received {data.Samples.Length} samples");
    }
    else
    {
        await Task.Delay(100);
    }
}

// Stop reading when done
device.StopReadSamplesAsync();

// Clean up
manager.CloseManagedDevice("my-rtl-sdr");

Manual Gain Control

// Switch to manual gain mode
device.TunerGainMode = TunerGainModes.Manual;

// Get supported gain values
var gains = device.SupportedTunerGains;
Console.WriteLine($"Supported gains: {string.Join(", ", gains)} dB");

// Set specific gain
device.TunerGain = 42.1; // dB

// Or use convenience methods
device.SetMaximumTunerGain();
device.SetMinimumTunerGain();

Frequency Operations

// Create frequencies with different units
var freq1 = Frequency.FromHz(1090_000_000);
var freq2 = Frequency.FromKHz(1090_000);
var freq3 = Frequency.FromMHz(1090);
var freq4 = Frequency.FromGHz(1.09);

// Convert between units
Console.WriteLine($"{freq1.Hz} Hz");
Console.WriteLine($"{freq1.KHz} KHz");
Console.WriteLine($"{freq1.MHz} MHz");
Console.WriteLine($"{freq1.GHz} GHz");

// Arithmetic operations
var shifted = freq1 + Frequency.FromKHz(100); // Add 100 KHz offset
var doubled = freq1 * 2;

// Comparison
if (freq1 > Frequency.FromMHz(100))
{
    Console.WriteLine("Above 100 MHz");
}

Advanced Features

Bias Tee (for powering external LNAs)

// Enable bias tee on GPIO 0 (most common)
device.SetBiasTee(BiasTeeModes.Enabled);

// For R820T tuners, specify GPIO pin
device.SetBiasTeeGPIO(gpio: 0, BiasTeeModes.Enabled);

Direct Sampling (HF reception)

// Enable direct sampling on I-ADC
device.DirectSamplingMode = DirectSamplingModes.I_ADC;

// Or on Q-ADC
device.DirectSamplingMode = DirectSamplingModes.Q_ADC;

// Disable
device.DirectSamplingMode = DirectSamplingModes.Disabled;

Frequency Correction (PPM)

// Set frequency correction in PPM
device.FrequencyCorrection = 10; // +10 PPM

KerberosSDR Support

// Enable KerberosSDR mode (required for these features)
device.KerberosSDRMode = KerberosSDRModes.Enabled;

// Enable frequency dithering (for R820T only)
device.FrequencyDitheringMode = FrequencyDitheringModes.Enabled;

// Control GPIO pins directly
device.SetGPIO(gpio: 1, GPIOModes.Enabled);

Documentation

Detailed guides for specific use cases:

• Basic Setup — Device initialization and first sample acquisition
• Device Management — Managing multiple RTL-SDR devices simultaneously
• Manual Gain Control — Configuring tuner gain settings
• Direct Sampling — Using direct sampling modes for HF reception
• Frequency Correction — PPM calibration and frequency correction
• Bias Tee — Powering external LNAs via bias tee
• KerberosSDR — Coherent SDR array features
• Console Output Suppression — Controlling native library diagnostic output

Sample Applications

The samples/ directory contains complete working examples:

• Demo1 — Event-based async sample reading
• Demo2 — Manual polling from async buffer
• Demo3 — Synchronous sample reading
• Demo4 — Device information and configuration

Building from Source

Requirements

• .NET 10.0 SDK or later
• librtlsdr native library

Build Commands

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nandortoth/rtlsdr-manager.git
cd rtlsdr-manager

# Build the entire solution
dotnet build

# Run tests (if available)
dotnet test

# Create NuGet packages
dotnet pack --configuration Release

# Or use the convenience script
./build.sh

Build Output

The build process creates:

• NuGet packages — artifacts/packages/
• Library binaries — artifacts/binaries/RtlSdrManager/
• Sample binaries — artifacts/binaries/Samples/

Running Samples

# Using the convenience script
./runsample.sh

# Or manually
dotnet run --project samples/RtlSdrManager.Samples

Architecture

rtlsdr-manager/
├── src/
│   └── RtlSdrManager/           # Main library
│       ├── Exceptions/          # Custom exception types
│       ├── Hardware/            # Hardware type definitions
│       ├── Interop/             # P/Invoke wrappers
│       └── Modes/               # Enumeration types
├── samples/
│   └── RtlSdrManager.Samples/   # Example applications
└── docs/                        # Documentation

System Requirements

• .NET Runtime — 10.0 or later
• Operating System — Windows, Linux, macOS
• Hardware — RTL-SDR compatible device (RTL2832U-based)
• Native Library — librtlsdr installed on the system

Supported Devices

This library supports RTL-SDR devices with the following tuners:

Tuner	Frequency Range	Notes
Elonics E4000	52 -- 1100 MHz, 1250 -- 2200 MHz	No longer manufactured
Rafael Micro R820T	24 -- 1766 MHz	Most common, excellent performance
Rafael Micro R828D	24 -- 1766 MHz	Similar to R820T
Fitipower FC0012	22 -- 948.6 MHz	Basic performance
Fitipower FC0013	22 -- 1100 MHz	Basic performance
FCI FC2580	146 -- 308 MHz, 438 -- 924 MHz	Good performance

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please read the Contributing Guide for development setup, coding standards, and the pull request process. This project follows the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct.

License

RTL-SDR Manager Library for .NET is free software, released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later.

Links

• NuGet Package: https://www.nuget.org/packages/RtlSdrManager/
• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/nandortoth/rtlsdr-manager
• Issue Tracker: https://github.com/nandortoth/rtlsdr-manager/issues
• Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
• librtlsdr: https://github.com/osmocom/rtl-sdr

Acknowledgments

• Osmocom rtl-sdr project — The native librtlsdr library that this project wraps.
• KerberosSDR project — Coherent SDR extensions for direction finding and passive radar.

Contact

• Author: Nandor Toth
• Email: dev@nandortoth.com
• Issues: github.com/nandortoth/rtlsdr-manager/issues