Data is everywhere. You know that of course, you've been on the Internet. But did you know it's literally whizzing past your head right now, encoded in invisible light? Radios of all sorts constantly broadcast signals containing everything from current weather conditions to the amount of air in your tires. And you can access that data, from code, if you have the right tools. In this workshop, you're going to learn what those tools are and how to use them.

You'll use a software-defined radio—that's a cheap radio dongle that has an antenna connector on one side and a USB plug on the other—and free software to capture signals from the airwaves. These signals will include aircraft location information sent from ADS-B transponders, AX.25 data packets broadcast by amateur radio operators over APRS, and the emissions of various IoT devices. You'll view this data directly using free tools and feed that data it into a database to be displayed on a web-based dashboard—all running on your computer and your computer alone. No Internet.

At the end of this workshop, you'll have the tools needed to work with software-defined radio installed, configured, and working. You'll be able to use these tools to view data that you didn't even know was there. And, you'll have the skills to capture that data for use in your applications.

NOTE: This workshop requires hardware. You will need an RTL-SDR-based software-defined radio, a suitable antenna, and cables to connect it to your computer. I recommend this kit here. https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-NESDR-Smart-Bundle-R820T2-Based/dp/B01GDN1T4S/