HackRF Frequency Scanner

This tool uses a HackRF device to scan a range of frequencies and stops when it detects a signal above a specified dBm threshold. The frequency range and threshold are configurable.

Prerequisites

• A HackRF device connected to your computer
• Python 3.7+
• HackRF utilities (hackrf_sweep command) installed
• Required Python packages (see requirements.txt)

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Install the required dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

Edit config.yaml to set your desired:

• Frequency range (start and end frequencies in Hz)
• Signal strength threshold in dBm
• Scan settings (bin size, gain, sample rate)

Default configuration:

start_frequency: 100000000  # 100 MHz
end_frequency: 1000000000   # 1 GHz
dbm_threshold: -30          # in dBm
bin_size: 100000            # 100 kHz steps
gain: 20                    # Receiver gain
sample_rate: 2000000        # 2 MHz sample rate

Usage

Run the scanner with:

source venv/bin/activate && sudo python hackrf_scanner.py

Additional options:

python hackrf_scanner.py --config custom_config.yaml  # Use a different config file
python hackrf_scanner.py --plot                       # Create a plot of detected signal

How It Works

The tool uses the hackrf_sweep command line utility to scan the specified frequency range. It parses the output to extract frequency and power information. When a signal with power above the threshold is detected, the scanner stops and reports the frequency and signal strength.

Output

When a signal is detected above the threshold, the script will output:

• The frequency where the signal was detected

• The power level in dBm

• Optionally, a plot of the detected signal if --plot is specified

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