VXSDR-20-160 is a microwave software defined radio that transmits and receives from 5 to 20 GHz at 160 million samples per second. Its capabilities are similar to other high-end software defined radios: 10 gigabit Ethernet, support for C++ and Python interfacing, external 10 MHz and PPS inputs, and to accept external local oscillators for precise synchronization.

Porting applications from other software defined radios is straightforward, and the software and firmware are open source. The VXSDR-20-160 is the first member of a family of radios that share a common API and cover frequencies or bandwidths not commonly available from commercial SDRs.

Reach Higher

Software-defined radios have become an important general-purpose tool for researchers, scientists, and engineers, but the radios you can buy today cover frequencies of 6 GHz and below (with a few very expensive exceptions). We built the VXSDR-20-160 so we (and others) could have those capabilities in the higher 5-20 GHz frequency range.

The VXSDR-20-160 is designed to be used like any other high performance SDR. It’s usable for laboratory experiments in communications and sensing, including simultaneous transmitting and receiving at the full 160 MSPS rate. We’ve designed the host API so that porting from the other widely used SDR APIs is straightforward.

Features & Specifications

Analog RF and IF

• 5.0 - 20.0 GHz transmit and receive (usable to 22 GHz)
• 5 - 9 dB receive noise figure
• 10 - 15 dBm output power
• low-IF design (160 MHz IF)
• TX output and TX/RX input/output (field replaceable SMA)

Digital

• 14-bit 160 MSPS A/D for receive
• 16-bit 160 MSPS D/A for transmit
• JESD204B interfaces
• Altera Cyclone 10 FPGA (85k - 220k logic elements)

Control and Data Transfer

• 10 gigabit Ethernet interface (SFP+)
• Simultaneous full rate transmit and receive
• PPS and 10 MHz inputs
• External LO input for synchronization

Software

• C++ and Python bindings
• Simple API, easy to port from lower-frequency SDRs
• Currently supports Linux; Mac and Windows support in development
• GPL v3 licensing with public GitHub repo coming soon

Power

• 12 V DC power input
• 25 W active, 16 W idle

Physical

• 9.4 inches (23.9 cm) long (including connectors)
• 4.1 inches (10.5 cm) wide
• 1.0 inches (2.4 cm) high

Open Source

We are completing the changes needed for public release of the source code for the host library, which will be followed by the software and firmware used on the board itself. A preview of the host documentation, which describes the full host API, is available at https://vesperix-vxsdr-lib.readthedocs-hosted.com/en/latest/.

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A Quick Thanks

Our plans to offer the VXSDR-20-160 on Crowd Supply have been delayed for almost 2 years by supply chain issues, which have now cleared up. We apologize for the long delay, and we’d like to thank all those who’ve been waiting for your patience.