SDR Linux Distros
DragonOS Focal / Pi64, Skywave Linux, Pentoo — pre-loaded SDR distros so you don't compile GNU Radio yourself.
Compiling GNU Radio + SoapySDR + every decoder from source is a rite of passage you do not need in 2026. These distros ship with the entire SDR stack pre-installed and updated. Cross-link with SDR Drivers & Frameworks (radioconda is the alternative if you want a regular distro), Pi OS Distributions, SDR Receivers, SDR Software.
Mainstream picks
- ★ DragonOS Focal (Aaron Rosen, "DragonOS_LTS") — Ubuntu / Lubuntu LTS-based; the de-facto SDR Linux distro in 2026. Ships with: GNU Radio, SDR++, SDRangel, GQRX, CubicSDR, OpenWebRX+, satdump, AIS-catcher, dump1090 / readsb / dump978, SDRTrunk, Trunk-Recorder, OP25, gr-iridium, KrakenSDR DOA, Direwolf, WSJT-X, JS8Call, Fldigi, gpredict, gr-satellites, qspectrumanalyzer, Universal Radio Hacker, TempestSDR. Free; closed-source-ish in that the ISO is community-curated, components are FOSS.
- ★ DragonOS Pi64 — same idea, for Raspberry Pi 4 / 5 (aarch64). The "burn an SD card and the Pi has every SDR tool" image. Free.
- DragonOS Noble — Ubuntu 24.04-based; newer; tracks DragonOS Focal as it transitions.
- Skywave Linux — older live-USB SDR distro; last meaningful release ~2020; sunset in 2026. Replaced by DragonOS for new installs.
- Pentoo — Gentoo-based pen-testing distro with SDR tools (HackRF, gr-osmosdr, GNU Radio, kismet); not SDR-specialized but useful if you're already a Gentoo user. Updates slowly.
- Kali Linux — does not ship a heavy SDR stack by default but has add-on metapackages (
kali-tools-sdr); useful if Kali is already your daily driver. Debian-based.
Specialty / appliance distros
- ★ adsb.im / adsb-feeder.im — see Aviation Decoders; single-purpose ADS-B feeder image for a Pi. Web wizard configures readsb / tar1090 / PiAware / FR24 / ADSBexchange / OpenSky simultaneously. Free.
- PiAware SD Card Image — FlightAware's official ADS-B-only image; simpler but less flexible than adsb.im.
- ★ WPSD / Pi-Star — see Digital Voice & MMDVM Hotspots; single-purpose MMDVM hotspot image for a Pi Zero / Zero 2 W. Not strictly SDR but adjacent.
- OpenWebRX Image — Pi image preloaded with OpenWebRX+; "share my SDR on a webpage" appliance.
- SatNOGS Client Image — ground-station appliance image; see Ham Satellite Tracking.
- raspberry-noaa-v2 image — see Weather Satellites; weather-sat capture appliance.
radioconda — when you don't want a whole distro
- ★ radioconda — Ryan Volz; conda-based GNU Radio + SoapySDR + decoders package set; runs on any Linux / macOS / Windows. The "I have my own distro / I don't want to dual-boot" answer. Free. The 2026 path of least resistance for a non-distro install.
NixOS / FreeBSD / less-common
- NixOS gnuradio packages — high-quality; reproducible builds; for NixOS users.
- FreeBSD ports tree — has GNU Radio, libhackrf, libairspy, etc.; usable but lags Linux.
- macOS via radioconda or Homebrew — both work; radioconda is easier for the full GNU Radio stack.
What DragonOS includes — quick inventory
| Tool | Purpose | Cross-link |
|---|---|---|
| GNU Radio + GRC | DSP flowgraphs | SDR Drivers |
| SDR++, SDRangel, GQRX, CubicSDR | Receiver UIs | SDR Software |
| satdump | Weather satellites | Weather Satellites |
| dump1090, readsb, dump978, tar1090 | ADS-B / aviation | Aviation Decoders |
| AIS-catcher | Marine AIS | Marine AIS |
| SDRTrunk, Trunk-Recorder, OP25, DSD-FME | Trunked / public-safety | Trunked & Public Safety |
| KrakenSDR DOA, krakensdr_pr | Direction-finding / passive radar | Direction Finding |
| WSJT-X, JS8Call, Fldigi, JTDX | Ham digital modes | Ham Digital Modes |
| Direwolf, Xastir, YAAC, aprx | APRS / packet | APRS & Packet |
| gpredict, gr-satellites | Satellite tracking | Ham Satellite Tracking |
| Universal Radio Hacker, gr-iridium, multimon-ng, TempestSDR | Side-channel / RE | Side-Channel & TEMPEST |
| OpenWebRX+ | Web-shared SDR | SDR Software |
| Hamlib, FLRig | Rig control | Rig Control |
Practical guidance
- DragonOS on a USB stick + persistent partition is the "always have my SDR rig in my backpack" workflow. Fast on most laptops; brings every tool with you.
- DragonOS Pi64 on a Pi 5 with an external NVMe SSD via PCIe is shockingly capable in 2026 — handles GNU Radio + multi-decoder workflows that once needed a desktop.
- Don't run two distros' worth of GNU Radio. If you're on Ubuntu and add radioconda, the conda env shadows the system GNU Radio; keep one.
- Update frequency. DragonOS Focal sees a major refresh every 6–9 months; in between, install updates are normal apt updates.
- Wi-Fi / Bluetooth blacklisting. Some SDR distros disable laptop Wi-Fi by default to reduce 2.4 GHz noise; turn it back on if you forget you're on Wi-Fi later.
- udev rules baked in. Every supported SDR works as a non-root user out of the box — saves you the "why does HackRF need sudo?" debugging.
License / pricing notes
- DragonOS / Skywave / Pentoo / radioconda — all FOSS-bundle distros; license is the union of their components' licenses (mostly GPL).
- Free. No paywalls, no trials, no nags.
- Hardware-driver caveat. SDRplay's API is closed; pre-installed but you accept the SDRplay EULA on first run.
Pick this if…
- Default SDR distro, 2026: DragonOS Focal (x86) or DragonOS Pi64 (Pi).
- Single-purpose ADS-B feeder appliance: adsb.im image.
- Single-purpose MMDVM hotspot: WPSD.
- Single-purpose web-share SDR: OpenWebRX image.
- Single-purpose SatNOGS ground station: SatNOGS Client Image.
- My own distro, want GNU Radio: radioconda.
- Pen-testing + SDR: Kali + SDR metapackage.
- Weather sat appliance: raspberry-noaa-v2 image.