Reviewed September 24, 2026 against source v1.7.41. Features and fixes are labeled by version. Check release availability.
One guided workspace for 14 profiles
Decoder Lab tunes a selected receiver, applies the required mode and channel width, checks antenna fit, and returns traffic to one receiver-tagged feed. Five built-in decoders validate frame or checksum structure. Nine additional profiles guide supported local engines and report the engine's own validated or parsed output.
| Profile | Implementation | What it returns |
|---|---|---|
| Mode-S / ADS-B | Built in | Aircraft identity, position, altitude, speed, heading, and vertical rate. |
| APRS North America and International | Built in | Validated AX.25 addresses, APRS payload, and FCS result. |
| Paging / POCSAG | Built in | Baud rate, capcode, function, and validated message content. |
| NOAA Weather Radio / SAME | Built in | Validated alert originator, event, locations, duration, issue time, and sender. |
| AIS Marine | AIS-catcher | Vessel identity, position, course, speed, heading, and navigation status. |
| ACARS VHF | acarsdec | Aircraft address, flight identifier, label, and decoded message text. |
| NOAA APT Weather Satellite | SatDump | Weather-satellite processing products for a selected pass. |
| Radiosonde Telemetry | auto_rx | Sonde identity, GPS position, altitude, velocity, and sensor telemetry. |
| Digital Voice | DSD-FME | DMR, P25, NXDN, and D-STAR sync, system, talkgroup, and event metadata. |
| 315, 433, 868, and 915 MHz Devices | rtl_433 | Compatible sensor identity, measurements, states, checksums, and pulse descriptions. |
Run a profile
- Open DECODER LAB.
- Select the profile, receiver, and lawful regional frequency.
- Review the antenna guidance and any mismatch warning.
- Install the named local engine if the profile is not built in.
- Select START DECODER and watch the receiver-tagged feed.
- Select STOP RESTORE to return the radio to its prior state.
Validation language
A frequency match is not a decode. Built-in profiles require valid frame or checksum structure before display. Engine-assisted profiles identify the engine and preserve its reported validation state. Keep raw IQ or session evidence when a result matters.
Keep RF activity distinct from a decode
ACTIVITY WATCH reports a change above a channel's learned RF background; it does not validate packets, identify a protocol, or recognize speech. A decoder profile can retune and reconfigure its receiver, so dedicate another receiver to a channel watch when uninterrupted monitoring matters.