How To Install rtl-sdr on Ubuntu 20.04

In this tutorial we learn how to install rtl-sdr on Ubuntu 20.04. rtl-sdr is Software defined radio receiver for Realtek RTL2832U (tools)

Introduction

In this tutorial we learn how to install rtl-sdr on Ubuntu 20.04.

What is rtl-sdr

rtl-sdr is:

rtl-sdr is a software defined radio (SDR) receiver software for certain low-cost DVB-T/DAB(+) USB dongles based on the Realtek RTL2832U chip.

This package contains a set of command line utilities:

  • rtl_adsb: a simple ADS-B decoder for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
  • rtl_eeprom: an EEPROM programming tool for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
  • rtl_fm: a narrow band FM demodulator for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
  • rtl_sdr: an I/Q recorder for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
  • rtl_tcp: an I/Q spectrum server for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers
  • rtl_test: a benchmark tool for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers

There are three methods to install rtl-sdr on Ubuntu 20.04. We can use apt-get, apt and aptitude. In the following sections we will describe each method. You can choose one of them.

Install rtl-sdr Using apt-get

Update apt database with apt-get using the following command.

sudo apt-get update

After updating apt database, We can install rtl-sdr using apt-get by running the following command:

sudo apt-get -y install rtl-sdr

Install rtl-sdr Using apt

Update apt database with apt using the following command.

sudo apt update

After updating apt database, We can install rtl-sdr using apt by running the following command:

sudo apt -y install rtl-sdr

Install rtl-sdr Using aptitude

If you want to follow this method, you might need to install aptitude first since aptitude is usually not installed by default on Ubuntu. Update apt database with aptitude using the following command.

sudo aptitude update

After updating apt database, We can install rtl-sdr using aptitude by running the following command:

sudo aptitude -y install rtl-sdr

How To Uninstall rtl-sdr on Ubuntu 20.04

To uninstall only the rtl-sdr package we can use the following command:

sudo apt-get remove rtl-sdr

Uninstall rtl-sdr And Its Dependencies

To uninstall rtl-sdr and its dependencies that are no longer needed by Ubuntu 20.04, we can use the command below:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove rtl-sdr

Remove rtl-sdr Configurations and Data

To remove rtl-sdr configuration and data from Ubuntu 20.04 we can use the following command:

sudo apt-get -y purge rtl-sdr

Remove rtl-sdr configuration, data, and all of its dependencies

We can use the following command to remove rtl-sdr configurations, data and all of its dependencies, we can use the following command:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove --purge rtl-sdr

References

Summary

In this tutorial we learn how to install rtl-sdr package on Ubuntu 20.04 using different package management tools: apt, apt-get and aptitude.