RTL-SDR and Kindle Fire

[N4IFE]

I always have an M1 or A15 iPad with me and when traveling I want to use a RTL-SDR with it. Unfortunately, without additional hardware such as a Raspberry Pi etc., the iPad cannot be used and I am not willing to start packing additional hardware for convenience, customs, and space reasons. As a compromise, I want to consider using an unused Kindle Fire that is sufficiently small, thin, and light so it can be packed with almost no consequence. Unfortunately, none of the Android based software (at least what I could find) will work with a Kindle Fire because the Kindle Fire devices apparently use a version of Android that is "heavily modified".

Has anyone succeeded in using a Kindle Fire with an SDR and if so how did you do it?

 

[dickie757]

You might be able to sideload the apks and drivers. I havent done it, but someone did it for me.....download the apk from goog play in chrome, put it in a place where the fire can see, and load it up. The other person downloaded Kerberos apk, as my devices are google free, and emailed it to me. I was able to get the driver from F-Droid, and a couple other sdr apks, as well.

Go to

F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform. The client makes it easy to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.

f-droid.org

and see if you can get an apk from there loaded into FireOS.

Go past the download fdroid, and into the grey box that has download apk.

Rtl-sdr driver | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

Port of rtl-sdr's rtl_tcp

f-droid.org

Load that up and come back here

 

[a417]

which kindle fire?

I had limited success with sideloading things back in the Kindle Fire HD 7 days, but that was a decade ago.