Install gqrx with Homebrew Cask

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

No executable aliases were found in the local package database.

Project history

Gqrx began with Python and gr-qtgui experiments before being rewritten in C++. The project's own release history records the first stable C++ release in July 2012 with Funcube Dongle support.

A December 2012 release added USRP, RTL2832U, and macOS support. In August 2013, the project added an official Ubuntu PPA, a macOS application bundle, Qt 5 and GNU Radio 3.7 support, and support for additional receivers.

Later releases broadened hardware integration, added bookmarks, RDS decoding, remote control, I/Q recording and playback, improved FFT and waterfall visualization, and followed successive GNU Radio and Qt generations.

Adoption history

Gqrx became a widely packaged graphical receiver for Linux and macOS. The official project README notes that many Linux distributions include it and identifies MacPorts and Homebrew as alternate macOS installation channels.

Support through gr-osmosdr and later SoapySDR allowed the same interface to work with hardware ranging from inexpensive RTL-SDR receivers and Funcube Dongles to Airspy, HackRF, bladeRF, RFSpace, USRP, and other devices.

How it is used

On first launch, users choose a detected SDR device and configure its input parameters. They then tune frequencies, adjust gains and filters, inspect live spectrum and waterfall displays, select a demodulation mode, listen to audio, and optionally record audio or baseband I/Q data.

Gqrx supports multiple saved configurations and sessions, command-line selection of a configuration, remote-control hooks through network sockets, and FFT-only operation. The official README recommends running volk_profile before use.

Why package nerds care

Gqrx sits at the intersection of scientific software, amateur-radio experimentation, and the GNU Radio native dependency graph. Package maintainers must align Gqrx with compatible GNU Radio, Qt, gr-osmosdr, SoapySDR, VOLK, hardware-driver, and DSP-library versions.

Binary packages are particularly valuable because manually assembling that hardware-facing C++ and signal-processing stack is substantially more involved than installing a self-contained desktop utility.

Timeline

• 2012: The first stable C++ release added Funcube Dongle support.
• 2012: USRP, RTL2832U, and macOS support arrived.
• 2013: The project added an Ubuntu PPA, a macOS bundle, Qt 5, and GNU Radio 3.7 support.
• 2015: Gqrx added bookmarks and FM RDS decoding.
• 2020: Gqrx added GNU Radio 3.8 support.

Related projects

• GNU Radio supplies Gqrx's signal-processing framework.
• Qt supplies its graphical interface.
• gr-osmosdr and SoapySDR provide common interfaces to supported SDR hardware.
• RTL-SDR helped make receive-only SDR experimentation inexpensive and widely accessible.
• VOLK provides optimized DSP kernels used in GNU Radio workflows.

Sources

• Official project website: https://gqrx.dk/
• Official release history: https://github.com/gqrx-sdr/gqrx/blob/master/resources/news.txt
• Official releases: https://github.com/gqrx-sdr/gqrx/releases
• Official repository and README: https://github.com/gqrx-sdr/gqrx