HackRF One
Affordable half-duplex SDR covering 1 MHz to 6 GHz with 20 MHz bandwidth, popular for GSM capture, IMSI catcher detection, and RF reconnaissance.
HackRF One — Affordable Wideband SDR
The HackRF One by Great Scott Gadgets is the most accessible SDR for cellular security research. Its 1 MHz–6 GHz range with 20 MHz bandwidth makes it ideal for passive GSM capture, LTE cell scanning, IMSI catcher detection, and general RF reconnaissance.
TelcoChisel Compatibility
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Driver | libhackrf 2024.02.1 (pre-installed) |
| Kernel | 6.8.0-rt-telco (PREEMPT_RT) |
| Status | ✅ VERIFIED_STABLE |
| Max Sample Rate | 20 MS/s (8-bit) |
| Duplex | Half-duplex (TX or RX, not simultaneous) |
Supported Tool Integrations
- Gr-GSM — Passive GSM BCCH/TCH capture with GSMTAP
- Kalibrate-RTL — GSM ARFCN scanning and PPM calibration
- Gqrx — Wideband spectrum analysis
- URH — RF protocol reverse engineering
- SigDigger — Digital signal analysis and burst detection
- GNU Radio — Custom flow graphs via osmocom source
Quick Setup
# Verify detection
hackrf_info
# Update firmware (if needed)
hackrf_spiflash -w /usr/share/hackrf/hackrf_one_usb.bin
# Test reception at 935 MHz (GSM-900 downlink)
hackrf_transfer -r /tmp/test.cf32 -f 935200000 -s 2000000 -a 1 -l 32 -g 40 -n 4000000
Accessories
| Accessory | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ANT500 | Telescopic antenna (75 MHz–1 GHz) |
| Opera Cake | Antenna switching add-on board |
| Portapack H2 | Standalone portable operation without PC |
| SMA cables/adapters | Connect to external wideband antennas |