Common Applications of SDR
Hobbyism & Learning: The most popular entry point. People use cheap RTL-SDR dongles to listen to aircraft traffic (ADS-B), decode satellite weather images, explore radio astronomy, and more.
Research & Development: Universities and companies use SDR to rapidly prototype and test new wireless communication standards (like 5G/6G) without building hardware from scratch each time.
Military and Defense: SDRs (like the JTRS program) allow military forces to use one radio device to communicate across many different, incompatible legacy protocols simply by loading a new "waveform" profile.
* Cellular Networks:* The base stations (cell towers) for 4G LTE and 5G are often built on SDR principles, making them software-upgradable.
Amateur Radio: Hams use SDR for everything from advanced digital modes to building their own radar systems.
