Installing GNU Radio

LET'S START USING IT

Creating a GNU Radio bootable USB Drive

The Live SDR Environment is a bootable ISO image file that can be put onto a USB flash drive or a

DVD, and runs directly from the USB or DVD, without having to install anything and without modifying the local disk of the system. It contains a number of pre-installed applications as well as up-to-date versions of GNU Radio and UHD enabling support for the latest USRP SDR models.

Ingredient for GNU Radio software Hardware:

Live SDR Eenvironments may be put onto any standard DVD or onto a USB 3.0 flash drive with atleast 16 GB capacity.

Software's:

• UNetbootin (available on Windows, MacOS, Linux), or other live USB creator to convert the ISO image into a bootable live environment on the USB drive.
• The GNU Radio Live SDR Environment USB drive image or Ubuntu Linux DVD.

Downloads :

• For UNetbootin http://unetbootin.github.io/
• For The 'GNU Radio Live SDR Environment' USB drive image.

This version of the ISO image is based on the latest stable release of GNU Radio, 3.7.11, and the stable releases of third party software at that time:

http://s3-dist.gnuradio.org/ubuntu-16.04.2-desktop -amd64-gnuradio-3.7.11.torrent

The use of bittorrent reduces the reduces the load on the GNU Radio web server and lowers project bandwidth costs.

If a Bittorrent client is not available or its use is restricted, you may download the ISO image file by choosing from one of the following mirror sites: 

http://s3-dist.gnuradio.org/ubuntu-16.04.2-desktop -amd64-gnuradio-3.7.11.iso

http://eu1-dist.gnuradio.org/s3/ubuntu-16.04.2-desktop -amd64-gnuradio-3.7.11.iso

http://eu1-dist.gnuradio.org/ubuntu-16.04.2-desktop -amd64-gnuradio-3.7.11.iso

Creating a Bootable USB drive

• Creating a bootable USB drive with the Live SDR Environment on it takes more effort, but results in a GNU Radio development environment that can be extended and have work saved.
• essential softwares required to make bootable pendrive are:

1. image burner software : ImgBurn
2. https://rufus.akeo.ie/ : to make iso image bootable to pendrive. 

• The only requirement is a pre-formatted USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 flash drive of 8GB or larger (though the extra space beyond 8GB will not be used or accesible).
• After downloading the ISO image file use UNetbootin on the USB drive.
• Booting from the Live USB is similar to the DVD, pressing F12 (or whichever) during the boot sequence gives a "one time boot menu", where you can select the appropriate entry shown for the USB drive used. Fast USB 3.0 drive speeds can result in a system that feels like a regular hard disk.

References:

https://kb.ettus.com/Live_SDR_Environment

http://www.stargazing.net/david/GNUradio/LiveDVD.html

https://www.gnuradio.org/blog/using-gnu-radio-live-sdr-environment/