OnAir

Getting started

From download to your first decoded signal in five steps.

1. Install

Download the file for your system from the download page. On macOS, drag OnAir to Applications and right-click, Open on the first launch (the app is not signed with a developer certificate yet). On Windows run the installer or unpack the zip. On Linux install the .deb or unpack the portable archive.

On Windows, install the WinUSB driver once with Zadig for a HackRF, RTL-SDR, Airspy or Airspy HF+.

2. Connect your radio and antenna

Connected radios appear in the source menu. Without a radio you can choose the synthetic test signal or an IQ recording file, or press Tour for a guided walkthrough.

3. Pick a mode

The mode list on the left has 83 receivers in 14 groups, with a search box. Browse them in the mode directory.

4. Set the frequency, then Start

Enter a frequency, or open the Scan tab to find channels automatically. Press Start. When the receiver locks, the channels appear on the right: click one to watch or listen.

5. Improve reception

If the picture breaks up, use Auto-tune for the gain and watch the quality score while you move the antenna. Height and a clear view toward the transmitter matter more than anything else. The echo detector shows multipath.

Good to know. Encrypted services cannot be decoded. Some voice codecs are not shipped with OnAir, see voice codecs. Receiving is legal in most places, but laws differ.

Record and share

Record IQ from the Source panel (with SigMF ticked, each recording gets a .sigmf-meta file that opens in IQEngine and other SigMF tools). The network tuner streams channels to VLC, phones, Plex or Jellyfin, and on a Mac you can cast to AirPlay.

Command line

onair-cli --standard iridium --iridium-bits output.bits --secs 600
onair-cli --record auto --secs 10

Help

Ask on Discord or open an issue on GitHub and attach an IQ recording of the problem.