Let's build the best open source SDR together.
v3 is a big upgrade over v2, not a point release. We want to build it with the people who actually run stations and listen, so it ships as the most reliable and fastest open source WebSDR out there. Fully open, under AGPL.
Free to join. No donation needed. You get in by testing, not by paying.
Step one is finding out if people want this.
Applications are not open yet, and your email plus a couple of sentences is genuinely the most useful thing you can give us right now. It costs you nothing and it decides what gets built.What is v3
v3 is a big upgrade over v2.
NovaSDR is an open source WebSDR from Phasor Labs. You run it yourself, people tune in from a browser, and there is nothing hidden in it.
v2 works. v3 rebuilds the parts that were holding the project back, and that is exactly the sort of change you cannot properly test on your own laptop.
Better audio, faster tuning
The part you notice every session. Audio stays clean and tuning stays quick, even on a busy band.
Go back and listen again
Missed the signal? Recorded history and playback are built in, not bolted on afterwards.
Works on your phone too
Not just a desktop with a mouse. It should behave properly on a phone and with a screen reader.
Runs on your hardware
More receivers tested and known to work, so a new station is one evening and not a lost weekend.
Stable enough to leave alone
A station should survive load, updates and months of uptime. We want to measure that, not assume it.
Upgrading from v2 is guided
Moving up should not mean starting over. Backups and a way back to v2 get tested first.
Your ideas
What should v3 actually do?
This is the part that matters most right now. Tell us what annoys you about running or using a WebSDR today, or what would make you switch. We read all of it, and it feeds straight into what gets built.
No account, no sign up. Ideas are read by the maintainers and nobody else.
The program
Built with the community, not just for it.
Most software gets tested by the people who wrote it. Radio does not really work like that. A receiver only shows what it is actually like on a real antenna, on real hardware, in front of people who know what a good signal sounds like.
So we are doing it the other way round. Find out what people need first, build v3 around that, test it on real stations, then release the whole thing openly. The goal is the most reliable, stable, fastest and most complete open source SDR anyone has shipped.
What it is
- A group of people testing a release
- Open to operators, listeners and contributors
- Earned by testing and reporting
- Optional public credit for the work you do
What it is not
- A presale or a subscription
- A donation tier
- A company, charity or legal foundation
- A marketing mailing list
- Stage 1 of 3
Ask first
Find out whether people actually want this, and what would make them switch. That is the stage we are at now.
- Stage 2 of 3
Build on that
Use what people tell us to decide what v3 does, then test it with the same people on real stations.
- Stage 3 of 3
Release it openly
v3 ships fully open source under AGPL, with benchmark graphs and a proper release page showing what actually changed.
Ways to help
Three ways in. None need a donation.
Pick whichever matches what you already have: a station, a good pair of ears, or something to build.
Operator
You run a station.
You have a station, and you will put v3 through setup, an upgrade from v2, real load and a long run. Then tell us where it hurt.
What you would do
- Set up a station, or upgrade one from v2
- Run it at your normal load for a week, then longer
- Check that backup and rollback actually work
- Send reports while your cohort is running
What you need: A station you own or can admin, and the ability to keep backups.
Tester
You listen.
No station needed. You need ears, some patience, and the will to write down what broke and how to make it happen again.
What you would do
- Work through audio, tuning and history tasks
- Try it on your browser, your phone, your connection
- Check accessibility and how the decoders behave
- Report clearly enough that we can reproduce it
What you need: A browser and some time. Newcomers are as useful here as old hands.
Contributor
You build or write.
Code is one way in and not the main one. A recovery guide, a translation or one really good bug report all count too.
What you would do
- Code, test scenarios or protocol vectors
- Docs, guides and translations
- Security review and hardware testing
- Reports we can reproduce and act on
What you need: One accepted contribution before v3.0 ships. Not measured in lines of code.
You can do more than one. These describe work, not rank.
How it works
From interest list to shipped release.
Nobody gets dropped straight onto a live station. The first thing you break is a simulator, not your antenna.
- Step 1
Tell us what you need
Join the list and say what your setup is and what stops you switching today.
- Step 2
Get invited
Invites go out in small waves, picked for a spread of hardware and experience.
- Step 3
Start on the simulator
Everyone starts on the virtual station, before anything touches a live site.
- Step 4
Take it to real radio
Operators upgrade a station, testers listen. You report, we fix, you check the fix.
- Step 5
Ship v3
v3 goes out under AGPL with benchmarks, and the Founding Roll goes with it.
The cohorts, in order
- LabFirst
A very small group on early builds. Things are expected to break here, and every report gets a real answer.
- PioneerNext
Wider hardware coverage. Setup, upgrades from v2, and week long trials across a lot of different real stations.
- FoundingBefore launch
The full group running stations for a month, which is what tells us whether v3 is genuinely ready.
Cohorts stay small on purpose. We only offer a place when there is time to actually answer your reports.
Our promise
What you get, and what we will never do.
These things go wrong when the terms are vague, so here are both halves of them.
What you get
- A direct line to the maintainers, with real response targets
- Help with setup and upgrading, plus signed preview builds for your cohort
- Real say in priorities through evidence, surveys and release votes
- Optional permanent credit on the v3 Founding Roll
- A badge for your station or profile once you finish, if you want one
- Early access to hardware testing and benchmark tools
What we will never do
- Put NovaSDR features behind a paywall
- Promise lifetime hosting, private support or free hardware
- Give anyone a veto on the roadmap or a way around security
- Leave unsafe preview builds up forever
- Offer equity, tokens, tax write offs or legal founder status
- Ask you to praise NovaSDR or hide a bad result
Money does not buy a place.
Donations can pay for development, servers, test hardware and audits. They do not buy a spot, a badge, faster triage or any say over the product. You can give nothing and still be a founding member. Someone who donates but does no testing is a supporter, which is a different thing and just as welcome.
Where the badge shows up
Your badge can appear on your station listing on sdr-list.xyz. If paid extras ever land there, founding members would likely get them free or cheaper. That is a maybe and not a promise, so do not join for it.
Your details stay private
Emails go into our own database, not a third party form service. We use them to run the program and nothing else.
Nothing uploads on its own
Any metrics you send are opt in and you can see them first. Taking part never requires handing over listener IPs, frequencies, chat or recordings.
You pick what is public
Station location can stay rough or private. Public listing, quotes, screenshots and callsigns are each a separate yes you can take back.
FAQ
The questions people actually ask.
Still got a question?
Ask in Discussions. It is public, so the answer helps the next person with the same question.
Join the list
Tell us you want this.
One email field. We will write when the first cohort opens, and we might ask a few short questions before that about your setup and what you need.
What you get
A note when applications open, plus the odd short question. Not a newsletter.
When
Interest is open now. Invites start once enough people are in and early builds are stable enough to test.
No commitment
Joining the list does not make you a founding member and does not sign you up for anything.