[Announce] Rigflow: a client/server SDR app for the HL2 (first release)

[David Bourgoyne]

Hello all, 

I'd like to share Rigflow, an open-source (MIT) client/server SDR application I've been building with the Hermes-Lite 2 as its primary, fully-supported radio — receive AND transmit. I just put out the first release (v0.1.0) and would welcome feedback from this group.

The idea: a lightweight SERVER runs on a low-power box right at the antenna (e.g. a Raspberry Pi) and owns the HL2 and all the DSP; a desktop CLIENT gives you the spectrum/waterfall, tuning, and controls over the network. So you can put the radio at the feedpoint and operate from a laptop elsewhere on your LAN.

What it does with the HL2 today:

 - Receive: SSB / CW / AM / FM and Data (FT8); real-time spectrum + waterfall; NR2 noise reduction, AGC, squelch; bookmarks; amateur band / license-privilege overlays; IQ record + playback.

- Transmit: SSB from the mic (soft limiter + speech compressor), CW (straight key or text-to-CW with macros and sidetone), and FT8/WSJT-X. The N2ADR filter board is supported and ON by default for per-band harmonic filtering.

- FT8 routing: on Linux via PipeWire virtual audio or TCI; on macOS via TCI — no BlackHole and no microphone-permission dance.

- Station: optional Hardrock-50 control (band tracking, ATU, SWR/power) over USB serial; per-operator and per-radio settings; multiple radios from one client; a latency panel for remote operating.

On transmit quality: the SSB/CW/FT8 paths are validated in software (opposite-sideband and carrier suppression, two-tone IMD, CW key-click shaping, FT8 occupied bandwidth) and confirmed on the air; the per-band LPF selection follows the same band dictionary as Quisk. Numbers and method are in the repo.

Honest caveats: this is experimental v0.1.0 for licensed operators and experimenters — it works and I use it on the air, but expect rough edges (known issues are listed in the release notes). The server is Linux (including Pi/ARM); the client runs on Linux and macOS (Apple Silicon, unsigned). RTL-SDR is also supported for receive. Always verify    
  your transmitted signal and operate within your regulations — see the Disclaimer.

Repo, prebuilt binaries, and docs: https://github.com/dbourgoyne/rigflow 

Bugs and feature requests are very welcome via GitHub Issues.

73,

David

KK7TCY