After the ESP32, the LR2021 LoRa Chip Is Found to Hide an SDR Too
Only weeks after a hidden baseband mode turned the ESP32 into a software-defined radio, a similar capability has been reported in the LR2021 LoRa chip.
Recent news showed that the ESP32 can work as a software-defined radio (SDR) thanks to a hidden baseband mode. Now a second chip has joined it. A person going by [Samson1te] has revealed SDR functionality inside the LR2021 LoRa chip.
The find is notable because the LR2021 has two radios. One operates at 2.4 GHz, while the other covers a range from 150 to 960 MHz. That gives the chip more frequency coverage than many low-cost wireless parts.
The discovery was shared in a comment on a Hackaday post about a receive converter, offered as a companion to the ESP32 project. According to the description, it provides a 16-bit SDR that can both receive and transmit. As with the ESP32 work, the project is at an early stage, and Hackaday hopes for more to come.
Comprehensive documentation is available for anyone who wants to experiment with it. For now, the main demonstration is P25 digital voice. Readers who want to follow the related ESP32 SDR story can find Hackaday's earlier coverage on the site.
