App

Welle.io is a DAB and DAB+ software defined radio (SDR). It runs on Windows, Linux and embedded devices like the Raspberry Pi 2 and 3.

You can find the program and where to download it from their website.

Using the Software

With all these things, the software is updated regularly. You can see on the page where you download it from, what changes have been made with each version. The first thing I struggled to find was how to tune in the stations. I will show you how to further on in this post.

This is how the program looked while writing this review

Settings

If you select the three dots up the far top right, you can select settings. I recommend keeping them as is unless you want to change something here. The Auto Detect should select your SDR that is connected.

If your keen, you can also check out the Expert Settings from the same area.

Tuning in Stations

Towards the top left of the interface is a All Stations button. To the right of this is three little buttons. Click on this and select Start Station Scan. This will give you a list of stations once it is finished. You can star the ones you like to create a favorited list.

Changing Display

You can add displays by pressing the orange plus button down the bottom right. Some of the displays change as you hover over them, others have waterfalls. They can be removed or added as needed. I assume these will change all the time as the program is developed.

Recording

The app allows you to record the station you are listening to. By default, recordings are MP2 files stored in the /tmp folder.

Hotkeys

There are several hotkeys that can be turned on or off. They included m = mute audio, r = start or stop recording, – = switch to previous service, + = switch to the next service and so on.

Slideshow

Some stations transmit a slideshow. I have usually found this is just the station’s logo or the current program’s logo. The program is able to display this after it receives it without errors.

Summary

In summary, I highly recommend this easy to use software with your SDR device. It is extremely easy to set up and get going. At the time of writing this, there are only a couple of YouTube video’s and hardly any reviews. The YouTube video’s appear to be from the developer and just show you how to set it up. I believe this simple program will become popular in time mainly because of how easy it is to setup.

I hope you enjoy the read, please let me know below what you thought or have any comments.