Sunday, October 18, 2026

HackRF Transfer GUI for macOS

hackrf_transfer is a command line tool for getting a HackRF to capture and replay IQ files. I often use this for testing software such as FreeDV RADE and digital modes. Playing back a slab of a band full of SSB contacts is a great way to demonstrate receivers such as my Soldersmoke Direct Conversion receiver.

This GUI looks for hackrf_transfer which I install with homebrew but if you have the binary somewhere else you can choose it manually in settings.

The main window has two main parts. Capture and Transmit. Here's capture, showing the level monitor which is handy for setting the gain to an optimum point for recording.


It can also play back .c16 files captured in the field on a HackRF portapack.

I've put a page about the app with a download link here.

No comments: