DragonOS Pi64 image for SDR work
Rex's build of DragonOS Pi64 — an Ubuntu 22.04 SDR distribution with the radio tools preinstalled — on the uConsole kernel for CM4 and CM5.
What it takes
- Software only
Difficulty 1 of 3 — easy.
Details
DragonOS Pi64 is 'an out-of-the-box 22.04 aarch64 Raspberry Pi based operating system' for software-defined radio; Rex's image (May 2025) puts it on his kernel with the usual presets (external antenna, auto-expanding filesystem, APT kernel updates), login ubuntu/dragon, for the BCM2711 (CM4) and BCM2712 (CM5). Audio was missing from the first build and arrived with kernel 6.12.27; the image was refreshed for the new screens in February 2026.
RTL-SDR.com's uConsole coverage includes a review that flashes DragonOS and runs SDR++ with the AIO antenna board, which is the pairing most people use it for. Do not apply Raspberry Pi Imager's custom settings.
Links
Open at Forum threadRelated mods
The community's recommended OS: Debian 13 on Rex's patched Pi kernel, desktop and Lite variants, for CM3+, CM4, CM4S and CM5.
The previous Debian release of Rex's line, still rebuilt for the new screens in 2026 — the fallback when something on Trixie is not ready yet.
Rex's Kali image for CM4 and CM5 on the uConsole kernel with the hardware presets; cuu's original CM4 build is documented on the ClockworkPi wiki.
Rex's Parrot OS build for CM3/CM4/CM5 in Home and Security editions, plus krokowitz's Security spin with RTL-SDR and ALFA drivers preinstalled.
Ubuntu on the uConsole kernel for CM3/CM4/CM5 — originally 24.04, now 26.04 on the 7.1.y kernel line.
Rex's port of TwisterOS — a themed Raspbian derivative with Box86/Box64, Wine and Pi-Apps — for the uConsole and DevTerm.