Coherent arrays. Wider Doppler. Faster radar.

Install VectorWarp

1. Install for your OS

Recommended: install from your terminal with APT, DNF or Homebrew. Your package manager selects the right package and handles dependencies and updates. You do not need to choose an individual download.

Linux: keep your existing supported 64-bit OS. The installer selects its matching signed repository, including the Ubuntu base used by DragonOS. Each command installs prerequisites, configures the repository, installs VectorWarp and opens the web interface. Enter your administrator password if prompted.

Ubuntu, Debian and compatible DragonOS — APT

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y curl gnupg && curl --fail --location --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://mickeyslaven.github.io/blah2-VectorWarp/install.sh --output vectorwarp-install.sh && sudo bash vectorwarp-install.sh --repo-only && sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y vectorwarp && vectorwarp

Fedora 44 — DNF

sudo dnf install -y curl gnupg2 && curl --fail --location --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://mickeyslaven.github.io/blah2-VectorWarp/install.sh --output vectorwarp-install.sh && sudo bash vectorwarp-install.sh --repo-only && sudo dnf install -y vectorwarp && vectorwarp

The Linux commands download over HTTPS and verify the repository's pinned signing key. The installer source is available to read separately. See supported OS versions and manual downloads if you need a specific package.

macOS — Homebrew

With Homebrew and Xcode Command Line Tools installed, run:

brew tap mickeyslaven/vectorwarp
brew trust mickeyslaven/vectorwarp
brew install vectorwarp
vectorwarp

Homebrew setup and updates. Apple Silicon is tested on M2; Intel remains experimental. A signed PKG, when available, is an optional manual download.

2. Configure and start radar

Run vectorwarp to open the web interface, then open Settings and configure your receiver. Choose Save & Restart to save settings and start radar, including the first time. No separate start command is needed. Save for later saves without starting radar. On a headless system, the command prints the web address.

Open http://localhost:3000 on the installed machine, or http://<server-IP>:3000 from another device on your trusted network. On a fresh install, radar processing stays stopped until you configure it and choose Save & Restart.

Each package includes Kraken, USRP and dual HackRF adapters, plus the source kit to build RSPduo support from Settings after installing SDRplay's API. Receiver hardware and external software are separate; RSPduo needs the locally installed SDRplay API. Follow receiver setup after installing.

3. Start, stop and check services

Use vectorwarp start to start the full VectorWarp stack with saved settings, vectorwarp stop to stop it, or vectorwarp restart for an ordered stop/start. Stop includes the web interface. Shared receiver/vendor services are not stopped. Service changes may ask for your administrator password. vectorwarp status, vectorwarp logs and vectorwarp version show service state, logs and the installed version. vectorwarp help lists all commands.

On macOS, the Homebrew command is vectorwarp. The standalone PKG uses /Applications/VectorWarp.app/Contents/MacOS/VectorWarp. Append start, stop, restart, or status to either launcher path as needed.

4. Update

For Linux package installations, your repository is already configured; do not repeat the installation steps.

Ubuntu, Debian and compatible DragonOS:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install vectorwarp

Fedora:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh vectorwarp

For macOS Homebrew: brew upgrade vectorwarp vectorwarp-heimdall. For a standalone PKG, use the next release's PKG through the normal Installer flow.

Successful upgrades restart previously running VectorWarp services and leave intentionally stopped radar stopped. Finish receiver setup/build actions before updating; a helper that cannot be safely stopped blocks unpacking with an error.

Other installation options

shasum -a 256 vectorwarp-0.1.38-macos-universal.pkg
pkgutil --check-signature vectorwarp-0.1.38-macos-universal.pkg
spctl --assess --type install vectorwarp-0.1.38-macos-universal.pkg

gpg --show-keys --with-fingerprint vectorwarp-archive-key.asc
gpg --dearmor --output vectorwarp-release-keyring.gpg vectorwarp-archive-key.asc && \
  gpgv --keyring ./vectorwarp-release-keyring.gpg SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS && \
  sha256sum --check --strict --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS

Faster than regular blah2

Same recorded IQ at its original rate. Same CPU budget on each host.

On the RTX 4050 workload, regular blah2 missed 22 of 24 measured intervals; VectorWarp GPU missed none. Accuracy qualification runs at startup; accepted steady GPU frames do not repeat CPU clutter or complex-map accuracy calculations.

At 200 ms CPI and ±2400 Hz, these hosts used about 25% less processing time in CPU mode and 64–71% less in GPU mode than original blah2.

GPU acceleration covers clutter FFT/filtering and delay–Doppler work; the small FP64 coefficient solve and other radar stages remain on CPU.

Earlier live array proof: at 527 MHz and 2.4 MS/s, a five-channel array GPU run at ±800 Hz and 200 ms CPI averaged 95.5 ms. This is live capacity evidence from the prior version with recurring CPU checks, not a new live run or a matched upstream ratio.

More radar per frame

VectorWarp also completes wider and five-channel configurations where regular blah2 has no equivalent mode or cannot safely represent the requested geometry.

Coherent multi-channel processing

Kraken arrays can use 2–8 synchronized inputs, synthesize the broadcast reference from several elements, and keep every selected element available for surveillance. The calibrated coherent beam bank uses measured per-channel phase and gain to scan the full horizon; noncoherent fusion remains available for compatibility.

Optional weak-echo controls include two-CPI power integration, calibrated effective beam trials, a bounded direct-path null, limited inter-CPI motion search, and bearing-consistent track association. These controls are independent and default to the established behavior until explicitly enabled.

Beam index is association evidence, not a unique aircraft bearing. Array processing does not guarantee more antenna gain than a directional antenna, and every live configuration must still meet its CPI deadline.

Physical NVIDIA, AMD and Intel GPU checks compare complex maps to a CPU reference. Results are tolerance-validated, not bit-exact or a guarantee for every host.

Equal-range Doppler tests

All comparisons retain the standard 256-bin, 30.604 km excess-path window at 527 MHz and 2.4 MS/s. At this full range and ±4800 Hz, Strix GPU processing averaged 67.0 ms per 200 ms CPI and 325.5 ms per one-second CPI. VectorWarp CPU took 173.8 ms and 886.0 ms respectively; both modes met all 24 steady deadlines in each case. These are capacity results where upstream's Doppler buffer cannot safely represent the configuration.

The combined efficiency changes also reduced the Strix ±2400 Hz GPU workload from 69.7 to 44.7 ms versus the preceding VectorWarp version in this campaign. Heavier workloads still miss some deadlines; the full report includes all configurations, a separate before/after comparison and remaining processing costs.

Limited platform: Raspberry Pi 4B

Raspberry Pi 4B is retained as a compatibility and preview target, not a recommended primary VectorWarp platform. Prefer an x86-64 PC or Apple Silicon Mac for real-time radar workloads. The tested baseline is an 8 GB Pi 4B running 64-bit Bookworm Lite; heavier configurations may miss their CPI deadlines.

Download Debian 12 ARM64 DEB

Download Imager manifest

Preview image 0.1.10 · Download .img.xz directly. Open the companion manifest to keep Wi-Fi and SSH customization available.

Preview: software checks passed; fresh-card boot and Wi-Fi qualification are still pending.