Ukrainian firm CODE380's 290 g D·Vision SDR receiver scans 500 MHz to 8.7 GHz to view Russian drones' analogue video

TLDR

• Defense News reports CODE380's D·Vision SDR receiver scans 500 MHz to 8.7 GHz and shows analogue drone video.¹
• At about 290 g, it weighs under half as much as its main Ukrainian rivals.¹
• Militarnyi says it displays only analogue video and detects, but does not decode, DJI digital signals.²

Defense News reported on 2 November that Kyiv communications-equipment maker CODE380 has developed the D·Vision SDR, a pocket-sized receiver that uses a software-defined radio (SDR) to sweep 500 MHz to 8.7 GHz for drone signals and show the video they transmit, letting Ukrainian operators view Russian drones' live feeds without emitting a signal that could reveal their position.¹ The developers told the Ukrainian outlet DOU on 17 October that the device scans its range without blind spots and is more sensitive than competing detectors; these are the makers' claims.¹

Militarnyi, citing the manufacturer's documentation, says the device detects analogue PAL and NTSC video signals and compatible digital DJI Mavic signals, but displays only analogue video, so DJI digital video is detected and not decoded.² It lists analogue reception at up to 10 km between 540 MHz and 6 GHz and 3.5 to 5 km above 6 GHz, Mavic-compatible signal detection up to 2.5 km, a weight of about 290 g without antennas, and a battery life of three or six hours depending on the version.² Defense News says the sweep includes the 4.1 to 4.5 GHz band where, according to presidential adviser and radio specialist Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, Russia's Molniya strike drones began sending video in June, and quotes him saying most detectors do not see these frequencies, or see them poorly.¹

Defense News compares the weight with Babai's Vydun 7.5 (about 0.9 kg, to 7.5 GHz), Contra-drone's SENSE-4 (600 g, to 8.2 GHz) and BlueBird Tech's Chuyka 3.0 (up to 650 g, upgradable to 8.8 GHz), per manufacturer figures.¹ It says many receivers struggle to decode digital video, detect Mavic-compatible signals beyond a few miles or pick up fibre-optic drones, and quotes Beskrestnov warning that digital video could one day replace analogue, which would limit such receivers.¹ dev.ua, citing DOU, says the device was field-tested including on combat tasks and that the team releases software updates about twice a month.³ Militarnyi and dev.ua reported the product in October, before Defense News.²³

Why it matters: D·Vision SDR adds a lighter option to Ukraine's passive drone-video receivers, but the performance claims are the makers' own, it displays only analogue video, and Beskrestnov warns that a move to digital feeds would limit such receivers.¹²