How To Install rtl_test on Debian 11

One-liner install command

For those in a hurry, here's a one-line installation command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt -y install rtl-sdr

But if you are interested in the detailed steps with descriptions, the following information is for you.

What is rtl_test and what are the ways to install it?

Before beginning this tutorial, you will need access to a server or computer running Debian 11. This guide was written specifically with a server running Debian 11 in mind, although it should also work on older, supported versions of the operating system.

Also, make sure you are running a regular, non-root user with sudo privileges configured on your server. When you have an account available, log in as your non-root user to begin.

There are several ways to install rtl_test on Debian 11. You can use (links are clickable):

In the following sections, we will describe each method in detail. You can choose one of them or refer to the recommended one.

Install rtl_test using apt-get

First, update apt database with apt-get using the following command.

sudo apt-get update

After updating apt-get database, You can install rtl_test using apt by running the following command:

sudo apt -y install rtl-sdr

Install rtl_test using apt

Because rtl_test is available in Debian 11’s default repositories, it is possible to install it from these repositories using the apt packaging system.

To begin, update apt database with apt using the following command.

sudo apt update

After updating apt database, You can install rtl_test using apt by running the following command:

sudo apt -y install rtl-sdr

Install rtl_test using aptitude

If you want to follow this method, you might need to install aptitude first since aptitude is usually not installed by default on Debian 11. Update apt database with aptitude using the following command.

sudo aptitude update

After updating aptitude database, You can install rtl_test by running the following command:

sudo aptitude -y install rtl-sdr

How to upgrade (update) a single package rtl_test using apt-get?

First, you will need to update packages index. Run update command as usual:

sudo apt-get update

Next, to upgrade only the rtl_test, e.g. single package, you should use the following format with the apt-get command/apt command:

sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install rtl-sdr

Note that this command will not install any new packages! If you wish to install the package if it doesn't exist you may leave out --only-upgrade part.

sudo apt-get install rtl-sdr

How To Uninstall rtl_test from Debian 11

To uninstall only the rtl_test package you can execute the following command:

sudo apt-get remove rtl-sdr

Uninstall rtl_test and all its dependencies

To uninstall rtl_test and its dependencies that are no longer needed by Debian 11, you can use the command below:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove rtl-sdr

Remove rtl_test with all configurations and data

To remove rtl_test configuration and data from your system you can run the following purge command:

sudo apt-get -y purge rtl-sdr

Remove rtl_test completely (configurations, data and all of its dependencies)

And lastly, you can run the next command to remove absolutely everything related to rtl_test package, e.g.: configurations, data and all of its dependencies. Just use this command:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove --purge rtl-sdr

Extra info and code examples

rtl-sdr is a software defined radio (SDR) receiver software for certain low-cost DVB-T/DAB(+) USB dongles based on the Realtek RTL2832U chip. This package contains a set of command line utilities: * rtl_adsb: a simple ADS-B decoder for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers * rtl_eeprom: an EEPROM programming tool for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers * rtl_fm: a narrow band FM demodulator for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers * rtl_sdr: an I/Q recorder for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers * rtl_tcp: an I/Q spectrum server for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers * rtl_test: a benchmark tool for RTL2832 based DVB-T receivers

Conclusion

You now have a full guide on how to install rtl_test using apt, apt-get and aptitude tools. Also, we showed how to update as a single package and different ways to uninstall the rtl_test from Debian 11.

See also: