UK pre-orders to ship Jan 2027. US and EU orders will be up in a few weeks.

LittleSpec face-on: dark enclosure, lit signal icon, button and the gold SMA antenna connector on topFront

LittleSpec

A pocket SDR that pairs with your phone and shows you the planes, boats, drones and radio around you.

inc VAT
Expected to ship January 2027.Shipping calculated at checkout.
Quantity
1

Cancel any time before dispatch for a full refund.

Ships
Expected January 2027. The first batch ships in order-date order.
Ships to
UK now. EU and US pre-orders open in a few weeks.
App
iPhone and Android. The iPhone app is ready now and the Android app ships with the first units in January.
Case
Smooth black resin print. If other colours are added before shipping, you can switch at no cost.
Refunds
Full refund any time before dispatch, no questions asked

Product details

LittleSpec is a pocket-sized, receive-only software-defined radio that pairs with your phone over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The app identifies what it hears: aircraft on a map from their ADS-B broadcasts, ships from AIS, drones from Remote ID, FM and DAB stations by name, and a live spectrum and waterfall for everything else.

Key features

  • Tuning range: 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz, plus 2.4 GHz drone Remote ID.
  • Decoders: ADS-B, AIS, Remote ID, FM and DAB, and device bursts at 315, 433 and 868 MHz.
  • Background scanning: keeps receiving while you use other apps.
  • Battery: 3,350 mAh, up to 8 hours of constant use, USB-C charging.
  • Receiver: official RTL-SDR Blog V4 with onboard HF upconversion.
  • Antenna: standard SMA. Extendable wideband antenna included, or fit your own.
  • Receive-only: no transmitter, so no licence needed in most countries.
  • Apps: iPhone ready now, Android ships with the first units in January.

What’s in the box.

Everything you need to start seeing planes in the app.

01LittleSpecThe receiver, in a black resin case.
02Wideband antennaA standard extendable SMA antenna.

The app.

Where signals get names, aircraft get plotted and stations get tuned.

LittleSpec app — live spectrum and waterfall tuned to an FM station at 102.8 MHz
Full spectrum capabilitiesTune, zoom and listen
LittleSpec app — aircraft heard overhead plotted on a map
Aircraft overheadLive ADS-B on your map
LittleSpec app - a selected aircraft with its registration, airline, type, route, altitude and speed
Every flight’s storyRegistration, altitude and speed (images + route require data)
LittleSpec app — history playback scrubbing back through aircraft seen over the last month
Replay the dayReplay the history of all the planes you've seen
LittleSpec app — the aircraft log, a grid of every aircraft seen with photos
Aircraft pokedex!Every aircraft you've seen with your scanner
LittleSpec app — FM and DAB radio with favourites, recents and a station grid
FM & DAB radioScan, favourite and listen
LittleSpec app — now playing YO1 Radio on FM 102.8 with a live level visualiser
Now playingListen to DAB and FM through your phone
LittleSpec app — the Acklam Wold transmitter with the FM and DAB services it carries
Know the mastSee all the FM and DAB masts right on the map

Where we’re at.

The hardware and app are working today. What’s left before January is certification, the production run of the case, and packaging.

The LittleSpec main board, v1, held in a gloved hand at the workbench
Main board, v1, freshly soldered
An early LittleSpec enclosure with the signal icon lit
First enclosure to test light passthrough.
A printed LittleSpec prototype with the antenna fitted, held in a living room
3D Printed prototype with the antenna fitted (closest to final design)
LittleSpec next to a phone running the app's FM & DAB Radio screen, with BBC Radio 4 playing and the antenna held alongside
Listening to DAB radio through the app

Who you’re buying from

Made in York by Carefully Coded.

LittleSpec is designed and built by Carefully Coded, a small software and hardware studio in York, England. The company has been shipping software for clients since 2022 and LittleSpec is our first product of our own.

We designed the board and wrote the app, and we look after every order ourselves. Questions, order updates and anything else come straight to us!

Thanks, Tom and Josh

[email protected]More about us
Tom, smiling, in an old engine shed
Tom, Carefully Coded (Josh not available that day)

FAQ.

Can I cancel after I order?

You can cancel any time before your unit is dispatched, for a full refund. Reply to your receipt or any email from us and we’ll sort it.

How far can I see planes?

The range depends on your antenna, your view of the sky and local conditions. We've been seeing large planes up to 30 miles out with the included antenna from a bedroom window, and further with a better vantage point or outside.

Smaller planes have smaller transmitters and will likely be seen at shorter ranges.

Can I scan in the background?

Yes! LittleSpec can scan in the background while you do other things. It continuously receives signals and updates the planes/drones you've seen, so you don't need to keep the app in the foreground.

Do I need a licence to use it?

LittleSpec only receives, so in most countries no licence is required to own or use it. What you may legally listen to varies by country, so check the rules where you are.

Will there be a build-it-yourself kit?

Yes. We’re expecting to have a LittleSpec build kit available around February 2027, after the first assembled units have shipped.

What countries is it available in?

Due to regulatory hurdles, we're going to take UK orders first and expand to the EU then the US as soon as we get enough interest from those regions. Please register your interest below if you're interested.

Not available for you yet?

We're shipping to the UK initially. Leave your details and we'll let you know when pre-orders are available in your country.

No spam - We’ll only use this to tell you when little spec is available for you.