20–24 Sept 2021
In-Person & Virtual
US/Eastern timezone
In-Person Attendees Please See Updated COVID Information

About GRCon

GRCon is the annual GNU Radio conference, first held in 2011. With a stellar program and engaging events, our attendees report an extremely high satisfaction level year after year. In the GRCon16 Attendee Survey, 53% of conference attendees rated the conference as an overall five-out-of-five, and 42% rated it as a four-out-of-five.

GRCon21 will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina and will continue many of the successful program aspects from previous years, adding some new items as well.

Conference Program

Packed with valuable content, the GRCon technical program is one of the best in the industry. With a great balance of cutting-edge research, new technology demonstrations, and shared insights from academia, industry, government, and the hobbyist community, GRCon is one of the best venues to learn and stay informed about the field of software radio. The GRCon program is recognized for its focus on practical design and implementation, and its content reflects the concept of “theory put into practice”.

To see last year’s technical program, check out the GRCon20’s Presentations.

Tutorials & Walk-throughs

This year will see a renewed focus on tutorials and walk-throughs, presented by GNU Radio and industry experts. We have re-structured the GRCon program to allow for more tutorials than in previous years, and there will be a healthy mix of tutorials aimed at new / novice users, and more intermediate / advanced users. Walk-throughs will provide the opportunity to see how “the gurus” do their development, and what their workflow looks like as they do something in real-time.

Published Paper Proceedings

We are pleased to once again host the Technical Proceedings of the Annual GNU Radio Conference, which is an open-access publication venue for scientific contribution to any field impacting Software Radio. The TP is available at pubs.gnuradio.org, which is indexed by Google Scholar. Submissions go through a strict peer-review process from area experts using the standard EDAS system.

Keynotes & Panel Sessions

With an attendee list that includes some of the most recognized leaders in the Software Radio industry, the GRCon keynotes and panel sessions offer an opportunity to get the latest insights on opportunities, challenges, and the direction of the industry.

Vendor Exhibition & Demo Space

With the continued rise of GNU Radio in the commercial, academic, and government sectors, the vendor booths offer a unique opportunity to see the latest Software Radio technology from some of the field’s leaders.

Technology Showcase & Poster Session

Every year, vendors, students, and hobbyists show off some of their latest developments in the poster area. Meet the developers and researchers creating next-generation Software Radio technologies.

Social Events

We are proud to continue GRCon’s tradition of high-quality social events, which provide an opportunity to network and get to know others in the community. Turnout at GRCon socials is very high year after year, and we look forward to once again offering a fun and unique experience. We’ll publish more information on the planned social events as they are confirmed!

Amateur Radio License Exam

As in previous years, we expect to have a HAM radio license study and exam session, to be followed by hands-on demos using low-cost hardware and GNU Radio. If you are already licensed, this is a great opportunity to meet fellow HAMs and learn about the use of GNU Radio for amateur radio!

Special Interest Focus Groups

One of the most exciting aspects of GRCon is the gathering of so many active users, developers, and community leaders in one place. To this end, we are pleased to put on focus groups for special interest areas including Education & Curriculum Development, Radio Astronomy, Cybersecurity, Space-Based Communications, and others. This is a great opportunity to meet others in the Software Radio world with shared interests and discover new collaboration opportunities.

Developers’ Summit

A highlight of every year is the annual Developers’ Summit, which provides an opportunity for developers to organize and provide time for practitioners to work together & “talk shop”. This event is a great way to meet the core developers of the project, find out how you can get involved, and influence where the project is headed.