linux-drivers/
drivers/media/usb/hackrf

Great Scott Gadgets HackRF One software-defined radio

A USB-attached software-defined radio (USB ID 1d50:6089) made by Great Scott Gadgets that transmits and receives across a very wide RF range. Since the mid-2010s it has been popular with security researchers, hobbyists, and educators for experimenting with wireless protocols, exposed to userspace SDR tools through the kernel's media framework.

keep conf=0.87 last_sold=2026 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=media category=media-other
87%

recommendation

It should stay because HackRF One is still actively sold by Great Scott Gadgets and widely used in security research, RF education, and amateur radio. Upstream maintenance is clearly ongoing, with bug-fix patches landing on linux-media as recently as 2025 and 2026, and there is no sign of replacement or deprecation.

repository signals

3 files
1,548 source lines
7 commits, 5y
+8 / −12 lines added / removed, 5y
5 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 7 total · active in 6/61 months
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sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    linux-media still carried a 2026 HackRF bug-fix patch for this driver, indicating ongoing upstream maintenance rather than removal.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    A 2025 HackRF probe-path fix was posted with stable Cc, showing real bug-fix traffic in the recent window.

  3. cateee.net

    LKDDb maps CONFIG_USB_HACKRF to USB ID 1d50:6089, identified as Great Scott Gadgets HackRF One SDR, and shows the driver remains present across current kernel series.

  4. greatscottgadgets.com

    Great Scott Gadgets still listed HackRF One in its current HackRF product line in 2026, supporting that the hardware remained sold new through 2025 and beyond.

  5. greatscottgadgets.com

    Great Scott Gadgets posted 2026 examples of HackRF One being provided for current education/security-research use, supporting ongoing niche deployments.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Local tree inspection via shell confirmed this is the V4L2 USB HackRF SDR driver and names the device as HackRF One. lore_activity showed recent 2025-2026 linux-media fixes on the exact file, and no removal signal was found in the recent activity view from lore_file_timeline; cited lore URLs came from lore_activity. LKDDb URL was obtained via web search and anchors the device identity/USB ID. Great Scott Gadgets product-line and homepage URLs were obtained via web search; they show HackRF One remains an active product and in current educational/security-research use. Traffic is not high-volume, so deployment is low rather than medium, but there is no evidence for deprecation or replacement.