We base our curriculum entirely on the equipment we actually use in the field. Below is our recommended 3-tier progression path. We rely heavily on the manufacturer wikis for documentation, which you can access directly from these cards.
The ultimate beginner tool. It looks like a toy, but it's a powerful multi-tool for exploring access control systems, RFID, and Infrared. It operates perfectly without a computer, letting you capture and replay signals (like older garage doors or restaurant pagers) on the go.
When you graduate from the Flipper, you need to see the whole spectrum. The HackRF can hear almost any radio wave on Earth. By adding the PortaPack screen and the open-source 'Mayhem' firmware, it becomes a standalone tactical scanner capable of sweeping the entire RF environment in seconds.
Built by Analog Devices, this isn't just a radio; it's a networked Linux computer. It can listen and transmit at the exact same time (Full-Duplex). We use the PlutoSDR as the backbone for advanced projects, like building through-wall FMCW radar systems and deploying custom Python signal processing algorithms.
The device that started it all. Originally a cheap TV tuner, hackers unlocked its raw I/Q data stream. It is the absolute cheapest way to get into SDR and is the primary tool used globally for Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) like tracking airplanes and ships.
An incredibly powerful, lab-grade SDR capable of tuning up to 3.8 GHz with massive bandwidth. It features 2x2 MIMO, allowing it to transmit and receive on multiple antennas simultaneously. It is frequently used to simulate 4G/LTE/5G cellular networks.