Extract text from Signal data files (IQ)
To convert IQ Signal files to another format, you need SDRangel or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Baseband Radio Signal Data" file type, you need software like SDRangel or a similar tool.
The .iq file primarily stores raw In-phase and Quadrature signal data captured by Software Defined Radio (SDR) hardware. It records the complex baseband representation of an RF signal over time. Secondary uses include Garmin Connect IQ application packages (which are actually ZIP archives) and old Microsoft Investor quote databases (JetDB). SDR enthusiasts use tools like SDRangel, GNU Radio, or inspectrum to visualize and process these files. Garmin files are handled by the Garmin Connect platform.
The core issue with .iq radio files is their massive size and lack of standard metadata headers. Because they dump raw binary samples without defining the sample rate, center frequency, or data type (e.g., 8-bit integer vs. 32-bit float), you often cannot parse them correctly without external context. They are also proprietary to specific capture tools and cannot be played in standard media players.
Converting .iq to WAV or CSV is the most common goal for audio extraction or data analysis, though demodulation is required. Converting a Garmin Connect IQ file usually involves renaming it to ZIP to extract its contents.
SDR data is highly unstandardized, making it notoriously difficult for standard online converters to process. You usually need the original SDR software to read the data stream accurately. If our analysis detects a supported embedded format (like a standard ZIP for Garmin files or an MDB database header), viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your IQ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted RAW, IQX, WAV, SAL, FCSTD, PDF, ZIP, INDD, BIN, TFT, REAL and POWER files.
If you want to convert IQ file to REAL, WAV, POWER, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG or CONF, you can use SDRangel or similar software from the "SDR Signal Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to IQ, try SDRangel or another comparable tool in the "SDR Signal Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our IQ converter.