Popular in ham radio circles, the process looks nicer than ... like the Wheatstone Bridge Regenerative Receiver you see above.
Ham radio is no different ... you can control the whole thing from a PC if you want to. The receivers are exceptional compared to what even a high-end radio would offer a few decades ago.
Ham radio is well-suited to the latter role because ... In essence, all you need to communicate via radio are a transmitter and a receiver, and both are devices that enthusiasts can build themselves.