Just a quick update... I was so impressed with the RTL I purchased a FunCube Pro +. Also a lot easier to get up and running as it is plug and play with SDR console V2. This weekend a friend modified my Icom 746 pro to have an output to connect my SDR dongal to. Basically the RX line is split after the TX/RX relay so that the RX signal can go to the SDR as well as the 746 RX. Pictures and notes will be posted to a website later. Basically I can now run 746 RX, SDR RX or Dual RX. I got chance to test the setup live during a band opening today. I started by running dual RX but quickly went to pure SDR RX. There were stations that I needed headphones to RX on the 746 but heard clearly on the Funcube. I am yet to try all Digi modes but as far as SSB/CW/JT65 goes the SDR far out performed my IC746 pro. I also got chance to compare it to a Flex 5000 and by ear on a weak beacon I could tell little difference in the received signal between the Felx and the Funcube. The Fubcube pro + is about twice the price of the RTL, Cables and Up Converter but was designed to be used on the Ham bands. Actually the Funcube is far cheaper if I take all the hours I spent working out how to get the original RTL up and running. I will try the RTL and Funcube side by side and post my observations later. My plan is to use the IC746, Funcube and SDR Console V2 for my 6/2/222 station and my IC726, RTL, Up Convertor and SDR Console V2 for my HF station. Certainly for general SSB use I see the SDR as far superior. It will certainly work fine for my EME JT65 on 6/2/222 but I still need to try a MS FSK441 QSO before I can say "Scrap the 746 RX" with confidence.
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Amazing and cheap SDR receiver.
- Thread starter Captain Kilowatt
- Start date
Great! I just bought the combo package. I assume from the date of the last post, that SDR Console V2 is still the PC software to get. Someone suggested SDR Touch for the Android, and I may buy the Pro version if nothing else comes up. OK, it's in the mail. Any other updates? Reports?
I'm late to the party... as usual! Bought one of these a week or so ago and fiddled with it. To the fella that wasn't receiving *anything*, try a real antenna. It worked for me. What I'm having trouble with is the driver, and Zadig. I tried to install the correct driver, then installed and ran Zadig. Neither one seems to work, and Zadig faults and quits everytime I try to look at the USB ports to change the driver. Not sure what I'm doing wrong here... are there any web sites with how to's?
What I am able to receive (FM broadcast band) is pretty choppy, and I'm assuming it's the USB driver not letting "bulk" input go to the SDR#. I bought this thing to see if my laptop was capable of running things... it's an old Toshiba Satellite with a Sempron 2.1ghz processor, 32 bit, with Windows 7 and 4 gig of ram. Am I wasting my time with this laptop? Long term goal would be to run the FunCube Pro+ as a second main receiver with my FTDX-3000.
73,
Brett
What I am able to receive (FM broadcast band) is pretty choppy, and I'm assuming it's the USB driver not letting "bulk" input go to the SDR#. I bought this thing to see if my laptop was capable of running things... it's an old Toshiba Satellite with a Sempron 2.1ghz processor, 32 bit, with Windows 7 and 4 gig of ram. Am I wasting my time with this laptop? Long term goal would be to run the FunCube Pro+ as a second main receiver with my FTDX-3000.
73,
Brett
I noticed it seems that SDR Console V2 was last updated Jan 2013 (almost two years ago) and SDR# has continual updates all year to date. That almost invalidates all the discussion on which of the two SDR software to get that I've read.
Slow boat from China!
Slow boat from China!
Found this site... http://www.rtl-sdr.com/sdr-touch-brings-rtl-sdr-to-android/
Looks like it's not totally full featured yet, but the developer is working on it.
73,
Brett
This sounds to good to be true so i orderd one this week. This looks to be a awesome compromise to my scanner, and from what I read it looks like with the right program I can decode the digital signals from the police around my neighborhood.
Hey, those boats must have gotten turbos installed. The radio came in and I got it running with SDR# or sdrsharp.
FM broadcast comes in OK. Absolute zero on HF, no HF broadcasts. Well, I read that little gum-drop antenna is no good for that. Amazingly today, though, I was able to pick up the stuper bowl. That comes in on the VHF/UHF receiver side. HF seems to kick in around 24 MHz, and the receiver there is about deaf, but I have not tried a decent antenna yet. I'm not too hopeful considering the broadcast stations are nil.
FM broadcast comes in OK. Absolute zero on HF, no HF broadcasts. Well, I read that little gum-drop antenna is no good for that. Amazingly today, though, I was able to pick up the stuper bowl. That comes in on the VHF/UHF receiver side. HF seems to kick in around 24 MHz, and the receiver there is about deaf, but I have not tried a decent antenna yet. I'm not too hopeful considering the broadcast stations are nil.
OK, I mucked around with it a bit more and tried SDR Console V2. I kind of like the SDR# interface a little better, but at least SDR Console V2 turns on the HF band. Not much better, but I can actually see all WWV signals (2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz) hovering down there -120 dBm. Still no broadcast band. How is that? How could I pick up the WWV and not local AM broadcast? Actually, I'm just seeing carrier's on the WWV time frequencies. Maybe those are some local oscillators?
I paid for the Pro version, which gives you the waterfall/spectrum display along with the ability to record. It was only 10 bucks, and you get all the updates the developer adds along the way for free. Pretty cool and fun to play with, but I haven't had much time to fiddle with it. It worked immediately on my tablet (which has a full size USB port), and hooked up to my slim jim antenna, received quite a bit of stuff. I seem to be getting overloaded by some FM broadcast stations, so I'll have to look at the rest of the settings to see if I can knock that out.
73,
Brett
That looks good on the tablet. I figured out the HF signals must be birdies. There is no change to RF levels when disconnecting a piece of wire.
I'm sure I should be able to pick up some AM broadcast stations. I can do that just by holding a diode and crystal earpiece with my hands.
I opened it up and it looks just like this, without the protection diodes on the HF input, a little more glue...
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/chinese_rtlsdr.jpg
I'm sure I should be able to pick up some AM broadcast stations. I can do that just by holding a diode and crystal earpiece with my hands.
I opened it up and it looks just like this, without the protection diodes on the HF input, a little more glue...
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/chinese_rtlsdr.jpg
I found another setting in SDR# that lets you select the sampling of quadrature sampling, direct I, or direct Q inputs. I selected direct Q and the HF band came alive! As I was expecting, I get a handful of AM broadcast without an antenna.
I could not find a similar setting in SDR Console V2, so no HF there yet. Now I actually prefer that software because it has a few more features, including built in PSK and RTTY. The scaling also seems more appropriate, or more professional anyway.
SDR# reminds me too much of the earlier Windows Media player spectrum display. Too cartoony, but it works.
I also found that sometimes lower sample rates work better. under 2 MSPS seems more sensitive, but with a bit more noise. A weak AM station went from just empty static to definite singing by switching from 2.4 MSPS to 1.92 MSPS. I have the same experience when toggling off the SDR AGC.
Anyway, for anyone that gets the HF version, toggle the sampling method to direct Q for HF, and then quadrature sampling for V/UHF...
I could not find a similar setting in SDR Console V2, so no HF there yet. Now I actually prefer that software because it has a few more features, including built in PSK and RTTY. The scaling also seems more appropriate, or more professional anyway.
SDR# reminds me too much of the earlier Windows Media player spectrum display. Too cartoony, but it works.
I also found that sometimes lower sample rates work better. under 2 MSPS seems more sensitive, but with a bit more noise. A weak AM station went from just empty static to definite singing by switching from 2.4 MSPS to 1.92 MSPS. I have the same experience when toggling off the SDR AGC.
Anyway, for anyone that gets the HF version, toggle the sampling method to direct Q for HF, and then quadrature sampling for V/UHF...
well I got SDRSharp working good at first it was off freq but I got that corrected..
SDRConsole (V2) was a pain to get going but I cant get that to be on freq
HDSDR is a no go I would like to get this to work but it is telling be the DLL files wont load and it is not giving me the option to see the dongle.
SDRConsole (V2) was a pain to get going but I cant get that to be on freq
HDSDR is a no go I would like to get this to work but it is telling be the DLL files wont load and it is not giving me the option to see the dongle.