RTL-SDR Blog V3 R860 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Software Defined Radio with Dipole Antenna Kit

With the latest SDRSharp software this has been stable, previously it would occasionally lockup, a software restart fixed it. This is not a hardware fault. The quick-start guide was easy to follow and recommended the right software.Buy this from Amazon US for around £45 and it's good value.With the kit antenna, I've picked up BBC World service from Ascension Island, on shortwave, Airband from the London Airports and 433Mhz wireless devices. Working on NOAA satellites next.For my first SDR, it has been a good purchase and with the latest SDRSharp release, a great introduction to the hobby.

I bought this to get a better understanding of SDR, knowing only the basics I was keen to get up and running quickly.Everything was packaged neatly, and securely and after plugging in the device to a laptop running Linux, I was able to receive radio (after running gqrx). After downloading and running the FlightAware package, I was able to track planes immediately.It didn't take me long to find radio devices around me, for example: My remote doorbell, the keyfob from my car, door access devices were all captured. I'm going to have some fun with this.For an entry level SDR kit, I was impressed with how easy it was to get up and running straight of of the box.

Really good value for money and a good starting point

Some have complained that this USB dongle is overpriced, but I would rather pay slightly over the odds for the genuine article that works straight out the box. Just be aware that you will probably need to increase the gain somewhat (use either AGC or do it manually) to receive a decent signal.Works perfectly with GQRX for Linux, the antenna kit though is nothing to write home about. The sleeving of the coax is already creeping back, so it will need some sort of boot or grommet to prevent any further wear and tear to the insulation. Performance wise it will never match a decent antenna setup, but it will definitely get you started.All in all I am extremely pleased with my purchase, this bundle is an excellent introduction to amateur radio at the fraction of the cost of a traditional receiver.

I am not a radio ham but saw this chip/dongle on YouTube so decided to try it out. What amazing fun but you do need to download free software to get it going. Even with the supplied antenna I can pick up all kinds of signals and programmes. Plus there is additional free software on the web designed to track aircraft and decode signals such as morse, teletypes and weather data. But; caution: as my headline states whilst signal hunting you can gobble up a lot of time ~ whilst having fun. Enjoy.

Although the antenna holder had some issues, this is an ok purchase overall because, aside from a few tests, you're not going to use it with the provided antennas, but build your own / find a different holder. It does the job great, and I managed to hear a VHF net from over 300km away (from a 6th floor)

This SDR radio works well and is easy to set up, you do need to watch some videos for the software you download to get a better understanding to get the most from it. The other important thing is to have a good antenna, it does function better with a tuned antenna for the frequency you want to use,

Well thought out and comprehensive kit fundamental to every broadcasting engineer.Dozens of free programs available for every operating system to do everything thing you can imagine with a Software Defined Radio.