RTL-SDR BlogMultipurpose Dipole Antenna Kit

This product greatly improved the range over the stock antenna of the RTL SDR I got from adafruit. Range wise, it comfortable picks up airplanes from 35 miles away (not counting vertical height, which adds more.)The antenna, like all antennas, is impacted by structures and foliage. Get it as high as you can outside, safely.For beginners like me, I used SDRsharp (Airspy) to listen to local radio stations, HAM, and others using this antenna. I use the RTL1090 decoder software from jetvision.de and Virtual Radar Server to track planes for fun. It is all free.I keep the antenna in a 90 degree V shape on my garage. This is not the correct orientation for all applications, but it has worked well enough in this orientation that I didn't find a reason to change it.One downside of this antenna is that gravity is not your friend. If pole is oriented downward, wind will gradually wiggle the pole and unscrew it. Have them both oriented up and you are golden. Another reason I have the V shape.Weather is not an issue. Mine has withstood multiple days of heavy rain, and healthy wind.Long story short, it is worth it. I'm considering buying another SDR, and I'll be buying another one of these to go with it.

I won't beat around the bush: this is not a long-lasting product. The antenna tubes get loose, the legs on the flexible tripod break, the suction cup loses its grip, the arm holders on the dipole base get floppy - all of it. But after getting my first one with my first RTL-SDR, getting annoyed with its cheapness, and spending a few years trying to find something better, I'm back again to buy three more of these things.Ultimately, I think their short lifespan is just an acceptable drawback when compared to how much else they have going for them. If you want a sturdy antenna, you're going to be paying quite a bit more, and if you want an adjustable, lightweight antenna than can be adapted to as many different frequencies as this and easily carried around in a backpack and deployed literally anywhere, well.... I'm not sure there's any other game in town, at any price.If you're getting started with SDR stuff and don't have a particular band of interest yet, this is your antenna. There's not much more to say. There's not really anything else that will be as flexible or easy to use as this, and while its fragility is a pain, it will at least give you some time to figure out what you want in a more substantial antenna.Happy DXing!(P.S. - you might have some luck using an RG-58 crimping tool to make the attachment points between the antenna tubes and their threaded bases a bit tighter. It works better with some tools than others, and you have to make sure to pull the smaller tubes out first so they don't get caught in the crimp, but it can help a lot.)

I bought this kit to get my RTL-SDR APRS receiver going ASAP. For the price, it's pretty good, but be aware the construction is terrible and it's only really to get you off the ground until you find better hardware. If you're an experienced ham that already has hardware, avoid this. But if you need something right away and are aware of the flimsiness of the hardware, it will do the job.I was able to decode APRS packets from approx 50 miles away after a fairly easy installation using the fleximount on a porch and then running the coax through a window. It took me all of an hour to set up. The bottom half of the antenna fell off in the wind (like I said, it's flimsy) but ironically I got better signal with only half of a dipole.I've already ordered better equipment for 20x the cost, but this did the job.Five stars if it could last at least a month without parts falling off.

Worked very good! Only issue is to not be rough with the antennas. They become "loose" over time and don't hold up their rigidness. Comes with a pair of antennas for UHF+ and a longer pair for VHF/HF. Antennas are LISTEN (RX) ONLY.

the left antenna is heavily preferred over the right. made me believe that the right antenna was disconnected inside the cable. it took a while to fix the connection but otherwise a pretty solid antenna. good kit for the price and comes with a lot of parts

This comes with two pairs of telescoping antennas and tow different mounts. It's a really nice addition to a SDR for the price.

Perfect antennas for SDR dongles and other receiving radios. Several different configurations are easily done with this and the tripod and auction cup mounts work very well.

This is a great add-on for a pocket software-defined radio such as noelec or RTL-SDR. Definitely improved reception over the monopole I had been using.