RTL-SDR is an affordable dongle that can be used as a computer-based radio scanner for receiving live radio signals between 500 kHz and 1.75 GHz in your area.
The RTL-SDR V4 offers several improvements over generic brands including use of the R828D tuner chip, triplexed input filter, notch filter, improved component tolerances, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector, aluminium case with passive cooling, bias tee circuit, improved power supply, and a built in HF upconverter.
RTL-SDR V4 comes with the portable dipole antenna kit. It is great for beginners as it allows for terrestrial and satellite reception and easy to mount outdoors and designed for portable and temporary outside usage.
Features
Improved HF reception: V4 now uses a built-in upconverter instead of using a direct sampling circuit. This means no more Nyquist folding of signals around 14.4 MHz, improved sensitivity, and adjustable gain on HF. Like the V3, the lower tuning range remains at 500 kHz and very strong reception may still require front end attenuation/filtering.
Improved filtering: The V4 makes use of the R828D tuner chip, which has three inputs. The SMA input has been triplexed input into 3 bands: HF, VHF and UHF. This provides some isolation between the 3 bands, meaning out of band interference from strong broadcast stations is less likely to cause desensitization or imaging.
Improved filtering x2: In addition to the triplexing, the open drain pin on the R828D can be also used, which allows to add simple notch filters for common interference bands such as broadcast AM, broadcast FM and the DAB bands. These only attenuate by a few dB, but may still help.
Improved phase noise on strong signals: Due to an improved power supply design, phase noise from power supply noise has been significantly reduced.
Less heat: Another advantage of the improved power supply is low power consumption and less heat generation compared to the V3.
Included
1x RTL-SDR V4 dongle (R828D RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA)
2x 23 cm to 1 m telescopic antenna
2x 5 cm to 13 cm telescopic antenna
1x Dipole antenna base with 60 cm RG174
1x 3 m RG174 extension cable
1x Flexible tripod mount
1x Suction cup mount
Downloads
Datasheet
User Guide
Quick Start Guide
SDR# User Guide
Dipole Antenna Guide
Program and build Raspberry Pi based ham station utilities, tools, and instruments
The improved RTL-SDR V4 allows you to receive radio signals between 500 kHz and 1.75 GHz from stations utilizing different bands including MW/SW/LW broadcast, ham radio, utility, air traffic control, PMR, SRD, ISM, CB, weather satellite, and radio astronomy.
The book Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs gives extensive coverage of deploying the RTL-SDR kit through the use of a Raspberry Pi 5.
This bundle contains:
RTL-SDR V4 (incl. Dipole Antenna Kit) (normal price: €65)
Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs (normal price: €40)
RTL-SDR V4 (Software Defined Radio) with Dipole Antenna Kit
RTL-SDR is an affordable dongle that can be used as a computer-based radio scanner for receiving live radio signals between 500 kHz and 1.75 GHz in your area.
The RTL-SDR V4 offers several improvements over generic brands including use of the R828D tuner chip, triplexed input filter, notch filter, improved component tolerances, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector, aluminium case with passive cooling, bias tee circuit, improved power supply, and a built in HF upconverter.
RTL-SDR V4 comes with the portable dipole antenna kit. It is great for beginners as it allows for terrestrial and satellite reception and easy to mount outdoors and designed for portable and temporary outside usage.
Features
Improved HF reception: V4 now uses a built-in upconverter instead of using a direct sampling circuit. This means no more Nyquist folding of signals around 14.4 MHz, improved sensitivity, and adjustable gain on HF. Like the V3, the lower tuning range remains at 500 kHz and very strong reception may still require front end attenuation/filtering.
Improved filtering: The V4 makes use of the R828D tuner chip, which has three inputs. The SMA input has been triplexed input into 3 bands: HF, VHF and UHF. This provides some isolation between the 3 bands, meaning out of band interference from strong broadcast stations is less likely to cause desensitization or imaging.
Improved filtering x2: In addition to the triplexing, the open drain pin on the R828D can be also used, which allows to add simple notch filters for common interference bands such as broadcast AM, broadcast FM and the DAB bands. These only attenuate by a few dB, but may still help.
Improved phase noise on strong signals: Due to an improved power supply design, phase noise from power supply noise has been significantly reduced.
Less heat: Another advantage of the improved power supply is low power consumption and less heat generation compared to the V3.
Included
1x RTL-SDR V4 dongle (R828D RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA)
2x 23 cm to 1 m telescopic antenna
2x 5 cm to 13 cm telescopic antenna
1x Dipole antenna base with 60 cm RG174
1x 3 m RG174 extension cable
1x Flexible tripod mount
1x Suction cup mount
Downloads
Datasheet
User Guide
Quick Start Guide
SDR# User Guide
Dipole Antenna Guide
Book: Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs
The RTL-SDR devices (V3 and V4) have gained popularity among radio amateurs because of their very low cost and rich features. A basic system may consist of a USB based RTL-SDR device (dongle) with a suitable antenna, a Raspberry Pi 5 computer, a USB based external audio input-output adapter, and software installed on the Raspberry Pi 5 computer. With such a modest setup, it is possible to receive signals from around 24 MHz to over 1.7 GHz.
This book is aimed at amateur radio enthusiasts and electronic engineering students, as well as at anyone interested in learning to use the Raspberry Pi 5 to build electronic projects. The book is suitable for both beginners through experienced readers. Some knowledge of the Python programming language is required to understand and eventually modify the projects given in the book. A block diagram, a circuit diagram, and a complete Python program listing is given for each project, alongside a comprehensive description.
The following popular RTL-SDR programs are discussed in detail, aided by step-by-step installation guides for practical use on a Raspberry Pi 5:
SimpleFM
GQRX
SDR++
CubicSDR
RTL-SDR Server
Dump1090
FLDIGI
Quick
RTL_433
aldo
xcwcp
GPredict
TWCLOCK
CQRLOG
klog
Morse2Ascii
PyQSO
Welle.io
Ham Clock
CHIRP
xastir
qsstv
flrig
XyGrib
FreeDV
Qtel (EchoLink)
XDX (DX-Cluster)
WSJT-X
The application of the Python programming language on the latest Raspberry Pi 5 platform precludes the use of the programs in the book from working on older versions of Raspberry Pi computers.
The short-wave technique has a very particular appeal: It can easily bridge long distances. By reflecting short-wave signals off the conductive layers of the ionosphere, they can be received in places beyond the horizon and therefore can reach anywhere on earth. Although technology is striving for ever higher frequencies, and radio is usually listened to on FM, DAB+, satellite or the Internet, modern means of transmission require extensive infrastructure and are extremely vulnerable. In the event of a global power outage, there is nothing more important than the short-wave. Amateur radio is not only a hobby, it’s also an emergency radio system!
Elektor’s SDR-Shield is a versatile shortwave receiver up to 30 MHz. Using an Arduino and the appropriate software, radio stations, morse signals, SSB stations, and digital signals can be received.
In this book, successful author and enthusiastic radio amateur, Burkhard Kainka describes the modern practice of software defined radio using the Elektor SDR Shield. He not only imparts a theoretical background but also explains numerous open source software tools.
This filter rejects signals between 88-108 MHz with around 50 dB or more attenuation. A broadcast FM band-stop filter is very useful for use with SDRs as in some areas broadcast FM signals can be so strong that they overload the SDR, causing very poor performance in other bands. You can tell if this is the case for you if you see images of BCFM stations or interference that looks like a WFM signal at other frequencies when you turn up the gain.
The filter is based on a simple 7th order Chebyshev design. The 3 dB roll off is at 76 MHz and 122 MHz. 88 MHz is attenuated by almost 60 dB, and 108 MHz is attenuated by 45-50 dB. Outside of the pass band the insertion loss is practically zero below 500 MHz, less than 0.5 dB from 500 MHz – 1 GHz, and below 1.5 dB between 1-2 GHz. Between 2-3 GHz performance degrades slightly, but insertion loss remains below 1.5 dB for most frequencies. The filter can also pass up to 80 mA of DC current (probably can do more) and has negligible DC resistance.
The filter comes in a 28 x 28 x 13 mm aluminum enclosure and uses female SMA connectors on each end. Included in the package is also a SMA male to SMA male straight barrel adapter.
RTL-SDR is an affordable dongle that can be used as a computer based radio scanner for receiving live radio signals in your area. This particular dongle includes a R820T2 tuner, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector. It features an aluminium case with passive cooling via a thermal pad. Moreover, there is a software switchable bias tee circuit, supplementary ESD protection, lower overall noise and built-in direct sampling for HF reception. This device can receive frequencies from 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz and has up to 3.2 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth (2.4 MHz stable).
Note: RTL-SDR dongles are RX only.
You can use this kit either for terrestrial or satellite reception just by changing the orientation of the antenna. Thanks to the included mounts and extension cables it is possible to temporarily place the antenna outside for a better reception. Other potential applications are general radio scanning, air traffic control, public safety radio, ADSB, ACARS, trunked radio, P25 digital voice, POCSAG, weather balloons, APRS, NOAA APT weather satellites, radio astronomy, meteor scatter monitoring etc.
Included
RTL-SDR V3 Dongle (R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA)
2x 23 cm to 1 m telescopic antenna
2x 5 cm to 13 cm telescopic antenna
Dipole Antenna Base with 60 cm RG174 extension cable
3 m RG174 extension cable
Flexible Tripod Mount
Suction Cup Mount
Downloads
Datasheet
Quick Start Guide
SDR# User Guide
Dipole Antenna Kit Guide
The short-wave technique has a very particular appeal: It can easily bridge long distances. By reflecting short-wave signals off the conductive layers of the ionosphere, they can be received in places beyond the horizon and therefore can reach anywhere on earth. Although technology is striving for ever higher frequencies, and radio is usually listened to on FM, DAB+, satellite or the Internet, modern means of transmission require extensive infrastructure and are extremely vulnerable. In the event of a global power outage, there is nothing more important than the short-wave. Amateur radio is not only a hobby, it’s also an emergency radio system!
Elektor’s SDR-Shield is a versatile shortwave receiver up to 30 MHz. Using an Arduino and the appropriate software, radio stations, morse signals, SSB stations, and digital signals can be received.
In this book, successful author and enthusiastic radio amateur, Burkhard Kainka describes the modern practice of software defined radio using the Elektor SDR Shield. He not only imparts a theoretical background but also explains numerous open source software tools.
HackRF One is a Software Defined Radio (SDR) peripheral capable of transmission or reception of radio signals from 1 MHz to 6 GHz. Designed to enable test and development of modern and next generation radio technologies, HackRF One is an open source hardware platform that can be used as a USB peripheral or programmed for stand-alone operation.
Specifications
1 MHz to 6 GHz operating frequency
Half-duplex transceiver
Up to 20 million samples per second
8-bit quadrature samples (8-bit I and 8-bit Q)
Compatible with GNU Radio, SDR and more
Software-configurable RX and TX gain and baseband filter
Software-controlled antenna port power (50 mA at 3.3 V)
SMA female antenna connector
SMA female clock input and output for synchronization
Convenient buttons for programming
Internal pin headers for expansion
Hi-Speed USB 2.0
USB-powered
Open source hardware
HackRF One is test equipment for RF systems. It has not been tested for compliance with regulations governing transmission of radio signals. You are responsible for using your HackRF One legally.
Included
1x HackRF One SDR
1x Plastic enclosure
1x micro-USB cable
Note: An antenna is not included. ANT500 is recommended as a starter antenna for HackRF One.
Downloads
Documentation
GitHub
Source code and hardware design files
The antenna allows for reception of L-band satellites that transmit between 1525-1660 MHz, such as Inmarsat, Iridium and GPS. Please note it is NOT for receiving weaker signals like HRPT and GOES which require a dish antenna. The patch comes with useful mounting accessories including a window suction cup, bendable tripod and 3M RG174 coax cable. The patch and active circuitry is enclosed in a weather proof enclosure. Links Inmarsat STD-C EGC AERO Satellite ACARS AERO C-Channel Voice Iridium Decoding GPS and GNSS Experiments
This portable passive HF/VHF loop antenna is designed for low NF receivers. It also works with RTL-SDR in direct sampling mode if you enable RTL AGC. Signals can be boosted by using any external low cost HF amplifier, or even our wideband LNA.
Specifications
HF Portable & Flexible Receive Loop Antenna
Covers HF frequencies (10 kHz to 30 MHz)
Usable on FM/VHF up to 300 MHz as a folded Dipole
Maximum power 250 mW
Passive Design
No Tuning required
Low-Loss Wide-Band BALUN with 0.28 dB loss typ
Connection: SMA Male on the end of the feedline
Included
1x YouLoop T shaped low-loss wide-band BALUN
1x Coax Inverter Connector
2x Semi-rigid RG402 coax with SMA Male connectors – Branches (1 m)
1x Semi-rigid RG402 coax with SMA Male connectors – Transmission (2 m)
KrakenSDR is a phase-coherent software-defined radio with five RTL-SDRs
KrakenSDR is a 5-channel, RX-only, software-defined radio (SDR) based on the RTL-SDR and designed for phase-coherent applications and experiments. Phase-coherent SDR opens the door to some very interesting applications, including radio direction finding, passive radar, and beam forming. You can also use KrakenSDR as five separate radios.
KrakenSDR is an upgraded version of the previous product, KerberosSDR. It provides a fifth receive channel, automatic phase-coherence synchronization capabilities, bias tees, a new RF design with cleaner spectrum, USB Type-C connectors, a heavy-duty enclosure, upgraded open source DAQ and DSP software, and an upgraded Android app for direction finding.
RTL-SDR
KrakenSDR makes use of five custom RTL-SDR circuits consisting of R820T2 and RTL2832U chips. The RTL-SDR is a well-known, low-cost software-defined radio (SDR), but throw five units together and using them on the same PC will not make them 'phase coherent;' each one will receive signals at a slightly different phase offset from the others. This makes it difficult or impossible to achieve a high degree of precision when measuring relationships between signals that arrive at different antennas.
To achieve phase coherence, KrakenSDR drives all five RTL-SDR radios with a single clock source, and contains internal calibration hardware to allow the phase relationship between channels to be measured precisely and corrected for. Additionally, the overall design of KrakenSDR works to ensure phase stability, with care taken in the areas of heat management, driver configuration, power supply, and external-interference mitigation.
Features
Five-channel, coherent-capable RTL-SDR, all clocked to a single local oscillator
Built-in automatic coherence synchronization hardware
Automatic coherence synchronization and management via provided Linux software
24 MHz to 1766 MHz tuning Range (standard R820T2 RTL-SDR range, and possibly higher with hacked drivers)
4.5 V bias tee on each port
Core DAQ and DSP software is open source and designed to run on a Raspberry Pi 4
Direction-finding software for Android (free for non-commercial use)
Applications
Physically locating an unknown transmitter of interest (e.g. illegal or interfering broadcasts, noise transmissions, or just as a curiosity)
HAM radio experiments such as radio fox hunts or monitoring repeater abuse
Tracking assets, wildlife, or domestic animals outside of network coverage through the use of low power beacons
Locating emergency beacons for search-and-rescue teams
Locating lost ships via VHF radio
Passive radar detection of aircraft, boats, and drones
Traffic-density monitoring via passive radar
Beamforming
Interferometry for radio astronomy
Specifications
Bandwidth
2.56 MHz
RX Channels
5
Frequency Range
24-1766 MHz
Radio Tuner
5x R820T2
Radio ADC
5x RTL2832U
ADC Bit Depth
8-bits
Oscillator Stability
1 PPM
Typical Power Consumption
5 V/2.2 A (11 W)
Enclosure Type
Heavy-duty CNC Aluminum
Dimensions
177 x 112.3 x 25.9 mm
Weight
560 g
Included
1x KrakenSDR (fully assembled and installed) with Aluminum enclosure
1x Manual
Required
USB Type-C cable
5 V/2.4 A USB-C power supply
Antennas
Raspberry Pi 4 (for computing)
Android phone/tablet with mobile-hotspot capabilities (with direction finding)
Downloads
Wiki
Android App
This clear acrylic case is the official case for the HackRF One board. It can replace the standard black plastic case of the HackRF One.
Assembly Instructions
Use a guitar pick or spudger to extract the HackRF One circuit board from the black plastic case.
Insert one long screw into each corner of the bottom acrylic panel. Secure each long screw with a short (5 mm) spacer on the opposite side of the panel.
Place the HackRF One circuit board (facing up) on top of the bottom panel, fitting the ends of the long screws through the corner mounting holes of the circuit board.
Secure the circuit board with one long (6 mm) spacer in each corner.
Place the top acrylic panel on top of the circuit board, aligning the cutouts with the circuit board’s expansion headers.
Secure each corner with a short screw.
Note: Do not overtighten! Hand-tighten only at every step.