IEIK SDRICE RTL-SDR FM DAB DVB-T USB Stick Set with RTL2832U & R820T Great SDR for SDR# ADS-B Receiver Set Radio Compatible ICE Input

Got the cheaper version of the RTL-SDR (DVB-T DAB+FM for $10). Hours of learnings for $10 can't go wrong.Heard commercial FM, ADS-B aircraft 1090MHz, and my handheld. Of course it does not have a xmtr function.Quick summary:The dongle receives signals with its A/D converter (RTL2832U) and its tuner (R820T). The dongle passes the digital data to the RS-232 port V2.0 where computer software is used to provide normal radio functions.My reception of ham repeaters was poor. Heard signals on my handheld but not on the SDR#. Strange because the 1090MHz reception worked fine but the 144/440MHz didn't. Will try outdoor antenna and the more expensive RTL-SDR dongle to see if that makes a difference. Basic SDR# does not have scanner. Programmable memory channel is provided.Here's how to make it work:I first tried installing SDR software on an old Windows XP machine. Too many problems; required older .NET Framework and RS-232 v1.0 ports were too slow to capture data. After about 4 hours I gave up on the XP and went to Windows 7 machine.Installed on Windows 7.0 went well:1. install driver first (Zadig.exe, from www.zadig.akeo.ie)2. download and unzip www.SDRsharp.com/downloads/SDRinstall.zip (this contains the SDR# and ADS-B applications)3. For ADS-B aircraft usage need the RTL-SDR driver (Zadig), the ADS-B decoder (ADS-B app) AND a display application (like Virtual Radar or ADSBScope) See the excellent guide: http://rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ADSBSharpQuickStart.pdf4. For general purpose 30MHz to >1GHZ reception there is a good ref at: http://rtlsdr.org/softwarewindows. a. Install the Zadig driver, if not installed. b. Install the SDRSharp appHelpful hints:A. To test if the RTL-SDR dongle and ADSB is decoding aircraft data use the Telnet application. Telnet has to be loaded into by: Windows 7 ControlPanel>Program>WindowsFeatures> and check Telnet clientB. Convert the MCX connections to something useful. I converted MCX to SMA for use with my 2m whip.C. Add extension SMA cable moved 2m whip out the window.D. I got a lot of spurious signals because of computer noise. Separate RTL-SDR dongle from computer (RS-232 extension cable)E. Identify modes on the waterfall with this helpful video http://hfradio.org.uk/html/digital_modes.htmlF. ADSB aircraft data doesn't report all flight numbers, equipment, and route info. Virtual Radar allows user to update route info and share with web users. But plane position was more up-to-date then flight tracker or Flight Aware.Bottom line - so much fun for $10 has to be illegal. Next step to try plug-ins to SDR# for digital modes and try to improve repeater reception.73s

I LOVE this. I'm using DUMP1090 (Windows, Apple, or Linux) to view airplanes on a map in my area (about 100 miles in any direction AND I can hear them on the using SDRSharp or any other RTL-SDR 'listening' software.BUT, for shortwave - Amazon sells the RTL-SDR.COM and it's GREAT for that (and all the above).You can view or get it here:https://amazon.com/gp/product/B0129EBDS2

This thing is VERY cool! :)If you don't know what SDR is, see the review mentioned below. I bought it solely to see ADS-B 978MHz UAT air traffic for aviation using the free open source Avare app on my Android phones and Nexus 7 tablet. That probably means absolutely nothing to most people thinking about buying one of these. For them, here's some info that might be helpful:1. With the addition of a cheap OTG adapter, this SDR works perfectly on my Google Nexus 7 (1st gen) Android tablet. I haven't yet got it working on my Mac laptop.2. The CD in the photo wasn't included, but wasn't needed in the slightest because there are tons of fascinating free and inexpensive apps for PC, Linux, Mac (not iOS) and Android devices.3. Though the antenna worked fine for me you might want to investigate antenna alternatives once you settle on what you'd most like to do with this cool toy. Each thing you can do will work much better with an antenna designed for that purpose (scanner, ham radio, weather, aviation, fire, police, etc...).For anyone interested in aviation (including non-aviators who'd just like to know the positions and flight numbers of those jets you see flying over when outside), check out the reviews on the non-profit Avare website and Forum:http://apps4av.com/news/Set up from opening the package to watching airliners moving across the free Avare aviation charts on my Nexus 7 took less than 10 minutes. Of course, I already had Avare and the local chart installed so you might need to add a few minutes for the free chart download and learning your way around Avare. I'll actually be using this in flight over the LA basin, and am *very* excited to see the other ADSB channel added to the free app so I can also get the same free weather updates and extra air traffic info already available on Avare now with the $1,000 aviation portable ADSB receivers. Quite a price difference for basically identical performance! :)

I now have two of these. I use them along with UniTrunker and DSD+ to monitor digital trunking systems. Out of the box, they work fairly well. I say fairly well because on my scanner I can get a solid signal, whereas with these, the signal is marginal. There is definitely a bit of fiddling you need to do in order to get a clear signal, and there is no documentation which shows you how to set the error correction, or PPM (youtube that if you're having problems). At minimum, you will need a USB extension cable because when plugged directly into your PC, there is way too much interference to get any kind of a signal. I'd recommend at least a 10 foot cable. You'd also do well to buy an adapter to connect a better antenna, that helps a lot also. You're going to need to take a few readings with this in order to get a proper PPM error if you plan to use it in different temperatures. It changes when I go from my basement (cold) to my radio room (quite warm). However, it got 4 stars because with these problems, it is still a good receiver for only a few dollars.