Nooelec RTL-SDR v5 SDR - NESDR Smart HF/VHF/UHF (100kHz-1.75GHz) Software Defined Radio. Premium RTLSDR w/ 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input & Aluminum Enclosure. RTL2832U & R820T2 (R860)-Based Radio

First off I have been a ham radio operator since the 80s and hold an extra class (top) rating. I was looking for a very portable scanner that I could take along on my travels to listen to airline frequencies (also a private pilot) that wouldn't take up a lot of space in my full under seat bag nor look suspicious while in the airport, as a standard scanner might. The good news is that it does work, the bad news is that there are some limitations. The idea of slapping a small antenna on it and plugging into a cell phone or tablet with an OTG adapter is not feasible. The main issue is that the SDR radio draws more power than the OTG via the usb port can deliver. Solution, purchase a powered USB cable. This allows you to plug one end into a charging battery, which I always travel with, which powers the radio and doesn't drain the phone or tablet. https://www.amazon.com/Degree-Angled-Female-Enhancer-Adapter/dp/B071X8BCFH/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=powered+usb+cable+otg&qid=1552141974&s=gateway&sr=8-3 Then you will need an extension USB cable to the phone or tablet so you can place the unit in suitable position, and any adapters to your particular phone, USB to C, etc. Easily done and not expensive. Then there is the antenna! The beauty of this Radio is that it is extremely wide band covering below commercial FM to 1.700 Ghz or more. This covers most of the commercial bands including Aircraft, first respondeners, most walkie talkie and even cell phones. Note that many systems on those bands are encrypted and not easily monitored. The beautiful thing about this SDR radio is the spectrum display, or "waterfall" which will show you a chunk of the band and all the active frequencies. You are able to simply slide your virtual vernier to a hot spot and monitor the frequency. In addition there is a running visual display of all the activity on that part of the spectrum so you can see frequencies with intermittent activity. You also can easily select all the common radio modulation schemes, like AM, FM, FM narrow, amateur radio SSB USB, LSB and CW, etc. Of course, you will need an antenna and unfortunately antennas are tuned to the frequencies you want to listen to. Very critical if you are transmitting, less so for receiving. For example, international ham radio frequencies have a wave length of around 65 feet (20 meters) the length of a full wave antenna. 1/4 wave antennas also work at approximately 16 feet. Not practical to carry around plus you will need an additional adapter (Ham it up) to receive the lower frequencies. On the other hand a 1700 MX signal close to the top end of LTE cellphone data as a full wave length of 6". For receiving a wide band scanner antenna is probably your best bet like: https://www.amazon.com/AEcreative-Wide-Band-Scanner-BCD396XT-BCD436HP/dp/B07HWLSNQP/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3RCJLW4EP4MW&keywords=wideband+scanner+antenna&qid=1552143429&s=electronics&sprefix=wide-band+scanner+antenna+%2Celectronics%2C205&sr=1-8 When looking for an antenna you will need an SMA female connector. Lastly, you will need software for your phone, tablet or computer. Some of it is open source and free (donation) and others have a demo version and a small fee ($5-10) for the Android / IOS versions. Try before you buy! All in all a great product with serious applications.

Really great SDR for the price. If you're familiar with this type of SDR, you'll know it's pretty much an accident that these things work perfectly for this application. I really like NooElec's enclosure. It's very sturdy and holds up great. The chip quality is fantastic as well, and I have not had any frequency drift or tuning issues. One really important tip that I highly recommend: Keep it cool. It runs pretty hot. Not hot enough to really decrease it's lifespan, but I measured it at around 110 degrees F when set at maximum gain. This temperature increase does add a lot of noise, so if you can keep it cool, you can save yourself a lot of trouble trying to find weaker signals. If you don't need it to be portable, say you're using it with a desktop, find something metal and use some CPU thermal compound to stick it to it. It does the job perfectly, and the temps lowered to around 90 degrees at peak. I stuck it to the steel case of a battery backup I have my computer hooked up to. I just put a drop of thermal compound between the enclosure and the metal of the battery backup's case. Then I taped it on with some strong masking tape so it wouldn't come off. Works like a charm.

Great SDR with good sensitivity. I've purchased several of these over the years and they all have performed well. With the onboard TCXO, the frequency is stable and it's easy to tune into whatever you are trying to find. Compared to the SDR-Blog models, these do not feature a switchable bias circuit. While it may not be something that everyone needs, it is extremely helpful when you need to power certain LNAs or amplified antennas further down the line. I expect that I'll probably but more of these. While the ~2.4 MHz slice of bandwidth they provide is less than some more expensive SDR devices, the having several independent tuners for a little over $30 each generally gives you the flexibility to find the pieces of spectrum you are interested in without recording a lot of unwanted transmissions in the process.

The Nooelec RTL-SDR hardware works really well for RF monitoring and experimentation. I’ve bought three so far and they all work great. Very nice and premium-feeling aluminum outer case. Everything was nicely packaged. I’ve run these sticks on a Raspberry Pi for days at a time with no frequency drift. They all worked with zero or minimal ppm correction needed. If you want some RTL-SDR hardware this is a great option. It’s not perfect, though. While it is technically true that you can run two side by side on a Raspberry Pi, in practice I didn’t find this to be very practical. It will cover all four ports so forget about any other peripherals. When run in this configuration, the two SDRs will get really, really hot. With a little extra separation, they get warm but not hot. (I realize these are designed to run hot, but why do that if you don’t have to?) Even though you can run two side by side on a Pi, you’re better off using a USB hub instead in my opinion. The other problem I’ve found is something about the USB-A connectors doesn’t allow them to make a great connection with the host. I’ve tried multiple USB hubs, and of course connected directly to the Pi and in every case the dongles don’t feel like they are held solidly in place. They are quite loose and slightest bump will disconnect them or give a lousy connection to the host until they are wiggled around some to reseat them. This doesn’t appear to be a problem with the USB connector to the circuit board. It’s something with the connector design and how it mates with the ports — almost as if it’s slightly too long. If you plan on using these with a semi-permanent configuration, you should consider a bit of hot glue or epoxy to make sure they are held in place even if bumped around. I’ve had no problems with the SMA connectors and they feel solidly attached. So, in all it’s great hardware let down by a couple unfortunate but not insurmountable design decisions. As long as you keep these things in mind when you purchase, you’ll be fine.

So far so good on this little guy. I bought one to compare against my first SDR, the nooelec mini 2. I have seen solid performance out of this one running 1040mhz for aircraft transponders, 70cm band for FRS radio range testing back to my home station, and picking up CB frequencies to help me testing that gear. Also works a treat for FM radio on more laid back days. The performance so far is good. I love the small packaging in a slim aluminum case. Fits onto a USB hub with the ports laying flat, side by side, and with room to stack them tight like that without much issue. I think that is the strongest case for this particular unit is the form factor. Very pleased so far. This device is running on a "Sabrent 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub with Individual Power Switches" which is currently $7 not including 5v power supply. I needed to use individual power switches so I could power the SDR's up in the order I'm going to use them. ie Powering the mini 2, then opening my plane transponder program which slaves the available SDR to listen to 1040mhz. Then power this SDR and use SDRsharp to "bind" this unit to that program. This has to be done so you get the right SDR with the correct antenna matched with the correct program if you are like me and using 2 or more SDR units on a single PC.

The Bottom Line: A significant upgrade over generic "blue" sticks. If you are building a multi-SDR rig for trunk-tracking (like Trunk-Recorder), the frequency stability and thermal performance of the v5 make it the only logical choice. The Multi-SDR Rig Test: I am currently running a high-demand setup using four of these Nooelec v5 units to monitor P25 trunked radio systems. Running 24/7 on a Raspberry Pi (or any single-board computer) requires specific care, but once these are dialed in, they are rock solid. Key Performance Observations: Frequency Accuracy: The 0.5PPM TCXO is the real hero here. Across all four units, they are consistently "on freq" right out of the box with zero thermal drift. This is critical when you have multiple digital recorders tuned to tight 800MHz control channels. Thermal Management: It’s no secret that RTL-SDRs run warm, and these aluminum enclosures are designed to wick heat away. In a dense 4-stick array, I highly recommend active cooling. I’m using a simple 5V USB fan over the stack, which has completely eliminated thermal throttling or frequency "warbling." Mechanical Stability: The only minor "con" is that the USB connection can feel a bit loose when these are stacked or used with heavy SMA cabling. To ensure a 100% stable uptime, I "shored up" my connections using cable ties and spacers to prevent port wiggle. Power Requirements: Pro-tip for multi-stick users: Do not try to run more than two of these off a single USB bus or a Raspberry Pi’s onboard ports. They pull significant current. Use a high-quality powered USB hub to ensure consistent voltage and signal integrity. Who is this for? Serious hobbyists running trunking scanners, ADS-B trackers, or anyone building a "set-and-forget" radio server that requires high-uptime reliability and precision.

Nooelec RTL-SDR v5 SDR. Works great for general scanning or tracking weather balloons. Not wideband enough for trunking. Look for something closer to 10mhz for trunking.

Love this little thing. Paired it with a RatlSnake antenna setup. If you enjoy radios and computers you’ll enjoy getting into RTL-SDR.

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Ótimo produto recomendo

問題なく使える。冷却したいならNvme ssdの放熱板を2枚買うといい感じに挟めていいと思う

todo bien, muchas gracias

Rápido y fiable