RTL-SDR Blog V4 R828D RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA Software Defined Radio (Dongle Only)

I love this thing. Probably my favorite gadget of all time. Plug this into a USB port on your laptop and attach an antenna (not included) and you unlock a whole new world of software defined radio (SDR). This tiny dongle acts as a wide band radio receiver - the sort of thing that would have been the size of a shoebox a few years ago. I’ve used mine to feed aircraft position data to flight tracking websites (PlaneFinder, FlightAware, etc.), to intercept and decode signals from satellites, the international space station, and my neighbours weather station. You can listen to Ham radio operators, marine traffic, CB radio and even air traffic control talking to planes flying overhead. You can also use it to listen to DAB radio. It’s a seriously capable bit of kit in a compact package. For anyone interested in radio, this is a great way to get into what will quickly become an absorbing hobby. Minor point, but it tends to run quite hot to the touch. It might be obvious, but you can’t transmit with this - it’s just a receiver.

This is a very affordable SDR. It isn’t exactly plug and play and took some googling to set up but I’m not an expert and for the price should expect to have to put in a bit of work to get it set up. So far I’m really happy with it and it can be used with a range of different sdr software

Works well when coupled with software like SDRsharp and SDRangel. But be aware that the initial installation is not for the feint hearted, and you need to exactly follow the quick start guide at rdl-sdr.com to get it working.

Works as expected and is identical to the ones I got from the official outlet on Aliexpress where they are £11 cheaper, requiring only patience for delivery. There are a few niggles with the design - The SMA connector is set back on the PCB a couple of mm which means if you tighten the SMA nut, you will be pulling on the solder joints. The extruded case has screw mouldings on all four corners but they chose to only put two screws in each endplate to save pennies and these are coarse self-tappers that shed particles of aluminium swarf every time you undo them and why they chose countersunk heads in a non-countersunk plate is a mystery. I wanted to panel mount a few of these dongles but the SMA is too short to be able to poke it through and add another nut for proper grounding, again it's that bizarre set-back on the PCB. It's pot luck whether you receive a dongle with the USB plug soldered on straight.

I purchased the RTL-SDR V4 to upgrade from the V3 which I've had for over a year. I usually listen to the HF amateur bands and the V4 seems to be much better in this regard - less noise and interference and better sensitivity. I don't have a great setup - just a long-wire antenna about 13 meters long in the back garden but have heard contacts from all over the world. The unit does get very warm in use and, even though they say this is normal, so as not to shorten it's life I have attached an extra heatsink so that it now runs much cooler. I have tested it on the air bands, marine bands and commercial bands and all work just fine with clear reception. If you already have a V3 for listening to HF and are thinking of upgrading I'd suggest this is a good purchase especially for the price. There is less benefit to UHF, VHF etc so if this is your usual listening range the V3 is probably already more than adequate.

For a relativly small inexpensive item you can listen to transmissions around the world. Build quality is solid, it does get warm. The in built up-converter makes a real difference and really sets you up to explore this hobby. A better antenna is going to improve the signals but a long wire is a good starter. Endless fun for not much money.

Great little SDR, combine it with a switch box and your TRX to beat the ever increasing noise levels !

Tried to get it to work on a Raspberry Pi 4. Two operating systems tested (using CubcSDR) - Trixie and Bookworm. Didn't work at all on Bookworm, and Trixie was unreliable. Nooelec alternative runs fine, same hardware and software, so I know this unit is faulty. Maybe just an unlucky unit?

Ottima, sotto tanti punti di vista. Bisogna fare riferimento alla documentazione ufficiale riportata nel sito. Bisogno installare driver e librerie C++ per farla funzionare. Poi va utilizzato uno dei tanti software a disposizione. L`ho installata con successo su Win11, Kali e Mac. Per linux bisogna aggiornare il source packages, ma con un pò di pazienza funziona tutto. L`utilizzo dei software come ad esempio sdr++, può avvenire solo dopo aver configurato correttamente i drivers. Funziona, basta seguire le guide. Dotatevi di antenne adeguate.

Funcionou perfeitamente

Maybe nice for some other frequencies, but doesn't want to pick up anything around 868mhz, so avoid if you're using it for FLARM etc.

Fantastic for the price. I got one of the first SDR Play RSPdx boxes and was completely disappointed. The hardware seems like it could be good but the software is an unusable mess, and getting all the switching and filtering to work with other software never worked. After being frustrated with endless trouble tickets and support that clearly didn't have a clue, I gave up. I had a buyer for the SDR Play on craigs but at the end of the day I wouldn't have been able to sleep after selling him that useless piece of garbage. Fast forward to the RTL-SDR V3 with a HamItUp. Worked a lot better than the SDR Play (what doesn't?) but it was noisy and switching it on and off and turning on the offset in the software was a pain. I ordered the RTL-SDR V4 the moment I first saw it and I am impressed. It works (unlike the SDR Play, which isn't even a good paperweight), it's several dB quieter than the HamItUp and there is no offset to deal with. This is a real winner, and at the price it's a bargain. I have a couple of V4 in the USB-C version on order and can't wait to get them.

SO COOL> what more can i say- if you are buying one of these you probably did your research. This works great - i have purchased two different antennas to go with it. It's important that you have the correct antennas for this to work well. Highly recommend using the programs SDR++ Cubic sdr or GQRX with it. There are many programs to choose. SDR++ has been working the best for my FM stuff. GQRX is harder to use but has lots of parameters. Cubic kind of splits the difference. Anyhow everything is easy enough to instuall and this dongle Works great. Super nerdy- Lots of blogs and instructions out there for this thing. Well supported. Also i reached out to the manufacturers with a support question and they got back to me right away. I used this donge with my Mac as well as my Raspberry Pi. Super diverse. Five stars all around.