RTL R820T2

[737mech]

Has anyone tried the new version of rtl dongle from nooelec with the R820T2 on ADS-B setups? Wider bandwidth lower noise floor improved crystals (Unknown if TCXO) etc. I can only find the improvements are in the HF. Wondering how it will do on 1090?

 

[DaveNF2G]

No TCXO. They look exactly like the v1 dongles. I don't think there are any changes that would affect performance anywhere beside HF.

 

[737mech]

What about the TCXO dongles? Better for ADS-B? All I've found and read is they have great ability to stay on freq no ppm required. This new R820T2 is also claiming similar spec for ppm correction. I ordered one and happy to post results just wondering if anyone is ahead of me on this idea? Expect my results in about two weeks.

 

[737mech]

New rtl r820t2 and tcxo on ads-b

I have the new dongles. I will try them both on my ads-b VRS setup and post results soon.

 

[eorange]

I tried my new 820T2 yesterday. As far as ADS-B...I noticed no difference compared to my original 820T. # frames/second, % data quality, and of course the number of aircraft tracked - all seems the same. This was using ADSB# with ADSBScope + VirtualRadar, with a homemade collinear antenna for ADS-B. The little telescoping whip is cute, but won't be used for ADS-B.

For a while I thought the frame count ramped up much quicker than the 820T, but repeated tests between both shows this wasn't the case.

I have yet to try the 820T2 on HF with SDR#.

 

[737mech]

RTL ADS-B tests

Initial testing went as follows. Same antenna coax adaptors etc. Netbook running VRS with ADSB#. The frame rate was my only measure of test value. Not very scientific. The standard EZCAP RTL was running for 10 minutes averaged 150 to 275 frames/sec. The improved TXCO RTL averaged 150-350 frames/sec. The NooElec blue stick with R820T2 averaged 250-475 frames/sec. All done within a 45 minute test so the aircraft transmissions were about the same for the area. I'm not stating anything but observation here. I have installed the Blue RTL on my main VRS setup and will give it a week to plot results. I will compare those to historical records I have on file. I hope this info is helpful to anyone considering upgrading to another RTL for ADS-B.

 

[737mech]

R820T2

So far two days with the R820T2. I had initial problems with my usb extender cable but I fixed that and am now happy. The frame rates are currently 450-600. Not a WOW factor of improvement compared to my EZCAP RTL. This test may take longer to really see differences in the ADS-B band of 1090. Range is not changed as the antenna is the same. I'm only hoping to acquire more aircraft inside the range of the antenna assuming the new rtl has a cleaner signal and lower noise floor? The test continues.

 

[eorange]

Agree on all points. I also think the frame rate might be higher than I initially observed, but that just provides more frequent updates. No difference with ADS-B performance. Which is OK; the sweet spot for the T2 was supposed to be cleaner Rx.

 

[737mech]

Update

So far very happy with the R820T2 from NooElec. The only thing I have trouble with and it may be the extender cable I'm using, is when I turn it on in the morning it takes a few to warm up. If I try to run ADSB# when it's cold I get the error code freq cannot be 10900000. After a few minutes I can run ADSB# no problem it sees the dongle as "Generic RTL2832U(e.g. hama nano)" Range is the same as the EZCAP RTL I used before but the Frame rate is higher. It's hard to determine if more planes are picked up because this is a holiday weekend as well the winter flying schedules are in play so reduced flying for some carriers and weather delays etc. The testing continues.