Shortwave SDR

I am looking at the sdr dongles capable of receiving shortwave. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I would appreciate feedback on any of them Especially from anyone with experience with more than one type. I already have the NooElec dongle for public service freqs so I could go with one of the up converters or one of the others (KN0CK) that covers just about everything. I am also factoring in whether or not any one of the options would allow connecting two antennas rather than manually making the switch. Seems like there's some risk involved in constantly swapping antennas on such a small and fragile dongle. I haven't been able to find any antenna switches on line that would make this a moot point. In the past, I've used "F" connector and PL239 type switches but seem to get too much loss in the signal reaching the unit. I have two outside antennas.

It depends on your budget.

In my opinion, the SDR Play is the least expensive with the most bang for your wallet at $150.
But only one antenna input. New software allows for full coverage.

I have experience with Perseus, QS1R, Excalibur Pro, FDM S2 and AirSpy.

They are quite a bit more expensive.

Here is a website you can check-out.....

Roundup of Software Defined Radios - rtl-sdr.com

Regards,
Bob

Thanks for the link. That should give me plenty of information to follow up on. I noted the date of the web page is only a couple of days ago. I guess I should check the web site out more often! FYI...I'm not looking to spend more than $100.00 since I consider myself to be only a casual listener. I should have stated that in my original post. Thanks again.

One thing to keep in mind is that these lower-cost SDRs are often bothered by strong MW or FM signals. That KN0CK model does have a 5 pole filter in the front end, and that may help somewhat. But be prepared to get some additional filtering as an add on, depending on your local environment, of course.

Mike

I can't remember the name of it, but there was a very high rated one that is made in Israel

Edit:
Found it
Ordering information

DXpatrol
Welcome to CT1FFU's webpage
Home
99 euros
video review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8qW2Z-SfHc

All of these, and more, along with links and reviews can be found here

SDRs with HF Coverage - The RadioReference Wiki

Mike

Thanks for this most recent link. I thought I had seen this in RR but couldn't find it again, Brain freeze!

No problem Jim. I just added a link to our RTL-SDR article that also points to other RTLs that have HF coverage - including the KN0CK model.

Do your homework and keep an ear to the ground - remember this is an industry that is growing very rapidly. Something new is very likely to show up in a short time (no I don't have any inside info, just prognosticating on how fast this is growing), and I'm sure you don't want to miss out

Mike