Has anyone measured the sensitivity of the RSP2?

I got an RSP2 back when they were first announced, but I have had little success actually using it. Part of the problem is that I am not all that familiar with the software and the other part is that I really just don't like the software. It seems that it wasn't designed to do the kind of things I want to do. Anyway, I decided to have another go at the thing and hooked it up to my HP8924C to see if it actually receives. I attempted to measure the sensitivity of it and, after fooling with all the various controls, it seems the sensitivity is around a half of a microvolt for 12 dB SINAD at 915 MHz. I didn't try any other frequencies. The 900 MHz region is one of prime interest to me and if it doesn't perform there, I don't have a lot of use for it. I could actually manipulate the display to see the signal below where it became just noise in the headphones. That was mostly just for curiosity's sake since I need to actually get information from what I receive. I will try to measure some more frequencies tomorrow and try different software with it to see if that makes a difference.

WPXS472 said:

I got an RSP2 back when they were first announced, but I have had little success actually using it. Part of the problem is that I am not all that familiar with the software and the other part is that I really just don't like the software. It seems that it wasn't designed to do the kind of things I want to do. Anyway, I decided to have another go at the thing and hooked it up to my HP8924C to see if it actually receives. I attempted to measure the sensitivity of it and, after fooling with all the various controls, it seems the sensitivity is around a half of a microvolt for 12 dB SINAD at 915 MHz. I didn't try any other frequencies. The 900 MHz region is one of prime interest to me and if it doesn't perform there, I don't have a lot of use for it. I could actually manipulate the display to see the signal below where it became just noise in the headphones. That was mostly just for curiosity's sake since I need to actually get information from what I receive. I will try to measure some more frequencies tomorrow and try different software with it to see if that makes a difference.

Click to expand...

A filter would be useful and may bring down the noise floor.

If you haven't already, post this in the unofficial Facebook group. They are very active in there. I wrote "unofficial" because, whereas it is, the devs also use it. SDRplay are very helpful.

Hardware:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sdrplay/

Software:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sdruno/

Many folks don't realize there's an RF attenuation slider in SDRuno. It's in the main window. I find I'm able to attenuate some of the noise out. Add in some noise reduction and noise blanking as needed.

Ironically most of my noise comes from one Roku device in the 3MHz range. I swapped wall warts to no avail, then I swapped the Roku unit with no luck. I'm not sure why that is, but now that I know, I unplug it before scanning the lower bands.

I'm able to receive ADS-B broadcasts from hundreds of miles away using a 2m mag mount on a table (no ground plane) using an RSP2.

Sorry Flatliner, I don't do social media at all, so Facebook is out. I don't think a filter would help much seeing as how I am not in a RF dense environment. I was using HDSDR software. I will try the stuff intended for the RSP today and see if it makes a difference. I have one of the older, small dongle type of SDRs and recall it being quite sensitive. I will have to dig it out and see if I can get it to work under Windows 10. I was just wondering if anyone had actually measured the sensitivity of their RSP2. The main thing I don't like about the software is all those waterfall and spectrum displays. I would rather have a GUI that looks more like a regular receiver with controls that emulate those of a regular receiver.

I haven't done tests up there, though I am equipped to do so. Became too busy to do much radio, unfortunately. I know that the RSP1a is more sensitive around VHF, being a next a gen. RSP.

SDRplay intended to only bring out hardware, hoping that the community would pick it up and develop for it. Generally this didn't happen, though it did work with SDRsharp. Airspy then dropped SDRplay kit when it was, in my opinion, making Airspy stuff look a little over-priced. SDRplay then bought Studio1 which was renamed SDRuno. It's not my favourite software though it does work very well and development seems continuous. SDRplay kit is also supported by SDR-Radio V3 (beta) though seems to work well already. Try that.

If something's not right, contact SDRplay support. They are a nice bunch of guys and completely ego free, unlike certain other business owners.

The official support can be done, here:

SDRplay Support Helpdesk

And community support, here:

https://www.sdrplay.com/community

WPXS472 said:

The main thing I don't like about the software is all those waterfall and spectrum displays. I would rather have a GUI that looks more like a regular receiver with controls that emulate those of a regular receiver.

Click to expand...

With SDRuno, you can do exactly that. Set it up the way you want; you can drag the individual windows anywhere.

I found this thread on saving the workspace layout: Window Size and Position - SDRplay Community Forum

Once you have the window layout as you want it...

left click on the words Default Workspace in the main window

When the menu list appears, CTRL + Left click on the workspace you want to save the layout to.

That's it, You can store up to 10 different layouts that way and recall them by just left clicking in that area and selecting the one you want.

Best regards,

SDRplay Support

Click to expand...

I downloaded that SDR Radio software. It took a bit to figure out what it wanted before I could get it to work. But, when I did, WOW! Now, I am seeing about .07 uV for the same 12 dB SINAD. Huge difference by just changing the software. I read the user guide for SDRuno but found it very frustrating to actually use. I will have to try it again. I am interested in doing some propagation studies at 900 MHz. I want to find some distant signal that I can tune to that is stable and narrow band. There may not be such a thing. In that case, I will have to try to build a beacon and find someplace to install it. Then, if I can get a thin client with enough horsepower to run the software, I plan on letting the RSP2 run continuously and record and time stamp any received signals. I believe I might be able to get a path from aircraft reflections. I live about 90 miles from Atlanta and with its very busy airport, there should be a lot of aircraft around to give me some reflections. There is a group of microwave enthusiasts who regularly achieve amazing contacts on microwave using all kinds of exotic propagation. I have heard them talk about aircraft reflections, though that isn't a favorite with them, but it does happen.

I've been using my RSP2 for several months now, primarily for the HF bands. Software can certainly make a difference in the user experience. I've used SDR#, SDRUno, and HDSDR, but finally settled on SDR Console. It's feature-rich, and does all that I could want it to do. As suggested though, you need to experiment a bit with the gain settings to maximize received signals. Also, keep in mind that the RSP2 can still overload, so some filtration may be necessary over and above any attenuation.