how to get started

[k1agh]

I want to try out SDR, what equipment do I need that is not to expensive.i see all the different types but im not sure what to choose. i want something easy to use.

 

[ka3jjz]

Well from the SDR side of things, you need a unit and compatible software.

To see some of the units that are out there, numerous links to reviews and software links check out the SDR wiki page

Software Defined Radios - The RadioReference Wiki

The price ranges vary considerably - some are just a couple hundred bucks to nearly a grand.

I'm toying with the idea myself but I suspect I'd need a new PC, as the 2 I have right now are way too old and memory starved to make a good support for this

Mike

 

[rbm]

You'll need a PC with USB 2.0 ports and net framework 3.5

A USB dongle. I prefer the R820T tuner models.

Then go here and download the automated install files.
Unzip the three files in that zip file.
Then doubleclick on the 'install.bat' file that was unzipped.
http://sdrsharp.com/downloads/sdr-install.zip

That will download and install SDRSharp into a folder named 'sdrsharp'.

Then you'll need to install the driver for the dongles 'zadig' (zadig_xp for Windows XP machines)
Per the instructions here:
https://github.com/pbatard/libwdi/wiki/Zadig
or here:
Zadig - USB driver installation made easy

A good reference page:
Downloads | SDR#

Then, you should be good to go after you get a dongle.
I like this one, but there are quiet a few others equally as good.
NooElec - NooElec TV28T v2 SDR & DVB-T USB Stick (R820T) w/ Antenna and Remote Control - Software Defined Radio
or from ebay such as this: (search around for the best vendor and price)
New DVB T Realtek RTL2832U Elonics R820T 50MHz 2200MHz Rtl SDR Project Tops | eBay

You can see the specs. for the various tuners here:
rtl-sdr

Rich

A good resource is the Yahoo SDRSharp group here.
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SDRSharp/

 

[Token]

Well from the SDR side of things, you need a unit and compatible software.

To see some of the units that are out there, numerous links to reviews and software links check out the SDR wiki page

Software Defined Radios - The RadioReference Wiki

The price ranges vary considerably - some are just a couple hundred bucks to nearly a grand.

I'm toying with the idea myself but I suspect I'd need a new PC, as the 2 I have right now are way too old and memory starved to make a good support for this

Mike

You can always do the RTL Dongle thing, that gets you in the door of SDR for under $20, however the performance of those is not really all that good. Don’t get me wrong, for the money they are very encouraging, but you really do get what you pay for. There is even a RTL dongle that does HF and up being sold now, the Soft66RTL, I have one on the way and will see how well it works. SDRs that cover specifically the HF range run from $50 to over $5000, so yeah, narrowing down what you want or a target price range is a good thing.

In general you can get in the door with OK performance at $130 (Softrock Ensemble II, after adding case and PS), good performance $250 - $500 (several options in this range, including AFEDRI and SDR-I/Q), and very good to excellent performance above $600 and below $1800 (Perseus, WinRadio G31DDC and G33DDC, etc.). Above that price point the performance does not really improve much at all, but feature sets get deeper, broader IBW, wider spectrum record capability, etc.

Mike, you might not be in as bad a shape as you think. One of my SDR machines (runs both an SDR-I/Q and a SoftRock Ensemble II) is an old P IV HT, 3 GHz, machine with 1 GB RAM, that I built in like 2002 or 2003. Still works fine. I have run the Perseus and the WinRadio G31DDC on that machine also, and it is OK but really maxing the machine out, with lots of time at or near 100%.

I also have a couple of low end Gateway and Lenovo machines that run SDRs that require more horsepower. Each cost under $400 and handle any SDR I throw at them (both the G31DDC and the Perseus are on the Gateway, and both run 24/7, and the G33DDC is on the Lenovo).

T!

 

[ka3jjz]

Hi Token - the only thing I have here that comes close is an old Netbook still running Win7 Starter - I need to upgrade that memory, but it can only take 2Gb as a max. That's really not enough for some of these apps to run smoothly.

If it were me, I'd be checking out the AFEDRI unit. The Funcube is back ordered (there's a waiting list) and I have no idea when any more of those would be available. The AFEDRI can be had for under USD300 and looks like a good starter investment for the price point.

Mike

 

[k1agh]

Thanks for the info. I read the reviews and wasnt sure what i should try and wanted to get the opinions of the ones on here who use them.

 

[ka3jjz]

Apart from here, the Yahoo groups listed on that wiki article are a good place to go for dedicated users, in many cases

Mike

 

[kc2sgi]

whats a good antenna to use with the rtl sdr 2832 setup

 

[ka3jjz]

This is a common question, and it greatly depends on what freq range you're interested in hearing, how much room you have to work with, whether you can put something outside (always best) and several other factors.

Before we go too OT here, we have dedicated forums for antennas, depending on the freq range...

Receive Antennas (below 30MHz) - The RadioReference.com Forums

Scanner / Receiver Antennas - The RadioReference.com Forums

To me, you could hardly go wrong with a PAR for freqs between 2-30 Mhz, and a decent scanner antenna above that (like a discone), but you should ask your question in the forum correct for your freq range. And when you do be specific about what you want to hear, and answers to the above questions

Mike