In an optimistic moment I ordered a Malahit-DSP SDR (DP-1).
It is a Chinese clone, but correctly Registered from the Russian designers, so full coverage up to 2 Gigs. For under £150 I took the gamble.
Well after having it for a week, it is little short of amazing.
It does NOT scan or search. Notwithstanding that, bearing in mind it fits into the palm of a hand, it is a very clever machine indeed. There are 50 programmable 'memories'.
Mine appears to work on HF /VHF and UHF. It is certainly pulling in signals up to 500 MHz.
I have mainly been using it for monitoring HF Amateur bands. The Scope's maximum bandwidth is only 160 kHz, but for HF that is certainly adequate. The Scope works brilliantly, however for me the most impressive thing is its Noise Reduction.
Literally it transforms even a fairly noisy Side Band signal in to (near) FM quality. Almost all 'noise' disappears.
There are many different parameters that can be adjusted, including a very effective Preamp.
I had read that there were problems with the tuning knobs not always working. That is true if turned quickly. It appears that is more of a software than hardware issue. Nevertheless, if the knobs are turned slowly they usually perform OK.
You can see lots of videos on You Tube about these Receivers, so I will not go into many more details.
One can order either the DP-1, or 'improved' authentic DP-1 or DP-2 (a few improvements over the DP-1 apparently) from Russia, but more exciting to me is they have a DP-3 under development with a wider ranged Band Scope.
I read about them for a while before taking the plunge, and certainly some Chinese clones are reported as being not up to scratch, however mine (badged 'Jstvro' on the front) appears to have no problems at all. Important to make sure its firmware is legitimate (registered).
As to efficiency, well on HF it blew me away. On any of my Receivers I have difficulty picking up the time signals on 5 and 10 MHz here, the Malahit receives them fine. When I retrieved it from the box I put on the small telescopic antenna, and within seconds it was receiving a very clear signal on 20m. On my external loop aerial it pulls in anything my other Receivers do, and to be honest with NR switched in the audio is often superior.
Without a doubt it is 'no toy'. I am not easily impressed, but in this case I certainly am.
