Airspy SDR by SDR# author

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KC1UA

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I discovered this earlier this morning and placed my order. It appeared I was #37. The iTead rep made an announcement in the Airspy Yahoogroup not too long after that.

With regards to delays, I have not seen one of these devices come out "on time". In this case from what I am reading it at least appears that this was due to producing a decent product with a stable version of firmware, which hopefully will yield the best results. We'll see come mid-November when they ship. It has always been my intention to order one of these, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it stacks up to my bladeRF and my hackRF (which I am not having much luck with; I think I may have a defective one).

The final price is $199. There are two shipping options, standard mail or DHL, the latter of which I chose for $26. Standard mail with very limited tracking was $3. Not sure if those are flat rate prices or just to my area, but I'm sure they're at least ballpark.
 

vince48

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Hi Scott,
The $26 seems to be standard. I opted for the registered mail. Not being cheap, but I'm having fun with my B200 and HackRF, not in a big hurry.I also asked the the author about firmware updates since i'm not a Linux or GNU user and was told "You just plug your device and run a single batch file".

vince48
 

KC1UA

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Hi Scott,
I also asked the the author about firmware updates since i'm not a Linux or GNU user and was told "You just plug your device and run a single batch file".

vince48

That's a good confirmation, but I'd never really even thought of it as an issue, given that the developer's software is Windows based.

This will be my portable SDR. I am bombing with the hackRF and the bladeRF is certainly not portable until and unless it and its transverter find their way into a case together,

Airspy obviously has SDR# support, and it appears it will have SDR-Console and UniTrunker support. That covers me! :D
 

jdobbs2001

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Interesting I will wait and see what people's experience is before buying one. Hopefully it works well
 

jamesd

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I ordered one today after reading it was OS X comparable. I just downloaded MacPorts to see what SDR radio is all about and to be ready when the AirSpy arrives. Any suggestions appreciated, this is my first time SDR everything I own is a regular SW, HF or wide band receiver.
 

SCPD

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I pass for now.

Curious if the "open" R820T frontend performs any better than the average RTL dongle.

Price into NL including VAT and customs will be around $295 !
That is getting way too close to "real" SDR pricing.

73
Paul
PD0PSB
 

wnjl

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Maybe an obvious question - but what kind of adapter is needed to connect to this to coax with an F-type connector? Is it the same as the RTL SDR dongle? (i.e. MCX?)
 

rrbum

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Maybe an obvious question - but what kind of adapter is needed to connect to this to coax with an F-type connector? Is it the same as the RTL SDR dongle? (i.e. MCX?)


Looks to be an SMA female on the airspy. So, I would guess an SMA male to F female connector in your case. However I would probably go with a 6" or so patch cable rather than an adapter just for less strain and greater mobility of components.
 

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rrbum

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First batch sold out, preparing to ship...

Looks like things are right on schedule with the airspy.
Website reporting first wave of 450 units will be shipping soon.

Quote from website:

You trust us, We deliver!
We’re about to start shipping the first batch of 450 units. The pre-orders will be processed in the order they came.
Thank you for your patience!
 

mtindor

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Good news! Looking forward to receiving mine. I am #36 on the list. :D

How did you determine what # you were on the list? Was that at the time of order? I don't see any information about that on the info Itead sent me. I guess it doesn't matter, but I'm jonesing to try it out and hoping I'm closer to the beginning than the end.

Mike
 

mancow

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That's a good confirmation, but I'd never really even thought of it as an issue, given that the developer's software is Windows based.

This will be my portable SDR. I am bombing with the hackRF and the bladeRF is certainly not portable until and unless it and its transverter find their way into a case together,

Airspy obviously has SDR# support, and it appears it will have SDR-Console and UniTrunker support. That covers me! :D

What issue are you having with the HackRF?
 

KC1UA

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Mike, after I ordered the stock of the Airspy indicated "-36",so it was more of a guess than anything else, but I figured I was the 36th to order based on that. I discovered they opened up the pre-ordering about two hours before the official announcement was made so I got on board pretty early.
 

KC1UA

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What issue are you having with the HackRF?

Well it was an overall weak signal issue, but I think the primary issue may have been me! I'm having much better fortune with it now. It's doing a pretty good job of what I want it to do so it's probably a keeper.

That said, I'm looking forward to seeing how Airspy stacks up against it. This comparison should be a good topic of conversation going forward although they are in many ways apples vs. oranges.
 

mancow

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Mike, after I ordered the stock of the Airspy indicated "-36",so it was more of a guess than anything else, but I figured I was the 36th to order based on that. I discovered they opened up the pre-ordering about two hours before the official announcement was made so I got on board pretty early.

My order was October 30 around 6PM CDT. I wonder where I stand in the line.
 

SCPD

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They're assembling a batch of 450 units. I suspect your choice on shipping will have more impact on how soon you get your AirSpy than whether you are #1 or #450. Yes, I'm waiting, too.
 
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