Do I buy a RSP1A or RSP2?

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NC1

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I have been looking into getting a decent SDR and have narrowed it down to these two: RSP1A and RSP2.

In looking at past reviews and issues, both here and on other sites, I am inclined toward the RSP1A since it seems it is more sensitive to weak signals and the price point is lower. A cheaper route was preferred by me sometime last year but have come to the conclusion that a 14 bit unit is above and beyond the 8 bit and will just have to budget around $100 to make this worth my while.

Anybody here that has (or has had) both and can give me some advice on which one to buy? I'll be using an outdoor longwire antenna that is properly grounded to bleed off static, and I can easily make a patch cable for the SDR. Not sure which computer I will be using since I have Windows Vista and 8.1, and Linux Mint Tina available.
 

wgbecks

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Any such decision should include some thought as to what software other than SDRUno in the case of the SDRPlay that you might want to use and is that hardware supported by any of those applications? Take a look at potential software applications ahead of making your decision to determine what specific SDR hardware devices are supported.
 
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belvdr

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Agreed. I have an SDRplay RSP2duo and RSPdx. They work well with the bundled apps, but it's spotty with other niche applications.
 
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NC1

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Any such decision should include some thought as to what software other than SDRUno in the case of the SDRPlay that you might want to use and is that hardware supported by any of those applications? Take a look at potential software applications ahead of making your decision to determine what specific SDR hardware devices are supported.

I think that right out of the box there won't be a problem as I get familiar with it, but I will be using it mostly for HF (7.0 to 30.0 MHz) on AM and SSB to begin with. The waterfall feature will be heavily used quite a bit to find strong signals, so a good quality program will be necessary for that. Also, it will be used to monitor the 6m, 2m, and 70cm ham bands occasionally. Not really interested in the P25, DMR, or digital end of things, or decoding either.

Some of the discussion forums on SDRPlay are very informative on what software will work on a particular SDR along with computer and operating system, but I want to start with a good unit that will fit my needs and will work with other software (possibly) in the future. I am not that demanding where I'm pushing the software/hardware trying to do things that it is not really designed to do. Basically I need simple, but it has to work.
 

belvdr

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If you’re interested in HF, you should strongly consider the RSPdx.
 

w2dsx

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I have both (1A and 2), love them both. However, the 2 had some issues fixed by the 1A, most important to me was the 2 was more prone to interference than the 1A. I had to use a couple of outboard filters to tame things with the 2, particularly in the LF bands. Also the HF radio port on the 2 was a pain to deal with initially. I understand the intent in why they used that method, but for me it was a pain at first. I wound up getting several Nooelec 9:1 baluns and adding the wires, shrink wrapping it and using that to mate coax runs to the HF port. You may not need that but in my area where I have to deal with many high-powered AM stations, I needed it. The 1A just uses a SMA jack. The 2 does have the other 2 ports and a GPS port, which some may like. I did at first as it meant I didn't have to have a antenna switch to go back and forth from my HF and VHF antennas, but then I wound up using them anyways to protect from static/lightning.

Great rx's, and the support (both tutorials and support, more YT videos than I can shake a stick at. I recommend the FB groups as well) are amazing. Good luck with what you choose!
 
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NC1

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Thank you W2DSX, that confirms some of what I have been researching.
I think the 1A will be more than sufficient for my purposes and fits my budget nicely. I don't have any issues with interference or overload at all as I am pretty much in the middle of nowhere on a ridge top and there are virtually no big RF sources for about 35+ miles.
All of my interference problems come from appliances - the worst of which are the plasma TV, refrigerator, and washing machine. Once I turn the breakers off for those I can hear the faintest of signals quite clearly.
 

belvdr

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Thank you W2DSX, that confirms some of what I have been researching.
I think the 1A will be more than sufficient for my purposes and fits my budget nicely. I don't have any issues with interference or overload at all as I am pretty much in the middle of nowhere on a ridge top and there are virtually no big RF sources for about 35+ miles.
All of my interference problems come from appliances - the worst of which are the plasma TV, refrigerator, and washing machine. Once I turn the breakers off for those I can hear the faintest of signals quite clearly.
I wish I had that luck. I have a lot more noise now than I did when I lived in town. I think the electric provider has some faulty transformers or the nearby tornado siren's power pack is doing it. 80m is just covered with noise.

But I digress. I think you'll have some fun with the unit. Enjoy!
 
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