Looking to up grade my SDR witha few $$$$

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beamin

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Right now I have the 22$ adafruit rafeal SDR that gets really hot. I'm looking to do:

1.Listen watch aircraft landing using windows and the google maps app where it like actually seeing out the cockpit in real time. SUPER COOL!{for dorks}

2. Listen to ~1MHz to thirty MHz then try to decode the long distance digital short wave signals including Morse code

3. UHF VHF listen to all the little signals up to 3-6 GHz to see what they are.

4 Already have some antennas in the works for the long MF HF of the spectrum, and want to build some for satellites: GOES etc.

5. Do some low power transmitting maybe at some point.

I have windows 10 and about 300$ to spend.

Disclaimer I'm legally blind so any info you guys see would really cut down on screen time!

There's one on Amazon for 329$ "hackrf1" that seems to fulfill this need but I'm having problems with his english.
 
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Flatliner

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HackRF will satisfy the hardware requirements, though I don't know why you need above 2GHz.
 

br0adband

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Based on what you want to do and leaving out the transmitting aspect, I'd agree with the recommendation for SDRplay made above.

It fills in all the requirements you're asking for minus that transmit one (never cared much for that myself in any respects) and > 2 GHz - there's not really that much to monitor up there and it's probably all digital anyway.

It's well supported and even has it's own SDR software now (SDRuno) that could prove useful too.

The price is about half what you have to spend so perhaps you could end up getting some decent antennas with the leftover funds or whatever.

>spaced out my sentences so as to make it easier to read since you stated you're legally blind, guessing you use some type of screen reader software or very very big fonts or zoom.
 

Saint

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SDRPLAY

I would go for the SDRPLAY they also have a new Softwaew program for SdrPlay called SDRUNO, the software is being upgradded as we speak with new features. I ordered mine several days ago from HRO Ham Radio Outlet and should get it by Friday. This is the link for SDRPLAY and the software.
SDRplay
Steve
 

SCPD

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Just so you know we (myself and a few others) are just about done testing the beta. Should be out by the end of the week.

Good to see you back on the forums Saint.
 

br0adband

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Well, technically the new revised models aka v3 of the RTL-SDR blog RTL sticks can do what the OP asked about minus the transmitting capability and extremely wideband use well past 1.7 GHz (as noted, there's not really much to monitor up there and it's almost always digital in nature). They offer a new option as part of the package:

Experimental: HF Direct Sampling Mode - Listen to 500kHz to 24 MHz with direct sampling. Simply connect an HF antenna to the SMA port, and choose the Q-branch to use.

So, that basically means given the concept that those sticks can do 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz continuous coverage and people have been reporting the HF reception ain't that bad at all. It obviously won't match something a bit more capable like the SDRplay can manage but as noted SDRplay is far more expensive. Airspy needs the Spyverter downconverter to handle HF so that's two pieces of hardware needed to do what some other hardware can do with just one - more hardware means more chances of something not working correctly or having issues.

There's HackRF and BladeRF and some other devices too but then you're really spending $300+ so those are obviously not going to work if cost is the primary concern overall.

Basic answer: if you want one device that can tune HF through 1.7 GHz then that revised v3 RTL-SDR blog stick is the most cost effective and working solution you're going to find today. One stick for $19.95 without antennas or $24.95 for the stick and two somewhat useful antennas (better than what originally came with RTL sticks by default).

$19.95 for one v3 RTL-SDR stick with no antennas (out of stock at the time of this post)

$24.95 for one v3 RTL-SDR stick with two antennas (much better than what came with the original RTL sticks)

The only way it's going to get cheaper is if you get one (or more) completely free. :D
 

Your_account

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and extremely wideband use well past 1.7 GHz (as noted, there's not really much to monitor up there and it's almost always digital in nature).
There is a lot of interesing stuff out there!
Amateur Radio, Mil Freqs, Toll System,...
 
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