Nooelec NESDR [HF Bundle] vs RSP1A? Suggestions Please(LF/MF/HF)

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ScubaJungle

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I currently have two RTL-SDR V3 dongles, and they do fine for trunked radio, wx sat, POCSAG, ADS-B, and such but would like something a bit more powerful that can also get down to LF/MF/HF as well. I have no experience with HF and low frequencies so I'd like to play around a bit and see what broadcasts/comms I can get from different parts of the world, as well as navtex and milcomm stuff.

-I've been looking at taking the step to the SDR play RSP1A, but I also see the Nooelec NESDR HF bundle seems similar and is significantly cheaper.
Does anyone have either of these and/or can make suggestions on which one would be the better choice? Is paying the extra $100 for the RSP1a worth it?

Just to note, I will not be using a raspberry pi or any kind of remote linking set up, just a simple old plug into the laptop use.
 

vagrant

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I am not finding a $100 price difference between the Nooelec bundle and the RSP1A.

I too have used the RTL-SDR v3 dongles, as well as the Nooelec dongle and they seem the same to me. I have not tried that HF bundle which uses the Nooelec dongle. I do have an SDRPlay RSP2 connected to a laptop and it works very well. I use the SDRUno software and I am very pleased with it. The laptop I'm using for it is an i5 2.3GHz CPU with 8GB of RAM on Windows 10 Pro.

Again, I have not used that particular Nooelec bundle. Still, if given a choice between the two I would go with one of the SDRPlay devices, even the more expensive RSPdx, but that's me.
 

ScubaJungle

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I am not finding a $100 price difference between the Nooelec bundle and the RSP1A.

I too have used the RTL-SDR v3 dongles, as well as the Nooelec dongle and they seem the same to me. I have not tried that HF bundle which uses the Nooelec dongle. I do have an SDRPlay RSP2 connected to a laptop and it works very well. I use the SDRUno software and I am very pleased with it. The laptop I'm using for it is an i5 2.3GHz CPU with 8GB of RAM on Windows 10 Pro.

Again, I have not used that particular Nooelec bundle. Still, if given a choice between the two I would go with one of the SDRPlay devices, even the more expensive RSPdx, but that's me.
Im not sure, but I think you may be referring to the regular Nooelec dongle. The one I'm referring to is the NESDR SMart, which is more similar to the RSP1A in terms of size and hardware than a regular dongle - link below:
Nooelec - HF Bundle: NESDR SMArt

With that said, I think you're right about the price, I may have gotten it mixed up or saw a bad price, as it doesn't seem to be a $100 difference, maybe $50ish at most.

The only benefit is that the Nooelec comes with a few extras, such as an antenna (although I dont need it), and HF upconverter, and I think a few other things. Though, that may be because the RSP1A has the upconverter built in???
 

KE5MC

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Looks like you have a handle on wx sat and ADS-B with the V3 both in the weaker signal category. Admittedly RSP1A will have a better front-end and work the best with the SDRUno software. Use the V3 and string some wire to see what you have to work with in your RF environment. The V3 might satisfy your interest at the expense of a better antenna which is needed with the more expensive units anyway.
Good Luck,
Mike
 

Ubbe

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The biggest difference seems to be that RSP1A have many pre-filters in it's front-end but nooelec nor the upconverter has that. Pre-filters are the difference between a good and a bad receiver. The more filters, and additional cost in production, the better the receiver will be. Even the simplest junk receiver with a filter that only pass a couple of MHz in VHF/UHF will perform with excellence.

/Ubbe
 

ScubaJungle

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Thanks everyone. Im going to try to see how far I can get with what I have as suggested, and if I'm not satisfied, go with the RSP1A as that seems to be the better option due to the built-in filters.
 

JimD56

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Will this SDR Dongle do the job for regular everyday local UHF/700-900 P25 I and II and ADS-B monitoring?
NooElec NESDR Smart v4 SDR - Premium RTL-SDR
The RTL-SDR Blog V3 is not available for more than a month.
Jim
 

ScubaJungle

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Yep, that one I believe is the competitor to the blog v3, so it has just about the same specs. 25-1700mh.

All the things you can do with the blog v3 you can do with that one as well, its just personal preference on company. With the blog v3 taking that long, I'd order the nooelec as well.
 

huskerswon

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I am having trouble loading and software to do ADS-B I can't seem to load any 1090 stuff. I wanted to get the Piware or flight24 kit. I am running a Nooelec NESDR SMArt v4 Bundle - Premium RTL-SDR w/ Aluminum Enclosure, 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input & 3 Antennas. RTL2832U & R820T2-Based
Premium RTL-SDR set, including an aluminum-enclosed SDR, re-designed antenna base, and 3 antenna masts.
Fabricated by Nooelec in the USA and Canada!
SKU: 100700

on a Pi3B+ any Help or instructions will help!.
 

ka3jjz

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I might also mention that the SDRPlay website has LOTS of videos and PDF files in their support area that are really interesting, even if you don't have one of their models (yet - like me).

Me, I'm trying to find a good laptop to use SDRuno without costing me an arm and a leg. My little i3 here isn't going to cut it....Mike
 

Ubbe

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I use a RTL-SDR v1 for 1090 and the range almost doubled when adding a cheramic 1090 filter and a 15dB amplifier between that and the dongle.

/Ubbe
 

ScubaJungle

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I ended up ordering the Airspy HF Discovery +, but after three weeks of not being shipped, I requested a refund. I think I may go with the RSP1a for its wideband capabilities. Im kind of glad it wasnt shipped, as in that time I realized that I probably would not need a dedicated HF sdr, especially if I cant transmit on it. That, or I might just put the money towards an SDS or 536
 

JimD56

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I returned to Amazon after a week the NooElec NESDR Smart v4 SDR - Premium RTL-SDR. Really couldnt get anything loaded I wanted. It is not as scaleable as the RTL-SDR, I have read. The RTL-SDR Blog V3 arrives in a week. I wanted SDRPlay RSP1A but not at $119. I will keep looking on eBay for a used one.
 
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