Second Airspy failure

[8K10F1E]

I am going to write this post with the hopes that the other users of failed Airspys who come across this post through google search results can be able to breath a sign of relief knowing that they are not the only ones who wasted their money.

A few years ago I made the mistake of purchasing my first Airspy. Within weeks of using it, the front end failed. The only way to describe this is that in SDR sharp the noise floor stays in the same exact spot regardless of gain or antenna, and a few permanent carriers exist on the screen which do not go away regardless of frequency. The antenna I am using is a Comet GP-3.

After this happened, I was quoted $50 for repair. I IMMEDIATELY lost all interest in SDR# thanks to this. Fast forward a few years later and I decide to give Airspy another chance by buying a Airspy R2 with Spyverter.

Sure enough.... months later... the same exact thing happened. Failed front end, noise floor is stagnant with permanent carriers across ALL bands. UNBELIEVABLE

I can't express my disgust in this product and the fact that this company took over the SDR# program, which they have absolutely DESTROYED with the latest versions. Back during version 1465 the program was very nice, easy to use, and full of 3rd party plugins that worked. Now they have redesigned the entire program with an ugly black theme, broke all the old plugins, and forced you to no longer display the channel name on "show on spectrum".

Very very sad. Could have spent that combined $400 on a HackRF. Expecting no support from the company... I would rather warn others, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.

 

[mancow]

What company took it over?

 

[8K10F1E]

What company took it over?

SDR# was originally just a software program for RTL_SDR, and then the creator started the Airspy product line.

 

[mancow]

Correct, it's the same people, I was just wondering if someone else bought them out or something.

I wonder if there's some phantom power issue in your setup or something like that. I have two airspys and a spyverter and have no isssues. It's odd that something keeps blowing them up.

 

[skidplate]

I recently started using an Airspy HF+ Discovery. I hope I don't run into problems with it. I really like using it with SDR Console.
Sorry you have had bad luck with your devices.

 

[morfis]

skidplate - one person out of many thousand managing to break two Airspy's the same way suggests user error and not a problem with the Airspy necessarily. Two R2's here running 24 hours a day for several years and no problems so far.

 

[wgbecks]

I have to agree is morfis. I too have been using the Airspy R2's for a very long time with zero problems!

8K10F1E, did it ever occur to you that the failures are due to your installation? Connecting the R2 to a GP3 is likely an invitation for static discharge in that it's a simple ground plane that doesn't appear to have any sort of D.C. termination to shunt off static discharge. Another possibility is simple RF voltage overload that can occur if you happen to have another antenna nearby that's used for transmitting.

Any of these condition would explain why you've blown the front-end out of two R2's. I'd be willing to bet the same would happen if you had been using RTL SDR type devices. I'd strongly consider adding a "Quality" lightning arrestor that's properly grounded in-line with what
ever SDR you plan to use. Yes, even a HackRF can be damaged in the same way.

You'd still need to address the proximity of the GP3 to a transmitting antenna to relocate one or the other to increase the isolation (loss) between the two antennas. A shorted 1/4 wave coaxial stub connected in-line with a coaxial Tee makes an excellent D.C. shunt to take care of the static discharge issue, but is only practical over several MHz either side of the resonant frequency of the shorted stub.

Just sayin...

Bill

 

[slicerwizard]

Same here. Multiple Airspys, heavily used, never had a failure.

 

[mtindor]

I've got an Airspy R1, a few R2s, a few Minis and an Airspy HF+. Have had the majority of them for years. Hook to external antennas (colinears, yagis, HF multiband dipoles) constantly. Never had an issue with one of them.

Mike

 

[kruser]

Sure enough.... months later... the same exact thing happened. Failed front end, noise floor is stagnant with permanent carriers across ALL bands. UNBELIEVABLE

No problems here but have only had one Airspy. Never any failures with it or any of my other SDR dongles which are various nooelec branded models.

I agree with others that a nearby strong signal may be taking out the front end or something else is going on with your setup.
I forget if the Airspy's all have active bias T voltage on the antenna input side but if that's hooked to a shorted antenna, it could kill something over time but usually that would just short the USB bus and the device would have never worked.

Maybe invest in one of the cheap USB testers that show USB bus voltage and current consumption so you can see what is going on with your USB ports. They could possibly be running well above the high voltage limit. I've never seen that happen myself but I'd imagine it can and has happened to others.

 

[BM82557]

I've got an Airspy R1, a few R2s, a few Minis and an Airspy HF+. Have had the majority of them for years. Hook to external antennas (colinears, yagis, HF multiband dipoles) constantly. Never had an issue with one of them.

Mike

I agree, mine are on 7/24/365 with no issues

 

[dlwtrunked]

I am going to write this post with the hopes that the other users of failed Airspys who come across this post through google search results can be able to breath a sign of relief knowing that they are not the only ones who wasted their money.

A few years ago I made the mistake of purchasing my first Airspy. Within weeks of using it, the front end failed. The only way to describe this is that in SDR sharp the noise floor stays in the same exact spot regardless of gain or antenna, and a few permanent carriers exist on the screen which do not go away regardless of frequency. The antenna I am using is a Comet GP-3.

After this happened, I was quoted $50 for repair. I IMMEDIATELY lost all interest in SDR# thanks to this. Fast forward a few years later and I decide to give Airspy another chance by buying a Airspy R2 with Spyverter.

Sure enough.... months later... the same exact thing happened. Failed front end, noise floor is stagnant with permanent carriers across ALL bands. UNBELIEVABLE

I can't express my disgust in this product and the fact that this company took over the SDR# program, which they have absolutely DESTROYED with the latest versions. Back during version 1465 the program was very nice, easy to use, and full of 3rd party plugins that worked. Now they have redesigned the entire program with an ugly black theme, broke all the old plugins, and forced you to no longer display the channel name on "show on spectrum".

Very very sad. Could have spent that combined $400 on a HackRF. Expecting no support from the company... I would rather warn others, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.

Some facts here. I have 6 AirSpy's in frequent use--never a problem with any. I have twice burnt out front-ins on HackRF 1(but was able to determine the cause--nearby high power antenna). When you burn out the front end of an SDR, it is always something you did that caused it. As someone else pointed out, no one took over the SDR# program and that company later became the maker of AirSpy. Some of us like the new default darker "skin" for SDR# better AND the software allows you to use the old "skin" as well as other choices but apparently you did not look through the menus carefully to see that (Current verion is 1732). They continually modified the program to improve it and some independent companies that made plug ends did not keep up (your problem is with them so that is not SDR#/AirSpy's fault). If I were going to downsize, ( I have RTL-SDR dongles, HackRF 1, SDRPlay (several models), LimeSDR-min, SDR-14 NetSDR, a USRP, and other non-SDR ICOM receivers) , I would own an AirSpy (with a AirSpy HF+ Discovery for HF, given ***** by the 2020 World Radio Television Handbook). And to add history, it was SDR# that started the whole SDR craze with RTL-SDR. And by the way, you can buy a perfectly fine HackRF 1 off eBay for about $160, not $400 (the design is an open one).

 

[eorange]

As someone else pointed out, no one took over the SDR# program and that company later was the maker of AirSpy.

For those who remember the saga...the guts of what's now SDR# was an open source project that was community developed. A certain person (who briefly appeared here on RR) took the community developed code, invented a license for it, and then took it over commercially which soured a lot of folks.

Anyone remember ADSBSharp.exe and how it just disappeared? Or how earlier versions of SDR# were declared as "bootleg" and "illegal"?

Comments here echo that story -> SDRSharper: A modified version of SDR#

 

[dlwtrunked]

For those who remember the saga...the guts of what's now SDR# was an open source project that was community developed. A certain person (who briefly appeared here on RR) took the community developed code, invented a license for it, and then took it over commercially which soured a lot of folks.

Anyone remember ADSBSharp.exe and how it just disappeared? Or how earlier versions of SDR# were declared as "bootleg" and "illegal"?

Comments here echo that story -> SDRSharper: A modified version of SDR#

Complicated subject. Some would disagree a little--see the above link SDRSharper: A modified version of SDR# and note the comment by Bernie . Of course no code is developed devoid of earlier examples. And I think it was only versions of SDRSharper (not SDR#) that were labelled "illegal". My understanding is ADSBSharp.exe disappeared because the author thought there were better alternatives and he wished to focus on ADSBSpy for the AirSpy. Once AirSpy was produced, they (SDR# producers) focused more on supporting it than other hardware--certainly within their right particularly since the software is free and upgraded for free software for competitors hardware is at a minimum being very generous..

 

[eorange]

Agree, it's complicated. I seem to remember SDR# version 1404 (?) was one of the last versions that worked well with other hardware, and "prog" was using his license to declare it illegal as a way of limiting usage and polarizing the software towards what ultimately became AirSpy.

I believe he was one of the original developers, but the general consensus is he threw out all notions of what makes an open source project great by taking others' work, closing it off, and commercializing it.

Illegal? Probably not. Slimy? You decide. Too bad, because any open source project is always better than closed source.

Speaking of, here's the original source code before all this happened: https://github.com/cgommel/sdrsharp/tree/master/SDRSharp

 

[hamradionl]

SDRSharper last modified dec 2019 is very nice piece of sdr

 

[morfis]

Agree, it's complicated. I seem to remember SDR# version 1404 (?) was one of the last versions that worked well with other hardware, and "prog" was using his license to declare it illegal as a way of limiting usage and polarizing the software towards what ultimately became AirSpy.

Don't remember 1404 but some magor change points as I seem to remember them:
1317 - last to support XP
1337 - step change
1444 - another step change
1500 - serious toys out of the pram time again and after this sdrplay devices no longer supported
1702 - weird skinning stuff appears and general 'update' which broke his own API again

The numerical changes might make it seem like the software is evolving whereas the vast majority seem to be fixing the new bugs introduced each time (whislt leaving the old ones in place for a rainy day).

(there are a couple of people on here who know far more than I do about the various iterations)

Don't criticise 'prog' or you'll be hit by the toys and dummys being thrown out

It's a real shame as it could have become an amazing tool if it had stayed open source. It's only the plugin support (for those authors who want to keep re-writing their plugins to allow for the repeatedly broken API) that make it worth considering now. In twenty years when sdruno has plugin support (and enough windows to occupy a curtiansider) sdrsharp will be languishing in the gutter with all it's old bugs still present.
In the meantime sdrconsole will probably carry on working nicely with just about any device you throw at it (and control sdrplay devices better than their own software).

Now then, what were we talking about?
Oh yes, someone breaking his Airspy devices

 

[mtindor]

When I have money to waste, I'll continue to waste it on Products designed by Youssef (Prog). I haven't been disappointed yet. I can't wait to see what comes out next.

Mike

 

[Unitrunker2]

I own three Airspies. Two AirSpy One's from 2014 and newer AirSpy Mini. One of the AirSpy One's died when the micro USB connector separated from the PCB. It's probably repairable. It sits in a drawer. The mini died recently - I believe to static discharge. Had these SDRs been sitting in air conditioned room and stayed plugged in all day - they would like still be running today. I beat the crap out of them by dragging them around with me where ever I go. Lots of plugging in and unplugging the micro USB cable plus twisting and untwisting the SMA antenna connector.

I have Realteks - Nooelec and RTL-SDR.com models - that broke. A resoldered SMA connector fixed the problem. One quit working (again, I suspect static discharge).

I don't use an outdoor antenna. The one remaining Airspy I've had since 2014 still runs. I've ordered two more.

 

[slicerwizard]

It's a real shame as it could have become an amazing tool if it had stayed open source.

What exactly would be different? Would more coders be working on it? What's stopping them from continuing to develop from the last "open" source?