The SDR’s I am looking at are the following:
Kiwi-SDR
SDRPlay
HackRF
Win radio pci card
RTL-SDR v2 or v3
Just wondering which one is the most fair one to get. I just need good performance just like my analog radio does.
Of these, and looking at HF performance specifically, the WinRadio will have the best performance. The G31DDC is the best HF performer in its price category, but the G33DDC is among the best receivers, of any kind, I have ever used. The G35DDC is better yet, but at several times the already expensive G33 cost it better be. Stepping back to the hybrid WinRadio offerings, the WR-313 is very good, excellent, however it has a very limited IBW and so the "SDR" features (waterfall display, wide band record, etc) are less useful or lacking. The WR-315 is also very good, but also has the limited instantaneous bandwidth issues of the WR series. The WR-305 is more of an entry level receiver, although still quite good.
The Kiwi SDR is at a good price / performance point, but really its forte is its ease of setup for online use. Not a bad receiver at all, but outside the quick and simple online setup not really a stand out rig. If you want to place a rig at a location you are not physically at and access it, or you want to make your SDR available for others to use, the Kiwi is king.
If I had to cut down to or pick just one HF centered SDR today for me it would probably be the G33DDC, although I use my RFSpace NetSDR more, I still think the G33 is the better of the two.
RTL-SDRs are so far down my list as to be off the bottom. They are a tremendous bang for buck, and excellent entry to the field, but frankly, compared to the others you (and other people) have listed they don't belong in the conversation.
But really, you have to decide if you want HF or if you want wider coverage. Because that will narrow some of the field for you. If you only want HF, and want peak performance in that region, that becomes a different list than a list that would include VHF/UHF.
T!
Show Posts
