SDR receiver basic questions

[Matt285]

I have done a little bit of SDR research, but have a few questions. Does all SDR software show you what you are listening to? example if i'm on a frequency on the 49m band, it will list Radio Havana? does it tell you all of the Utility/Volmet/Numbers stations etc with fair accuracy? Last question is -What is a reasonably priced set up including dongles,misc cords etc? Thanks!

P.S I know its hard to answer the question with so many on the market.

[fpeconsultant]

If Matt doesn't mind my jumping into his questions, I have a few:
What type of computer horsepower is needed for a "mid $ range" SDR?  And is the connection between the SDR unit and the computer made thru where I'd plug in an Internet cable (looks like an old school telephone jack but wider)?
Thx for any help & thx Matt for starting this topic.

[ChrisSmolinski]

I am able to run SdrDx on an older (about a decade old) MacBookPro. I am also able to run SDR Console on a fairly old and not powerful i3 Windows laptop.  You don't need a state of the art computer.

Most SDRs use a USB interface. Some (like the AFEDRI and netSDR) use an ethernet cable. I prefer the latter (no need for drivers, although AirSpyHF+ managed to make it work without any driverrs), although I understand the desire for the former, as the USB cable provides the power.

There's a nearly infinite number of SDR programs out there, with different features. SdrDx, for example, plays nicely with my DX ToolBox program, and uses its database of SW transmissions to list what station(s) you're tuned to.

IMHO your best bang for the buck right now is the AirSpy HF+ at $199.  Next I'd say the AFEDRI units. Lots of folks have the SdrPlay and seem happy with them, I have no experience. They cost less than the AirSpyHF+, from direct comparisons I have seen, they do not perform quite as well.  Then you your top tier SDRs, like the netSDR, Perseus, etc. which are in the $1500 and up range. I have a netSDR, it is my main radio. I also have a NRD 545, it's gathering dust. That's how good the netSDR is 

Please stay away from the RTL dongle/upconverter combos for HF work. For VHF/UHF work, the RTL dongle is a very good value. But not for HF. Once you get the dongle and converter, and that whatever filters you need to make it sorta kinda work (if you don't look too hard), you're a significant percentage of the way towards something much more functional and useful.

[fpeconsultant]

Chris - thx thx.
So the Air Spy HF+ connects to the computer via a USB port?  And the antenna is connected to the AirSpy unit via a regular old coax connector?  And once one has the black box, all that is needed is to download software from the Airspy website?
Dumb questions I'm sure - sorry for that!
FPE

[ChrisSmolinski]

Yes, regular USB cable. And it works with several SDR programs out of the box, like SDR Sharp and SDR Console. Also SdrDx on the Mac with my AirSpy Server app.

The AirSpyHF+ has SMA connectors, so you need an adapter. SMA to F adapters are cheap and easy to find, and I use F connectors on my coax here, so that worked perfectly. I think you can buy SMA to UHF adapters as well, if you use PL-259s.

[Josh]

I run a RSP2 via a Intel Q6600 quad core (ie old and slow) pc on 32bit win7.
The sdr apps I use most are HDSDR and Console V3.

HDSDR has the lowest cpu usage of all the sdr apps I've tried and it works very well. With the eibi csv files you have a quick and built in means to see what is goin on in and around the freq you're tuned to in HDSDR as far as mode, user, etc.
If HDSDR had multiple vrx capability I'd use it full time, but it doesn't.

So I use Console V3 for multiple vrx work. I love the audio of SDRuno, and it does vrx too, but it takes a good deal more cpu time in vrx as well as single receiver mode.

Right now I have Console V3 up with 3 vrx, a decoder for Mil 110A mode, and another decoder running ale and HFDL.
The current cpu loading is between 3 and 8 percent. I've run up to 10 vrx in Console V3 and it only used about 30 percent cpu time. A faster system would show even lower loading, but my old pc is just fine for the monitoring I do.

One trick when using a low power pc to play sdr is to make sure nothing else is running that will take cpu time.

[Stretchyman]

No, the SDR is just a down converter and not some intelligent computer thingy so you'll get ZERO info on the screen just a load of wiggly lines (signals).

However you can annotate them and there's probably a massive DB building up out there somewhere? (Thanks Chris)

Just buy an SDRPlay, RSP1A/2/pro depending on how much you want to spend.

Yeh there's loads of others but the cheap ones are crap and the expensive ones are, well.. expensive.

You pays ur money....

OK!


Str.

[fpeconsultant]

Thx to everyone for their help.  Confusing lingo for an old school dial turner.
Back to the R8, JRC 545, Ten Tec RX 340 and WJ HF 1000 I guess....

[MDK2]

Thx to everyone for their help.  Confusing lingo for an old school dial turner.
Back to the R8, JRC 545, Ten Tec RX 340 and WJ HF 1000 I guess....

Don't be too put off by some of that. "Multi VRX" means that you can use the software to run multiple receivers (or virtual receivers, which is where the 'VRX' shorthand comes from) from one actual SDR unit. It is a pretty cool feature.

I got into this with my only experience being with a Tecsun portable and a Satellit 750, neither of which are a "real rig." It was a steep learning curve but oh so worth it.

SDRplay has probably the best online presence for helping a newbie out. They have groups on Facebook and Yahoo and their people are always involved in all of them, answering questions quickly. If you use their proprietary SDRuno software, there is also a series of very helpful videos on youtube to help you with basic configuration and operation. So although it's not as good for the money as the Afedri or Airspy HF+, that support makes it a good place to start. And take it from someone who knew almost nothing when I got mine, you can learn it.

[fpeconsultant]

Thx for the encouragement - I would like to give it a try & probably will - thx everyone for the help & feedback.
FPE

[Σ]

Once you go SDR, you'll never go back

The learning curve isn't too bad once you get it up and running. If you are a hands-on type of learner just get one and start playing. I have the Afedri-NET receiver and like it a lot because I can be on any computer in the house and still control it.

[ChrisSmolinski]

Once you go SDR, you'll never go back

This. Without my SDR I would only hear a fraction of what I do now. Once you start seeing the entire band at once, going back to a radio with a knob and single frequency display is difficult.  May as well go back to a crystal radio.

[fpeconsultant]

As Bob Dylan said "the times, they are a-changin' "

[Stretchyman]

Recording a spectrum, visually too is kinda wierd but the guvmints being doing it for years, now you can too!

Get one, seriously interesting

Random nonsense, I could go on...!

Str.

[Josh]

Lol, if you have a 340 and wj1000 you already have sdr rigs. Stand alone sdr rigs like perseus, afredri, rsp just lack the gui and controls that are in hardware with the 340 and 1000, the pc screen and kb/mouse make up for for the lack of a display and tuning knob. Isn't there a IF output on both the 340 and 1000? All you'd have to do is feed that IF signal to a cheap rtl dongle and use most any sdr app to see (as well as hear via vrx) what is in the IF stream of those fine rigs. Also you'd be hard pressed to find a inexpensive sdr that is anywhere near the performance levels of the 340 and 1000.