SDR recommendation......

[JCMaxwell]

Another suggestion, build a T2FD, fun to build and they pick up great.

[ChrisSmolinski]

I'm a big fan of passive antennas over active. For general purpose receive, a sky loop is hard to beat.

If it's so good then why do you have 17 antennas? 

I have two HF antennas. One is for Rx and the other is for Tx.  My Rx loop is about 60m but hey no one is perfect.

All practical antennas have nulls and lobes.  The DX is always in a null on the antenna you are using.  Having choices means another one might have the DX in a lobe.

You can never have enough antennas.

This.

[IQ_imbalance]

I'll second the afedri recommendation...very happy w/ mine (it's the HF/VHF version).

With 5 acres you could set up a pair of loops and phase them....that might be fun. 

[Rob.]

Another vote for the Afedri. I use mine on a PC but really like it.

- Rob

[alpard]

There is this 16 bit SDR called RX888, and seems storming the SDR market recently.

https://swling.com/blog/2020/08/the-new-rx-888-16-bit-adc-direct-sampling-sdr-with-32-mhz-bandwidth/

[ChrisSmolinski]

There is this 16 bit SDR called RX888, and seems storming the SDR market recently.

https://swling.com/blog/2020/08/the-new-rx-888-16-bit-adc-direct-sampling-sdr-with-32-mhz-bandwidth/

Which software packages support it?

[alpard]

There is this 16 bit SDR called RX888, and seems storming the SDR market recently.

https://swling.com/blog/2020/08/the-new-rx-888-16-bit-adc-direct-sampling-sdr-with-32-mhz-bandwidth/

Which software packages support it?

I have no idea, because it seems a new product from China.  But reviews seems quite good, and they say 16 bit SDR is good set to go for.  Not many info about it especially regarding Software support, but I would think that the usual SDR software packages will work with it. Otherwise, no one will buy it?

Anyway interesting because someone was talking about it in the similar league as the Perseus.

[RobRich]

Copied from my rely in another thread....

The RX-666 and RX-888 are similar. Both are based on the BBRF103 open-source design. The RX-888 adds an integrated LNA, plus claims of possibly a higher-precision TXCO, for around $200 to $250 from China via eBay or similar.

For HF and below, both appears to use the LTC2208.... or a clone.... or a salvage chip? The LTC2208 is 15 years old at this point, but AFAIK, it still is not a cheap IC to legitimately source new. Up to 32MHz sampling, with up to 28.8MHz alias-free sampling. USB 3.0 is required for such high sample rates.

BTW, above HF they use a common R820T2, but apparently with up to 8MHz sampling currently possible.

----------------

About software, AFAIK there is a modified version of HDSDR+EXTIO for the RX-666, plus I have seen a claim the BBRF103 project EXTIO should work. I have no idea if either supports configuring the LNA in the RX-888, though.

[ChrisSmolinski]

For HF and below, both appears to use the LTC2208.... or a clone.... or a salvage chip? The LTC2208 is 15 years old at this point, but AFAIK, it still is not a cheap IC to legitimately source new. Up to 32MHz sampling, with up to 28.8MHz alias-free sampling. USB 3.0 is required for such high sample rates.

They seem to go for $100 or so, not a lot of price break even for qty 1,000 or 10,000 pieces. Considering the selling price of the SDRs, and all else that goes into them, as well as mfg costs (even in China), it made me wonder about their provenance. Lots of possibilities 

[alpard]

Too uncertain on their performance and reliability as yet?

RSP1 clones now going for about $50, and they are 14bit SDR the same spec as SDRPlay RSP1.
Safe to go with something like this? Cheap, tried and tested?

[ChrisSmolinski]

Too uncertain on their performance and reliability as yet?

RSP1 clones now going for about $50, and they are 14bit SDR the same spec as SDRPlay RSP1.
Safe to go with something like this? Cheap, tried and tested?

They may claim the same specs as a genuine unit, but you won't know for sure until you try it. As an example, there's lots of nanoVNA variants out there. Some of them work fine, some of them are garbage. Could be due to shoddy manufacturing, or using substandard components (lower performance variants, QA rejects, etc).  You pays your money and you takes your chances.

Also there's the consideration that they're possibly using SDRplay IP without permission.

[RobRich]

Too uncertain on their performance and reliability as yet?

It could be playing the chip lottery. As Chris and I noted, the LTC2208 is not an inexpensive part. o.0

Analog Devices is large enough to likely destroy ICs failing QA testing. There is unlikely to be a "backdoor" supply chain, either.

I doubt a Chinese fab would be interested in expending the resources to clone a relatively low-demand SDR IC versus more mundane chips routinely sold in quantities of millions.

That leaves the possibility of salvage chips, for example ICs perhaps extracted from decommissioned telecom equipment.

Knowing you are unlikely to have any after-sale support, do you feel like rolling the dice? From the reviews it appears there is a decent chance of obtaining a working device, but being realistic, purchasers should go into transactions mentally prepared to burn their money. YMMV.

[alpard]

Yeah, I will stick to my good old cheap analogue radios for another year or two, while the market settles for more certainty, and the price will drop for another 50%.

[Ray Lalleu]

5 acres of Southern Wisconsin farmland.  ...
 the house is on top of a hill.

Use low dipole on any slope of the hill facing a direction you want to hear. And maybe the lines to the dipoles can act as SW Beverages ?

[alpard]

The 16bit SDR RX666 and RX888 were quite impressive with 32Mhz reception on SW.

They sounded like FM quality reception on SW.
It looks worthwhile that we keep watching how they actually compare and perform.