Mathieu Dombrock

"Baseless claims & crimes against computing."

Comparison of Popular SDRs

I've been a radio nerd for a while but only recently discovered the wonders of SDR (Software Defined Radio). I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the options at first, so to help others get started easily I've created a short guide for choosing the right SDR.

Note: This page does NOT contain any affiliate links! Links to purchase these SDRs are provided for convenience only.

For info on SDR programs/tools see SDR Tools.

Understanding the Specs

Upconverting With "Ham It Up"

Buy "Ham It Up Plus" from Nooelec

Buy "Ham It Up Nano" from Nooelec

Something to think about when considering the frequency range of an SDR is that nearly every SDR on the market is incapable of picking up HF signals like some HAM and AM stations. Systems that do allow for HF out of the box like the RTL-SDR Blog do so by means of suboptimal direct sampling.

For instance, if you want to listen to AM radio you are going to be dealing with signals in the kilohertz range. Most SDRs are not able to pick that up out of the box at all.

The "Ham It Up" upconverter by Nooelec is the solution. It takes frequencies that are too low register on your SDR and converts them up into a range that your SDR can handle.

Using Ham It Up:

Note: You can also set a frequency offset of -125MHz in your SDR software if you would like to.

Nooelec NESDR Mini 2+

Buy from Nooelec

Frequency Range: 25MHz - 1750MHz

Max Sample Rate: 3.2MHz

Antenna Connector: MCX

NooElec NESDR Smart XTR

Buy from Nooelec

Frequency Range: 65MHz - 2300MHz

Max Sample Rate: 3.2MHz

Antenna Connector: SMA Male

RTL-SDR Blog

Buy from RTL-SDR Blog

Frequency Range: 500KHz - 1.7GHz

Max Sample Rate: 3.2MHz (2.4 MHz stable)

Antenna Connector: SMA Male

HackRF One

Buy from Great Scott Gadgets

Frequency Range: 1MHz - 6GHz

Max Sample Rate: 20Mhz

Antenna Connector: SMA Male