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Reviews For: SDRplay RSP1 and RSP1A

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : SDRplay RSP1 and RSP1A
Reviews: 101MSRP: 100
Description:
The current production version, the RSP1A which launched in November 2017, is a 14- bit full featured SDR receiver covering 1kHz – 2GHz with 10MHz visible bandwidth. The full datasheet can be found by going to https://www.sdrplay.com/rsp1a/
Product is in production
More Info: Http://www.sdrplay.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001014.6
W6YDE Rating: 2016-04-05
A lot of bang for your buck Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I was the third person to purchase a SDRPLAY receiver from HRO in Sunnyvale,CA. The Sunnyvale HRO has their display model operating on a older Windows XP computer. I was not able to operate mine on my old Windows XP computer... so I purchased a Intel Quad Core 2.16 gig, HP Winnows 10 computer with a HD monitor... "Mui Bueno" That's Spanish for much better!

I am using mind with a DXE 160 meter four square receiving antenna system. I think it a great little receiver for the price. Endless adjustments and lots of views of the spectrum. If you are hunting DX on 160 and DX is far and few between on 160 meters... ever signal you can see across the band is very important. There Is a guild at(http://www.sdrplay.com/windows.html) by Mike Ladd, which is very helpful.

This little receiver is not for everyone. If you like spinning a dial and have trouble with computers and loading programs... you may want to stay with a traditional receiver, like a Collins 75A-4.
MBOTT Rating: 2016-04-02
Fantastic addition to the Listening Post Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I used to think that all my short wave receivers had to have knobs and keypads, but the SDRplay RSP has changed all that. Not quite as sensitive as my Icom IC-R75, but pretty darn close. I use them both to scan the bands. My preferred software is SDR-Console V2.3 and both the SDRplay RSP and the Icom are connected to my Pixel RF Pro-1B magnetic loop. This is a combination that is difficult to beat.
KD6QFO Rating: 2016-03-26
Quick review comparing to Kenwood TS-2000 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This little device it awesome. In terms of flexibility and cost, its a winner. Okay, I have only had it a few days but a quick comparison against a TS-2000 and its was as good. I should also validate that the TS-2000 was using am outside vertical. The SDRPlay was on a wire receiving antenna inside the attic. It was cool to use as a spectrum display and tune my Kenwood to what I sampled with the SDRPlay.

I think this little box has a lot going for it now and in the future.
W4QMH Rating: 2016-03-13
Best SDR for the price Time Owned: more than 12 months.
A great SDR if you're looking to upgrade from the RTL dongles and keep your costs down. I'm using the RSP as a standalone receiver, as I don't have the upgraded digital board in my TS-930 that would add the com port to allow use as a pan adapter. On sensitivity and selectivity, the RSP is on par with, or in some instances, exceeds my Kenwood. Dynamic range is about the same. For skeptics who doubt it's dynamic range, there are videos on youtube that, through the use of a signal generator, display it's capabilities. I currently have it paired with a G5RV Jr, and while I don't normally venture above 30 MHz, I have used it with a ground plane vertical a couple of times and performance was great there, too. The only negative being images from strong signals on 800 mhz from law enforcement, but that can be handled with external filtering. Considering I don't do much on VHF/UHF, I'm not really affected. Also, overheating is not an issue, as the RSP stays cool and frequency remains steady, unlike my old RTL dongle that frequently heated up and drifted like crazy. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the RSP's lower end frequency coverage extends below it's advertised 100 kHz, and I'm able to hear a few of the interesting signals down that far, but my antenna is not optimal for that range.


I feel the negative feedback for the radio is unwarranted. Don't expect the RSP to blow away your Perseus, or other direct conversion SDRs. It's a 12bit ADC receiver for $150. It's $100 cheaper than the Afedri and $50 cheaper than the Airspy. Does it beat the Airspy? Yes. Hands down. Does it best the Afedri? No, that's a direct conversion radio, but the RSP has a larger frequency range and can sample more bandwidth. Also, the DC spike can be handled in HDSDR with the RX DC removal set to "Auto".

Bottom line is, for me, $100 makes a big difference. I'm on a tight budget and I don't feel like I'm sacrificing performance because I couldn't spend more. When finances allow, will I purchase something better? Yes, but I'm not forsaking my RSP completely. If you're looking to get into SDR, this is your radio. It's backed by great customer service, and an unofficial Facebook user group with 2,000 members that are fantastic and will bend over backwards to help you.
N4JRW Rating: 2016-02-26
Neat radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hello to all. I got the sdrplay about a week ago and try as will I did have some installation issues but since its on a windows computer I kinda was thinking that that was the part of the problem. I am good at reading and following directions but something wasn't adding up. I posted a support request on the sdrplay.com web and Steve Brightman of SDRPlay North
America answered my request the next day, he said to go over the installation and included screenshots of the the settings. Turned out that Steve got me headed into the right direction. Two parts of the install were in two sections of the program files, one was in program files and the other in program files (x86).
I had downloaded hdsdr and also SDR console as the front end of the radio. Immediately the radio was recognized and its pretty darn good. The first thing I tuned is to the broadcast fm band and I know of small powered npr station that plays jazz about 50 miles from my location and it deplayed the waveform and it was in stereo, so well I had to turn the input of my computer down so that it wouldnt overload the radio.
I can read air band and 800 mhz police transmissions
and just about everything in between including hf.
The sdrplay covers 100hz to 2 ghz, the software copies am fm wide and narrow and ssb, you can also port it to fldigi and the like with a vitural audio cable(vb audio). This is very nicely designed sdr
and there are mulitple support outlets including facebook and yahoo. And also how many times have a company rep also the head of the North American section replyed to problem. Thanks again Steve !
Its a real deal and its resonably priced super broadbanded receiver. The learning curve is steep but not unlearnable just get all the drivers in line and in one spot and you'll be impressed. Thanks 73
Steve N4JRW
K5ACL Rating: 2016-02-23
The very best $150 i've spent on ham radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I started out with the usual cheap dongles everyone is finding these days online, while those were fun to tinker around with, I wanted something that could handle more bandwidth, had better filters, and most importantly a support group! Thank you to the SDRPlay team & SDRPlay Facebook support group, you guys have been great, and your product deserves a 5 star review! This little guy can be tweaked, so don't knock it until you've adjusted your station appropriately. Initially I was using it for shortwave listening with a discone antenna, but found out how to hook it up as a panadapter to my Kenwood TS-590SG, and voila! Instant panadapter through the DRV out port on the back of the radio. No IF tapping, no soldering, no headache!

The SDRPlay is the perfect little accomplice if your radio has this feature. And at the current price of $149, it can't be beat. I wasted $60 on my first RTL setup, wish I would have went with the SDRPlay initially, but it was fun to compare different dongles.

I even tried building a protective metal box around the SDRPlay, just to see how it would help with RFI, but I honestly think it's just me living in an urban setting. It didn't really help, but did look cool :)

Ensure you are using a HIGH quality USB A to USB B cable with this device. Shielded & ferrite cores are a must, and keep the length as short as possible (mine is 3ft). Tripp Lite & Belkin make some.

The SDRPlay RSP is opening up new doors in ham radio, and I'm very interested to see where it will go! Firmware updates have been steadily and continually released since I've owned the device, and there's tons of knowledge already about the SDRPlay, so ask away if you get stumped!

I ordered mine from HRO, and it was here the next day. Ensure you've got the proper adapters or cables to go with it, the SDRPlay has an SMA female on the unit, I use a PL259 to SMA Male adapter to reduce stress on the SMA adapter on the unit.

On a side note, my preferred software of choice with the SDRPlay is HDSDR (for panadapter use) & SDRConsole (for SWL).

Probably the best $150 I've spent in ham radio yet.
K0KZO Rating: 2016-02-21
Fun Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I'm running this radio on a Win 10 laptop using SDR-Console. It really performs! It's a new way of thinking compared to the analog receivers. The gain reduction allows me to get it well controlled for the band conditions. Listening to the 2016 ARRL CW DX contest on 15 meters, I can copy very weak signals that are nudged right against big stations and the narrow filtering makes it easy. For all practical purposes, it's as good as my FT-950 plus has low internal noise and good tone making it and easy on the ears. Maybe a Flex radio is in my future!
W3GAS Rating: 2016-02-08
SDRplay Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been playing with SDR gear for several years since my very first SoftRock. Later I worked with RTL2832U and the R820T converter.
That was fun, and the RTL (non-dongle) radios work rather well.
Today there is a new "low cost" investment that most anyone can afford. The SDRplay module with RSP chip technology is as good as it gets.
100KHz to 2GHz is about as good a spectrum receiver as you will ever need.
You can use it as a BANDSCOPE for CAT radios and point/click like the 5 grand radios. It adds a second receiver to your station and offers features many medium priced radios do not.
The software is easy to use, and works great on Windows machines 7-10.
If you have been putting SDR off to the side...it is time to think again and get on board. Take a minute and look up www.SDRplay.com.

73
W3GAS
EI4HQ Rating: 2016-02-06
Great, if you have the antennas! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've been using an RF Space SDR-IQ SDR for a number of years, mainly as a panadaptor for my FT2000. Simultaneous RF bandwidth is a great thing to have and over time I've found myself craving more. The SDR-Play does an amazing 7MHz simultaneous bandwidth, covers a staggering 2GHz frequency range, and all for a great price, I had to take a look. Sales service is first class (I had it in my hands 48 hours after ordering it), setup is made "simples" by the SDR-Play website "Get Started" guide, and in short, a very impressive piece of kit it is in use. This small box (of insignificant weight, great for travelers) is a little marvel. Coupled with many of the great SDR software platforms out there, the SDR-Play is a powerful enabler; there is so much going on between 100KHz and 2GHz and so many software tools to hand for listening, decoding and analysing, you'll be entertained for a lifetime. Significant cavaet however; without decent, well sited antennas for the frequencies of interest, this radio (like any other) is of little utility. SDR is a revolution in radio communications but it hasn't removed the basic inescapable requirement for decent antennas. If you have decent antennas (or are prepared to put the effort into building/acquiring and mounting them), the SDR-Play will be a receiver that will keep you going for a very long time. To benefit from the full 7MHz bandwidth, you will need a decent enough PC; my now ageing 32 bit Windows 7 machine with 4gB of RAM wasn't up to the full 7MHz task (it's fine with 2MHz or below) but my recently purchased 64 bit Windows 7 laptop with 8gB RAM motors along happily with 7MHz decode via the great SDR-Radio software. I've tested it with my full size HF antennas, my various MF/LF attempts to defy physics, with my VHF and UHF arrays and also with a prototype active HF antenna I've been working on. With all it does a very good job and stacks up very favorably alongside all my other receivers. The RF world looks different of course to a radio that can see so much and that takes a bit of getting used to! The SDR-Play has an SMA antenna connector; I hate SMA connectors but that's just because I'm not 18 anymore and smaller things are becoming harder to wire up right. I fully acknowledge that type of connector is justified due the small size/weight of the unit and the frequencies this marvel works up to. If you aren't familiar or comfortable with these mini RF connectors, then I recommend ordering a pre-made pigtail adapter to something like e.g. an N-type that's more manageable. A final point that I find curious; the SDR-Play runs stone cold - I'd have thought, given the work the little box is doing that it'd generate a bit of heat but nope, stone cold... another practical benefit.
PE1DHI Rating: 2016-01-24
Good, but no TCXO Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After a few weeks I am still very satisfied. Very fast delivery from UK Good & quiet receiption, (almost) no Birdies.
Most joy are the bandpass filters compared to the RTLSDR stick.

Besides HAM, I use it as a lightweight tool on my job as offshore radio surveyor. Every gram of cargo must be carried at helicopter voyages .

The only thing I missed is a TCXO, thats a pitty.
I hope this version will come in the future. Therefore I can not give it a 5 :-(