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Reviews For: SDRplay RSP2 and RSP2pro

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : SDRplay RSP2 and RSP2pro
Reviews: 32MSRP: $170.00
Description:
The SDRplay RSP2 and RSP2pro Radio Spectrum Processors are software defined receiver covering 1khz - 2Ghz. They 2 variants are electrically identical to each other apart from the RSP2pro being housed in a rugged metal case instead of a screened plastic box.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.sdrplay.com/rsp2/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00324.7
G1HBE Rating: 2016-12-07
Excellent in most areas Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After having owned the original RSP1 for a couple of years, I couldn't resist the new RSP2. The two selectable antenna inputs for HF/VHF/UHF are welcome, and if your interest lies in the lower frequencies there is another input which works from 30 MHz right down to a few KHz.
The SDRUno software has a steep learning curve, mainly because almost everything is customisable, but once you get to grips with it it all works very well. The IF filter widths are all variable - for instance the 6KHz AM filter can be widened or narrowed and can even be set with one side narrower than the other if need be. It's all done by simply dragging the edges of the response. I'm very impressed - all you have to do is read the manual!
N2DTS Rating: 2016-11-29
good hardware, software needs work Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got one.
Hooked it up to an old slow lap top, worked right off.
I have an 80 and 40 meter dipole, and tried it on the AM broadcast band, 160, 80, 40 and 20 meters.
Band conditions were nasty, verified on my Anan 10E.

The broadcast band filter works very well!
Most of the time I had the gain very low, and I tried all 3 antenna ports.
Port 1 and 2 seemed to work fine and better then the high Z port with the dipoles hooked up.
You can overload it with the preamp gain set high on a good antenna, but lowering the gain does not seem to bother signals any, the radio seems to work just as well (on HF) with the gain all the way down as it does with it set just below overload.

The radio seems to work well, I compared it to the Anan 10E and it seemed to work just as well on the signals I listened to, even very weak signals.

The software is another issue.
Worse software I have not used except for some at work, my work has some of the worst software in the world, stuff a normal person would never be able to figure out on their own.

It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to start the radio.
Tuning is not easy, there are only a few fixed bandwidths you can pick from, sometimes buttons work, sometimes not, there are many other screens that you can find with little buttons that have kriptic labels, many hidden menu's.

Power sdr is easy to figure out, did it in 15 minutes, TX and all, big start button on the screen, easy to use, easy to set up, band stacking registers, easy to tune, etc.
SDR console is easy, start button on the main screen, band buttons work, band stacking registers.
HDSDR, easy to figure out, almost everything is on the main screen, no band stacking registers but an easy to use and figure out memory system.

SDRmax was not hard to figure out, I was not fond with how it worked, but it was easy to figure out.

SDRuno is no fun at all. You can drag filters around on all the other programs, make up your own filter widths, that is one of the great things about sdr radios. Not with sdruno, not that I could find. Four choices in AM, 6, 12, 16 and 20 I think, many times 6 is too wide.
I could not figure out how to change the tuning step size, not sure you can. 500 Hz, live with it.

To center what you are listening to in the display, you click the vfo button at the bottom?
Sometimes it works, most times not.

The radio will likely be very good for the money once some of the other programs work with it.

The radio ran fine at 2 MHz bandwidth, 6 MHz was more then my old core duo laptop could deal with.
2 MHz is enough for me and 6 would be fine on a modern computer.