Brand Name | RTL-SDR Blog |
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Item Weight | 4 ounces |
Package Dimensions | 10.31 x 6.02 x 2.09 inches |
Item model number | 8541717880 |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Color Name | Silver |
V3 R860 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Software Defined Radio with Dipole Antenna Kit (Silver)
Antenna | Satellite, Radio |
Brand | RTL-SDR Blog |
Color | Silver |
About this item
- Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog V3 R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Dongle and 1x Multipurpose Dipole Antenna Kit
- Several improvements over other brands including use of the R820T2 tuner, improved component tolerances, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector, aluminium shielded case with thermal pad for passive cooling, activatable bias tee circuit and a much improved antenna set.
- Can tune from 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz and has up to 3.2 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth (2.4 MHz stable). (HF reception below 24 MHz in direct sampling mode with reduced performance). Please note RTL-SDR dongles are RX only.
- Comes with our portable VHF/UHF dipole antenna kit. Great for beginners as it allows for terrestrial and satellite reception. Easy to mount outdoors and designed for portable and temporary outside usage. Please do not use outside during poor weather conditions. Not suitable for HF reception.
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Important information
Legal Disclaimer
The recipient is responsible for the legal use of the device.
Videos
Videos for this product
2:48
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RTL-SDR Blog V3 R820T2 with Dipole Antenna Kit Unboxing
RickMakes
Videos for this product
10:57
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Turn Your PC into a Shortwave Radio with the RTL-SDR
Lon.TV
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0:10
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Customer Review: Good kit, heatsink may need checking
Mr Diggie
Product information
Technical Details
Additional Information
ASIN | B011HVUEME |
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Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #1,004 in Radio Antennas |
Date First Available | July 13, 2015 |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
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This Item RTL-SDR Blog V3 R860 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Software Defined Radio with Dipole Antenna Kit (Silver) | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | ||
Price | Currently unavailable. | $17.95$17.95 | $20.98$20.98 | -25% $8.99$8.99 List: $11.99 | -25% $14.95$14.95 List: $19.95 | $8.99$8.99 |
Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Value for money | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | — | 3.9 |
Easy to install | 3.9 | 4.8 | — | 4.3 | — | 4.6 |
Durability | 4.3 | — | 4.5 | 4.0 | — | — |
Sold By | — | RTL-SDR Blog | BaoFeng Tech | ABBREE | Nooelec | E-outstanding |
maximum range | — | 3 meters | 39.6 centimeters | 10000 meters | — | — |
impedance | — | — | 50 ohm | 50 ohm | — | 75 ohm |
antenna description | Satellite, Radio | — | Radio | Radio | Radio | Television, Radio |
Looking for specific info?
What's in the box
Product Description
This is an RTL-SDR blog V3 software defined radio receiver with RTL2832U ADC chip, R820T2 tuner, 1PPM TCXO, SMA F connector and aluminium case with passive cooling. Tunes from 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz with up to 3.2 MHz (2.4 MHz stable) of bandwidth. (HF works in direct sampling mode with reduced performance). Can be used with free software like SDR#, HDSDR, SDR-Radio, GQRX or SDR Touch on Android. Works on Windows, OSX, Linux, Android and computers like the Raspberry Pi.
This model has several improvements over other brands. It uses the improved R820T2 tuner, a 1PPM TCXO, better components, a redesigned lower noise PCB, cooling improvements, extra ESD protection and an SMA F connector. It also has a software activatable bias-tee for powering LNA's and active antennas.
This is a bundle which includes the main dongle and also our multipurpose dipole antenna kit. The antenna kit is great for beginners as it allows for terrestrial and satellite reception. Easy to mount outdoors and designed for portable and temporary outside usage. Please do not use outside during poor weather conditions.
For enabling HF reception below 24 MHz please see the V3 features guide and please feel free to contact us via Amazon messaging for technical support - we're happy to help.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the performance and value of the tuner. For example, they mention it works well, is straightforward, and gives good results. Some appreciate the ease of use and difficulty. That said, opinions are mixed on ease of setup, signal strength, and quality.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the tuner. They say it's well built, works great, and gives good results. Some mention that the setup is straightforward and that it works pretty decently on the VHF bands. The SDR Sharp app works well with the device, and it'll work with other SDR software as well. Overall, most are happy with the performance and functionality of the product.
"The RTL-SDR is well made and works fine. The antenna kit is excellent!..." Read more
"...I'm using a Mac Mini M1 and Cubic SDR 0.2.5. This setup works great and required no drivers other than installing the software...." Read more
"...Tuning hams and other SSB signals is straightforward and gives good results...." Read more
"RTL-SDR is really cool but the version 4 has some good improvements over the V3……and it is the same price so make sure you verify what you are..." Read more
Customers like the value of the tuner. They say it's worth the price, provides an insane amount of fun for the price and is an inexpensive introduction to the SDR HF world. Customers also mention that the software is mostly freeware.
"...Bottom line, this is an insane amount of fun for the price, and isn’t too difficult to figure out...." Read more
"It’s all well made and worth the price. But, this is not a plug and play device...." Read more
"...Bottom-line: The product reviewed here is an excellent value package, reasonably priced and has all the necessary accessories to get you started..." Read more
"...Overall, very good HF reception, given its price. An inexpensive introduction to the SDR HF world and see if you want to invest more money and time..." Read more
Customers find the SDR tuner easy to use and fun. They say it provides hours of entertainment, a fun way to listen to a broad swath of the Radio spectrum, and a pleasant surprise hobby tool for inexpensive price. Customers also mention that it provides a lot of fun messing with the different tools that are available.
"...and interesting talk and music stations really has been fun to use and the nice thing is I don't even need to leave my comfy recliner in my office..." Read more
"...You will get your money's worth. It is a fun diversion...." Read more
"...Note to self. GET AN FM NOTCH FILTER!!!Otherwise, it was fun to use and dial up and down the band visually...." Read more
"...I changed my review After learning how to use it. Very entertaining and fun to use." Read more
Customers find the product well-thought-out and easy to set up. They also say it's a great beginner SDR dongle that can be used for many different purposes. Customers also say the kit has everything they need to get started and works as advertised. Overall, customers find the device to be a good introduction to the device.
"...They're based on a TV receiver chip and give you a good starter kit to get into hundreds of radio specialties...." Read more
"...It has everything you need to get started and works as advertised and then some." Read more
"...get running by following the linked directions and comes with everything needed for a basic setup (except a host CPU of course)...." Read more
"Kit was complete. Made my laptop into a radio with this. A couple components could be a little better quality but overall worth the price." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of setup. Some mention that it's easy to set up and operate, with clear instructions. They also say that it was straightforward to get running using the quick start guide. However, others say that the instructions are fairly complicated and require a little bit of computer knowledge.
"...Some of it is easy to use. Some, not so much. Still, there are lot of videos online to help you configure the various programs available...." Read more
"It’s all well made and worth the price. But, this is not a plug and play device...." Read more
"...I use gqrx software, which is fairly user friendly. Right away I was able to pick up ATC, police, and fire...." Read more
"...relatively simple for tech savvy persons still remains mostly complicated for average user, that certainly needs to be addressed going forward...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the signal strength of the tuner. Some mention that it can listen to a wide variety of radio signals, track airplanes, ships, satellites, and more. However, others say that it only deals with smaller signals and digital TV. The included antenna setup is nowhere near powerful enough for anything but FM and some AM stations.
"...You can however listen to, decode and scan all the frequencies (Works as an excellent frequency scanner) by pairing with capable software on most..." Read more
"Very easy to install SDR++ on MacOS. Included antenna setup is nowhere near powerful enough for anything but FM and some AM stations...." Read more
"...I will say that the included dipole antenna is pretty good, I can tune down to about 25 MHz pretty easily using the larger antenna pair with the..." Read more
"...Lots of signals! Here I'm using the SDR as a 'panadapter' for my Yaesu FT450D ham transceiver...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the dongle. Some mention it's well made, with quality components, and easy to get up and running. It adds a new level of durability and acts as a shield and heat. However, others say that it'll not 100% ready for commercial use, the original was defective, and the antenna parts are flimsy.
"The RTL-SDR is well made and works fine. The antenna kit is excellent!..." Read more
"...answer was: Not really - these are very cheaply made and they simply break easily. That's too bad...." Read more
"It’s all well made and worth the price. But, this is not a plug and play device...." Read more
"...Once installed, they are clumsy, buggy, and if you've used an actual scanner you'll quickly get tired of having to nurse along the software to get..." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the heat sink of the tuner. They mention that it seems to run hot, and the dongle quickly gets warm.
"...Remember the Drift i mentioned above? One thing SDR's do is get really warm, even hot in many cases. THEY ALL DO...." Read more
"...The unit does run a little warm to the touch, but this is normal. And, the metal case is also acting as a heat sink...." Read more
"...The unit does get a little hot when used for a while, I'm glad that the enclosure is made of aluminum(?)..." Read more
"...Not only does it add a new level or durability but it also acts as a shield and heat sink because it's metal. Yup! Metal!..." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews from the United States
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Make sure you look into how to use the dipole antenna. You can use omnicalculator website to calculate the length of each leg, for instance to tune the antenna to 137 MHz, each antenna needs to be 20.4” long. Also the antenna needs to be oriented correctly, it should be vertical with the coaxial part facing up for local signals. I took a few pictures to show the splitter with the cover removed, you can see that the coax cable goes to the left, I marked that side with some electrical tape, so I can easily see that that antenna needs to be facing up. When trying to pick up satellite downlink, the antenna should be horizontal and bent to 120 degrees (V shape).
If you want an easy and strong signal to try to pick up in the US, I would recommend the NWS broadcast which can be found at 162.400.000 MHz in the narrow FM mode.
Bottom line, this is an insane amount of fun for the price, and isn’t too difficult to figure out. Other reviewers mentioned that there are plenty of tutorials online, but I didn’t end up using them. With Linux there were no driver issues that others seem to have experienced with windows. Here is the shell command to install SDR software in Linux:
sudo apt install rtl-sdr gqrx-sdr
Then reboot and with the SDR plugged in, use this shell command to make sure it works:
rtl_test -t
Then run the gqrx software and under device select the Realtek option.
I have only had this for 2 days and have figured out quite a bit in that amount of time. Any tech type person would definitely enjoy it as a gift! Make sure you get this brand though!!
If this review has been helpful please click yes! Good luck!
Make sure you look into how to use the dipole antenna. You can use omnicalculator website to calculate the length of each leg, for instance to tune the antenna to 137 MHz, each antenna needs to be 20.4” long. Also the antenna needs to be oriented correctly, it should be vertical with the coaxial part facing up for local signals. I took a few pictures to show the splitter with the cover removed, you can see that the coax cable goes to the left, I marked that side with some electrical tape, so I can easily see that that antenna needs to be facing up. When trying to pick up satellite downlink, the antenna should be horizontal and bent to 120 degrees (V shape).
If you want an easy and strong signal to try to pick up in the US, I would recommend the NWS broadcast which can be found at 162.400.000 MHz in the narrow FM mode.
Bottom line, this is an insane amount of fun for the price, and isn’t too difficult to figure out. Other reviewers mentioned that there are plenty of tutorials online, but I didn’t end up using them. With Linux there were no driver issues that others seem to have experienced with windows. Here is the shell command to install SDR software in Linux:
sudo apt install rtl-sdr gqrx-sdr
Then reboot and with the SDR plugged in, use this shell command to make sure it works:
rtl_test -t
Then run the gqrx software and under device select the Realtek option.
I have only had this for 2 days and have figured out quite a bit in that amount of time. Any tech type person would definitely enjoy it as a gift! Make sure you get this brand though!!
If this review has been helpful please click yes! Good luck!
Spend the extra $8 to $12 bucks and you get a TXCO (ill explain) an aluminum housing, and an SMA Antenna connector, and obviously better internals and assembly, at least 4 collapsible antennas, and a flexi tripod stand, suction cup mount and 10 foot or so SMA extension cable. Walk into one of the HAM supply stores and i can assure you that the antenna kit alone will set you back $80.00 minimum... So you've already won purchasing this entire kit for $29.95...
1) TCXO, Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator
SDR's have a known issue with frequency drift. On HF this is apparent when you tune lets say 3.176 LSB and the cheaper SDR's tend to start drifting sometimes a few khz and occasionally mhz off frequency. Many times the annoyance is adjustable via offset, but mostly its unpredicatble. Nothing worse than chasing an HF Morse or Voice QSO up and down the frequency and eventually losing it completely..
What these guys have done with the TXCO (In laymens terms) is make a more stable chip, and then test that chip into oblivion, figured out the temperature and drift characteristics and then made a chip with a temperature sensor, and a built in code that changes the voltage to a KNOWN differential value for the chip's temperature - Thus creating a self correcting and considerably more accurate and drift-free unit in their SDR's.. HUGE BENEFIT.
2) MCX connectors suck. they are push to fit, not locking. after a while the cheaper MCX SDR's on Amazon eventually break, usually at the MCX antenna connector, or you end up taping the antenna on it. (Guilty-i have 2) SMA Connectors are more robust, and thread down and lock on, they also have significantly less loss and are more stable overall, BUT, the other bonus is SMA is now industry standard on about 98.6% of anything hand held. So finding new and cheap antennas on Amazon or Flea_Bay to test out on ANY band WONT be a problem.
3) Aluminum Housing and Thermal management internally. Remember the Drift i mentioned above? One thing SDR's do is get really warm, even hot in many cases. THEY ALL DO. A cheap SDR in an ABS plastic cover is basically a tiny oven for that cheap SDR and its components. causing bit errors, driver issues and significantly lowering the lifespan of that unit. This RTL-SDR Blog unit has a full aluminum USER disassemblable housing, and has had thermal management engineered into it. I do have several of the cheaper SDR's that ive smashed the plastic housings off and have small fans blowing across them and a Raspberry Pi project, they work, poorly. The RTL-SDR Blog units aluminum housing is part of the thermal management, as is the thermally conductive flex block internally installed. on the pcb, Yes it makes a HUGE difference. Stability is huge below 30mhz. and these units absolutely outshine ANY OTHER SUB $100.00 SDR on Amazon. Add the Upconverter, a balun and a cheap G5RV longwire or make your own (with balun) and you will hear the WORLD as good or better than some $1500-$4500.00 HF Transcievers.
Lastly, LISTEN TO THESE SELLERS. Follow their instructions by going to the SDR# Page they refer you to, and within maybe 4 or 5 minutes you will be setup and listening to the world from this fantastic kit. Besides listening to the world, you can actually use them for ADS-B and monitor air traffic radar in real time (extremely cool!) get live NOAA Weather radar, check out live International Space Station Images, Watch Television and so much more. The only limitation is the software. and its ALL out there! 100% free!
*I was not compensated in any way for this review, im a BIG FAN of quality sellers and these guys are in my top 5 They answer emails and will help you every step of the way. I bought one and the antenna was broken and they answered immediately and overnighted me a whole new kit at no cost to me., MANY Amazon sellers could learn something from these guys about good customer service
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2023