Nooelec NESDR SMArt XTR HF Bundle: 300Hz-2.3GHz Software Defined Radio Set for LF/HF/UHF/VHF. Includes NESDR SMArt XTR RTL-SDR, Ham It Up Plus v2 Upconverter, 3 Antennas, Balun, Adapters

There are people who say this thing doesn't work. Mine works great. I've used it without the up-converter to listen to emergency radios, and local 2meter ham repeater users, NOAA weather, FM radio, FRS radio, etc. I've used it with the up-converter to listen to shortwave radio from Cuba (I'm very far from Cuba), AM radio, and hams on 80, 40, and 20 meter bands talking over 1000 miles away. I've picked up FT8 traffic from half the planet. I did it all on a Linux laptop with some wire in the trash pile (that seems to be really good on 40 meter). BUT. You have to figure out / already know about a lot of radio stuff. The antennas matter. I strung about 10 meters of junk wire to the balun, and i grounded the other wire (no idea if that's the right way). It took me a lot of experimenting with antenna wires and the included antennas to figure out what would work for which band, etc. Nothing in this kit (or on their website) will help you with this. Lots of googling and youtube and pdfs. And you need to know some frequencies to listen around. Also, the software you use makes a huge difference. On linux I tried gqrx, cubicSDR, sdr++, and SigDigger. Not all of them make it clear where to put the -125 MHz when you are using the up-converter. They all have different options and terminology. So you have to play with several software suites to find one you can figure out with the upconverter. Lastly, you are likely to use this SDR kit where your computer is, which is probably bathed in wifi and other sources of interference. that's not really the kit's fault. So if you see someone say "i plugged this thing in and there was nothing but noise" keep in mind it's not that easy. You have to do some work. But I can tell you for sure it CAN work. I use mine all the time. A great way to learn about radio.

The hardest obstacle I have had with this was figuring out how to use the balum. I ground one leg of the balum to ground, and the other one to a 100' piece of wire stretched 30' high out to my trees in the backyard. Another fight was finding the right software to use with it. I started using SDR++ and after playing around with it and a lot of youtube videos, I think I am starting to figure it out. Also, if you have a big spike in the center of your display, do a search for DC Spike with the SDR software you plan on using to see how to get rid of it. Once I got rid of the spike, the radio has been a lot of fun. Being a ham operator, I find this bundle fun to play around with, but there is so much more you can do with it besides scanning ham bands with the correct antenna. Discone antennas are good from what I hear.

It worked as expected; the only problem is that the USB device is a bit loose and tends to disconnect, but it still works.

This kit is a total waste of money, if I were to buy again I would only buy the Ham It Up. The SDR radio portion works ok IMHO but no better than the SDR radio I already own. The Ham It Up does seem to work but I have my doubts how well it actually works. The antenna accessories are not really very helpful and provided very little to my success with the Ham It Up. Overall a fun toy to experiment with and help me learn the fascinating SDR world as long as you don’t expect to much out of the experience.

Nice quality, work's as advertised. Will buy again from this seller

Could never get this to work. It does not come with instructions or a diagram for wiring the parts together. I downloaded the top two SDR software packages, and they did not work either. Completely worthless! I have a late model, top of the line HP laptop for this, so that can't be the trouble. Should work out of the box.

Very nicely made with a huge range of uses and functions. Very cool

I’m enjoying exploring the world above 70cms. Very easy to setup and use, if you keep track of what you are trying to achieve. I’m receiving NOAA Satellites, examining unknown signals.and even listening to broadcast AM and FM. Worth the money.

Livraison conforme à la description. Reste à utiliser le matériel

Met simpele draadantenne al hele leuke contacten gemaakt binnen EU. Mooie complete set om SDR met SDRSharp uit te proberen.

it has what's needed to start with SDR, but i still recommend to buy rf preamps to improve the reception, my rig is now: this kit, a 1m sony sw antenna with shortwave/am range preamp & a campervan tv antenne with preamp for the 70 to 400mhz range, all connected to an imac with CubicSDR software, be aware to listen to the shortwave "ham it up" needs the -125000khz offset setting to work properly, above 30mhz you may use the "nesdr smart" by itself connected to the tv antenna; the included wire adapter gives you a way to use a 20m or longer wire for am reception

This is an amazing product for those wishing to dive into the world of software defined radio (SDR) to listen to the wide array of radio signals out there. Using the appropriate software you can listen to AM, FM (wide and narrow), CW and other modes. There are a couple of caveats you should be aware of to get maximum value from this item. If you purchase the NESDR with these in mind you will be OK. First of all, I would only recommend the NESDR for the electronics hobbyist, experimenter or amateur radio enthusiast who has the desire, time and energy to fiddle around with hardware, software and antennas to get the optimal listening experience. Operating instructions are essentially non-existent so you will have to go online to find useful tips on assembly, use and operation. Nooelec has FAQs and instructions on their website. Having said that, the assembly isn't that complex. Plug the components in, download the software and spend a few hours figuring it all out. On the Mac there were no drivers to install... Other platforms are only slightly more involved but instructions are clear on the website. Software doesn't come with the unit and you will have to download software from the net and spend the time to figure out how it works. Nooelec will only provide customer support for packages they recommend (MATLAB® and Cubic SDR are the only supported apps on Mac; on Windows there is also HDSDR; Android has a different list that I am unfamiliar with.) Anything else and you are on your on. I am using CubicSDR which is one of the recommended apps. There is no paper manual but there is a link to the online manual from the Nooelec site. (At the time of this writing, the link to the CubicSDR manual is currently only listed for the windows application and not the Mac app but it is the same manual for both. Also note that the current link from Nooelec is to the older 2.2 software version. There was a newer version available when I installed mine.) I had major issues getting my NESDR to run at first. The USB dongle did not make a secure connection to the computers I tried it out on. On my primary computer it wouldn't work at all. I eventually got everything to work out well by plugging the dongle in to the computer by first plugging it into a short high speed USB extension cable or using a USB 3.0 hub where the NESDR can sit upright rather than hanging sideways. I would personally recommend this method for all users. Although there are reports of the NESDR getting hot, I personally feel that the design is well thought out to dissipate heat. A warm SDR is something you should expect if your are going to be listening for protracted periods of time. My final comments are regarding customer support. When I couldn't get my NESDR to work I was quite disappointed and I initiated a customer support request. The reply was quick with a request for a description of my issues and supporting screenshots of the software while running. I figured out the problem on my own (see above) but sent detailed feedback to Nooelec. They have responded promptly and have even sent followup emails to me and have forwarded my feedback to their QA team along with my order number to investigate the issue further. THAT is how a responsible and reliable manufacturer deals with customer problems. I Felt like they actually cared about my problems and wanted to improve their product if possible. This is a big part of why they got 5 stars! To reiterate, if you are an electronics hobbyist, experimenter or amateur radio enthusiast who has time on their hands and wants to get in to the world of SDR, this is a reasonably priced and fun package from a reliable North American manufacturer!

I have used the Nesdrsmart xtr with SDR#, CubicSDR, and SDRConsole (V3) and it works fine. You will have to instal the drivers not supplied. I have not used the Ham it Up much but it also works. When you use the Ham it Up you will have to enter a offset in to the software of -125000000 so the software displays the correct frequency. I have not used the aerials supplied with the kit. overall I am happy with my purchase.