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Comment by dariusj18 | Hacker News Reader

Any recommendation for one to buy?

I recommend getting one from here: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/buy-rtl-sdr-dvb-t-dongles/

Great hardware with driver/software compatibility

My advice would be the same. These units are mostly built on the same parts, the big difference is build quality (metal dongle vs plastic) and what antenna comes bundled (antenna quality/size matters a lot for anything beyond just tinkering).

It's more than just build-quality. The actual RF design is very different. The RTL-SDR V3 dongle was purpose built to be an SDR device. Most of the generic plastic dongles were designed to watch broadcast television.

+1 on this one: well built, optimized for small signal reception (TV dongles are not) therefore lower noise etc. bias tee for active antennas, metal case. Still at a good price. I have two of them and never regretted the purchase. One day I'l probably get a HackRF or something similar, although I'm still good with the rtl-sdr.com dongles. If they made a small one with enclosed upconverter to be put in my laptop bag to be carried when I take a trip in the mountains I'd get one immediately. I've tried one of those no-name Chinese little boxes with HF and V-U inputs but performance is inferior compared to the above dongle.

Instead of a HackRF, I would suggest a PlutoSDR.

Are there any cheap upconverters that will make use of its insane bandwidth? I'd like being able to receive down to the HF but the Pluto doesn't go below 325MHz.

I recently got a couple of the NooElec NESDR SMArt v4 dongles, and I've been quite happy with them. I also have a few no-name dongles, with one of them that has been running rtl_433 for years now to graph outdoor and basement temperature and humidity from off-the-shelf sensor units.

The NESDRs are much more accurate than the no-names and don't drift. I was flabbergasted when I plugged one in, tuned it to a nearby NOAA weather transmitter, fired up gqrx, and saw that it was spot-on without having to adjust the frequency error. Also, they have SMA connectors instead of the dodgy barrel connectors on the no-names.

Just hop on Amazon and search for rtl-sdr dongle. AFAIK they're all roughly the same since they're based off the same hardware; any with decent reviews should be fine. I think mine was a Nooelec brand or something; comes with the dongle and an telescoping antenna.

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