SDRPlay RSP2, SDRuno
 

Recently setup a SDRPlay RSP2 and am operating it with it's OS SDRuno. This is a real upgrade from the SDR-RTL which was my intro into these SDR's. The SDR-RTL is something of a booger to setup the first time. I had the SDRPlay going about 15 minutes after I unboxed it. Unlike the SDR-RTL which does not do 50MHz and down all that well the SDRPlay does 1kHz to 2gHz natively. It compares quite well with my ICOM 756Pro as a receiver in the HF frequencies. Were the SDRPlay is so good is in the "other" modes, digital, satellite reception, Wefax, etc. Loading fldigi gives you most of the digital modes, CW, RTTY, WeFax and more. Loading Dream enables the HF broadcast mode Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM). I have not set it up for Satellite reception yet I need to get a broadband discone antenna for that. The Space Station is now broadcasting color SSTV. The thing that is so interesting is what you can do with one of the SDR's is endless. On the hamradio side you can setup SDRuno with Omni-Rig a rig control software that can not only operate modern radios but you can use it with vintage stuff as well. I have a Johnson Viking I, and II transmitters that have a PTT circuit installed with a keying box I can control these old AM transmitters from SDRPlay I would still have to tune the transmitter with it's VFO but the once tuned I can control in with SDRuno using SDRPlay as it receiver. Another great thing about this SDR is it is laboratory grade instrument. I used it to neutralize the carriers on an Ten Tec Omni VI 563 stage III, the waterfall display made it dead easy. On an AM signal you can see the carrier making it very easy to adjust the modulation levels this is really handy in an old transmitter with high level AM modulation.

https://www.sdrplay.com/

I have a RSP2 as well and it is a great piece of kit. I have used it for all sorts of stuff, not just listening to radios. Once calibrated against WWV, it is surprisingly accurate. I recently bought a DSA815TG spectrum analyzer and used it to take a look at a mobile UHF notch type duplexer I had tuned using my RSP2 and a transmitter into a dummy load. I did manage to squeeze out another 10dB of notch with the analyzer but for the price the RSP2 did a great job! And the list of uses goes on and on, tweaking IF frequencies, seeing if an osc is running without loading, all sorts of stuff. Not to mention I have found two numbers stations that I wouldn't have found without an SDR. Turning the big knob is just not as good as taking in an entire band at a glance.

Even the spectrum scope on my IC756Pro doesn’t cover things. Looking at the frequency readout on my TS-440SAT is like looking through a Keyhole. I could not get the carriers nulified on my Omni VI the RSP2 made it a piece of cake.