Nooelec RTL-SDR v5 SDR - NESDR Smart HF/VHF/UHF (100kHz-1.75GHz) Software Defined Radio. Premium RTLSDR w/ 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input & Aluminum Enclosure. RTL2832U & R820T2 (R860)-Based Radio

This worked right out of the box on my Windows 10 laptop. I followed the provided instructions for installing the driver, then installed the rtl_sdr package and tested. Im using it in the 915 mhz band to get data from my utility/electric meter and other small/local sensors. The nice aluminum housing dissipates the heat well. It only gets mildly warm when used continuously at 915 mhz. As others have noted, the typical laptop and computer monitor make a lot of radio noise. Its important to use a USB extension cable to get the radio and antenna at least a few feet away from the laptop and monitor. When too close, its hard to find a signal within all the noise. I tested with rtl_sdr, sdr# (also called sdrsharp), rtlamr, and rtl433 -- all on a Windows 10 laptop. Everything worked well.

I purchased this product in order to try receiving satellite images from NOAA weather satellites. It worked incredibly well! I can also listen to amateur radio bands and FM radio. When paired with a program like SDR Sharp, the opportunities to use this product are boundless!

NEVER WORKED

Ordered 2 of these for a P25 phase1&2 scanner projects using this with a Raspberry pi 4 and a free program called OP25. My local Leos went digital and we couldnt see spending $400+ for a scanner so we did our research and built our own for less then $200 each

test ryry

Product performs as described. It does get a little warm after prolonged use but that isn’t a worry. Great product.

This is everything it was advertised to be. Well built, 0 frequency drift, more sensitive than my older R820T2 set up. Almost, but not quite as good as my Airspy which cost much more. It works very well as the Voice Channel dongle in my DSD+ trunk set up. It does get warm, but just a bit warmer than the Airspy which is a much bigger enclosure. An update since Ive had some experience with the dongle now. Frequency drift varies widely by frequency. On 935-939.000 Mhz trunking frequencies correction is in fact 0.0. The same seems to be true at 450-480.000 Mhz. At 152.000 Mhz following a NEXEDGE trunking system, 55.5 ppm correction is needed. Thats not terrific news, but the good news is that the drift and correction needed are predictable. The heat issue isnt all that significant. My Airspy runs cooler, but its about four times the size and thus has a lot more surface area for cooling. All of that being said, I still recommend it.

This is an interesting take on SDR. A nice way to dip a toe in instead of spending 3-5 thousand dollars for a real SDR. Do, however, expect to spend $100 on filters to get rid of clear channel harmonics from 50kW transmitters, and $60 on a ham it up with aluminum enclosure. This device HAS NO FRONT END. You have to tailor a front end to your intended application or you will not find performance satisfactory. That being said, the ability to sample and observe 2.4 MHZ of BW simultaneously is a feat in and of itself, front end or not.

No good instructions. Online website followed several time tried loading and it would not load and operate Tech support emailed and they stated they do not assist with any support other than pointing you to website which provided methods that would not work after several attempts Bought a RTL-SDR.com dongle and it loaded up and ran on first try. Then AMAZON will not allow return and refers you to ship back directly to NOOELEC company WHO CHARGES a 20% restock fee for them to take the defective product back. Great way to make money with defective products for them.

I like it when I can plug in a SDR and it works the first time. Im currently using the Nooelec NESDR Smart v4 SDR as one of my tuners for SDRTrunk to monitor a P25 Phase II system. This SDR runs 24/7 and works perfectly!