The RTL dongles have always been a great way the get into radio reception , if a little trick to set up in the early days.... Nice to see some progress and "cheaper" cool.....
Just had mine V4 delivered to the UK today from AliExpress. After a bit of basic frequency hunting in the morning just a few hours ago I managed to listen in on my very first satellite!, the downlink from the NOAA 15 satellite using the bundled dipole aerial in a 120° V-shape.
Great video. I like the v4 so far. It works great for the price it’s excellent. I bought two. It's almost as good as my Sdrplay RSP1A. I will build a Linux box and use them for an openwebrx setup.
@@goku445 Just picked mine up. The Debian terminal commands worked fine. Getting HF without direct sampling. However, I still have interference at repeating frequencies across most of the band - was hoping the V4 would take care of it. Sure wish I could figure that out.
I got my V4 yesterday. Below 30MHz after dark it suffers very badly from images and overload even with the gain turned down to minimum. It looks like the LO level in the upconvertor is too high. There are two unused pads where resistors could be added to attenuate the LO.
What are you using for HF ? Seems yours may has a fault unless you live very close to some high power MW transmitters . I hope they are not all like this :(
@martinbarnes869 I confirm what you wrote. v4 is very susceptible to be overloaded with HF signals. Apart from the visible copies/distortions in the HF spectrum itself, it is much easier (than v3) for images of AM broadcast stations to appear on the spectrum of e.g. FM radio stations. I wrote to RTL-SDR blog and they also confirmed that I can try changing the mixer attenuation. Have you managed to come up with any specific modification that could improve this problem?
I ordered a V4 and should be getting it in a day or so. Interested in the improved HF performance as I have been using the V3 with an MLA30+ mag loop antenna which is usable but the V4 improved HF performance looks worthwhile.
The V4 appeared in my mail box today. So got it working with SDR# but yet to see how it compares to the V3 on HF band with my MLA30+ antenna. Have not figured out how to keep the bias-T activated with SDR# as I can use the provided DOS command rtl_biast.exe to turn it on but when I start SDR# it turns it off. Also I use RTL-433 app for reading sensor data but it does not seem to support the RTL-SDR V4 as it uses what looks like different driver file as in librtlsdr.dll rather than rtlsdr.dll.
@@stevewinwood3674 I picked mine up last week. With SDR++, you just disable Direct sampling and you're good to go. No need to do anything when you switch from HF to VHF/UHF.
Good afternoon Matt, I Just ordered one of the V-4's but I can't find the CUSTOM DRIVER location on their site like you mentioned in your video, can you please give us the URL to download same??? Thanks, & 73 de WB2ZDB
I am an AM radio nerd, love DXing seeing what I can receive, how does the V4 compare to the V3, because the V3 kind of sucks on the AM band, I am in the USA if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance for any info provided
As long as you don't overload it with too strong signals, it works great. The upconverter have a 14 db gain, and you have the tuner gain in addition. Seems to work well.
O wow, I might actually get this one.. Was going to get the v3 but didn't... Now with this upgrade I may get this one... any recommendation on antennas?
the RSPDX has significantly better filtering and switches in filters to block out everything except fort he band you are currently trying to recieve. You can do the same with the RTL-SDR by adding external filters, but they dont auto switch you have to manually insert and remove them at about $15 each. if you live near a cellphone tower, AM broadcast, FM broadcast or other transmitters then you need the filters. I have both, and I can hear a lot of much weaker signals with my SDRPlay than I can withthe V4.... it's better than the V2 but not even close to the sensitivity of the SdrPlay simply because of the lack of filtering.
I already have the V3. I'm trying to install the V4 software, I downloaded and unzipped the folder but there's nothing there that indicates what to install. There's dll files but that's it... Could you make a clear step by step install video for the rest of us dummies? I'm running windows... I could watch you from my phone as you walk us through the process... Thank you so much.
Hi I managed to get hold of one from AliExpress works great on air spy software but don’t know how to update the driver for SDR++ Can you make a short easy video on this please thank you
Ordered one, will give it a go. My v3 the smallest movement and the usb would disconnect, don't know if it was just faulty, hopefully this one is a bit better.
They're all like that, I have tons of original v3's (silver ones) and lots of the Nooelec versions too. They are all very sensitive to movement within the USB port, on any computer. The best way to combat this is to use an Amazon basics or similar usb extension cable and wrap the connector and sdr together in self vulcanizing tape. No sticky left behind when you're done and it keeps the connection nice and solid if you need to be able to move the rtlsdr around when receiving.
Sloppy USB mating is not uncommon, especially on ports you use a lot. I sometimes put a small strip of masking or insulation tape on the connector to pad it out for a tighter fit.
If anyone who uses Linux is wondering, the command lines for Debian on the RTL SDR website work perfectly with Mint 21.2 and SDR++. I have it on both my desktop and laptop.
Hmm not bad just waiting for mine still. But what about MW and even LW I wonder ? Even the V3 was quite good with my wellbrook ua-cam.com/video/pYGvfyp8gkw/v-deo.html
What physical antenna switch do you use? I have a magloop for HF but it isn't really designed for UHF/VHF or Airband, and I'd like to connect two antennas to a switch and switch between them without having to unplug and plug in the different antennas each time
Got myself a v4 kit recently. Took some trial and error to set up the driver/software but it works fine now. I don't know much about radio and did almost nothing with the subject since I stopped playing with my dad's Philips D2603 Power booster 4 band radio in the 1980s. But it is nice to be able to tune into random things again. I love the visual tuning. I'm probably limiting myself with the indoor antenna from the kit but I like it so far.
@@joshua511 That's not good. Even with bad antenna placement you should be able to receive some FM radio stations. I think there may be something not good with your installation. You should be able to do some tuning, hear noise on most frequencies but also some radio stations and perhaps a lot more.
I ordered the V4+ antenna kit after following the link from the sdr blog page to ali express a couple of days back, Will be the first SDR but i had been thinking about it on and off for a while. bit limited for antenna where I live, going with the airspy software to start out. one thing that would be nice to have that i have not seen is a scanning option, so for example set to scan 11M and have it stop where there is a signal.. perhaps it is there as i dont have the sdr yet to plug in and play with. Glad I saw this as it has kind of confirmed i had made an ok choice especially at the price point.
I have yet to be successful like the other enthusiasts have. Barely received 3-4 FM stations, no ham signals detected, no satellites, do not know what I am doing wrong. From videos it seems to be really easy but not with my unit and the "rabbit ears" antenna in any configuration. HELP!
It's all about the antenna. I can assure you that the issue is with the antenna. If you are serious about receiving and listening to stations etc, then you will need to invest in learning about antennas. Something off the shelf, for multi-band VHF/UHF a Discone antenna would be a good choice. For anything lower than 30 MHz then a long length of wire as high as possible would be great. Maybe even a 9:1 unun depending on the length of antenna wire. Any questions feel free to drop them here. Thanks. Matt
I have several v3, I could never receive anything intelligible on hf due to the noise, which is what prompted me to get the RSP1A. I do however use the V3 for listening to UHF and VHF, which they work well for. I may have to try one of the V4. Amazing little devices, wish I had such things 20+ years ago.
You Need To Configurate It And You WILL RECEIVE It On HF, Seriously, Maybe You Are Just Toogled The Direct Sampling, Tell Me How The Program Is Configured Or I Can Even Show You In Discord How To Do It, Like, Make A Videocall And I Can tell You Whats Wrong With Your Setup, Its NOT HARD To get HF Signals, Just Make A Long Wire ANtenna And Put The Program To Q Branch Where It Says DISABLED On Direct Sampling And Then Tweek Some Other Things ANd You Golden, Its NOT EASY To get HF, But There Are Many Things To Do To get it Half Noot bad, Im Willing To Help You Individualy :)
I bought a USB RTL-SDR 1 or 2 years ago. So I know its not the latest version. It works perfectly with my desktop but not with the laptop even though so far as I can tell, I installed the exact same software. Windows makes the obligatory "ding-dong" to acknowledge that its been plugged in. Any idea why it wont work with the laptop?
Your mileage may vary, but on my Alienware desktop I cannot use a V3 rtl-sdr dongle on any of the USB 3.0 ports., I have to use it on the USB 2.0 ports
This is not the latest iPhone so I don't think the R828 and R820 have that big of a difference in performance. And then you get an up converter with the V4. Just an external upconverter can cost more than this. So don't buy the V4, leave them for us .
I finally got the drivers to work but now it sounds aweful on all softwares I've been trying. It always sound distorted like if the AGC is no working correctly, it always sounds too loud... urgh... 50$ down the drain I suppose...
Thanks for the info! I have a question that maybe you can answer, since my countless comments on other channels never gets a reply. I love the looks of the Thetis software. Can it be used with an RTL-SDR dongle?
Unclear which one was playing as there was no A-B on the same signal....or if you did switch, where and when was the switch? I'm finding a peaked low freq. response on the receiving end ....since it affects all signals; that's No Good for evaluation.
Until today, the Amazon page has been showing currently unavailable for this. However, when I checked it today, it's saying temporarily out of stock and it allows me to put it in my cart and Order it.
I testet it this weekend. workss gret from 0-15mhz. Cant receieve annything over 15mhz. Tested different antennas without luck. I have a hunting radio that received clear on 155.450. Sdr v4 Nothing ( tested same antenna )
2 weeks ago I added one of these to my cart on Amazon and ordered it. When I checked the website for it today it is no longer showing temporarily out of stock but I still do not have shipping confirmation for my order place two weeks ago...... and the shipping window is showing between November 30th and December 28th
Limited edition=whoops? I'd bet that the V4 was being designed, very far in development and supplies ordered then the chipset was manufactured discontinued. I'm waiting on the V5. I have a V3.
my V4 came in yesterday. I picked up to ham operators with my VHF-UHF TV antenna. It's all I have to test with now. I could hear both speakers very clear. Nearest was 700 miles away and farthest was 1200 miles. They were on frequency 14,164,040. I need to put up a long wire next.
The RTL-SDR v3 works fine on SDR++ on Mac OS. I'm guessing that a driver update might be needed for SDR++ to work wit the new radio, but I'm not sure. I think that's already in the latest nightly SDR++ build.
Try to look for strong tones around 10-30MHz which I suspect is the main resonant tone of ET scout ships aka flying saucers in the 15meter size range. There is good indication from close encounters that the hull is EM energized and that the shape of the craft is (like an antenna or magnetic coil) due to the physics it employs. Since they run at rather high power levels I suspect that these main tones and indeed complex harmonics can be detected from thousands of kilometers away. Some software to watch that band automatically might catch something within days or less because they frequent our skies quite a bit. Pun intended. If I'm right you'll be able to recognize the stable main tone because it doesn't carry any audio or other signal yet it will have complex patterns anyway. The higher frequency harmonics well into the GHz I speculate form a pattern to match the local mass distribution near it. Because they move by negotiating the local gravity potential energy field. But the main tone will be dictated by the hull size and should be steady. But might fluctuate greatly in amplitude. From bare minimum hover to gigawatt burst climb.
@@DanFrederiksen Hi Dan thank you, How do you know that it would be 10-30Mhz specifically, would this be due to the redshift that occurs when "decelerating", when you do get a hit on the spectrum what might that sound like/look like, based off my own maths It make look a little like a LIGO wave detection.... but that's incredible if you have found a pattern they roll around in as the potentials increase then decrease?
@@bostocked no it's a speed of light thing. How long an EM wave takes to flow from the tip of the saucer down to the edge and back up again. Like a tuning fork has a resonant frequency or a flute. Those are mechanical vibrations and speed of sound in air. For the saucer I'm thinking it's electromagnetic from the high voltage hissing that have been heard and the corona glow on the hull at night. Also people report being cooked from it which suggests radio/microwave radiation. But people have also reported a scraping bell sound so it's actually possible that it has mechanical vibration too like a tuning fork. I hadn't considered that before now. Some ET ships have a spinning section and I suspect that this mass acceleration which spinning is, can allow them to tease out gravitational effects somehow. But a mechanical vibration is also acceleration of mass so just maybe some are doing it that way. We don't have a way to detect that from a distance though but a standing electromagnetic wave on the hull could be easy to detect with a radio receiver. So the frequency is decided by the size of the craft. The bigger the lower the tone. Your typical 15meter craft might be just around 20MHz because light can travel 15 meters 20 million times per second. There are some nuances that could change the math a little but should be around there and the frequency should be steady if my simple hypothesis has merit.
@DanFrederiksen very interesting response thank you perhaps the static gravitational field exhibits a mechanical vibration against the air too?? I'm thinking like thunder perhaps. f your saying that's an actual physical vibration that could add to the general excitation onto the air causing it glow, is your assumption that they actually don't mean to light up eveytime they're seen, but rather they can't actually help it sometimes due to a side effect of the antimatter / thermoelectric reaction generating a high voltage?? Are you suggesting that 10-30 tone is caused by the fluctuing EM field or a byproduct of movement/ gliding through the substrate. If it helps I'll tell you a private theory of mine too, that I'm 99% sure the metal slag we see deposited by some of them is 100% transfused remnants due to a fusion reaction buildup that may either occur sometimes as a natural byproduct of a fusion reaction based engine or as an error in amount / frequency / timing array of the gun that fires the fusile material. After a while transfigured elements must build up the same way we end up with fissile waste in a reactor, this is then ejected or deposited out the back otherwise it'll contine to fuse until it hits beyond iron etc and would / could explain why normal isotopes are found but the structure seems "more structured" than natural earth bound elements. Think like vapor gas deposition almost, just neutronic in scale, But If true it would mean certain craft atleast are fusion reaction powered and perhaps based on the frequencies your saying interference could be generating which could lead to either tracking or disruption via a standing wave which I'm sure is a scary proposition for them. I also have to ask is there nothing natural that generates say a 20MHZ wave, how can it be guaranteed that it is a craft if spotted - would it be specific pulses, waveform shape etc??
Only 2 months for mine to arrive. Can't wait. Reading the comment's there seems to be a lot of people complaining they didn't get one as they were sold out but then start to say negative thing's only basing it off the fact it's a limited chip therefore it's a bad chip? 🤔 Seems like an excuse to feel better as it makes no sense being a superior ic with more feature's. They're still around and he didn't mention any of the good stuff hidden on the PCB. Also if your using your case and complaining about poor usb quality, it's more user error. Stop touching them! 😂
I bought the V4 today and cant seem to pick up anything other than commercial FM radio, ie Capital etc Any suggestions please? Are the ariels that come with it rubbish? Can I use my TV aerial Booster to pick up anything, or will it damage the front end?
installing drivers for that thing is a nightmare... nothing works beside just noise and no reception... sdr console does not seem to work with that version...
I have just got one- it's my first foray into sdr- and I am clueless- any help would be appreciated- but keep it simple I'm 75 and a bit slow but not stoopid. Thanks people. (btw I'm younger thanBiden or Trump but I still take a bit of time to catch up-! wink wink!)
Since it is an SDR, this is possible. The dngle itself does not demodulate the signal. All you have to do is activate the narrowband FM in the software.
I've just bought a V4, followed all the instructions many times over, and the only sampling which works is the quadrature sampling. 2048 and Q branch greys out the RF gain and just gives noise right through all HF frequencies. Any ideas anyone? A bit disillusioned so far.
Although I am glad this has come out at around £55 for the kit with antennas, for not much more money the RSP1a is so much a better product (£99). I can't help but think this is the right bit of kit but should have come out 4 years ago
@@wesKEVQJ I can understand where you are coming from. However now that SDRconnect in in a preview release, you can now run one script under linux that installs the API / driver along with the software and its a very easy job. prior to this you had to install four scripts (one was the API / driver) the others were for sound patch and Soapy. none of that is needed with SDRconnect or even just to use the driver with other linux SDR software (provided they support the RSP1a).
@@felixthecat1672 I’m using Linux Mint 21.2. It’s probably one of the easiest Linux distros to use. I can’t paste links here but if you google how to set up SDR connect on Linux there are a few forum posts with people giving instructions
Thanks a lot for this video, i currently have the V3, and V4 (single) seems out of stock at the moment. Remenber one of the this time with my second daughter we catch up some voices from the ISS, she doesn't believe it at first ! So to increase the game level, with i've try to catch NOAA pictures from passing satellite and, one we achieve it ! That was a great tech moment with my childs ! 😂 Thanks to you and sdr enthusiasts! Does it performs well in VHF bands? Like AM aviation and 2 m ham band ? Very nice video !
I ordered one the day they came out... should arrive monday, its my first sdr dongle and can't wait to try it.
Are you happy? :)
The RTL dongles have always been a great way the get into radio reception , if a little trick to set up in the early days.... Nice to see some progress and "cheaper" cool.....
Just had mine V4 delivered to the UK today from AliExpress.
After a bit of basic frequency hunting in the morning just a few hours ago I managed to listen in on my very first satellite!, the downlink from the NOAA 15 satellite using the bundled dipole aerial in a 120° V-shape.
Try The Meteors, Easy To Decode And Easy To Track Them, The One I Tracked Today Is On 137.100 MHz
That’s awesome.
Great video. I like the v4 so far. It works great for the price it’s excellent. I bought two. It's almost as good as my Sdrplay RSP1A. I will build a Linux box and use them for an openwebrx setup.
Was about to post a comment asking about drivers for Linux - that's all I use and ever will. So no problem running it on Mint?
@@JCO2002 Same. It seems we have to build the driver from source.
@@goku445 I should have mine in a few days. I did find info for Debian on the rtl-sdr website. Did you try it?
@@goku445 Just picked mine up. The Debian terminal commands worked fine. Getting HF without direct sampling. However, I still have interference at repeating frequencies across most of the band - was hoping the V4 would take care of it. Sure wish I could figure that out.
@@JCO2002 thanks for the feedback. I'm getting mine in a week. New to the hobby. Did you buy a new antenna?
The latest V3 also showcases a similar black design with white letters, which is very interesting.
Yes, I Have Two Of The Black Ones V3 Versions To :)
its a graphite coating to improve grounding
Well, i found your channel informative! You get my sub and a thank you!
Got you 1 more closer to 100k! Thank you again!
I got my V4 yesterday. Below 30MHz after dark it suffers very badly from images and overload even with the gain turned down to minimum. It looks like the LO level in the upconvertor is too high. There are two unused pads where resistors could be added to attenuate the LO.
What are you using for HF ? Seems yours may has a fault unless you live very close to some high power MW transmitters . I hope they are not all like this :(
@martinbarnes869
I confirm what you wrote. v4 is very susceptible to be overloaded with HF signals. Apart from the visible copies/distortions in the HF spectrum itself, it is much easier (than v3) for images of AM broadcast stations to appear on the spectrum of e.g. FM radio stations. I wrote to RTL-SDR blog and they also confirmed that I can try changing the mixer attenuation.
Have you managed to come up with any specific modification that could improve this problem?
I ordered a V4 and should be getting it in a day or so. Interested in the improved HF performance as I have been using the V3 with an MLA30+ mag loop antenna which is usable but the V4 improved HF performance looks worthwhile.
The V4 appeared in my mail box today. So got it working with SDR# but yet to see how it compares to the V3 on HF band with my MLA30+ antenna. Have not figured out how to keep the bias-T activated with SDR# as I can use the provided DOS command rtl_biast.exe to turn it on but when I start SDR# it turns it off. Also I use RTL-433 app for reading sensor data but it does not seem to support the RTL-SDR V4 as it uses what looks like different driver file as in librtlsdr.dll rather than rtlsdr.dll.
How does the built in upconvertor work? Is there no switch or offset to enter into sdr#?
It just automatically turns on when you go down low enough?
@@stevewinwood3674 I picked mine up last week. With SDR++, you just disable Direct sampling and you're good to go. No need to do anything when you switch from HF to VHF/UHF.
Good afternoon Matt,
I Just ordered one of the V-4's but I can't find the CUSTOM DRIVER location on their site like you mentioned in your video, can you please give us the URL to download same???
Thanks, & 73
de WB2ZDB
I am an AM radio nerd, love DXing seeing what I can receive, how does the V4 compare to the V3, because the V3 kind of sucks on the AM band, I am in the USA if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance for any info provided
As long as you don't overload it with too strong signals, it works great.
The upconverter have a 14 db gain, and you have the tuner gain in addition. Seems to work well.
O wow, I might actually get this one.. Was going to get the v3 but didn't... Now with this upgrade I may get this one... any recommendation on antennas?
I wonder how this V4 would compare to something like the RSPdx? Thanks for sharing, very interesting info as always.
the RSPDX has significantly better filtering and switches in filters to block out everything except fort he band you are currently trying to recieve. You can do the same with the RTL-SDR by adding external filters, but they dont auto switch you have to manually insert and remove them at about $15 each. if you live near a cellphone tower, AM broadcast, FM broadcast or other transmitters then you need the filters. I have both, and I can hear a lot of much weaker signals with my SDRPlay than I can withthe V4.... it's better than the V2 but not even close to the sensitivity of the SdrPlay simply because of the lack of filtering.
Dont forget that the sdrplay is almost 4x more expensive
Pay or settle for 1990's technology. It's a no-brainer...
Thanks for the review Matt. Mine is on the way from China. It'll be here in a couple of weeks I hope.
I already have the V3. I'm trying to install the V4 software, I downloaded and unzipped the folder but there's nothing there that indicates what to install.
There's dll files but that's it...
Could you make a clear step by step install video for the rest of us dummies?
I'm running windows...
I could watch you from my phone as you walk us through the process...
Thank you so much.
they ran out of stock before the video was released. lol
Not quite so. Only first batch.
Ordered mine from their website the day it was announced. Still in transit but looks like it might arrive on Tuesday 🤞
Hi I managed to get hold of one from AliExpress works great on air spy software but don’t know how to update the driver for SDR++ Can you make a short easy video on this please thank you
very nice comparison! does V4 perform the same as V3 on UHF or L Band? i am kind of interested in satellite reception.
VHF is filtered away on UHF, so hopefully cleaner with less interference.
Ordered one, will give it a go. My v3 the smallest movement and the usb would disconnect, don't know if it was just faulty, hopefully this one is a bit better.
Sounds like it was faulty, or the usb connection was. Never had an issue with any of my V3s. V4 is really good imo. Cheers
They're all like that, I have tons of original v3's (silver ones) and lots of the Nooelec versions too. They are all very sensitive to movement within the USB port, on any computer. The best way to combat this is to use an Amazon basics or similar usb extension cable and wrap the connector and sdr together in self vulcanizing tape. No sticky left behind when you're done and it keeps the connection nice and solid if you need to be able to move the rtlsdr around when receiving.
Sloppy USB mating is not uncommon, especially on ports you use a lot.
I sometimes put a small strip of masking or insulation tape on the connector
to pad it out for a tighter fit.
@@VTXHobbies Sounds good but might prevent heat dissipation?
How is the v4 upconvertor switched on?
If anyone who uses Linux is wondering, the command lines for Debian on the RTL SDR website work perfectly with Mint 21.2 and SDR++. I have it on both my desktop and laptop.
Got my v4 on order from china Looking forword to using it
Thanks, what about doing a long video comparing both V3 & V4?
V3 Have The Black Case To, I Have Two Of The V3 versions That Are Black.
Hmm not bad just waiting for mine still. But what about MW and even LW I wonder ? Even the V3 was quite good with my wellbrook ua-cam.com/video/pYGvfyp8gkw/v-deo.html
What physical antenna switch do you use? I have a magloop for HF but it isn't really designed for UHF/VHF or Airband, and I'd like to connect two antennas to a switch and switch between them without having to unplug and plug in the different antennas each time
Super vidéo 👍
Je viens de recevoir ma v4
D'après mais test le rsp A1 la dépasse de loin
Je préfère beaucoup mon rsp A2
Got myself a v4 kit recently. Took some trial and error to set up the driver/software but it works fine now.
I don't know much about radio and did almost nothing with the subject since I stopped playing with my dad's Philips D2603 Power booster 4 band radio in the 1980s. But it is nice to be able to tune into random things again. I love the visual tuning. I'm probably limiting myself with the indoor antenna from the kit but I like it so far.
I'm trying to get v4 running on SDR++ but I haven't picked up any signals yet. :(
@@joshua511 That's not good. Even with bad antenna placement you should be able to receive some FM radio stations. I think there may be something not good with your installation. You should be able to do some tuning, hear noise on most frequencies but also some radio stations and perhaps a lot more.
@@Aranimda It's something with v4. I'm on PopOs. CubicSDR seems to work, though.
@@joshua511 I got SDR# (SDRSharp) as explained in the RTL-SDR Blog V4 Users Guide
Wow, so great performance on HF, much better than usual dongle.
What did you do to make it work? Mine is dead on HF and the only sampling mode which does anything is the quadrature mode.
To make it work on air spy I reinstalled the software
Just ordered one from ebay.
I ordered the V4+ antenna kit after following the link from the sdr blog page to ali express a couple of days back, Will be the first SDR but i had been thinking about it on and off for a while. bit limited for antenna where I live, going with the airspy software to start out. one thing that would be nice to have that i have not seen is a scanning option, so for example set to scan 11M and have it stop where there is a signal.. perhaps it is there as i dont have the sdr yet to plug in and play with. Glad I saw this as it has kind of confirmed i had made an ok choice especially at the price point.
The Sdr# app has a scanning plugin.
Ali express has them for 39 bucks selling fast.
i wish they would make the casing flat, i like to attach a heatsink to mine
Just put an order for my V4 on Aliexpress, waiting to receive in September 19th.
I have yet to be successful like the other enthusiasts have. Barely received 3-4 FM stations, no ham signals detected, no satellites, do not know what I am doing wrong. From videos it seems to be really easy but not with my unit and the "rabbit ears" antenna in any configuration. HELP!
It's all about the antenna. I can assure you that the issue is with the antenna. If you are serious about receiving and listening to stations etc, then you will need to invest in learning about antennas. Something off the shelf, for multi-band VHF/UHF a Discone antenna would be a good choice. For anything lower than 30 MHz then a long length of wire as high as possible would be great. Maybe even a 9:1 unun depending on the length of antenna wire. Any questions feel free to drop them here. Thanks. Matt
Next time I buy a sdr dongle I'm getting insurance. The last 2 crapped the bed.
I have several v3, I could never receive anything intelligible on hf due to the noise, which is what prompted me to get the RSP1A. I do however use the V3 for listening to UHF and VHF, which they work well for. I may have to try one of the V4. Amazing little devices, wish I had such things 20+ years ago.
You Need To Configurate It And You WILL RECEIVE It On HF, Seriously, Maybe You Are Just Toogled The Direct Sampling, Tell Me How The Program Is Configured Or I Can Even Show You In Discord How To Do It, Like, Make A Videocall And I Can tell You Whats Wrong With Your Setup, Its NOT HARD To get HF Signals, Just Make A Long Wire ANtenna And Put The Program To Q Branch Where It Says DISABLED On Direct Sampling And Then Tweek Some Other Things ANd You Golden, Its NOT EASY To get HF, But There Are Many Things To Do To get it Half Noot bad, Im Willing To Help You Individualy :)
@@frequencywatchers I know how to make the V3 receive HF, the problem is that it has poor filtering, so it is very noisy. This is why they made V4
I bought a USB RTL-SDR 1 or 2 years ago. So I know its not the latest version. It works perfectly with my desktop but not with the laptop even though so far as I can tell, I installed the exact same software. Windows makes the obligatory "ding-dong" to acknowledge that its been plugged in. Any idea why it wont work with the laptop?
Your mileage may vary, but on my Alienware desktop I cannot use a V3 rtl-sdr dongle on any of the USB 3.0 ports., I have to use it on the USB 2.0 ports
Try it with a Linux distro.
What are the minimum android requirements? Processing speed, ram, etc.
for sdr++, it need android 9.0 or higher
When will it come with a USB-C and 40 MHz of bandwidth?
Its using an old chip, the v4 will only exist whilst this old chip is around. v3 or wait for the v5!
Yep, as said in the video, they have around 1 year of production supply left. Which is why it’s good to get one now.
This is not the latest iPhone so I don't think the R828 and R820 have that big of a difference in performance. And then you get an up converter with the V4. Just an external upconverter can cost more than this. So don't buy the V4, leave them for us .
Is there any difference in the descriminator section, extra band isolation, or any buffering that might be offloaded to the sdr software?
I have an sdrplay duo is there any benefit to me buying the v4? Sorry if it’s a dumb question I’m a noob lol
Great review. My old v3 died two month ago (RIP). I hope they restock soon.
it looked so good for what I wanted so I bought 2
same, plus helps with limited stock if one gets lost or broken
I finally got the drivers to work but now it sounds aweful on all softwares I've been trying. It always sound distorted like if the AGC is no working correctly, it always sounds too loud... urgh... 50$ down the drain I suppose...
Thank you. Great info but it is out of stock at this time :(
Pretty neat piece of kit!
Looks like it's out everywhere, hope i can get one at some point, the v3 is pretty great
They will be back. It's only the first batch that is gone (I have asked rtl-sdr blog about it).
Thanks for the info! I have a question that maybe you can answer, since my countless comments on other channels never gets a reply. I love the looks of the Thetis software. Can it be used with an RTL-SDR dongle?
Has anyone tried one with an Android Head Unit like the Joying or Seacaine?
How do I use my NOAA sawbird with the V.4? Jbrady - in richmond, virginia...
Unclear which one was playing as there was no A-B on the same signal....or if you did switch, where and when was the switch? I'm finding a peaked low freq. response on the receiving end ....since it affects all signals; that's No Good for evaluation.
Until today, the Amazon page has been showing currently unavailable for this. However, when I checked it today, it's saying temporarily out of stock and it allows me to put it in my cart and Order it.
Just got myself a V3 kit and have been enjoying the journey. Thanks for the time you put in to help newbies like me get to grips with the whole hobby.
I struggle to get mine working, besides FM broadcast, i get pretty much nothing
@@telemachinme too
@@telemachin you might require a better antenna.
@@palashsharma7674which version did you get ?
@@EvertG8086 V3 kit
Be carefull when buying from UK Amazon they are in a black case with v3 writen on them
Did you order and receive one?
What antenna have you used?
I testet it this weekend. workss gret from 0-15mhz.
Cant receieve annything over 15mhz.
Tested different antennas without luck.
I have a hunting radio that received clear on 155.450.
Sdr v4 Nothing ( tested same antenna )
All sources for these are no longer available or out of stock
2 weeks ago I added one of these to my cart on Amazon and ordered it. When I checked the website for it today it is no longer showing temporarily out of stock but I still do not have shipping confirmation for my order place two weeks ago...... and the shipping window is showing between November 30th and December 28th
Limited edition=whoops? I'd bet that the V4 was being designed, very far in development and supplies ordered then the chipset was manufactured discontinued. I'm waiting on the V5. I have a V3.
Well.. don't wait too long. It may actually all die out. All of it is quite much more or less discontinued.
@@erlendse sure thing buddy
If you can hold your breath that long than sure . I'll wait for V6,, no, I'll wait for V7, actually V8
Can I see 5ghz?
my V4 came in yesterday. I picked up to ham operators with my VHF-UHF TV antenna. It's all I have to test with now. I could hear both speakers very clear. Nearest was 700 miles away and farthest was 1200 miles. They were on frequency 14,164,040. I need to put up a long wire next.
So this means you don't need a spyverter?
Yep, exactly, at least for this SDR V4.
Good timing I was just checking this out yesterday! I'm curious if it's problematic on OSX or Linux as you only mentioned windows???
No harder than the other ones. You can download the source and compile it yourself worst case.
The RTL-SDR v3 works fine on SDR++ on Mac OS. I'm guessing that a driver update might be needed for SDR++ to work wit the new radio, but I'm not sure. I think that's already in the latest nightly SDR++ build.
Not many can match my HackRF….
i just got a V4 and it picks up absolutely no AM radio no matter what branch setting Q , I or direct .. and there is 2 local AM stations here.
Same problem.....
I found hardly any images on medium wave and HF bands it’s my go to SDR now but boy it runs hot
Windows 11 driver tutorial please for the V4 on SDR++
there is built in driver on sdr++, you just need to replace driver with winUSB using zadig
Try to look for strong tones around 10-30MHz which I suspect is the main resonant tone of ET scout ships aka flying saucers in the 15meter size range. There is good indication from close encounters that the hull is EM energized and that the shape of the craft is (like an antenna or magnetic coil) due to the physics it employs. Since they run at rather high power levels I suspect that these main tones and indeed complex harmonics can be detected from thousands of kilometers away. Some software to watch that band automatically might catch something within days or less because they frequent our skies quite a bit. Pun intended. If I'm right you'll be able to recognize the stable main tone because it doesn't carry any audio or other signal yet it will have complex patterns anyway. The higher frequency harmonics well into the GHz I speculate form a pattern to match the local mass distribution near it. Because they move by negotiating the local gravity potential energy field. But the main tone will be dictated by the hull size and should be steady. But might fluctuate greatly in amplitude. From bare minimum hover to gigawatt burst climb.
Please let me know I could interview you about what your describing here!
@@bostocked you can ask questions.
@@DanFrederiksen Hi Dan thank you, How do you know that it would be 10-30Mhz specifically, would this be due to the redshift that occurs when "decelerating", when you do get a hit on the spectrum what might that sound like/look like, based off my own maths It make look a little like a LIGO wave detection.... but that's incredible if you have found a pattern they roll around in as the potentials increase then decrease?
@@bostocked no it's a speed of light thing. How long an EM wave takes to flow from the tip of the saucer down to the edge and back up again. Like a tuning fork has a resonant frequency or a flute. Those are mechanical vibrations and speed of sound in air. For the saucer I'm thinking it's electromagnetic from the high voltage hissing that have been heard and the corona glow on the hull at night. Also people report being cooked from it which suggests radio/microwave radiation. But people have also reported a scraping bell sound so it's actually possible that it has mechanical vibration too like a tuning fork. I hadn't considered that before now. Some ET ships have a spinning section and I suspect that this mass acceleration which spinning is, can allow them to tease out gravitational effects somehow. But a mechanical vibration is also acceleration of mass so just maybe some are doing it that way. We don't have a way to detect that from a distance though but a standing electromagnetic wave on the hull could be easy to detect with a radio receiver.
So the frequency is decided by the size of the craft. The bigger the lower the tone. Your typical 15meter craft might be just around 20MHz because light can travel 15 meters 20 million times per second. There are some nuances that could change the math a little but should be around there and the frequency should be steady if my simple hypothesis has merit.
@DanFrederiksen very interesting response thank you perhaps the static gravitational field exhibits a mechanical vibration against the air too?? I'm thinking like thunder perhaps. f your saying that's an actual physical vibration that could add to the general excitation onto the air causing it glow, is your assumption that they actually don't mean to light up eveytime they're seen, but rather they can't actually help it sometimes due to a side effect of the antimatter / thermoelectric reaction generating a high voltage?? Are you suggesting that 10-30 tone is caused by the fluctuing EM field or a byproduct of movement/ gliding through the substrate.
If it helps I'll tell you a private theory of mine too, that I'm 99% sure the metal slag we see deposited by some of them is 100% transfused remnants due to a fusion reaction buildup that may either occur sometimes as a natural byproduct of a fusion reaction based engine or as an error in amount / frequency / timing array of the gun that fires the fusile material. After a while transfigured elements must build up the same way we end up with fissile waste in a reactor, this is then ejected or deposited out the back otherwise it'll contine to fuse until it hits beyond iron etc and would / could explain why normal isotopes are found but the structure seems "more structured" than natural earth bound elements. Think like vapor gas deposition almost, just neutronic in scale,
But If true it would mean certain craft atleast are fusion reaction powered and perhaps based on the frequencies your saying interference could be generating which could lead to either tracking or disruption via a standing wave which I'm sure is a scary proposition for them. I also have to ask is there nothing natural that generates say a 20MHZ wave, how can it be guaranteed that it is a craft if spotted - would it be specific pulses, waveform shape etc??
couldnt the chinese just make the chips albeit counterfeit or even illegal?
Only 2 months for mine to arrive. Can't wait.
Reading the comment's there seems to be a lot of people complaining they didn't get one as they were sold out but then start to say negative thing's only basing it off the fact it's a limited chip therefore it's a bad chip? 🤔
Seems like an excuse to feel better as it makes no sense being a superior ic with more feature's.
They're still around and he didn't mention any of the good stuff hidden on the PCB.
Also if your using your case and complaining about poor usb quality, it's more user error. Stop touching them! 😂
First batch sold old. There will be more!
@@erlendse they're still on ebay and Amazon
Thanks for beta testing
@@PW-72648 not a problem.
Same ic footprint with an added circuit. 👍
@@PW-72648 just got it yesterday, it's amazing with gqrx and NOAA satellite tracking
are they out of stock everywhere ?
Seems like V4 is just HF+ Discovery but smaller LOL
I bought the V4 today and cant seem to pick up anything other than commercial FM radio, ie Capital etc
Any suggestions please?
Are the ariels that come with it rubbish?
Can I use my TV aerial Booster to pick up anything, or will it damage the front end?
Same here. FM works but pretty much bugger all else, and I was full of enthusiasm for this SDR stuff up until now....
@@mussie302 Since my last post, I can pick jp so much more now
What magic did you weave?
@@mussie302 An Aerial - But High up
I can even receive Amazon Drivers or some couriers, not sure what
What's better rtl or nooelec
installing drivers for that thing is a nightmare... nothing works beside just noise and no reception... sdr console does not seem to work with that version...
ugh australia probably going to miss out like usual
One year in, they are still available. Just got mine.
Is there any internet place where such images being publish on regular basis ?
I have just got one- it's my first foray into sdr- and I am clueless- any help would be appreciated- but keep it simple I'm 75 and a bit slow but not stoopid. Thanks people. (btw I'm younger thanBiden or Trump but I still take a bit of time to catch up-! wink wink!)
Is the V4 suitable for ipad?
I waited for your review before ordering, and now they are sold out :(
Usou qual antena ?
whats your antenna for MF /HF
Normally an EFHW antenna. 25 metres or wire roughly.
Will this work for monitoring CB and 10m FM mode? I am struggling to find a receiver that is compatible with FM. Thanks
Since it is an SDR, this is possible. The dngle itself does not demodulate the signal.
All you have to do is activate the narrowband FM in the software.
Wonder if you might recommend a Apple Mac Software that i could use. The video really was a great presentation. Thanks
sdr++
lol currently unavailable for purchase
If I install the driver for the v4 on my computer Could I go back and still use a v3
Yea, all it does is add support for the v4 it doesn’t change much for the other ones.
I've just bought a V4, followed all the instructions many times over, and the only sampling which works is the quadrature sampling. 2048 and Q branch greys out the RF gain and just gives noise right through all HF frequencies. Any ideas anyone? A bit disillusioned so far.
@@GabrielRaigosa Thanks you. Good luck.
i cant make out how to download a program to run this stick?
Coolio. 1st of month will try to find one!❤
Mine led dosen't work
What antenna have you used?
Although I am glad this has come out at around £55 for the kit with antennas, for not much more money the RSP1a is so much a better product (£99).
I can't help but think this is the right bit of kit but should have come out 4 years ago
I have an RSP1a and for me it's either impossible to install on Linux, or I need a Masters degree to figure it out.
@@wesKEVQJ I can understand where you are coming from.
However now that SDRconnect in in a preview release, you can now run one script under linux that installs the API / driver along with the software and its a very easy job.
prior to this you had to install four scripts (one was the API / driver) the others were for sound patch and Soapy. none of that is needed with SDRconnect or even just to use the driver with other linux SDR software (provided they support the RSP1a).
@wesKEVQJ on what system? I'm almost computer illiterate and I got mine up and running on Windows 10 in minutes after watching a UA-cam video.
@@felixthecat1672 Ironically, Andy's Ham Radio Distro. It's Xubuntu based.
@@felixthecat1672 I’m using Linux Mint 21.2. It’s probably one of the easiest Linux distros to use. I can’t paste links here but if you google how to set up SDR connect on Linux there are a few forum posts with people giving instructions
Linux drivers?
Out of stock… 😩
Thanks a lot for this video, i currently have the V3, and V4 (single) seems out of stock at the moment. Remenber one of the this time with my second daughter we catch up some voices from the ISS, she doesn't believe it at first ! So to increase the game level, with i've try to catch NOAA pictures from passing satellite and, one we achieve it ! That was a great tech moment with my childs ! 😂 Thanks to you and sdr enthusiasts!
Does it performs well in VHF bands? Like AM aviation and 2 m ham band ?
Very nice video !
Thank You !
V3 is much sensitive, better than deaf V4
So what happens when they run out of chips? Is there a V5 around the corner?
Thanks