Recommended Receiver — Nooelec NESDR SMArt v5 (RTL-SDR)
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We recommend the Nooelec NESDR SMArt v5 RTL-SDR USB dongle for the free SDRcom Red Lite and SDRcom Pro receivers. It is a wideband RTL-SDR (100 kHz – 1.75 GHz, and when used with our software it offers a broad coverage of 2.4 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth) compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. Fully tested by Peter, the developer — who owns this exact unit and confirms it works with SDRcom Red Lite and SDRcom Pro. Nooelec reports that, compared with earlier RTL-SDR models, the v5 improves HF signal-to-noise by up to 15 dB and VHF/UHF by up to 6 dB, with roughly 4× better tuning accuracy and a frequency range extended down to 100 kHz; these figures are Nooelec's published specifications. HF reception below 25 MHz uses direct sampling and needs a suitable antenna. Proudly built by Nooelec in the USA and Canada.
We also recommend the RTL-SDR Blog V3 / V4 range; however, they are currently out of stock with no indication of when stocks will be replenished. In the meanwhile, Nooelec claim improved performance with their NESDR SMArt v5.
Buy the Nooelec NESDR SMArt v5 on Amazon (affiliate link) — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HA642SW?tag=hamdash08-20
See hamdash.com/recommended-receiver for the full review.