SDRplay Community Forum

tnx. I 'll try this evening

CubicSDR?

Hello. This is my first post here. Before buying an SDRplay unit I thought I'd try a smaller, less costly option. What a mistake. I just spent a few hours (actually, a few minutes to a few hours every night for the past 6 nights) trying to get an RTL-SDR dongle to work with HDSDR and then with SDR# in Windows 7 and almost lost my mind. There were signals all over the place but nothing would "decode" (i.e. - no audio, anywhere). I'd post to the site I bought it, the mfr would post a hint, someone else would post something, and after loading a driver, uninstalling a driver using Zadig and reinstalling a driver, and using windows device manager to uninstall drivers and using zadig and removing the device and plugging it in again then finally finding the magical, correct, sequence I had to follow EVERY time I tried to run the thing, I'd get a great-looking spectrum with peaks and no sound. No matter how I'd configure it. No instructions, jut a little blue USB dongle and a cheap antenna (I used a home-brew 2M/70Cm J-pole too) so I packed it up and sent it all back. Gotta love amazon.com...

So, I LIKE the idea of SDR, bringing an antenna to work and plugging a "dongle" into my laptop, listening to shortwave/etc, maybe plugging my Ten-Tec Eagle IFR into the thing for a panadapter, but MAN this was frustrating.

Someone TELL me this is closer to plug and play than all that. Thanks in advance.

Norm
Maryland

NormB wrote:CubicSDR?

Hello. This is my first post here. Before buying an SDRplay unit I thought I'd try a smaller, less costly option. What a mistake. I just spent a few hours (actually, a few minutes to a few hours every night for the past 6 nights) trying to get an RTL-SDR dongle to work with HDSDR and then with SDR# in Windows 7 and almost lost my mind. There were signals all over the place but nothing would "decode" (i.e. - no audio, anywhere). I'd post to the site I bought it, the mfr would post a hint, someone else would post something, and after loading a driver, uninstalling a driver using Zadig and reinstalling a driver, and using windows device manager to uninstall drivers and using zadig and removing the device and plugging it in again then finally finding the magical, correct, sequence I had to follow EVERY time I tried to run the thing, I'd get a great-looking spectrum with peaks and no sound. No matter how I'd configure it. No instructions, jut a little blue USB dongle and a cheap antenna (I used a home-brew 2M/70Cm J-pole too) so I packed it up and sent it all back. Gotta love amazon.com...

So, I LIKE the idea of SDR, bringing an antenna to work and plugging a "dongle" into my laptop, listening to shortwave/etc, maybe plugging my Ten-Tec Eagle IFR into the thing for a panadapter, but MAN this was frustrating.

Someone TELL me this is closer to plug and play than all that. Thanks in advance.

Norm
Maryland

Not plug and play. You have to install API and Plugins. You will also have to install your choosing of any of few and only archaic software that works with it.

Yes .. it does get easier. And .. you get what you pay for. You buy a $20 dongle .. you get a $20 dongle. What can I say .. they have a lot to be desired. Buy an SDRPlay and you will be much happier. I use mine with SDR# and no issues. But .. you do want version 1361.

SDRPlay is due tomorrow, will try HDSDR first as I've got the most experience with it.

Thanks for the responses.

I'll be back...