Paul, NN4F posted this review of how he finds the RSP1A:
Paul writes: “Overall, I’m very pleased with the RSP1A, I know there will be more in depth technical reviews, but as a regular ham radio user, would I buy the RSP1A, at $99 – Yes with no hesitation; I’ve been running the RSP1A and RSP2Pro in tandem here at the NN4F station, and find that they compliment each other very well”
Carl Laufer, author of RTL-SDR.com has published a comprehensive review of the RSP1A and summarises the improvements he sees in the new SDR:
Over on the eHam review website (see the link below) we’ve had some very nice comments posted in the last few days from new users of the RSP2pro and RSP2:
KW8L Oct 31, 2017 09:12
AMAZING! Time owned: 0 to 3 months
The RSP2 Pro in one word is, AMAZING! I have had this in my “shack” for a about two months and it does what the manufacturer, SPRplay, says.
Nice to have multiple antenna ports available making it readily adaptable to many different situations and configurations. Small in size, slightly larger than a standard deck of playing cards, all the while being able to “hear” from 1 kHz to 2 GHz. Don’t let the packaging and small size fool you. Quality thru and thru.
I use mine with the included SDRuno software, this allows use as a spectrum scope, panadapter, and very wide band receiver. Lots of features, and some what of a steep learning curve, but worth the time to read, and then re-read the manual again.
Should you find yourself in a situation where issues occur, and answers seem not to be readily available, write them a note. They have successfully answered all of my questions. The user groups are a tremendous asset.
All in all, I would give this product a solid 10 out of 10.
Jack – KW8L
M0MSD Rating: 5/5 Oct 31, 2017 07:55
Excellent Time owned: 6 to 12 months
I can’t praise both the hardware and the support staff highly enough. I just wish all other companies involved with amateur radio would go the extra mile like the SDRPLAY support staff do. I now have two RSP2 Pro units, one for my FTdx5000 and one for my FTDX 300. Both units do exactly what it says on the box. I wanted to do something not usually available with one of the units, the support staff sent me the necessary parts focus. Do you know another company that would do that? If so please let me know and I’ll start using their equipment too.
All I can say is, if you want an SDR or panadaptor then get an SDRPLAY, you won’t be disappointed and their software is as good if not better than any other free software you’ll find.
Please note that I’m only an end user of the equipment and have no other connection with the company.
AE5J Rating: 5/5 Oct 26, 2017 10:36
Amazing! Time owned: 0 to 3 months
Not many products are as impressive as this little unassuming box. I always wanted to dabble with SDR, but could not justify the expense. I got the SDRPlay RSP2 on sale from HRO because the price was almost too good to be true.
Well the RSP2 is better than I expected – by a large margin. I’ve been having a great deal of fun prowling around places I only briefly visited many years ago. The receive is, IMHO, every bit as good as some of the more expensive ham transceivers.
The software from SDRuno works very well, albeit there is a learning curve, but it is worth the investment of time. I’ve also used SDR Console from Simon Brown, the guy who brought us Ham Radio Deluxe. Simon’s software is a bit more aimed at the experienced Ham, but SDRuno offers many of the same features. The answer? Install both and enjoy.
I can’t add much to what has been said already. Be sure and protect the front end on the RSP2. I just connect my main station antenna to the RSP2 OR the ham transceivers. Works amazingly well.
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If you’re thinking of buying an SDR, you can compare reviews of other radios and SDRs on the eHam website: http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/8
The latest QST magazine (October 2017) includes a detailed independent review of the performance of the RSP2pro. It tabulates extensive measurements from their dynamic testing and they summarize these impressive results saying that the RSP2pro has “A Lot of Capability in a Small Package”. QST magazine is available to all ARRL members. We hope to be able to reproduce their article here in the near future. Meanwhile, to find out more about QST magazine go to http://www.arrl.org/this-month-in-qst
Andrew Back, Director of the Free and Open Source Silicon Foundation has written a new review of the RSP2 for RS Components’ Design Spark Community Website. Andrew writes “The RSP2 (124-9619) from SDRplay bridges the gap between the popular RTL-SDR re-purposed TV tuner dongle that offers the very lowest cost SDR solution, and high-end platforms…”
You can read the review by clicking on the link below:
https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/rsp2-an-affordable-high-performance-sdr-receiver
Here is the latest RSP2 review, written by Mike Richards for the April edition of the RSGB monthly RadCom magazine:
DB Gain, the author of the ‘Utility DXers Forum’ blogsite (see udxf.nl/ute-info.html ) , has uploaded a review of the RSP2 which can also be found by clicking here: http://www.udxf.nl/SDRPlay_RSP2_SDR.pdf
There’s a very nice review of the RSP1 in the latest (Feb 2017) edition of QST magazine – click here to read the review article. There’s also an article on page 34 about Panadapters which of course is one of the many popular uses for an RSP:
It’s a real indication of just what good value the RSP1 is at $129 – for anyone trying to decide between the different RSP products, check out the comparison of features below:
The 2017 edition of the World television and Radio Handbook is now available for purchase and includes a new review of the RSP1 using SDRuno in which the author comments ‘All in all we were very impressed by SDRuno….. we can strongly recommend it to users of the SDRplay which seems to us to represent an almost ideal introduction to the capabilities (of an SDR)’
To get a copy of the handbook – go to www.wrth.com
The first eHam reviews for the RSP2 are starting to appear on http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/13139
RSP1 reviews can be found on http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/12358 where we have scored 4.5/5 across 62 reviews 🙂
Many thanks to all who take the trouble to document their experiences (warts and all!) and share their enthusiasm for SDR and SDRplay products
