Hey Mike!
Yes, the SDRPlay products are great. The original SDRPlay RSP-1 is still my main Windows SDR for both telemetry and as my RX radio for voice sats.
Here is a page that you may find useful; a very handy overview:
https://www.pe0sat.vgnet.nl/decoding/block-diagram/
... and you'll quickly notice that there are actually a good number of educational pages on that same site.
Perhaps one of the most important things to remember, especially when getting started, is that you're dealing with a number of individual components that work separately but link together. This is nothing new to you or anybody else in the hobby, but really becomes a major part of what you'll be doing if you enjoy decoding telemetry since there are a lot of different tools used at any given time depending on what the needs are.
And I know it's obvious, but RECORD EVERYTHING. If you don't have your doppler tracking, audio connection, or decoding software just right on the 'live' pass, with an I/Q recording you can play it back and try again.
-Scott, K4KDR
================
On Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 11:44 PM Mike Lucas via AMSAT-BB amsat-bb@amsat.org wrote:
I'm thinking of acquiring an SDR unit for the station for downloading sat telemetry etc. I'm new to the SDR world but learning. I'm currently using a Yaseu 736R which has served me well.
Not sure how you configure SDR for Doppler tracking etc. so looking for links to info I can educate myself on what all I need etc.
Are there any particular SDR radios that lend themselves best for satellite work more than others? The SDR Play boxes look solid, are they recommended?
Regards,
Mike N7ASZ