Thank you Stefan (and all),
I think I will put the FCDP+ at the top of my list for now.
Regards software. This has been a bit hit and miss with me for SDR's.
I like SDR# but it is Windoze only. I prefer Linux but use Windows when have to. On Linux I have been using GQRX. They all have their pluses and minuses but the challenge becomes getting everything to place nice together, for example which OS? I like GPREDICT and there are Windows and Linux flavours but the FCDP+ software is Windows only (or is it? I will have a go look see).
I guess it is time to do some more reading and research.
Glad I didn't get a HackRF.
cheers, Graham ve3gtc
On 2016-01-22 22:59, Stefan Wagener wrote:
Hi Graham.
If you check online, the HackRF has been a huge disappointment as a receiver for a number of reasons. The airspy is better but at the end it is the FCD Pro+ that will outperform all of them especially with the narrow SAW filters on 2m and 70cm. I had all three and tested them extensively for satellite work. At the end I only kept the FCDplus+.
Hope this helps,
Stefan, VE4NSA
On Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 4:33 PM, Graham <planophore@aei.ca mailto:planophore@aei.ca> wrote:
very interesting discussion. Does anyone have any first hand experience using the Airspy SDR http://airspy.com/ It is in the same price range as FCDP+ and a bit more than the SDRPlay. There are so many to choose from with prices all the over the place. I realize that you get what you pay for but sometimes that is not always obvious, for example the HackRF devices are considerably more the SDRPlay/FCDP+/Airspy but as someone commented, lacks front end filtering making them a poorer choice. So far I have been only dabbling with receiving the many satellites now flying about. It has been a long time since I have made any contacts through any of them, that was back in the OSCAR 7/8, RS10/11 era. cheers, Graham ve3gtc On 2016-01-22 20:45, Clayton W5PFG wrote: Like others have mentioned here, the $20-25 RTL Dongles have not worked very well for me when combined with a transmitter. The FT-857D/FUNcube DonglePro+ combo worked well for me. Not one of the two RTL dongles was suitable for regular use. I rank the RTL's as a failure for both mode B or J birds without significant additional filters. For simple receive use, they're okay. If compactness was a desire, the FCDP+ would be my choice. However, the SDRPlay mentioned has a lot more bandwidth capability and is reasonably priced from HRO in the states. 73 Clayton W5PFG _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org <mailto:AMSAT-BB@amsat.org>. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb