RTL-SDR Blog V3 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF BiasT SMA Software Defined Radio

This RTL-SDR Blog brand V3 dongle includes a 1PPM TCXO and HF Bias Tee. It is perfect for general radio scanning, air traffic control, public safety radio, ADSB, AIS, ACARS, VDL2, trunked radio, P25/DMR digital voice, TETRA, POCSAG, weather balloons, APRS, NOAA APT or METEOR M2 weather satellites, Outernet, Inmarsat, Iridium, GSM and Milsatcom applications.

This RTL SDR unit has several improvements over generic and other brands including:

• R820T2 tuner

• Improved passive component tolerances

• A 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO)

• HF mode via direct sampling built-in (can tune down to 500 kHz unlike basic RTL-SDR which can only go to 24 MHz)

• SMA F connector

• Aluminum shielded case with thermal pad for passive cooling to improve L-Band performance

• Software activatable 4.5v bias tee circuit

• Improved PCB design for lower noise and fewer spurs

• A USB noise choke, more bypass capacitors, and built-in ferrites for less PC noise

• Improved ESD protection (additional ESD diode and extra ESD discharge paths)

• An improved front-end circuit designed for wideband use (other models still use a circuit designed for DVB-T only)

• Several breakout pads on the PCB for advanced users

This is an RTL-SDR software-defined radio receiver with RTL2832U ADC chip, R820T2 tuner, 1PPM TCXO, SMA F connector, and aluminum case with passive cooling. Tunes from 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz with up to 3.2 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth (2.4 MHz max stable, 3.2 MHz max if your application is tolerant to USB drops). (HF works in direct sampling mode - V.3 models and above only). Perfect for use as a computer-based radio scanner with free software like SDR#, HDSDR, SDR-Radio, Linrad, GQRX, or SDR Touch on Android. Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and even embedded Linux computers like the Raspberry Pi. 

This model has several key improvements over other models. It uses the improved R820T2 tuner, has a 1PPM TCXO (2 PPM initial offset, 1 PPM temperature drift), and has improved component tolerances and an SMA F connector. It also comes with a software activatable bias-tee circuit for powering external devices such as LNA and active antennas. It also has HF reception capabilities. Most standard RTL-SDR dongles can tune down to 24 MHz at the lowest. This model has hardware that unlocks the "direct sampling mode", and allows for tuning down to 500 kHz. There is a built-in 25 MHz low pass filter for optimizing this mode.

Various other improvements over other models have also been applied. For example, a choke has been added on the USB line and additional bypass capacitors and power line ferrites have been added for reduced internal & PC noise, the PCB has been redesigned for significantly lower noise performance, ESD protection has been improved, the front end circuit has been optimized for wideband use (other models are still optimized for DVB-T frequencies), the LDO has been upgraded, and several breaks out pads have been added for advanced users.

The device requires USB 2.0 (works on most USB 3.0 ports, but we cannot guarantee it to work on all so please ensure your PC has a native USB 2.0 port just in case).