Tag Archives: Review
Afedri SDR-Net 2.3a Review
Introduction
Ham Radio Science occasionally get emails from our readers on suggestions for a good reasonably priced HF SDR radio that won’t break the bank. So, we spent a little time investigating what was available in the under $300 price range. Frankly, there is not much to be found with the exception of a few kits. The kits are great learning tools, but some of our readers may not prefer trying to build a kit that includes tiny sma parts. Also the kits and some of the less expensive SDR radios are still sound card based and we were really looking for a direct sampling receiver. The $249 Afedri SDR-Net HF SDR met our requirements and more. The Afedri Net-SDR allows for connection to your pc via an USB interface and what truly puts the Afedri SDR-Net in a class of its own is the ability to connect via TCP (Lan connection). After looking into the very positive comments on the internet regarding the Afedri SDR-Net, we thought it would be well worth investigating this amazing little budget HF SDR receiver. The Afedri SDR-Net is made by Alexander Trushkin 4Z5LV and is available in a case for $249 or as a board for $199 from Alexs’ website. We highly recommend the version with case, since the case is very well constructed. We contacted Alex and he sent us out a sample Afedri SDR-Net Vers. 2.3a to take a look at. We have been using the Afedri daily for HF monitoring for about a month and have been very impressed with what you get for the price.
RTL2832U / R820T vs RTL2832U / E4000
The bad news is that the venerable RTL2832U / E4000 chipset DVB-T stick that has been the source of many SDR projects is getting a little harder find. The good news is that the new kid on the block the RTL2832U / R820T looks like a worthy replacement. The other advantage is the the RTL2832U / R820T is a bit cheaper. The RTL2832U / E4000 is typically selling from $25 – $35 while the RTL2832U / R820T sells for around $10 to $20. The frequency range of the RTL2832U / E4000 is generally around 64MHZ to 1700MHz with a gap around 1100MHz to 1250MHz. The RTL2832U / R820T frequency range is 24MHZ to roughly 1850MHz with no gaps (found yet), and no DC offset spike. RTL2832U / E4000 uses a Pal type antenna connector and adapters are easily found at your local Radio Shack for external antennas.
GRE 410 Desktop / Mobile Scanner Mini Review
Introduction
If you are not yet in an area where APCO 25 has taken over, or looking for a good desktop analog trunking scanner for your Ham shack, look no further the GRE 410 offers a lot of radio for a little money. The GRE 410 desktop scanner can be found online for around $160, making it an excellent value for an analog trunk tracking scanner.
Flex 1500
I am sure that you have read all the great reviews for this little radio, but I thought I would throw in my 2 cents worth. This is one of the most FUN little QRP radios that I have had the pleasure of owning over the past years. The audio quality is extremely good and is a real pleasure to listen to. I have had a great deal of difficulty in the past enjoying HF radio while living in a high RF environment and restricted to a very crappy attic dipole. The Flex doesn’t seem to mind any of this. With the various noise reduction tools and filters, it makes HF a real pleasure to use. The 5 watts output seems to be plenty for most applications. I have had no trouble getting heard around the world on WSPR. Overall, this is an excellent little radio for the money!
