Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog brand R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA V3 Dongle, 1x Dipole Antenna Base with 60cm RG174, 2x 23cm to 1m telescopic antenna, 2x 5cm to 13cm telescopic antenna, 1x 3 meter RG174 extension cable, 1x Flexible Tripod Mount, 1x Suction Cup Mount.

The best value RTL-SDR on the market! Several improvements over generic brands including use of the R820T2 tuner, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector, aluminium case with passive cooling, software switchable bias tee circuit, additional ESD protection, lower overall noise and built in direct sampling for HF reception.

Comes with our portable dipole antenna kit. Great for beginners as it allows for terrestrial and satellite reception. Easy to mount outdoors and designed for portable and temporary outside usage. Please do not use outside during poor weather conditions.

Amazon USA local in stock.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog brand R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA V3 Dongle.

The best value RTL-SDR on the market! Several improvements over generic brands including use of the R820T2 tuner, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector, aluminium case with passive cooling, software switchable bias tee circuit, additional ESD protection, lower overall noise and built in direct sampling for HF reception.

Amazon USA local in stock.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x KerberosSDR with Calibration Board built in.

We have partnered with Othernet.is to create a special production of a 4-Input Coherent RTL-SDR called KerberosSDR. With a coherent SDR it is possible to perform tasks such as direction finding and passive radar. Currently only available on Indiegogo. See the Indiegogo Campaign page for more information.

Indiegogo Batch 2 PREORDER Available. Delivery expected late July 2019.

Includes 1x Dipole Antenna Base with 60cm RG174, 2x 23cm to 1m telescopic antenna, 2x 5cm to 13cm telescopic antenna, 1x 3 meter RG174 extension cable, 1x Flexible Tripod Mount, 1x Suction Cup Mount.

Our new portable Dipole antenna set with mounting kit. Allows you to more easily get the antenna up high and outside where reception will improve significantly. Dipole base mounts onto a standard 1/4" camera screw, so can be mounted on to a variety of already available mounts. Included is a flexible tripod and suction cup mount.

Designed for portable and temporary outside usage. Please do not use outside during poor weather conditions.

Amazon USA local in stock.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x FlightAware Brand Prostick Plus ADS-B Specialty RTL-SDR.

This is a modified RTL-SDR dongle made specifically for ADS-B reception (aircraft tracking - see our tutorial here). What makes it special is its built in 1090 MHz low noise figure LNA and SAW filter which significantly improves ADS-B reception. If you are mainly interested in ADS-B reception then this is one of the best dongles for the task. See our review of the unit here.

Produced by FlightAware.com for their aircraft tracking service and resold by us at RTL-SDR Blog with free shipping for international customers. USA customers can purchase it from directly from FlightAware on Amazon.

Amazon USA local in stock (Sold by FlightAware).
Chinese worldwide in stock.

Includes 1x Stratux Low Power RTL-SDR.

This is a modified RTL-SDR dongle designed for low power consumption. It uses a switch mode power regulator instead of a linear regulator which results in about 100 mA lower power usage. The trade off is additional RF noise in VHF, though these have been designed carefully so the noise is actually LESS than most other 'nano' sized dongles.

Stratux RTL-SDR dongles are designed for use in ADS-B reception on small aircraft, but they can also be used by anyone requiring lower power usage. For example on solar powered Raspberry Pi units. Note that these units have no enclosure, and do not have a TCXO. When installing in Zadig these show up as "Low Power V2".

Produced by stratux.me and resold by us at RTL-SDR Blog with free shipping for international customers. US customers can purchase from Amazon directly from Stratux.

Amazon USA local in stock (Sold by Stratux).
Chinese worldwide warehouse out of stock. Restocking delayed.

Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog Broadcast FM Band-Stop Filter and 1x SMA male to SMA male adapter.

Blocks the broadcast FM band between 88 - 108 MHz with over 50dB of attenuation. Insertion loss is less than 0.5 dB between 0 - 1 GHz, and mostly less than 1.5 dB between 1 - 3 GHz. A broadcast FM block filter can help if you have very strong broadcasts in your area that are overloading the SDR dongle. Also known as "FM Trap". Note, for RX use only.

See the product release page, for more information and tests.

Amazon USA local in stock.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog Broadcast AM High Pass Filter and 1x SMA male to SMA male adapter.

Designed to block the broadcast AM band between 500 kHz - 1.7 MHz with over 50 dB of attenuation. The 3 dB roll-off point is between 2.5 - 2.6 MHz. Works great with the direct sampling mode on our V3 dongles. This is a high pass filter and not a notch, so VLF will not work. Note, for RX use only.

See the product release page, for more information and tests.

Amazon USA local out in stock.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog ADS-B Triple Filtered LNA (Bias Tee Powered) and 1x SMA male to SMA male adapter.

This is a high performance filter and LNA combination for 1090 MHz ADS-B reception with 27dB of gain, a noise figure of around 1dB and over 60dB's of out of band attenuation. Designed to be used with bias tee power from our RTL-SDR Blog V3 dongles with the LNA mounted as close to the antenna as possible. It is triple filtered with a low loss high pass filter on the front end, and two 1090 MHz SAW filters placed in between and after the high performance low noise figure two stage MGA-13116 LNA. The triple filter design should help avoid dongle or LNA overload in noisy/strong signal environments.

Please note again: Requires 3 - 5v bias tee power. The RTL-SDR V3 provides 4.5v so is suitable.

See the product release page, for more information and tests. 

Amazon USA local out of stock. Restocking mid June.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog Wideband LNA (Bias Tee Powered) and 1x SMA male to SMA male adapter.

This is a general purpose SPF5189Z based wideband LNA. Works from 50 MHz to 4 GHz with a noise figure of less than 1dB. Requires bias tee power, but there is an internal header which can be used to switch to external power, although for external power wires you'll need to drill a hole into the enclosure. If you're looking to improve ADS-B performance we recommend our Triple Filtered ADS-B LNA shown above.

Please note again: Requires 3 - 5v bias tee power. The RTL-SDR V3 provides 4.5v so is suitable.

IMPORTANT ESD NOTE: If you use this LNA placed close to an outdoor antenna, please ensure that your antenna is sufficiently grounded. There is a fast ESD diode, and GDT on the LNA PCB for protection, but if the antenna is not grounded the effectiveness of ESD protection components will be severely reduced, and you run the risk of damaging the LNA.

Amazon USA local out of stock. Restocking mid June.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x SMA Pigtail adapter set (6 adapters)

Set of six SMA pigtail adapters with 20cm of RG316 cabling. Contains five SMA to female (Type N, UHF, BNC, PAL, Type F) adapters and one bonus SMA male to SMA male adapter which is often used to connect to devices like upconverters.

Amazon USA local in stock.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x SMA straight adapter set (6 adapters)

Set of six straight adapters with. Contains five SMA to female (Type N, UHF, BNC, PAL, Type F) adapters and one bonus SMA male to SMA male adapter which is often used to connect to devices like upconverters. Less loss than the pigtail adapters.

Amazon USA local out of stock. Restocking mid June.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x MCX Pigtail adapter set (7 adapters)

Great for if you have the older or other brand dongles that used the MCX antenna connector. Contains 6 MCX to female (Type N, UHF, BNC, PAL, Type F, SMA) adapters and one bonus MCX to SMA male adapter which is often used to connect to devices like upconverters. These do not fit onto our new SMA RTL-SDRs, these are for the older MCX style dongles.

Amazon USA local in stock - SALE!.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

This product is EOL and will not be restocked.

Includes 1x Black aluminum metal enclosure with two labelled side panels, 1x Black semi-hardshell carry case, 1x Thermal pad to keep the RSP1A cool and mechanically stable inside the enclosure, 1x Accessory set including enclosure screws, GND lug bolt set and 3M anti-slip rubber feet.

Premium aluminum metal upgrade enclosure for the SDRplay RSP1A. Helps block RF interference and protects the RSP inside the sturdy enclosure. 

Please note this product does not include the RSP1A.

Amazon USA local in stock.
Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

Includes 1x AN-03L seven meter (23 feet) long wire antenna spool + 1x Matching SMA Adapter, 1x 11cm to 48cm portable SMA telescopic antenna.

A low cost compact and portable antenna set. The long wire antenna can be used for receiving HF signals, and the telescopic whip for VHF/UHF. Perfect for travelling with SDRs like the RTL-SDR, Airpsy or SDRplay.

Amazon USA local out of stock. 
Chinese worldwide warehouse out of stock.

This product is EOL and will not be restocked.

This is a spare RTL-SDR V3 aluminum enclosure. Comes with two SMA side panels and a USB panel. It can be used to box home made filters or LNAs, the LNA4ALL, or a FlightAware dongle. Note that you may need to cut down the case length to customize the size depending on what you're putting in it.

Chinese worldwide warehouse in stock.

A comprehensive guide to the RTL2832U RTL-SDR software defined radio by the authors of the RTL-SDR Blog. This book is about tips and tutorials that show you how to get the most out of your RTL-SDR dongle.

The paperback includes the eBook via the Kindle matchbook program. Amazon Prime customers can borrow the book for FREE. Also available for purchase from Amazon sites in UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, JP, IN, CA, BR and MX.

Discones are wideband antennas. This makes them ideal for the RTL-SDR as using a Discone will allow you to receive at almost any frequency with decent performance.

A 1090 MHz ADS-B antenna from FlightAware. Is weather proofed and has 5 dB of gain. Uses an N-type antenna connector. See our review post for more information.

An active L-Band ceramic patch antenna with integrated LNA and SAW filter. This is an excellent antenna that can be used to receive Inmarsat, SafetyNET, EGC and AERO signals. It received from 1525 - 1559 MHz. As it is an active antenna, no additional LNA is required to make the RTL-SDR or other SDRs sensitive enough to receive these weak L-band signals. Required 4-5V bias tee power which can be provided by a RTL-SDR V3 dongle.

Currently we recommend the SpyVerter as the upconverter of choice. Although it was designed to be used with the Airspy, it works perfectly with the RTL-SDR. It uses a 120 MHz oscillator, has excellent filtering and can be powered via USB cable or via the bias-tee on our RTL-SDR Blog dongles. The SpyVerter uses an innovative new architecture that reduces overloading, has better SNR than other options and can operate all the way down to DC.

With the above performance and features, the included metal case and adapters and at a similar or even lower price compared to other upconverters we think this one is the best value. See our review post for more information.

An alternative to the SpyVerter is the upconverter designed by SV1AFN.

It based on the ADE-1 mixer chip, uses a 200 MHz oscillator, has good filtering and works almost down to DC.

Another recommended option is the Ham-It-Up Upconverter.

This one like the SV1AFN is also based on the ADE-1 mixer, but uses 125 MHz oscillator and is based on an open source design. There is also a metal case available on Amazon and eBay. However, currently we would recommend the SpyVerter or SV1AFN over this option.

If you are monitoring ACARS or air traffic signals then you may want an air band bandpass filter if you find that you have lots of interference from nearby stations such as FM broadcasts and Pagers.

FlightAware sell a very affordable ADS-B band pass filter. Many users have reported significantly improved reception when they started using this filter. This is probably the best filter to get if you are interested in ADS-B. See our review post for more information.

We also highly recommend the ADS-B HABAmp for receiving ADS-B signals. This is a filter + LNA combination that works very well and will significantly improve ADS-B performance.

We've tested these ourselves with the activatable bias tee in our units and found them to definitely work very well.

Adam (9A4QV) also sells some good low cost filters for ADSB, Hydrogen Line Radio Astronomy or FLARM.

The Hydrogen line is a physics phenomona that can be observed with an RTL-SDR dongle and FLARM is a protocol similar to ADS-B but used more often with gliders and helicopters.

This product is great for if you are using an upconverter together with your RTL-SDR, or other SDR. Contains seven band pass filters that range from 1.6 - 2.5 MHz, 2.5 - 4.7 MHz, 4.7 - 7.5 MHz, 7.5 - 14.5 MHz, 14.5 - 21.5 MHz, 21.5 - 33 MHz and 33 - 56 MHz.

The LNA4ALL is a very affordable wide band low noise amplifier that is very commonly used with the RTL-SDR. Has the ability to be powered externally from any voltage between 6V - 9V, or with a simple modification with 3V - 5V in bias tee mode.

We have tested the LNA4ALL in bias tee mode with the activatable bias tee in our units and found it to work well.

There are also several low noise amplifier circuits that can be found very cheaply for sale on eBay and most will do a good job. Unfortunately most don't provide a bias tee option like the LNA4ALL or HABamp does. Currently we recommend LNA's based on the SPF5189Z chip as they have wideband good performance, and are cheaply produced.

We also highly recommend the ADS-B HABAmp for receiving ADS-B signals. This is a filter + LNA combination that works very well and will significantly improve ADS-B performance.

We've tested these ourselves with the activatable bias tee in our units and found them to definitely work very well.

If you're wanting to receive Iridium or Outernet L-band signals then this is the best LNA for the job. It works between 1525 - 1559 MHz, with a gain of 34 dB. It has an on-board filter as well to remove out of band interference.

Must be powered via a bias tee, and works fine with the bias tee on our V1, V2 or V3 dongles. See our review post here for more information.

Ideally you want to get the RTL-SDR dongle as close to the antenna as possible. Normal USB cables have a length limit of about 5m before they stop working, but with an active USB cable this can be extended up to 10 to 15 meters.

We recommend these Monoprice cables as they have been reported to work successfully with the RTL-SDR dongle.

We recommend using RG6 coaxial cable for most links between your antenna and RTL-SDR. RG6 is low loss cable and it is also very cheap because it is used commercially with satellite TV installations.

RG6 is 75 Ohm cable. Note that the mismatch between 50 and 75 Ohm impedances is completely negligible for RX applications.

Noise and interference can sometimes be induced in the USB cable itself which can show up in the RF spectrum. To stop this noise use clip on ferrite cores on the USB cable. These cores help to suppress unwanted currents in the USB shield.

A Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized computer that runs Linux, or even Windows. With it you can connect an RTL-SDR, run a server, and then remotely send a signal or processed data such as ADS-B aircraft locations back via WiFi or Ethernet cable.

A USB on-the-go (OTG) cable is required to use the RTL-SDR on Android phones with software like SDR Touch and Wavesink. We recommend trying to find cables that come with power plugs so that you can use it with a power pack. Using an RTL-SDR can increase CPU usage which can quickly drain a mobiles battery.

If you are using a long wire or random wire antenna with a HF modded RTL-SDR or an upconverter you should use a 9:1 impedance transformer to get good SWR.

There are also several other alternatives available on eBay that use a larger iron core.

A wideband noise source can be used together with an RTL-SDR dongle to perform measurements on filters and to measure the SWR of an antenna.

See our tutorial here for more information.

We think the Airspy is the SDR with the best RX capabilities in the mid priced SDR market right now. It really shines when used in tough RF environments, such as those found in city and suburban areas. The Airspy is an excellent upgrade from an RTL-SDR dongle. Requires the SpyVerter upconverter add on to receive HF signals.

See our review post for a comprehensive comparison between the Airspy, SDRplay RSP and HackRF.

Another good mid range SDR is the SDRplay RSP. This SDR is great value for the price and can receive HF frequencies without an upconverter, but it not as good as the Airspy when running in tough RF environments with many strong signals.

See our review post for a comprehensive comparison between the Airspy, SDRplay RSP and HackRF.

This is an alternative RTL-SDR to the version we sell. This RTL-SDR is very small and is great for using with portable equipment such as mobile phones and tablets. Costs more than ours, is much noisier and doesn't have as many features but it also comes with a TCXO.

The E4000 is more expensive as it has become rare since it has gone out of production. It has a frequency range of 52 – 2200 MHz with a gap from 1100 MHz to 1250 MHz.

The E4000 RTL-SDR dongle can still be bought from Nooelec on Amazon as well. Due to its rareness, the cost of the E4000 is slowly rising. These dongles used to sell for $20, but are now going for around $50-$100! Best to get them now if you need them before they sell out completely. Though note that for most cases an R820T2 unit is usually better.

The HackRF One is a relatively low cost TX/RX capable SDR. It is designed for radio experimenters and it has a very wide band frequency range from 1 MHz to 6 GHz, and a wide bandwidth of up to 20 MHz and an 8-Bit ADC. It is probably the most versatile SDR that exists at the moment, but in a compromise it does not have the best quality RX or TX performance. Thus it is perfect for experiments like reverse engineering and testing RF devices, but it is not intended to be used as a commercial radio or ham radio.