Submit a Story/Contact

If you would like to submit something that relates to cheap SDR (a project, blog post, something interesting you have found), please email us at [email protected].

We will look at your submission and if we think it is a good fit for our blog make a summary post about it, making sure to link and credit your original source. If you don't have your own website or blog, don't worry, just write about your project in an email and we will host any images or documents related to your project for you. Usually we will get to your submission within a few days.

Please note that we will not accept payments or incentives in return for any type of post except for product samples for an honest review. If you are interested in writing a non-commercial guest post for us, please also contact us on the above email address.

Product/Shipping Support

If you have a general question about RTL-SDRs or SDRs or third party software we ask you to please ask in our forums. If you email us we may not respond to questions about third party software as this should be asked in the forum.

If you need troubleshooting support please first ensure that you have been through our Quickstart guide and the troubleshooting section on it, as well as our V3 users guide. Common questions like how to use the HF mode and how to activate the bias tee are explained on the V3 users guide. 

If you have a question about shipping of an item please first read the shipping policy on our store and see if it answers your question. The shipping information is just under our product listings. If it is a request for tracking details please first check your old/deleted/spam mails for the order confirmation email which contains the tracking details. There will have been two emails from our email at [email protected], the second of which contains the tracking details.

If you suspect a lost postal item please contact your local postal agency first and inquire there. They have more information than we have. If they confirm it as lost or not received after a long time then please let us know and we can open an investigation on this side as well. Usually we must wait at least 6 weeks from the date posted before we can open a lost parcel investigation.

For everything else such as confirmed lost postal items, warranty claims and support inquiries that aren't covered by the quickstart or troubleshooting guide then please contact us at [email protected]. We aim to always reply within 1-2 business days. If we don't respond within 3 business days then the mail may have gone to our spam folder. Please try to email again using different keywords. We do check our spam filter once a week just in case, but some messages could still be missed. Remember, if you have questions about third party software, please ask in the forums only.

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362 comments

  1. Lizz Cramm

    Hello,

    My name is Lizz from Infolinks Media and we are allocating budgets from a few select brands such as Adidas, Under Armour, and Macy’s that we have quarterly placements for. I’m now in the process of evaluating different websites to see which could be a potential fit for our advertisers.

    Our research team has reviewed rtl-sdr.com and determined it could be eligible for these campaigns.

    I’m trying to lock down these budgets this week. Are you available for a quick call tomorrow to discuss this opportunity? If you prefer, you can schedule a call on my calendar here: https://calendly.com/my-infolinks-calendar-4/30min-1

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Thank you,
    Lizz

    Lizz Cramm
    Senior Business Development Executive
    Infolinks Media, LLC

    P: 709-728-3252
    E: [email protected]

  2. Sean Allen

    A seller named Joybuy Express sold me a fake RTL-SDR on Walmart.com. The refused to honor a return. They used a photo of the genuine article from the RTL-SDR-COM page and they even warned buyers to beware of fakes. Ironically their advertisement on Walmart’s website is taken down : RTL-SDR Blog V3 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF BiasT SMA – but I still have the fake …it does not have the full URL on the case, which is secured with 4 screws one in each corner. I am disputing with my credit card and certainly will prevail but have documented everything.

  3. David W

    I have two RTLSDR v3 dongles, one from 2018 and a newer one from 2021. The older dongle can receive signals in the 500kHz range down to -113dB but the new one only gets to -99dB. It seems there was MF band attenuation added to the newer dongles. Is there a way to remove the MF attenuation by changing some components on the newer dongle so that it performs as well as the 2018 dongle? If so, which components do I change?

  4. William James

    Hello,

    My name is William from Infolinks Media and we are allocating budgets from a few select brands such as Adidas, Under Armour, and Macy’s that we have quarterly placements for. I’m now in the process of evaluating different websites to see which could be a potential fit for our advertisers.

    Our research team has reviewed rtl-sdr.com and determined it could be eligible for these campaigns.

    I’m trying to lock down these budgets this week. Are you available for a quick call tomorrow to discuss this opportunity? If you prefer, you can schedule a call on my calendar here: https://calendly.com/my_infolinks_call-dr_3_b/30min

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Thank you,
    William

    William James
    Media Supervisor
    Infolinks Media, LLC

    P: 551-252-1935
    E: [email protected]

  5. Joseph reith

    New Tool
    https://github.com/ainfosec/FISSURE/

    FISSURE – The RF Framework
    Frequency Independent SDR-based Signal Understanding and Reverse Engineering

    FISSURE is an open-source RF and reverse engineering framework designed for all skill levels with hooks for signal detection and classification, protocol discovery, attack execution, IQ manipulation, vulnerability analysis, automation, and AI/ML. The framework was built to promote the rapid integration of software modules, radios, protocols, signal data, scripts, flow graphs, reference material, and third-party tools. FISSURE is a workflow enabler that keeps software in one location and allows teams to effortlessly get up to speed while sharing the same proven baseline configuration for specific Linux distributions.

    The framework and tools included with FISSURE are designed to detect the presence of RF energy, understand the characteristics of a signal, collect and analyze samples, develop transmit and/or injection techniques, and craft custom payloads or messages. FISSURE contains a growing library of protocol and signal information to assist in identification, packet crafting, and fuzzing. Online archive capabilities exist to download signal files and build playlists to simulate traffic and test systems.

    The friendly Python codebase and user interface allows beginners to quickly learn about popular tools and techniques involving RF and reverse engineering. Educators in cybersecurity and engineering can take advantage of the built-in material or utilize the framework to demonstrate their own real-world applications. Developers and researchers can use FISSURE for their daily tasks or to expose their cutting-edge solutions to a wider audience. As awareness and usage of FISSURE grows in the community, so will the extent of its capabilities and the breadth of the technology it encompasses.

  6. Daniel J Hageman

    Be patient as it takes time for these things to come across the pond. What you have purchased is a very popular item right now. I waited over three months before I got mine. That’s not saying yours will take that long to arrive. I just took one day at a time and when it arrived I was so excited. Now the real problem is I am not getting any sleep because I want to listen to everything I can pick up with the dongle. It will come I hope you enjoy yours as well as I have enjoyed mine. As a matter of fact I was so impressed I have ordered a 2nd one. Good luck and Good Listening. God Bless.

  7. Roy Coatman

    What a pile of @*Tg this store is.
    I bought RTL-SDR Blog Active L-Band 1525-1660 Inmarsat to Iridium Patch Antenna Set and Wideband LNA by RTL-SDR Blog from your Aliexpress store and waited over a month.
    On checking the tracking it states dispatched for both items.
    By accident I found that the order has been cancelled with no notification to me and no refund process started.
    DO NOT BUT FROM THIS COWBOY OUTFIT!

    • admin

      Hello, due to the Shanghai COVID outbreak a lot of our shipments were unable to make it out of the city during April. If a package cannot arrive at the Aliexpress shipping warehouse within a certain timeframe, the shipping label is automatically cancelled. Unfortunately because of the way trucking works with the lockdown we have no guarantee it arrives in time.

      If it gets cancelled, the order will be automatically refunded by Aliexpress after a few days time. An email from Aliexpress is sent notifying of the cancellation, and the cancelled status is shown in your account.

      I’m sorry that this issue has happened to you, but I hope it’s understandable that the Shanghai COVID lockdown is outside of our control, and we are doing our best to work around it.

    • Ron

      I agree totally with you. I purchased from them, and I never received the product and they refused to refund my purchase. I disputed it and my credit card company told me they have had this happen many times from this company. I was Fortunate that my credit card company credited my account. I also put in a complaint with the FTC. I have tried to spread the word not to purchase anything from this company. They are a scam.

      • admin

        Hi Ron, may I please know you order ID number to check up and see what happened? All Aliexpress packages that became stuck because of the Shanghai lockdown were fully refunded automatically. Certainly no refunds were ever refused.

    • admin

      Hello, please recall the shipment delay warnings on checkout. For any order after April 1 the warnings would have been shown clearly. Basically we are still contending with Shanghai COVID lockdown delays which have gone on much longer than anyone ever expected. At the moment things are improving, but we are still only managing to get shipments out every 1-2 weeks as our warehouse is still under heavy lockdown.

  8. Phillip Botha

    Good day from RSA. I am pensioner and do not have any credit card. What must do to now to register so that I can get SDR going. I got this dongle as a present from a fellow radio ham in RSA. Can please advice what must I do. Thanks Phillip Botha ZS6PMB

    • David

      I use program called sdr charp. There are others. Just have to do a google search for sdr software and try a few downloads.

  9. Chris

    Question, I ordered 2 RTL SDR dongle, and pay it with paypal but in the orders it say “Order currently failed” what them mean?

  10. Stephane

    Hi I am an electronic devices manufacturer and I am desesperatly looking for the chipset R820T2 form Rafael Micro. I’am ready to buy 5 000 to 10 000 units of it. Could you think about selling me only this component ? Warm regards, Stéphane.

    • claishem

      yes it is. got mine 2days ago. took 2 months to arrive via china post. i am running mine on windows 11 pc. working fine also with raspberry pi.

  11. paul

    HI: I’m new to SDR and would like to purchase from you, as you appear to have a quality company. Please help by telling me which SDR, SDRs or combination of components I ought to purchase which would allow me to pick up the WIDEST RANGE OF FREQUENCIES. From the lowest MHz signals to the highest GHz signals, within the SDR technology. Thank you

  12. Ник

    Hello, how can I buy your product in Russia? both of your links to legal sellers have not been active for a long time !!!

    • Anonymous

      They are active on Amazon right now and shipping is fast. They also have some items on eBay which I made the mistake of ordering. It takes them over a month by their own estimation, so I’m guessing longer, and that is if they don’t loose it or damage it during transport. I would never order from eBay again. I’ll probably end of ordering another antenna and will be using it long before this one arrives. I can’t imagine how slow it would be trying to get the order to Russia with the conflict going on right now.

  13. Ronald Rubin

    I read your web site frequently and have learned a lot from your articles, Now I do not know where to turn so I am emailing you hopefully for an answer to my problem. I have virtual radar on my windows 10 computer, and it is running very well. I just purchased a Dell laptop computer which has windows 11 and I tried to put virtual radar on it but when I try to run it, it gives me a statement that it cannot connect. I have used the exact inputs to set it up that I used for my windows 10 computer. Can virtual radar not run on a windows 11 computer? What may I be doing that is wrong? I would appreciate any advice to correct this situation. I am very frustrated.

  14. William James

    Hello,

    My name is William from Infolinks Media and we are allocating budgets from a few select brands that we have quarterly placements for. I’m now in the process of evaluating different websites to see which could be a potential fit for our advertisers.

    Our research team has reviewed rtl-sdr.com and determined it to be a good fit based on your audience, engagement, past performance, and the quality of the site’s content.
    I’m trying to lock down these budgets this week. Are you available for a quick call tomorrow to discuss this opportunity?

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Thank you,
    William

    William James
    Media Supervisor
    Infolinks Media, LLC
    P: 551-252-1935
    E: [email protected]
    Schedule a call: https://calendly.com/schedule_infolinks_call-dr_3a/30min

  15. David

    Sounds like you are trying to receive the signal with the repeater, have the repeater retransmit the signal so the SDR can hear it. If this is the case the repeater out probably overpowers the input to the SDR. Better to use a preamp on the sdr or tap off the signal in the repeater and send some to the SDR if you actually need it repeated for others in the area and not have a separate antenna on the SDR.

  16. raman

    we are trying to capture mobile signals, and in areas where the signals are weak, we install a GSM repeater to enhance the signals. but the compatibility between the gsm repeater and the SDR is creating problems. Any suggestions, tips are most welcome

  17. David

    What do you call a repeater? You need a preamp, preselector, or if using a transmitter an amp. A repeater is supposedly something that hears a signal then retransmits it at a higher power or in a certain direction.

  18. raman

    hello all, i need to boost the mobile signal recived by the SDR, but when i connected a mobile repeater to enhance the signals, the available frequencies as shown by the software, reduced to just 2-3 . how can i integrate a mobile signal repeater to provide better connectivity to the SDR?

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