Over on YouTube, Alexander from the Russian channel РАДИОБЛОГ с Александром Никитенко has uploaded a video review of a Russian USB filter product, designed for USB SDR dongles. The video is narrated in Russian, however you can use the YouTube auto-translate feature to get somewhat understandable subtitles. The actions he takes in the video are also easy to understand.

The USB filter is designed by Maxim who runs a small company called ExpElectroLab. Back in August we posted about another ExpElectroLab product which was the SDR# tuning knob. Since then we've seen that a few people outside of Russia have been able to order the product by contacting him at [email protected], and have been happy with it.

When using USB SDR dongles, the USB cable can pick up lots of interference from the PC and monitors, providing a direct path for this interference to enter the RTL-SDR. A USB filter can be used to remove this interference. There are several USB filters on the market designed for improving USB audio devices, but this is the first one we've seen designed for SDRs in particular. 

In the video Alexander tests an RTL-SDR with and without the USB filter connected. With the USB filter not connected, the SDR# display shows several spikes of interference in the spectrum, and once the filter is connected these spikes disappear. He also tests it on a USB powered shortwave radio, and the filter appears to remove the hiss caused by the power supply.

Note: Non-Russians can order this product by contacting Maxim at [email protected].