Testing a $100 “Fishball” Pluto+ PlutoSDR Clone

Over on YouTube, TheGmr140 has uploaded a video reviewing a Pluto+ clone SDR that he picked up for around US$100. He refers to it by its community nickname, the "Fishball", a name that appears to be used for Pluto+ clones sold specifically by HamGeek and OpenSourceSDR Lab, as distinct from other generic Pluto+ boards available on AliExpress.

Setup was straightforward: plug the OTG port into a PC, wait for it to appear as a USB drive, edit the config file to set the Ethernet IP address - no drivers required. Works immediately as a PlutoSDR in GNU Radio or GQRX. He's been running it at up to 13 MSPS and notes TX and RX coverage from 70 MHz to 6 GHz.

What is the "Fishball" and how does it differ? The tezuka firmware project (the main community alternative firmware) lists the Fishball as a distinct target from the generic Pluto+, identifying it as the HamGeek and OpenSourceSDR Lab boards specifically. It comes in Zynq7010 and Zynq7020 variants; the developer F5OEO notes a preference for the Fishball over the LibreSDR on build quality grounds.