SDR Hardware

SDR Hardware#

Reference of software-defined-radio (SDR) hardware in common operator use, sorted by capability tier. The market splits into RX-only entry-level dongles, mid-tier RX+TX devices, multi- channel coherent SDRs (for direction-finding), and high-end research / production hardware.

For frequency allocations, see Radio Frequencies. For direction-finding math, see Triangulation.

Receive-only entry tier#

Device

Frequency

Notes

RTL-SDR (R820T2)

24 MHz - 1.7 GHz

The $30 entry point; based on DVB-T tuner. 8-bit ADC.

RTL-SDR Blog v3

500 kHz - 1.7 GHz

Improved clock + HF direct-sampling.

RTL-SDR Blog v4

500 kHz - 1.766 GHz

Mar 2024; R828D tuner; better DR + filters.

NESDR Smart

24 MHz - 1.7 GHz

Nooelec packaging of RTL-SDR.

SDRplay RSP1A

1 kHz - 2 GHz

12-bit ADC; better DR than RTL-SDR.

SDRplay RSPdx

1 kHz - 2 GHz

Higher dynamic range; HF-tuned front end.

SDRplay RSPduo

1 kHz - 2 GHz

Dual tuner; coherent dual-channel.

AirSpy Mini

24 MHz - 1.7 GHz

12-bit; 6 MS/s; better than RTL-SDR.

AirSpy R2

24 MHz - 1.7 GHz

12-bit; 10 MS/s.

AirSpy HF+ Discover y

9 kHz - 31 MHz +

60 - 260 MHz HF / VHF receive-only; very high dynamic range.

Mid-tier (TX-capable)#

Device

Frequency

Notes

HackRF One

1 MHz - 6 GHz

8-bit; 20 MS/s; half-duplex; the all-purpose hacker SDR.

LimeSDR Mini 2.0

10 MHz - 3.5 GHz

Updated LimeSDR; 12-bit; full-duplex.

LimeSDR USB

100 kHz - 3.8 GHz

12-bit; full-duplex.

PlutoSDR (ADALM)

325 MHz - 3.8 GHz

Analog Devices educational; AD9363 chip; full-duplex.

PlutoSDR + Hack

70 MHz - 6 GHz

Hardware mod expands range.

BladeRF 2.0 micro

47 MHz - 6 GHz

12-bit; full-duplex; 56 MS/s.

USRP B200mini

70 MHz - 6 GHz

Ettus / NI; small form factor.

USRP B210

70 MHz - 6 GHz

2x2 MIMO.

ANTSDR

70 MHz - 6 GHz

Open-source PlutoSDR-class.

Multi-channel / direction-finding#

Device

Frequency

Notes

KrakenSDR

24 MHz - 1.766 GHz

5x coherent RTL-SDRs; the operator-friendly DF platform. Open-source DOA software.

KerberosSDR

24 MHz - 1.7 GHz

4x coherent; predecessor to KrakenSDR.

RFMate / RFMate++

similar

4-channel coherent DIY.

PlutoSDR + clock

325 MHz - 3.8 GHz

2x coherent with shared 10 MHz reference.

USRP X310

DC - 6 GHz

2 daughterboards; 100 MS/s; lab-grade DF.

USRP N310 / N320

DC - 6 GHz

4 channels; production-grade.

High-end / research#

Device

Frequency

Notes

USRP X410

1 MHz - 7.2 GHz

RFSoC-based; 4 RX + 4 TX; 400 MHz BW per channel.

USRP X440

DC - 8 GHz

Direct-sampling RFSoC.

USRP N310 / N320

DC - 6 GHz

4 channels; 200 MHz BW.

USRP E320

70 MHz - 6 GHz

Embedded, network-attached.

Ettus B205mini

70 MHz - 6 GHz

single-channel small form factor.

Microsoft / NI USRP

s,

Many Ettus variants; lab and academic standard.

NI / Ettus X310

DC - 6 GHz

USRP X310; 2 daughterboards; 100 MS/s.

Per Vices Crimson

100 kHz - 6 GHz

4 RX + 4 TX; 1 GS/s; high-end.

Per Vices Cyan

100 kHz - 18 GHz

Up to 16 RX/TX; 5 GS/s; research-grade.

Epiq Solutions Sidekiq Z2

70 MHz - 6 GHz

Embedded; defense focus.

Epiq Solutions Matchstiq Z3p

Similar coverage

Embedded.

DeepWave AIR-T

up to 6 GHz

GPU-coupled SDR (Jetson); ML at the edge.

Specialty#

Device

Use

TinySA / TinySA Ultra

spectrum analyzer; 100 kHz - 6 GHz; cheap.

NanoVNA / LiteVNA

vector network analyzer.

Flipper Zero

sub-GHz + NFC + BLE + IR + iButton + GPIO; under 1 GHz.

Proxmark3 RDV4

RFID / NFC card cloning (LF + HF).

Chameleon Ultra

NFC emulation.

ChameleonMini

NFC emulation.

WiFi Pineapple

WiFi penetration; not strictly SDR.

HackRF Portapack

Standalone HackRF in handheld; battery-powered.

PortaPack Mayhem

firmware for HackRF Portapack with extra protocols.

SDR-Console RSPx

software-supported devices.

Antennas#

Class

Use

Discone

VHF / UHF wideband; receive-friendly.

Log-periodic

Wideband directional; HF / VHF / UHF.

Yagi-Uda

Narrowband directional; ham + sat.

Rubber-duck

Generic VHF / UHF whip; good only for nearby.

Magnetic-loop

Compact HF; quiet; receive-strong.

Active loop

HF receive; built-in amplifier.

T2FD / OCFD

HF receive-friendly; broadband.

Discone

Receive-everything VHF / UHF.

Nagoya NA-771

VHF / UHF whip; the staple ham handheld antenna.

GPS active patch

GNSS receive.

Helical

VHF / UHF circularly polarised; sat work.

Quadrifilar (QFH)

Sat receive (NOAA APT, Iridium).

Parabolic dish

SHF / EHF directional; sat downlink.

Phased array

4-8 elements for KrakenSDR DF.

Operator notes#

  • 8-bit vs 12-bit ADC, the dominant entry-level vs. mid-tier distinction. RTL-SDR is 8-bit; SDRplay / Airspy / Hack-/BladeRF / USRP are 12-bit+. 12-bit gives ~24 dB more dynamic range; matters in crowded RF.

  • Half- vs full-duplex, HackRF is half-duplex; BladeRF / PlutoSDR / LimeSDR / USRP are full-duplex. Matters for TX/RX synchronous protocols.

  • Coherent multi-channel, KrakenSDR / KerberosSDR / USRP X3xx are the practical DF options; require shared clock.

  • TX power, consumer SDRs are mostly < 100 mW; need external PA + filter for legitimate amateur work.

  • Authorization, TX requires a license in nearly every band (ham, marine, aviation). RX-only is generally legal in publicly allocated bands.

  • Filters / LNA, mandatory front-end work for most real receive applications; FM-broadcast notch filters are the most-needed accessory for VHF/UHF work.

References#

Contents