RTL-SDR BLOG V4 DONGLE INITIAL RELEASE!

[ChrisSmolinski]

We're happy to announce the first release of our new RTL-SDR Blog V4 dongle which is based on the R828D tuner chip. The pricing is US$39.95 for the V4 dongle with antenna set, and US$29.95 for the dongle only, including free shipping to most countries.

Currently we are only shipping this model from our warehouse in China and the initial production batch is small and so we are limited in stock. However, now that we have confirmed that production of the first small batch of V4 has gone very well, we will be ramping up production, and stocking Amazon USA within 1-2 months as well.

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-blog-v4-dongle-initial-release/

[MDK2]

I've never really been interested in their dongles before, but this one looks like it would be worth trying out.

[RobRich]

Just caught the announcement when skimming the SDRangel source repo. Ordered a couple of them.

The R828D has been in Astrometa DVB-T/DVB-T2 tuners for about a decade now.

https://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Astrometa_DVB-T2
http://blog.palosaari.fi/2013/10/naked-hardware-14-dvb-t2-usb-tv-stick.html
https://cgit.osmocom.org/rtl-sdr/commit/?id=aefd8b7d58c4735b19110b5f54de289e8dd931f5

It would seem any appreciable V4 performance differences from the V3 are likely more far more attributable to the updated RF filtering and power supply design than the tuner chip.

At least the V4 models have an integrated upconverter. Even a basic NEC602 external upconverter with an enclosure is around $15 shipped at AliExpress.

Alternatively, the Msi2500 Msi001 knockoffs *might* still be the better option at $20 to $30. I have a couple of them as well. They are okay enough IMO for *casual* MW/HF listening, but I have not bothered testing them much at higher frequencies. YMMV.

[RobRich]

I ordered two V4 dongles through the eBay listing, but anyway, I finally got around to actually reading the description. ;p

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276000581691

A few more details about the changes:

• USB noise choke, more bypass capacitors, and built in ferrites for less PC noise
• Additional ESD diode and extra ESD discharge paths
• Improved front end filtering via triplexer
• Built in 28.8MHz low pass filter
• Several breakout pads on the PCB for advanced users

[Treehouse SWL]

This seems like a low-stakes way to dip a toe into SDR listening, which is why I'm interested. I've read the software for the older models sometimes doesn't work well with Windows-based computers; wondering if that's still true.

[Shortwave_Listener]

This seems like a low-stakes way to dip a toe into SDR listening, which is why I'm interested. I've read the software for the older models sometimes doesn't work well with Windows-based computers; wondering if that's still true.

I have a V3 and Windows 10 and it works fine.

[Treehouse SWL]

This seems like a low-stakes way to dip a toe into SDR listening, which is why I'm interested. I've read the software for the older models sometimes doesn't work well with Windows-based computers; wondering if that's still true.

I have a V3 and Windows 10 and it works fine.

Good to hear that! Thanks.

[RobRich]

RTL-SDR V4 working in SDRAngel on Linux. it is not an AirSpy HF+D, but from a quick skim of a few HF bands, the V4 does seem considerably better than a V3 with a basic upconverter. YMMV, of course, especially since my V3 upconvertors are cheap NE602 devices.


(Click to enlarge)

[RobRich]

Finally got around to mediumwave. The V4 works okay for casual listening with my 31' vertical, but take care with RFI/EMI. I tested on my usual notebook, and I had to run it on the battery to avoid power supply RFI on MW frequencies. I have an USB extension cable wound on a huge mix 31 ferrite for SDR uses on that system, and for comparison, my AirSpy HF+D is not (usually*) affected by the same power supply RFI issue above very low longwave frequencies.

3.2M/s sampling seems okay upon a quick skim, though like the V3 model, I suspect the high sampling rate limit might be a YMMV depending upon the system. I am using an locally optimized build of SDRangel and various libraries under Linux on an AMD 5700u 8c/16t system.


On a related note....

10m+11m Bands Activity 5 SEP 2023 (RTL-SDR V4)


*While not too bad, the annoying mediumwave power supply RFI has started affecting my AirSpy HF+D on MW as well. I will poke at the issue later and try to recheck the V4.

[Treehouse SWL]

Well, I went ahead and ordered the V4 dongle. So far, I've had limited time to play with it, but for those wondering about how hard the drivers are to set up, I have good news.

While I write about tech for a living, I have no better than amateur skills when it comes to installing and using tech. Setting up the dongle and the SDR# screen, however, is relatively easy if you follow the directions on the RTL-SDR website. I'm running it on a nearly four-year-old Lenovo laptop with Windows 11.