SDRplay Community Forum

Hi All, new user but have been in the SDR field for two years now. I started with RTL-SDR and now an SDRPlay. RTL-SDR was easier to use and cheaper on the pocket. SDRPlay is 10 times more expensive and I do not see a value add in the signal strength and gain. Maybe I am doing something wrong? I am tempted to return it back to the store because it does not seem to be worth the price. So, what am I doing wrong? I tried both SDR's on the same antenna and they both perform the same. Absolutely no difference.

Hi and welcome. I too started with an RTL-type stick several years ago, and I saw a massive difference when I moved first to an RSP1 and then an RSP2. The RSP's have a much greater dynamic range of over 70dB compared to about 48dB for the stick. Under some conditions this does not make a lot of difference, but if there are big signals about there will be much less intermod and spurious products.
You also get coverage down to VLF with the RSP's which you don't get with the standard sticks. It's worth sticking with the RSP, as some of the differences can be quite subtle and they only dawn on you over time. I find that my RSP2 with a little help from some preselection is as good as my Rohde & Schwarz EB150. Actually better at VLF, as the EB150 is 'clicky' when tuning below 100 kHz and the RSP2 is not.

can you help explain the preselection? how do i set it? Can i mark the shortwave frequencies in the waterfall like the rtl-sdr?

Pre-selection is something you do externally to the receiver with an add-on unit. it is basically a tunable device which allows only a certain band of frequencies through to the RX, keeping out unwanted ones. This helps get rid of 'ghost' signals and reduces the possibility of intermod. Companies like MFJ sell them or they can be fun to build if you have the skills.
Bear in mind that with a pre-selector in circuit, the spectrum and waterfall displays will not show signals over the entire range, only showing signals at or near your selected frequency.
However, before spending money on a preselector, get to know your new receiver and the software - use of the gain control and sample rate is important to keep noise low and image rejection high.
I'm not sure about tagging, it may be worth asking on the Facebook page.

Ah i see what you mean. I have made band stop filters for FM and AM. I also have one from RTL-SDR .com. My primary purpose is to receive SW. I guess I have to get used to the software, but I have to same, and perhaps its because I am more familiar with it, but SDRSharp is much more user friendly.

Yes, SDRUno has a steep learning curve and some functions are not intuitive, but it's very good once you get the hang of it. I don't use anything else now. Sadly the SDRPlay receivers cannot be used with SDR# now, as there is a legal problem. If you can find an older version of SDR# (1360 or before) it will work, but I think some of the plug-ins may not work. I'm not sure as I haven't used SDR# for ages.
HDSDR is easy to use as long as you get the right EXTIO for it.
I stick with SDRUno as I now have the hang of it and it gets better with every update.

I think SDRuno has a lot of bugs. The software does not respond often and I have to close and reopen it again. Sometimes, just a few of the switches will not work. Something for the developers to work on I guess...

No, SDRUno has no bugs of that nature. It runs smoothly, but if your PC is low-powered or you have many applications running you may see this kind of thing.

2 CPU Intel Xeon, 8 core, 128 GB, 256 GB SSD

Capable of running VMware and many other CPU intense applications

Then you need to investigate what's going on. SDRUno runs smoothly even on my old P6200. Why not join the Facebook group and ask for help there? There are people who really know their stuff over there. Or you could open a ticket on this site.