NESDR Nano 2 Plus - Tiny Black RTL-SDR USB Set (RTL2832U & R820T2) with Ultra-Low Phase Noise 0.5PPM TCXO, MCX Antenna

Have been using the Nano 2+ for a few weeks now, representing my first foray into SDR. I've used radio scanners for many years, and known about SDR just as long, but by the time the rtl-sdr came into the public eye I had stopped keeping up with developments. All I can say is wow! It works great with both my Samsung Galaxy Note 5 using either samsung's own USB OTG adapter, or the Inatek USB 2.0 hub/card reader I also purchased here on amazon, which supplies external power to the Nano2+, reducing battery consumption while monitoring. Unfortunately Samsung has charging disabled while in USB Host mode (even though custom ROMs have enabled it on bootloader unlocked models) so I eventually have to disconnect and charge my phone. This includes Wireless charging. Note that this is no fault of the NESDR at all!I've had nothing but positive experience with it, the TCXO keeps the frequency spot on. I've only ever had to adjust by 1 PPM if ever. The unit does run hot, surprising me the first time I touched it after an extended listening session. But despite the heat, performance is great.On the PC side of things, it works great with both Windows and Linux (I dual boot) - so far everything that carries rtl-sdr support works with it just fine. I'm quite tempted to buy another for tracking trunking systems and the like. My immediate area remains analog but there are plenty of P25 systems in reception range that I wouldn't mind listening to. I haven't yet had a chance to pair it with a better antenna than the stock aerial provided, or test it in an enclosure to keep noise out (my house/area is EMF hell), but hope to soon. Hard to go wrong at the price. Very hard.

Was quite disappointed at the performance of this device.As a simple test, I connected it to a better all band antenna and tuned to local NOAA station 162.550 MHz. Was not able to receive any signal! Using a UV-5R right next to it varified the NOAA station was clearly receivable.The Nano+ is therefore quite useless and a waste of money.*UpdateHere is an update after working further. It turns out that the Android App "SDRTouch" is what seems to have been the issue. Installed "SDR++" instead which works a lot better. It pulled in the NOAA station which was reported above as undeceivable. One very big thing that makes a difference is SDR++ gain controls. While SDRTouch has a gain control, it doesn't seem to do much, while SDR++ gain controls make the difference.

I couldn't tell based on the description, but I was psyched to find out that this product picks up 978 MHZ UAT! The weather doesn't work in the Avare app in Alaska without ADSB. Once I got in the sky I started getting weather data and seeing local traffic. What an awesome, affordable alternative to commercial ADSB-in receivers.

Using this to capture utility meter readings with a Raspberry Pi. While it tends to run hot (thermally), its doing what I wanted it for. The included antenna is decent enough for this application and appears to be "good enough" for my needs, however if you have any real distance that might be an issue. For a low-cost solution that SDR is required, the price is right. This seems to be a decent value for what I bought it for.

Picked this up to decode 433Mhz, works like a charm.I can now trigger home automation events based on signals from 433mhz devices, only took about 2hrs to make it work, but that's because I had to debug MQTT a bit. (Remember to add "listener" to your conf!)Here's the chain I'm using.Ubuntu 22.04 -> rtl_433 22.11 [repo] -> mosquitto 2.0.11 [repo] -> mcsMQTT 6.8.2.0 [Homeseer Plugin] -> Homeseer 4.2.16.0

Update: The device no longer works. It burned up and almost caught my computer on fire.

Though this is a quality unit and has some plusses, I recommend that if you don't understand computers or radio very well to find something else to purchase. The NooElec website though sort of complete, doesn't really help you get through the machinations of using it on either a Windows PC or a Linux PC. Understanding drivers and the inevitable interference from other applications and their drivers is essential. If you have more than one dongle you will need to either find a free or a for-pay serial port app to handle them. The free software available to use this with also will require you to understand quite a bit about radio and computers. If you're fairly good with both, it's a lot of fun to have and spend time with.

I bought this to test an idea. I wanted a cheap FM radio that I could control volume and channels over WiFi with my home automation environment (HomeAssistant). The FM radio would be connected to a speaker outdoors and receive signal broadcast from a low range FM transmitter that's sending music synchronized to my holiday light show. I got it all working, connecting this to an RPi Zero. The issue is there is too much lag and buffering going on and the sound coming from the Pi is delayed such that the music isn't in sync with the lights or other regular radios tuned to the same frequency.So if THAT is what you're planning, it's probably not going to work. But otherwise, it's a cool little thing and I'm sure I'll find another project to make use of it.