Review on RTL-SDR Blog R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA SDR Dongle (Device Only) by Alexander Scharon

As a radio amateur, scanner junkie, electronics geek and lifelong radio amateur, this has to be one of the greatest 'inventions' I've ever seen have passed on. 30+ years. In the past, if you wanted a broadband, all-mode receiver with a spectrum display and more features than you could count, you had to shell out several thousand dollars for a unit that had to be installed on a 19-inch TV. Now, for about $20, you can plug this little USB device into your computer and get just as good, if not better, results with free software. I figured I could afford such a device as the earliest hardware cost as much if not more than a dedicated broadband radio. Of course when the first SDR hardware/software came out computers were 10 times bigger and only had about 1 % processing power like modern computers The fact that hobbyists were able to "hack" a hardware/software solution that does what this device does, along with a program like SDR#, just amazes me. it is NOT a simple plug and play device. The flash drive plugs directly into your computer, but no documentation or instructions are included with the hardware. No one. Luckily, there's plenty of documentation online to help you get started. However, simply installing the right drivers is a manual process and learning the software will likely take some time and require more than just a little reading. If you know A LOT about computers and LOTS about radio, you might know your stuff. -and-probably works about 30 minutes after plugging in this gadget. If you don't know much about either of those things, you really won't get a job. If I tried to write a description of all the features of this device and combinations of different software, I could easily fill a 1000-page textbook. The possibilities are nearly unlimited. To my knowledge, these SDR devices are the biggest invention since sliced bread, even if they cost $100. However, for that money you could buy almost 5 of them. I look forward to eventually upgrading this kit to more efficiently receive transmissions on the LF, AM and HF bands. The groups I've tried it on so far have had incredible results. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars I would probably rate this item a 10. However, five stars is all I can give.