More Cheap SDR

[Jim Sky]

My thread got hijacked for the OH line.  So here is a new one.  Look at this video.  I can't wait till my stick arrives:
Thanks, David Fields!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&src_vid=ZuRcaxpbYCw&annotation_id=annotation_480543&v=Z0hEquzLsWU

jim
--





Jim Sky
Radio-Sky Publishing
89-720 Lani Kona Rd.
Captain Cook, HI 96704
USA

http://radiosky.com

[Marcus D. Leech]

On 04/03/2012 05:12 PM, Jim Sky wrote:

My thread got hijacked for the OH line.  So here is a new one.  Look at this video.  I can't wait till my stick arrives:
Thanks, David Fields!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&src_vid=ZuRcaxpbYCw&annotation_id=annotation_480543&v=Z0hEquzLsWU

jim
--

There's a (possibly artificial) shortage of these sticks at the moment--apparently due to SDR folks buying them up like crazy
  (guilty as charged, uronner)

There's a Reddit group:

http://www.reddit.com/r/RTLSDR

And they have a compatibility list--some of them haven't actually been tested, but apparently have the right hardware.

Jim Sky
Radio-Sky Publishing
89-720 Lani Kona Rd.
Captain Cook, HI 96704
USA

http://radiosky.com

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Marcus Leech
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[Don Latham]

I took a wild shot and bought two called digital tv-stick DVB-T. They
come with an IR remote...
I can't find a data sheet for the demod chip. The tuner is a TDA18218HN,
and the demod chip is an afatech AF9015a-n1, I can find the driver on
their site but no data sheet. A search for the part number reveals, of
course, about 1000 outfits willing to sell me something, but no data
sheet. I tire of Google, I hate it, no longer any relevant information,
just a ton of advertising thinly disguised. I could have thousands of
ersatz viagra pills, but no real information any more.
Google needs an inverse list ie least visited or cheapskates first :-)
Don

Marcus D. Leech

--
"Neither the voice of authority nor the weight of reason and argument
are as significant as experiment, for thence comes quiet to the mind."
R. Bacon
"If you don't know what it is, don't poke it."
Ghost in the Shell

Dr. Don Latham AJ7LL
Six Mile Systems LLP
17850 Six Mile Road
POB 134
Huson, MT, 59846
VOX 406-626-4304
www.lightningforensics.com
www.sixmilesystems.com

[Marcus D. Leech]

On 03/04/12 07:47 PM, Don Latham wrote:
> I took a wild shot and bought two called digital tv-stick DVB-T. They
> come with an IR remote...
> I can't find a data sheet for the demod chip. The tuner is a TDA18218HN,
> and the demod chip is an afatech AF9015a-n1, I can find the driver on
> their site but no data sheet. A search for the part number reveals, of
> course, about 1000 outfits willing to sell me something, but no data
> sheet. I tire of Google, I hate it, no longer any relevant information,
> just a ton of advertising thinly disguised. I could have thousands of
> ersatz viagra pills, but no real information any more.
> Google needs an inverse list ie least visited or cheapskates first :-)
> Don
>
>

The "secret sauce" chip is the RTL2832U -- it has the not-so-magic
"bypass mode" that allows capture of
resampled-but-otherwise-unmolested samples from the ADC.

There are four tuners commonly paired with the RTL2832U--about 95% of
the units out there will be:

Elonics E4000
Fitipower FC0012, FC0013, FC2580

A give-away is that the tuner advertises DVB-T, FM and DAB/DAB+ -- all
the demod modes *except* for DVB-T
use this "bypass" mode and do the demod in the PC-side driver.

[Don Latham]

This one claims:
Compliant with DVB-T, DVB-S, DMB-T/H, CMMB, ATSC Digital TV standard and
PAL, NTSC, SECAM Analog TV standard, BlazeVideo HDTV Player supports
most popular TV Card with BDA interface on market, runs stably and
smoothly on Windows 98 SE/Me/2000/XP/Vista operating system
Also will play FM radio.
Has advanced control windows for advanced scanning and advanced decode
with constellaton, code rate,transmission mode,guard interval,
off-center frequency. The software is called Blaze...
It also has a record and playback function.
ll hook it up, construct a connector adapter and play around with it
some. Let the grooup know if useful.

Marcus D. Leech

--

[Marcus D. Leech]

On 03/04/12 09:06 PM, Don Latham wrote:
> This one claims:
> Compliant with DVB-T, DVB-S, DMB-T/H, CMMB, ATSC Digital TV standard and
> PAL, NTSC, SECAM Analog TV standard, BlazeVideo HDTV Player supports
> most popular TV Card with BDA interface on market, runs stably and
> smoothly on Windows 98 SE/Me/2000/XP/Vista operating system
> Also will play FM radio.
> Has advanced control windows for advanced scanning and advanced decode
> with constellaton, code rate,transmission mode,guard interval,
> off-center frequency. The software is called Blaze...
> It also has a record and playback function.
> ll hook it up, construct a connector adapter and play around with it
> some. Let the grooup know if useful.
>
>

Well, the AF9015 isn't known to have a "bypass" mode. But maybe it does.

[Myamiphil]

I found it as a PDF but it can't be downloaded...

http://wenku.baidu.com/view/42240f72f242336c1eb95e08.html

Seems its proprietary

 

Best Regards

Phil
Lat: 40.8367633
Long: -74.1768412

---

From: Marcus D. Leech <patchv...@gmail.com>
To: sara...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 7:51 PM
Subject: Re: [SARA] More Cheap SDR

[Don Latham]

Thanks, Phil. The block diagram seems to indicate no bypass mode...
Don

Myamiphil

--

[Jeffrey M. Lichtman]

Great comments!

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: sara...@googlegroups.com [mailto:sara...@googlegroups.com] On
Behalf Of Don Latham
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 8:07 PM
To: sara...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [SARA] More Cheap SDR

[Don Latham]

As Marcus predicted, this particular unit has no "bypass" and won't work
for cheap SDR. Drat.
Don

Jeffrey M. Lichtman

[Marcus D. Leech]

On 04/06/2012 01:22 AM, Don Latham wrote:
> As Marcus predicted, this particular unit has no "bypass" and won't work
> for cheap SDR. Drat.
> Don
>

Should be good with this one:

http://www.egoo.us/latest-mini-usb-dvbt-tv-receiver-for-vista-wins-7-p160-p-53.html

Or

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/DVB-T-digital-Radio-SDTV-HDTV-Win7-XP-Realtek-RTL2832U-Elonics-E4000-P160-/380426515468?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58932ff40c

[Don Latham]

The tuner chip on the cheapie I ordered is:
TDA18218HN
and the complete data sheet is available. The chip will convert 174-864
MHz to an if with a center frequency of 3.5-8 MHz, depending on
bandwidth. The demod chip unfortunately will only do hdtv signals.
So, not really much help. The dongle could be used as a front end with
the demod chip physically bypassed, but some kind of HF rcvr is then
needed for a rear end. probably better to bite the bullet for a Funcube
dongle which is more expensive, but is open and far more versatile. The
cheapie will have to be the one suggested by Marcus,who as usual has
done his homework :-)

>> The "secret sauce" chip is the RTL2832U -- it has the not-so-magic
>> "bypass mode" that allows capture of
>> resampled-but-otherwise-unmolested samples from the ADC.
>>
>> There are four tuners commonly paired with the RTL2832U--about 95% of
>> the units out there will be:
>>
>> Elonics E4000
>> Fitipower FC0012, FC0013, FC2580
>>
>> A give-away is that the tuner advertises DVB-T, FM and DAB/DAB+ -- all
>> the demod modes *except* for DVB-T
>> use this "bypass" mode and do the demod in the PC-side driver.

quote Marcus.

Don