Reddit reviews Ham It Up v1.3 Barebones - Nooelec RF Upconverter for Software Defined Radio. Works with Most SDRs Like HackRF & RTL-SDR (RTL2832U with E4000, FC0013 or R820T Tuners); MF/HF Converter with SMA Jacks
We found 12 Reddit comments about Ham It Up v1.3 Barebones - Nooelec RF Upconverter for Software Defined Radio. Works with Most SDRs Like HackRF & RTL-SDR (RTL2832U with E4000, FC0013 or R820T Tuners); MF/HF Converter with SMA Jacks. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Listen to ALL HF, down to 100kHz and below, with nearly any software defined radio!Listen to ALL HF, down to 100kHz and below, with nearly any software defined radio! Massively improved performance vs. any direct sampling hacks and implementationsOpen-hardware design with full documentation available. Datasheet: https://www.nooelec.com/datasheets/100555Proudly made in the USA and Canada with high-quality components! Full 1 year warranty, direct through NooelecAntenna protection on the RF input, in-circuit in both enable and passthrough modeAlso available in a 'Plus' version, which includes a TCXO and frequency capability down to 300Hz. Product name: Ham It Up Plus Barebones, Amazon SKU: B076CYH6NL
That's all I can think of for the moment. I may add to the list as I think of more cool sub $100 ham toys.
$20 - RTL-SDR - see /r/RTLSDR, ability to listen to a wide range of frequencies, including the VHF/UHF ham bands, but also scanner activity and everything else in between.
$52 - HF upconverter for the RTLSDR - Add HF listening to the RTLSDR - this is where all the good stuff is (in my opinion), the shortwave, DX, data modes, CW, weather fax, etc etc.
$36 - Baofeng UV-5R - transmit/receive on 2m/440, might not be as nice as the B5 model, but it's $20 cheaper. And quite frankly, I think once you get a taste of HF, your HT is going to collect dust. These keep on getting cheaper and cheaper, they're almost disposable at this point. So if you really dig having an HT and want a B5 or a newer model down the road, it won't break the bank. I've got a hand mic for mine and it's hooked up to an outdoor antenna - talks to all my local repeaters quite easily. Get the USB programming cable and maybe an after market antenna.
One of these and one of these combined will be the best deal.
An RTLDSR and an upconverter should both be available in your country. This would be the most versatile setup.
I've been using RTL-SDR with the Ham-It-Up. You'll need to get one of these SMA to MCX to connect them. After that I just built a simple wire dipole and strung it up in my attic. I can now do Rx on all bands. Furthest signal I've received so far was from Pakistan and I routinely listen to the shortwave broadcasts out of Cuba and the Bahamas. Best $100 I've ever spent in the hobby for sure.
Wow, Thanks for all of the great information! So it sounds like I can get better reception with my SDR by purchasing an "upconverter" like this one from amazon?
The SDR antenna I have is tiny. Is there an antenna I can buy and put in my attic that could give me better reception?
There are a few like that one. Every article in here is worth a read if you're interested in that sort of thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Secret_broadcasting
I believe you'd need a contraption like this in order to pick them up with an SDR: https://smile.amazon.com/NooElec-Ham-Up-v1-3-Upconverter/dp/B009LQT3G6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1446689941&sr=1-1&keywords=ham+it+up+upconverter&linkCode=sl1&tag=rsv0f-20&linkId=a7c84e914b0bbeeb3f2ee83fa6e5cd73
check out /r/rtlsdr lots of friends, advice and links to cool things that can be done with them.
There are cheaper ones out there that are most likely exactly the same chips...but this is the one that I purchased:
http://www.amazon.com/NooElec-Previously-Compatible-Packages-Guaranteed/dp/B009U7WZCA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1420983857&sr=8-3&keywords=rtl-sdr
If you want to cover even more bandwidth (ham bands) I also have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/NooElec-Ham-It-Up-v1-2/dp/B009LQT3G6/ref=pd_sim_e_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1CRMFJH1XA8H72GGV088
And depending on your OS of choice there are a few different free programs you can use to give you a front end.
windows: sdr#
mac: gqrx
gnuradio
> I don't care if the module is the size of a brick and I have to hide it in the glove box.
That's more/less 'easily' done then: get a nooelec 'ham it up' upconverter. There's a case as well.
I bought a usb dongle. http://www.amazon.com/NooElec-RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-Software-Packages/dp/B008S7AVTC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405475729&sr=8-2&keywords=usb+ham+radio+receiver+dongle and later bought the ham it up converter http://www.amazon.com/Ham-It-v1-2-Upconverter-Converter/dp/B009LQT3G6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405475771&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+ham+it+up You should do some reading up on this, its a great little receiver and you can listen to different digital modes.
Just like this one right? https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-Ham-Up-v1-3-Upconverter/dp/B009LQT3G6
This sounds simpler than soldering!
here it is! It runs of the 5v supplied by your computer. It also allows for use of hf/sw bands, down to ~500khz.