Hello forum users! I decided to create my first topic on this forum.
I’ll tell you how to spend time and some money with interest and get a universal radio receiver in the range of 50-900 MHz. I got it under $20, maybe it’s cheaper now. Last year I bought a USB TV tuner on ebay, the seller no longer sells it, but you can find it in a search for the Realtek rtl2832 Elonics e4000 chip.
This is a Chinese USB TV tuner.
Ask? This is a TV tuner how to make a radio.
There is no need to solder anything. I'll tell you
Download a patched driver with a radio function. convenient proven option - SDR https://public-xrp.s...ase-rev427T.zip With auto tuner function.
For it to work as a radio receiver, we don’t need native drivers, we replace them with the necessary patched ones.
Download the program to replace the firewood and drag it into the downloaded patch (open both and drag it)
Run Zadig.exe, click Options->List all devices, select Builk-in, Interface 0, select the replacement driver - “WinUSB”, click Reinstall Driver 
Replaced? Go ahead.
And we launch our patch, downloaded SDR file, open the Release folder-> click SDRSharp.exe, the application will open, click Other and the RTL-SDR/RTL2832U drop-down menu
Where to point. 
Did you manage? Click the long-awaited Play, if everything is done correctly it should work.
Now you can drag the scale left or right, or drive it into the field on the top left.
My kit comes with a half-meter antenna.
It catches better with a home antenna. Horn systems. On some, the protective diode is forgotten, so as not to kill the receiver, we don’t touch the antenna with our hands.
Does the zombie box show? Whistle DVB-T format. in my area DVB-T2. So I won’t say anything about TV.
What can you hear taxi drivers, radio amateurs, builders, communication between aircraft and dispatchers, FM radio.
Especially for smart people I tried to briefly describe the process. It's been chewed up on Habrahabr!
Your true noob
Kendi Bober
Don't forget Google knows everything
They offered to review the DVB-T tuner. I would refuse due to the outdated broadcast format, but the device itself is too interesting. Using a tuner, you can receive and decode almost any signal in the range from 25 to 900 MHz. I decided to listen to the broadcast a little.
The tuner arrived in a gray box without identification marks. Inside there is the device itself, a disk with software, a remote control and an antenna. Everything is in plastic bags.
The tuner is slightly larger than a flash drive. An antenna is connected to the side. And through the holes the signal from the IR remote control is received.
The Blaze HDTV Player program is used as the basis for watching television channels. This is a paid application, although there is a serial number on the disc packaging. I took the latest version from the official website (in demo version mode). Scanning the range takes about two minutes, after which I have a list of channels. In Kyiv in 2017 you can find 16 channels in the DVB-T range. (ERA | first national; Boutique; M2; PravdaTut; PlusPlus; NEWS 24; Rti; 100+; Channel 5; NewsOne; EU Music; Music Box; Rada; Sontse; Nadiya; KRT;). 
With the same program you can listen to radio in the range of 88-108 MHz. 28 stations were found with reliable reception. 
Unfortunately, in order to reliably receive the signal, I had to take care of taking my laptop with all the equipment out onto the balcony. It would be nice to use a decent-sized antenna, but for this you will have to get hold of an adapter from the used MCX connector to a regular antenna connector. Otherwise, you may end up with slides instead of a video stream. The Internet also recommends touching the antenna as little as possible to avoid damage to the device due to static.
I tried to collect statistics on signal reception in Kyiv. Near Kharkovskaya metro station - poor reception. The reception at Demievskaya metro station is good. Near the Minskaya metro station the reception is of average quality, a larger antenna is needed. Let me remind you that television broadcasting is also in the DVB-T2 range.
What I liked the most was the SDRSHARP program. . I haven't looked into all of its settings, but overall it's quite functional. Changing the frequency is done by clicking on the upper or lower part of the digits of the displayed current frequency. The type of received signal is selected automatically, depending on the range. But almost everything can be selected manually. Using this program I was able to receive a signal in the range from 21 MHz... 
... up to 940 MHz. The FM band even displayed RDS station information. 
If you need to change the drivers to native ones from Realtek, then I found them here. Choose depending on the chipset.
RTL2838U+ E4000, FC0012, FC0013= Treiber1.zip
RTL2838U+ R820T= Treiber2.zip
RTL2838U+ Noxon= Treiber3.zip
RTL2838U+ R828D= Treiber4.zip
By going to the Play Market and specifying the phrase “RTL RDS” in the search, I found many programs. I tested the first ones I came across. I scanned the range using the SDRTouch program (downloads Rtl-sdr driver). And I watched TV through Aerial TV (downloads DVB-T driver). It turned out quite well. 
The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.
I'm planning to buy +40 Add to favorites I liked the review +43 +67Long gone are the days when radio scanner was the preserve of the elite, now even schoolchildren can play it!
Many probably remember the 90s or 2000s, when serious devices like AOR or ICOM cost about a thousand dollars and most of us could only dream of buying such a radio scanner. But time does not stand still and now thanks to USB TV tuner DVB-T SDR on a chip RTL2832U + R820T (RTL2832U + R820T2) and special software can be used to make wideband SDR a radio receiver for just $10.
What is a radio scanner? Radio scanner- this is a special broadband receiver with which you can listen to service walkie-talkies and radio stations, that is, you can receive frequencies: traffic police, police, air, railway, Ministry of Emergency Situations, maritime, radio amateurs, private security companies, taxis, etc.
Now, to listen to the above services, it is enough to have a personal computer with Windows OS and $10 to purchase a Chinese TV tuner (FM+DAB USB DVB-T RTL2832U+R820T). You can buy this device on Aliexpress, the link leads directly to the tuner we need, which, by the way, is used in.
Contents: USB tuner, antenna with cable, remote control, disk
The Internet is full of articles on this topic SDR receiver 24MHZ-1850MHz (RTL2832U+R820T), but they are all from 2013 or 2015 with broken links. I personally spent a little over an hour figuring out the device, so I decided to write my own article with up-to-date links to drivers and necessary software.
Description of work
The DVB-T TV USB tuner has the ability to operate in SDR mode. All that needs to be done is to replace the original driver with specialized software. Such a tuner is capable of providing radio reception of all radio stations operating in the frequency range from 24 MHz to 2.2 GHz, including CB radio stations, amateur radio bands 10 m, 2 m and 70 cm, air band, LPD walkie-talkies, taxi drivers, GSM spectrums and others with AM, FM, WFM, NFM, CW, SSB modulations. To operate such a radio receiver you do not need a separate sound card, just insert it into the USB connector of your computer or tablet, install the drivers, launch the receiving program and enjoy the reception. The viewing band is 3.2 MHz, i.e. you see all stations in that band at the same time. Frequency adjustment using the mouse wheel. The kit includes a 70cm antenna.
Specifications:
Installation and connection
First connect the antenna to the TV tuner - then connect it to USB, there is a danger of static. The CD that comes with the tuner is not needed. Other drivers and programs are required here, which are described below:
Download the drivers (Download is a program to replace the standard tuner driver with a universal driver). They are different for Windows XP and for Windows 7.8. Take only those you need, below is a description in English. For example, zadig_v2.0.1.160.7z
Connect the tuner to the computer's USB port. To exclude automatic search for drivers, it is recommended to disconnect from the Internet for a while (at the time of replacing drivers). Windows will start looking for drivers, don't pay attention to it. Unzip the zadig_v2.0.1.160.7z archive to any folder and run the zadig.exe file. A window will open, menu Options - List all devices, then select our tuner from the list RTL2838UHIDIR and install the Install Driver. We agree with the warning about unverified drivers. After installing the drivers, be sure to restart your computer.
Now let's install a program to control the RTL SRD receiver.
Download the latest version of SDR (SDR# rev 1430 & ADSBSpy at the time of writing). SDRSharp does not require installation. Download the archive sdrsharp-x86.zip. Unpack them into the sdrsharp folder. Run install-rtlsdr.bat inside the extracted folder. This will launch a command prompt which will download SDRSharp and all the files it needs to run SDRSharp With RTL-SDR. When the operation is completed, the command line will automatically close. The installation can now be considered complete. Run the sdrsharp.exe file to configure the program.
Beginning of work. Fast start
Let's launch SDRSharp.exe
First you need to configure SDRSharp to work with RTL tuner. Select the device " in the line next to the button RTL-SDR/USB".
- in this stock yours RTL device and tuner chip.
- (RTL Sampling Rate) Receiver bandwidth, 2048 MSPS is 2.048 MHz. The band can be changed from 0.25 MHz to 3.2 MHz. The larger the bandwidth, the greater the load on the processor. Not every computer can work normally with the maximum bandwidth. To start, set it to 1024 for single-core processors and 2048 for multi-core processors. Then experimentally determine the maximum for your system.
- RTL device operating mode. Quadrature reception mode is required for operation. It is installed by default. There are also modes for digitizing the I channel or Q channel. These are specific modes and under normal conditions there is no need for them.
- This is a useful option for owners of the E4000 tuner. Switches the operating mode of the RTL input from zero frequency to intermediate non-zero. Checking this box allows you to completely get rid of the stick in the middle of the screen. For 820 tuners, this option is indifferent and is ignored in the driver code.
- Automatic gain control in the “Tuner mixer - RTL2832 ADC” section. Check this box the first time you run it.
- Automatic gain control in the section "Receiver input - LNA - Mixer". This AGC does not work very well, a lot depends on the antenna, reception conditions and the range you are receiving. It's better to leave this checkbox disabled for now.
- Manual tuner gain adjustment. Allows you to independently change the gain of the tuner input path when the . For the first start, set this regulator to 25 - 36 dB.
In the future, in practice, you will figure out which settings will give you the optimal result; for the first time, these will be suitable in most cases.
- Correction of the frequency of the tuner reference oscillator. Do not change the setting in this field yet. Next we will look at this parameter in more detail.
The program is now configured to work with your receiver. You can press the button .
Tune in to an FM broadcast station. In the Radio tab, enable the modulation type WFM.
Check the box Correct IQ in the Radio tab. This will improve the suppression of the specular channel and remove the stick in the center of the spectrum.
Check the box Filter Audio in the Audio tab. The sound will become more pleasant, high-frequency noise and crackling will disappear.
Adjust the slider Range in the FFT Display tab. RTL dynamic range is low. A spectrum analyzer minimum of -70 dB is sufficient.
Jackdaw Snap to Grid It's better to remove it for now. First you need to calibrate the receiver frequency.
If the sound is choppy, you may have selected the receiver bandwidth too wide and your processor can't handle it.
Click the button and try different settings A.G.C. And RF Gain.
In this video shown installation And setting broadband SDR receiver (radio scanner):
Long gone are the days when radio scanning was the preserve of a select few; now even schoolchildren can play it!
Many probably remember the 90s or 2000s, when serious devices like AOR or ICOM cost about a thousand dollars and most of us could only dream of buying such a radio scanner. But time does not stand still and now, thanks to the USB DVB-T SDR TV tuner on the RTL2832U + R820T (RTL2832U + R820T2) chip and special software, you can make a broadband SDR radio receiver from it for just $10.
What is a radio scanner? A radio scanner is a special broadband receiver with which you can listen to service walkie-talkies and radio stations, that is, you can receive frequencies: traffic police, police, air, railway, Ministry of Emergency Situations, marine, radio amateurs, private security companies, taxis, etc.
Now, to listen to the above services, it is enough to have a personal computer with Windows OS
Description of work
The DVB-T TV USB tuner has the ability to operate in SDR mode. All that needs to be done is to replace the original driver with specialized software. Such a tuner is capable of providing radio reception of all radio stations operating in the frequency range from 24 MHz to 2.2 GHz, including CB radio stations, amateur radio bands 10 m, 2 m and 70 cm, air band, LPD walkie-talkies, taxi drivers, GSM spectrums and others with AM, FM, WFM, NFM, CW, SSB modulations. To operate such a radio receiver you do not need a separate sound card, just insert it into the USB connector of your computer or tablet, install the drivers, launch the receiving program and enjoy the reception. The viewing band is 3.2 MHz, i.e. you see all stations in that band at the same time. Frequency adjustment using the mouse wheel. The kit includes a 70cm antenna.
Specifications:
Frequency range: 24 - 1750 MHz
Modulation: AM, FM, NFM, LSB, USB, CW (ADS-B, D-STAR, AIS and other types...)
Span: varies from 250kHz to 3MHz
Sensitivity: 0.22mKv (at 438MHz in NFM mode)
Receiver input impedance: 50ohm
Range filters: external only
ADC capacity: 8bit
Dynamic Range: 50dB (in CW mode)
Received signal delay: 340ms.
Interface: USB 2.0
PC requirements: any modern
Operating system: Windows, Linux, Android
An SDR receiver from a TV tuner is the best option for a beginner who wants to have an all-band receiver and spend a minimum of money, about $20. Let's briefly look at what it is.
The digital part of such receivers should be RTL2832, and there may be several analog parts e4000, FC0013. The E4000 is a silicon chip and is quite noisy; you can install a preamplifier and reduce the noise.
What to listen to
88-115Mhz – FM radio
118-135Mhz – communication
430Mhz – LPD/PMR.
144Mhz – Two are radio amateurs.
864Mhz – anything from cordless phones, bookmark bugs, etc.
It is better to use another antenna; the standard one will not work very well. And also, if you want to listen to a deuce (143-174 MHz), for example, then make an antenna for it.
Metatronych, a huge request: enlighten me on the analog part. Ebay, and not only that, is stuffed with a bunch of RTL2832U+R820T. How does the R820T behave?
The R820T will be perfect and even cheaper, so you can safely search for this query. Thank you friends for reminding me about him.
What about APCO P25 digital connectivity?
The program accepts the digital transmission on the default recording device, and plays the decoded result to the default playback device. To “connect” SDR# and DSD you will need a Virtual Audio Cable. In the Windows sound properties, set the output to VAC as the default recording device, and in SDR# select the playback device - Line 1 (VAC). AF Gain is set to about 20-40%. We configure SDR# to the desired frequency (
