{"id":29434,"date":"2017-12-03T11:01:14","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T15:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=29434"},"modified":"2017-12-03T11:01:14","modified_gmt":"2017-12-03T15:01:14","slug":"the-airspy-hf-sdr-first-impressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/the-airspy-hf-sdr-first-impressions\/","title":{"rendered":"The Airspy HF+ SDR: First impressions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday, I received a package in the mail containing the new Airspy HF+<\/a>\u00a0software defined radio receiver.<\/p>\n

It came as a bit of a surprise.<\/p>\n

I’ve been busy lately with humanitarian work<\/a>, the radio spectrum archive<\/a>,\u00a0 product evaluations and travels–not to mention an active family life. I had completely forgotten that about a month ago, I received a message from Airspy telling me that they had dispatched their latest SDR to me for evaluation.<\/p>\n

This morning, I unpacked the box to find that the HF+ is a very<\/em><\/strong> compact, relatively dense little SDR in a metal alloy case\/enclosure. I’m simply floored by the size. The case feels incredibly durable and of excellent quality.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Airspy HF+ under my business card<\/p><\/div>\n

In terms of footprint, dimensions are nearly identical to a business card. It’s about as thick as the typical USB memory stick.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The HF+ is so thin and compact compared with the Elad FDM-S2 (which is quite a compact SDR!)<\/p><\/div>\n

Other than my RTL-SDR dongle, it’s by far the smallest SDR I’ve ever tested.<\/p>\n

Though compact, it sports two SMA antenna inputs: one for HF, one for VHF.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The HF port is labeled as “H” and the VHF port as “V”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Airspy HF+ uses a common micro USB for both data and power<\/p><\/div>\n

The HF+ is the first AirSpy product I’ve ever put on the air.<\/p>\n

I read the HF+ product description this morning while downloading SDR Sharp<\/a>–it claims the HF+ is “plug and play”.<\/p>\n

Turns out, that is no exaggeration.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The HF+ on top of the Elad FDM-S2 and WinRadio Excalibur<\/p><\/div>\n

In fact, the entire SDR Sharp package downloaded in seconds, installed in seconds and the only thing I had to do after opening the SDR Sharp application was select “AirSpy HF+” from the product drop down menu.<\/p>\n

I started the application and *boom*<\/strong> signals all over the place!<\/p>\n

SDR applications, in general, have become so much easier to install over the years but I believe SDR Sharp may be the\u00a0 quickest install I’ve ever experienced. About as easy and lightweight as the WinRadio Excalibur application. True plug and play!<\/p>\n

I’ve had no time to properly evaluate performance–I just<\/em> put this little SDR on the air.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fortunately, propagation is cooperating this morning–I’m hearing both WWV Fort Collins and WWV Hawaii on 10 MHz. I’m really enjoying playing with the Airspy HF+ and re-familiarizing myself with SDR#. I had forgotten how responsive and intuitive the interface is–great user design.<\/p>\n

My first impression?\u00a0 I’m impressed. More to come…<\/p>\n

Click here to read about the HF+ on the Airspy website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I received a package in the mail containing the new Airspy HF+\u00a0software defined radio receiver. It came as a bit of a surprise. I’ve been busy lately with humanitarian work, the radio spectrum archive,\u00a0 product evaluations and travels–not to mention an active family life. I had completely forgotten that about a month ago, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[545,836,3,43,158],"tags":[3724,6613,157,3024,4087],"class_list":["post-29434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","category-new-products","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","category-software-defined-radio","tag-airspy","tag-airspy-hf","tag-sdr","tag-sdr-sharp","tag-software-defined-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-7EK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46594,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/radio-deals-airspy-black-friday-sale-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":29434,"position":0},"title":"Radio Deals: Airspy Black Friday Sale 2020!","author":"Thomas","date":"November 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"If you've been thinking about pulling the trigger on an Airspy product, now's the time! Airspy is once again offering huge discounts during their 2020 Black Friday promotion. For example, their Airspy HF+ Discovery SDR--which I consider to be one of the best HF SDRs on the market--is 30% off\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Deals"","block_context":{"text":"Deals","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/deals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Airspy-Black-Friday-e1606155245418.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Airspy-Black-Friday-e1606155245418.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Airspy-Black-Friday-e1606155245418.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29087,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/airspy-hf-sdr-now-available-to-order\/","url_meta":{"origin":29434,"position":1},"title":"Airspy HF+ SDR Now Available to Order","author":"Guy Atkins","date":"November 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As reported recently on the SWLing Post that the Airspy HF+\u00a0 would be available \"really, really, really soon\", the rumor has become reality--this new SDR receiver is for sale on Airspy's main sale site www.Itead.cc. The direct link for purchase is:\u00a0https:\/\/www.itead.cc\/airspy-hf-plus.html.\u00a0\u00a0The price in US dollars is a very reasonable $199.00,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Manufacturers"","block_context":{"text":"Manufacturers","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/manufacturers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Airspy-HF-plus-293x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30277,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/ivan-compares-the-airspy-hf-to-the-kiwisdr\/","url_meta":{"origin":29434,"position":2},"title":"Ivan compares the AirSpy HF+ to the KiwiSDR","author":"Thomas","date":"January 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Ivan (NO2CW), who writes: I have been running a public Kiwisdr server for a while and yesterday decided to plug in the new Airspy HF + into the same antenna for a side to side comparison. The antenna is an 80m dipole and the test\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Airspy-waterfall.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Airspy-waterfall.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Airspy-waterfall.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Airspy-waterfall.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38928,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/fenu-radio-reviews-an-airspy-hf-discovery-prototype\/","url_meta":{"origin":29434,"position":3},"title":"Fenu-Radio reviews an AirSpy HF+ Discovery prototype","author":"Thomas","date":"August 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Fernando Duarte of Fenu-Radio has just posted his review of the AirSpy HF+ Discovery SDR prototype.\u00a0 I trust Fenu's reviews because they're always thorough and based on actual listening sessions. In short, he's quite impressed with the prototype. In many instances the Discovery outperformed his benchmark Winradio G33DDC Excalibur Pro.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/aurspy-hfplus_discovery.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":57725,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/ivan-compares-the-new-rtl-sdr-v4-and-the-airspy-discovery-hf\/","url_meta":{"origin":29434,"position":4},"title":"Ivan compares the new RTL-SDR V4 and the Airspy Discovery HF+","author":"Thomas","date":"September 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan (NO2CW), who writes: I ran a test of weak signals RTL-SDR v4 against Airspy HF+ Discovery. Using sdr # and a few gain adjustments particular to each of the receivers. I ran the test at approximately 9 pm local time using the same\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30735,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/video-comparing-the-sdrplay-rsp1a-and-airspy-hf-on-hf-mw\/","url_meta":{"origin":29434,"position":5},"title":"Video: Comparing the SDRplay RSP1A and Airspy HF+ on HF & MW","author":"Thomas","date":"February 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov, who shares the following video where he compares the SDRplay RSP1A and the AirSpy HF+ software defined radios on shortwave and mediumwave: https:\/\/youtu.be\/Ff3SG_Mwt9Y Click here to watch on YouTube.","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Ivan-RSP1a-screen-grab.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Ivan-RSP1a-screen-grab.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Ivan-RSP1a-screen-grab.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Ivan-RSP1a-screen-grab.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29434\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}