{"id":47813,"date":"2021-02-16T10:38:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T14:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=47813"},"modified":"2021-02-16T10:39:20","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T14:39:20","slug":"franks-advice-for-dealing-with-sdr-clones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/franks-advice-for-dealing-with-sdr-clones\/","title":{"rendered":"Frank’s advice for dealing with SDR clones"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Frank Howell (K4FMH), who shares the following post published on AmateurRadio.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Many of us hams, SWLs, and makers buy inexpensive electronics from China. It\u2019s become a bonanza for small, cheap and surprisingly good radio-related gadgets and parts on eBay and other vendors. I buy a fair amount, most recently a recommended project box for a set of HF bandpass filters I purchased from a small company in Australia. It finally arrived and is superb for a very cheap price!<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a dark side<\/em>. I love a bargain more than most. But when it\u2019s an illegitimate clone of another genuine manufacturer\u2019s product, that\u2019s\u00a0no fair<\/em>. Yep, there\u2019s ways to legitimately copy another design with various hardware licenses and beaucoup software licenses (if that\u2019s relevant to the product). One of the ongoing issues in the Pacific Rim to the rest of the world has been the taking of the intellectual property from others, making a cheaper product offered for sale, and using the trade naming and hardware\/software designs of the originating manufacturer. In short,\u00a0stealing for profit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So be careful. The fake copies may not work with the latest SDRplay software including SDRuno. There will be no technical support even if you get some limited functionality using out of date software.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jon Hudson\u00a0SDRPlay.com<\/a><\/cite><\/p>\n

For those in or interested in the SDR receivers available, there are a number of prominent names. I\u2019ve had an Italian Perseus SDR for over a decade. Paid the asking price (a lot by today\u2019s standards). It\u2019s a terrific product although aging in the technology of the design. The\u00a0SDRPlay<\/a>\u00a0company in England has risen to the top in terms of performance, continued innovation and the software they purchased for a free download to their legitimate customers. SDRUno is a terrific software package which they continue to update. They have an API so other software makers (like Simon Brown with\u00a0SDR Console<\/a>) can drive the SDR car, too. Their price points are very good and appropriate for the various receiver models they have on the market. A third-party individual has written code for a continually updated package that implements a Spectrum Analyser for most of the SDRPlay receivers. I\u2019ve used an old (no longer in production) RSP1 with it and it\u2019s very cool! And don\u2019t get me started on their tech support and education. Mike Ladd KD2KOG is\u00a0the Dude<\/em>\u00a0on\u00a0social media<\/a>\u00a0for SDRPlay and related products. Mike creates new markets for SDRPlay products by educating hams and listeners on creative new ways to use them.<\/p>\n

Individual preferences for one SDR product or another aside,\u00a0SDRPlay is a legitimate company that plays more than fair in the marketplace<\/em>. They do a lot to support the various elements of the radio hobby that we all enjoy. We should return that favor so that they can continue without the eroding effects of illegal clones undercutting their market, n\u2019est-ce pas?<\/p>\n

Continue reading Frank’s article at AmateurRadio.com where he describes how to report a clone to eBay…<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thank you for sharing this, Frank.<\/p>\n

I’m with you. While I love saving money, I also enjoy supporting companies who innovate and invest in our radio world. SDRplay<\/strong> is a top-shelf company and, along with Airspy<\/strong>, have made high-performance SDRs affordable for everyone. When you buy from SDRplay and Airspy or one of their authorized distributors, you’re investing in the company and their ability to fund research and development. When you buy a clone, you’re lining the pockets of a manufacturer who copies from industry leaders and has no interest in innovating or even supporting radio enthusiasts over the long haul. It’s merely a profit opportunity for them built on the hard work of others.<\/p>\n

Plus, SDRplay and Airspy SDRs are so affordable, how much are you really<\/em> saving by buying a clone? $25-50? That savings will disappear when SDRuno and SDR# develop new app tools that leave a clone behind.<\/p>\n

I know of a number of readers who have purchased SDRs without realizing they were buying clones. Don’t be too frustrated–it happens because the market is so saturated with clones. Next time you purchase, however, go straight to the source!<\/p>\n

I have no respect for clones and that’s why I don’t actively link to clone products like the Malahit\/Malachite variants or MSI.SDR.\u00a0 Believe it or not, some of these are actually clones of clones!<\/p>\n

Consider purchasing from companies and retailers who invest and innovate in our radio space. Skip the clones.<\/p>\n

Click here to purchase from SDRplay.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here to purchase from Airspy authorized distributors.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Frank Howell (K4FMH), who shares the following post published on AmateurRadio.com: Many of us hams, SWLs, and makers buy inexpensive electronics from China. It\u2019s become a bonanza for small, cheap and surprisingly good radio-related gadgets and parts on eBay and other vendors. I buy a fair amount, most recently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9143,6832,157,8970,8971,4087],"class_list":["post-47813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-airspy-clones","tag-frank-howell","tag-sdr","tag-sdrplay-clones","tag-sdrplay-rsp1a-clone","tag-software-defined-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-crb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46516,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/paul-discovers-fake-rsp1as-being-sold-on-aliexpress\/","url_meta":{"origin":47813,"position":0},"title":"Paul discovers fake RSP1As being sold on AliExpress","author":"Thomas","date":"November 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Rawdon, who writes: Hi Thomas I was browsing through AliExpress and came across a cloned version of the SDRplay RSP1A, the price being asked is slightly lower than the genuine version from SDRplay. I notified SDRplay of what I found. They pointed out\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\/2020\/11\/RSP1A-Clone.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/RSP1A-Clone.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/RSP1A-Clone.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/RSP1A-Clone.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50316,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/hfdy-vs-fire-brothers-dan-compares-two-chinese-clone-malahit-sdrs\/","url_meta":{"origin":47813,"position":1},"title":"HFDY vs. Fire Brothers: Dan compares two Chinese Malahit SDR clones","author":"Thomas","date":"September 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Dan Robinson, for the following guest post and review: Two Chinese Clones: \u00a0 A Look at Noise Levels Arriving recently here in the radio shack, were a Chinese clone under the name\u00a0of \u201cFire Brothers\u201d and another under the name HFDY.\u00a0 I thought it would be constructive to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Full-front-with-speakers.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Full-front-with-speakers.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Full-front-with-speakers.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Full-front-with-speakers.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Full-front-with-speakers.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18367,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/sdr-touch-now-supports-the-sdrplay-rsp-in-beta-release\/","url_meta":{"origin":47813,"position":2},"title":"SDR Touch now supports the SDRplay RSP in Beta release","author":"Thomas","date":"April 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: SDRplay Blog) Good news for Android users - SDR Touch have released a beta version of their software with SDRplay RSp functionality - go to https:\/\/play.google.com\/apps\/testing\/com.sdrtouch.sdrplay to sign up as a beta tester. SDR Touch works on most recent Android Phone or Tablet devices.","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"sdrtouch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/sdrtouch-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/sdrtouch-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/sdrtouch-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26954,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/sdrplay-lowers-rsp1-price-to-99-95-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":47813,"position":3},"title":"SDRplay lowers RSP1 price to $99.95 US","author":"Thomas","date":"July 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: SDRplay Press Release via Jon Hudson) SDRplay are pleased to announce a price reduction for their entry-level SDR receiver, the RSP1 to $99.95 USD making it the most competitive mid-range SDR to include reception down to low frequencies without the need for an upconverter. 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