{"id":57580,"date":"2023-08-21T18:13:38","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T22:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=57580"},"modified":"2023-08-21T18:13:38","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T22:13:38","slug":"the-new-rtl-sdr-dongle-version-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/the-new-rtl-sdr-dongle-version-4\/","title":{"rendered":"The New RTL-SDR Dongle Version 4"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57581\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4.jpeg 1500w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4-300x236.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4-1024x807.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4-768x605.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/RTL-SDR-V4-624x492.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Many thanks to <em>SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Dennis Dura, who notes that the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44haXl2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">latest version of the RTL-SDR dongle is now in production<\/a>. Here are details <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rtl-sdr.com\/rtl-sdr-blog-v4-dongle-initial-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">from the RTL-SDR blog<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>RTL-SDR BLOG V4 DONGLE INITIAL RELEASE!<\/h1>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">We&#8217;re happy to announce the first release of our new RTL-SDR Blog V4 dongle which is based on the R828D tuner chip. The pricing is US$39.95 for the V4 dongle with antenna set, and US$29.95 for the dongle only, including free shipping to most countries.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Currently we are only shipping this model from our warehouse in China and the initial production batch is small and so we are limited in stock. However, now that we have confirmed that production of the first small batch of V4 has gone very well, we will be ramping up production, and stocking Amazon USA within 1-2 months as well.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>The units are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rtl-sdr.com\/store\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">available for purchase on our store page<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The V4 comes with several improvements and changes that are listed below.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Improved HF Reception.<\/strong>\u00a0Now uses a built in upconverter instead of using a direct sampling circuit. This means no more Nyquist folding of signals around 14.4 MHz, improved sensitivity, and adjustable gain on HF.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved filtering.<\/strong>\u00a0The V4 makes use of the R828D tuner chip, which has three inputs. We triplex the SMA input into three bands, HF, VHF and UHF. This provides some isolation between the three bands, meaning out of band interference from strong broadcast stations is less likely to cause desensitization or imaging.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved Filtering x2.<\/strong>\u00a0In addition to the triplexing, we are also making use of the open drain pin on the R828D, which allows us to add simple notch filters for common interference bands such as broadcast AM, broadcast FM and the DAB bands. These only attenuate by a few dB, but may still help.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved phase noise on strong signals.<\/strong>\u00a0Due to an improved power supply design, phase noise from power supply noise has been significantly reduced.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Less heat.<\/strong>\u00a0Due to the improved power supply design the V4 uses slightly less current and generates slightly less heat compared to the V3.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cheaper price!<\/strong>\u00a0The price of the R860 chip which is used in the V3 and most other RTL-SDR brands increased significantly at the beginning of 2023 which is part of the reason as to why RTL-SDR dongles have been increasing in price recently. For the V4 we are making use of an existing stockpile of R828D chips which are now priced cheaper than new productions of the R860. In a time when high inflation keeps pushing prices up this is incredibly welcome.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">There are some other minor changes including a new bias tee LED and a small cutout hole in the enclosure so it&#8217;s easy to tell when the bias tee is on.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Of course the same innovations that we brought in with the V3 are still implemented such as the sleek conductive black metal enclosure which works as a shield and doubles as a heatsink, a thermal pad to sink heat away from the PCB, 1PPM TCXO, SMA connector, USB noise choking and improved ESD protection.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The V4 however does come with some disadvantages compared to the V3 that need to be noted [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rtl-sdr.com\/rtl-sdr-blog-v4-dongle-initial-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here to continue reading&#8230;<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44haXl2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Note that the RTL-SDR dongle can be purchased (when it&#8217;s stocked) from Amazon via our affiliate link which supports the <em>SWLing Post<\/em> at no cost to you<\/a>. Thank you!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who notes that the latest version of the RTL-SDR dongle is now in production. Here are details from the RTL-SDR blog: RTL-SDR BLOG V4 DONGLE INITIAL RELEASE! We&#8217;re happy to announce the first release of our new RTL-SDR Blog V4 dongle which is based on the R828D [&hellip;]<\/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":[3,158],"tags":[2942],"class_list":["post-57580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-software-defined-radio","tag-rtl-sdr-dongle"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-eYI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20767,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/ivans-preliminary-review-of-the-new-rtl-sdr-dongle-on-shortwavemediumwave\/","url_meta":{"origin":57580,"position":0},"title":"Ivan&#8217;s preliminary review of the new RTL-SDR dongle on shortwave\/mediumwave","author":"Thomas","date":"August 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW), who shares the following video review of the\u00a0new\u00a0RTL-SDR dongle on the\u00a0shortwave\u00a0and mediumwave bands. Ivan notes: This is daytime reception comparison. Nighttime could be a different picture. [The RTL-SDR dongle] tunes and frequency is 100% on spot. Using SDR Sharp you have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New Products&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1-300x243.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24679,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/buyer-beware-insane-rtl-sdr-pricing\/","url_meta":{"origin":57580,"position":1},"title":"Buyer Beware: Insane RTL-SDR pricing","author":"Thomas","date":"March 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, while browsing eBay, I noticed a high-production retailer selling an RTL-SDR package for $300 US! (To add insult to injury, this isn't even the latest version of the RTL-SDR dongle!) I post this warning message to those who are new to the world of the RTL-SDR. You should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","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\/2017\/03\/RTL-SDR-1024x404.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/RTL-SDR-1024x404.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/RTL-SDR-1024x404.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20919,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/the-rtl-sdr-v-3-dongle-on-shortwave-gary-details-setup-and-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":57580,"position":2},"title":"The RTL-SDR V.3 dongle on shortwave: Gary details setup and reviews","author":"Thomas","date":"August 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Gary Wise (W4EEY), for the following review of the RTL-SDR dongle: Based on your blog post on the Version 3 release of the RTL-SDR dongle I had to buy one. I ordered mine from Amazon for $25, and it came in two days. I have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Guest Posts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17173,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/chris-has-developed-an-easy-way-to-run-the-rtl-sdr-dongle-on-a-mac\/","url_meta":{"origin":57580,"position":3},"title":"Chris has developed an easy way to run the RTL-SDR dongle on a Mac","author":"Thomas","date":"January 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Chris Smolinski who writes: I wanted to run SdrDx, and other SDR apps on my Mac with an RTL SDR Dongle. So I wrote this server app, that makes it appear like a networked SDR. No need to install any RTL libraries, or compile any code. Just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Apps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Apps","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/apps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RTL-SDR-001","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/RTL-SDR-001-1024x649.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/RTL-SDR-001-1024x649.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/RTL-SDR-001-1024x649.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32464,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/thomas-n1spy-how-to-chase-cubesats-with-an-rtl-sdr-dongle-and-some-wire\/","url_meta":{"origin":57580,"position":4},"title":"Thomas (N1SPY): How to chase Cubesats with an RTL-SDR dongle and some wire","author":"Thomas","date":"May 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Ivan (NO2CW) who writes: Thomas, N1SPY used equipment worth $25 to chase mini satellites. Includes instructions for making a simple circularly polarized antenna. Did it work? Check for yourself! https:\/\/youtu.be\/t5pihYcRWPA Click here to view on YouTube. Thanks, Ivan, for passing along another excellent project by Thomas (N1SPY).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Guest Posts&quot;","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\/2018\/05\/cubesat-999x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cubesat-999x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cubesat-999x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9752,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/video-review-of-the-dx-patrol-sdr-dongle\/","url_meta":{"origin":57580,"position":5},"title":"Video: Review of the DX Patrol SDR dongle","author":"Thomas","date":"May 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, John, for sharing this video review of the DX Patrol SDR receiver. The reviewer gives the DX Patrol high marks on shortwave performance, but admits that there is a significant learning curve in terms of software installation and tweaking settings\u00a0for performance. At 79\u00a0\u20ac ($110\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WideSDR2-001","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/WideSDR2-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/WideSDR2-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/WideSDR2-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57580","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=57580"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57582,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57580\/revisions\/57582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}