rtl_test -d 0 | grep -i "rtl-sdr blog"
An RTL-SDR Blog dongle is what got me into software-defined radio years ago, and RTL-SDR Blog was OrcSDR's first hardware supporter. Their V3c, V4 and V4L are three of the four receivers I've fully tested with OrcSDR on the Tab5, and the original V4 is the one the project grew up on. Next on the bench is their wideband LNA.
Here's the RTL-SDR Blog gear I use, what each piece does with OrcSDR, and what I've actually verified. You don't need any one of these: the goal is for OrcSDR to work with all RTL-SDR dongles.
The V3 design with a USB-C socket. It connects to the Tab5's USB-A host port with a USB-A to USB-C data cable, and OrcSDR drives it with my own driver, no PC in the loop. It's the dongle that gets OrcSDR into AM broadcast and shortwave on its own, through direct sampling. In OrcSDR's v0.3.0-beta.2 testing it passed the 453.925 MHz band-select test and five unplug and replug cycles.
The V4's successor: the same design with the R828S tuner and a two-way (HF and VHF/UHF) input filter instead of the V4's three-way one. It plugs straight into the Tab5's USB-A port. OrcSDR recognises it from v0.3.0-beta.1, and in the beta.2 testing it streamed, tuned correctly and passed five unplug and replug cycles. The hardware has an HF upconverter, but OrcSDR doesn't tune the V4L below 24 MHz yet.
The original V4, and the dongle OrcSDR grew up on. It plugs straight into the Tab5's USB-A port, and its built-in upconverter is how OrcSDR reaches AM broadcast and shortwave on it. It's fully tested with OrcSDR.
RTL-SDR Blog doesn't sell the V4 new anymore. If you're buying today, get the V4L or the V3c instead; both are fully tested too.
A small low-noise amplifier that goes near the antenna and makes up for the signal lost in a long coax run, before the dongle adds its own noise. It's powered up the coax by the dongle's 4.5 V bias tee, which the V3, V4 and V4L all have, so there's no extra power wire. RTL-SDR Blog's store now sells the V2 (QPL9547, 100 MHz to 6 GHz); the Amazon listing is the original model (SPF5189Z, 50 MHz to 4 GHz, about 18.7 dB gain at 900 MHz). In strong-signal areas an LNA can overload the dongle, so a filter helps.
Not tested with OrcSDR yet. OrcSDR has bias-tee control with per-dongle rules, but that path hasn't been tested yet. That's the plan once the LNA arrives.
That's what I've verified myself. The full list, including the Nooelec NESDR SMArt v5, is in the receiver table and the dongle guide.
Thanks to RTL-SDR Blog, first for getting me into this hobby years ago, and then for being the first to back OrcSDR with hardware. Their dongles, and how openly they document them, are a big part of why a pocket SDR on a microcontroller felt worth building.
Questions or ideas: erik@theorc.dev.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Amazon links on this page are affiliate links (affiliate disclosure). Oregon Radio Company isn't affiliated with RTL-SDR Blog.
Erik Elfstrom · Oregon Radio Company LLC · Springfield, Oregon. RTL-SDR Blog is RTL-SDR Blog's name. Photos are my own; the LNA diagram is mine too. Specs are from RTL-SDR Blog's product pages.
