RTL.SDR Faulty

 

I’ve concluded that the RTL.SDR is faulty. Running the rtl_test -p command threw out a stack of errors it shouldn’t have, then I realised it threw a lot of errors all the time. 

 

I’d had issues with it initially not being seen after closing GQRX, but could get it back by plugging it back in. Now it was really temperamental. Some of the limited info about my specific errors suggested that it was a USB power issue. Well, it’s onboard USB on a laptop, so it’s not going to get any more power. The ports on the port replicator were worse.

I stripped out the drivers and all of the applications and started again, and it worked briefly. I then moved to my PC and installed on it, which much the same story; it did work, then it didn’t. Same errors. Watching GQRX start from a terminal, I could see the same kinds of errors during start up.

Needless to say, I’ve put in a refund request – my second ever on eBay, and the second this week no less. I’ve found someone selling the RTL-SDR Blog units, so I’m going to try one instead.

Disappointing start, but anyway, such is life. The local HAM group has a net on shortly, so with the trusty UV-5RE hooked up to the external antenna, I should hear that pretty well.