Containing an genuine, ultrarare elonics e4000 tuner chip, these devices are capable of receiving frequencies up to 2300mhz. As a result, real e4000 based usb sticks are very hard to find. One of those articles, which graced the pages of this site. These dvbt dongles have newfound popularity since it was discovered they can be used as very inexpensive software defined radios. Instructions for windows page has links for software. Rtlsdr tuner type frequency range elonics e4000 e4k 54 2200 mhz 1100. Associated with sdr software, this usb stick will become a broadband receiverscanner fro 652300 mhz approximately, with a gap around 1100 mhz to 1250 mhz.
Nooelec, as well as a few others, still have some dongles based on the elonics e4000 tuner. So, that means you probably wont be able to buy one in the usa. Dvbth terrestrial broadcast tuner offers low power. Terratec noxon get the first two as it has a better tuner the elonics 4000. Jul 31, 2019 the elonics e4000 was the most desirable tuner as it had the widest frequency range, but it could be difficult to know ahead of time what you were getting. This nooelec usb rtlsdr stick is equipped with the realtek chipset rtl2832u and e4000 tuner offering a wider frequency coverage than r820t2. Unfortunately elonics, the company that owned the rights to the chip went. Testing out the ezcap eztv668 that has the rtl2832 and the e4000 tuner chip. There is also an rtl2832 rtl2832u ic on board of course. The frequency range is highly dependent of the used tuner, dongles that use the elonics e4000 offer the widest possible range see table below. Rtlsdr and gnu radio with realtek rtl2832u elonics e4000 raphael micro r820t software defined radio receivers. Lowcost, extendedrange software defined radio compatible with many sdr software packages. The cheaper r820t is better in most cases, but if you need the higher frequencies the e4000 may be an option. The application attempts to reconfigure your tuner to the same settings used the last time that you ran the software.
Nooelec sdr receivers software defined radio nooelec. How to spy on your neighbors with a usb tv tuner by paul wagenseil 08 august 20 a tvtuning usb dongle and free software let you hear the radio signals emitted by computer screens, tvs. About the e4000 for those who are unaware, the maker of the e4000 integrated circuit, elonics, went out of business years ago. However, be aware that this is a large body of software with dependencies on many libraries. The realtek rtl2832u dongle come with a number front tuner variants with the most popular being the elonics e4000 that provides a tuning range of 641700 mhz however the dongle shown below in photos 1 and 2 came with a fitipower fc0012 that presents a tuning range of about 22. Rtl2832u r820t vs rtl2832u e4000 ham radio science.
Elliott used her usb tuner and her software defined radio application to dial into an fm radio station, and projected her output on the. From a first, cursory reading of the e4000 datasheet, it appears that perhaps most of the functionality exposed by librtlsdr eg. These units are based on the e4000 tuner ic made by elonics. Originally meant for television reception and streaming the discovery and exploitation of the separate raw mode used in fm reception was perhaps first noticed by eric fry in march of 2010 and then expanded upon by antti palosaari in feb 2012 who found that these devices can output. For those who are unaware, the maker of the e4000 integrated circuit, elonics, went out of business years ago. But still, i was able to obtain a couple of these from the us at a cost cheaper than the r820t version. The tuner selects a frequency band around a target center frequency and demodulates it to baseband. Dongles will differ depending on the tuner and circuit thats used, the software allows you to pick the best range that is sampled to give improved results. Equipped with the rtl2832u chipset and the r820t2 tuner. The software only deals with lna and mixer gain and not independently. Nov 03, 2012 the e4000 seemed to be noticeably more sensitive in this area.
The dongles with an e4000 tuner can range between 542147 mhz in my experience with a gap over 11001250 mhz in general. E4000 elonics pdf at the heart of the e is elonics innovative. They have bav99 labelled a7t for esd protection on the antenna input, so there is less need to worry about burning out your sdr front end. Cheapo software defined radio getting started with rtlsdr. Cheapo software defined radio getting started with rtl.
These digital tuner sticks are not designed to work on the us digital tv broadcast standard. The e4000 elonics chip is a digitally controlled tuner. For best results, youll also want to get one that uses the elonics e4000 tuner, as that will give you the broadest frequency response. Tuner hardware before you can start exploring the airwaves, youll need a usb tuner supported by rtlsdr, the software used to unlock the full potential of the realtek rtl2832u chip. An easy to use evaluation board and gui is available along with software scripts for complete system control. As with other sdrs, the exact frequency range capability varies somewhat from unit to unit. Find where to buy rtl2832u based dvbt tuners for use as a cheap rtlsdr software defined radio. Click on view preferences and select the band offset for you tuner, next detach the aerial or even better terminate it with a 50 ohm load. Oct 23, 20 the e4000 tuner is becoming rare as elonics, the manufacturer has shut down. The usb stick can also be used as a receiver and scanner from 24mhz to 1766mhz without hole in rtlsdr receiver. Rtlsdr based noise figure indicator noise figure indicator software. Hey mike i came across an article back in june on using certain cheap realtek rtl2832u based usb tv tuners. The r820t did fairly well also, but the e4000 definitely did a better job with very weak signals.
Since these contain an elonics e4000 tuner ic they have a very large tunable range of about 642300mhz. Containing an ultrarare e4000 tuner chip, these devices are capable of receiving frequencies up to 2300mhz. Before you can start exploring the airwaves, youll need a usb tuner supported by rtlsdr, the software used to unlock the full potential of the realtek rtl2832u chip. The elonics e4000 was the most desirable tuner as it had the widest frequency range, but it could be difficult to know ahead of time what you were getting. Elusive e4000 rtlsdr dongles softwaredefined radio. First of all, not just any ole digital tv tuner stick will work. The e4000 cmos tuner uses a proprietary technology called digitaltune. As such, they have a frequency capability of approximately 65mhz2300mhz, with a gap near 11001200mhz, though this can vary somewhat from unit to unit. Elonics low power dvbth terrestrial broadcast radio frequency rf tuner consumes 105mw in continuous mode and mw in time sliced mode. Generic rtl2832u found elonics e4000 tuner supported gain values 14.
Several improvements over generic brands including use of the r820t2 tuner, a 1 ppm temperature compensated oscillator tcxo, sma f connector, aluminium case with passive cooling, software switchable bias tee circuit, additional esd protection, lower overall noise and built in direct. Most of the userlevel packages rely on the librtlsdr library which comes as part of the rtlsdr codebase. Since these contain an elonics e4000 tuner ic they have a very large tunable range of about 642300mhz exact tuning range varies by device. Rtlsdr and gnu radio with realtek rtl2832u elonics e4000. Sdr software defined radio for satellite satelliteguys. Elonics provides a complete range of e4000 support collateral including tuner reference designs, schematics and layouts. Fun with cheap tvtuner dongles and software defined radio. Various additional improvements compared to other rtlsdrs r820t2 tuner, higher quality passive components, a choke on the usb line to reduce usb noise, a much improved pcb design for significantly less internal spurs and noise, various breakout pads, improved esd protection. Hdsdr installation with the terratec dongle realtek. An open source software package that enables owners of dvbt dongles with an embedded realtek rtl2832u chipset to build models in simulink that interface with the device in realtime kit celsimulink. This is a radio frequency architecture that allows each stage of the rf signal processing to be adjusted under digital control.
Digitaltune architecture, which allows the user to adjust the performance of the tuner for. The e4000 tuner has a tuning range of approximately 55 mhz 2300 mhz, compared to the r820t tuner which has a range of around 24 1766 mhz. The frequency range is highly dependent of the used tuner, dongles that use the elonics e4000 offer the. The major differences being the maximum receive frequency. This hd dvbt stick allows you to receive free tv channels dvbt and compatible with dvbt hd, from a pc, laptop, raspberry pi or smartphone with an otg cable.
If you wish to transmit, the hackrf is a great option. Includes 1x rtlsdr blog brand r820t2 rtl2832u 1ppm tcxo sma v3 dongle. The e4000 tuner has a tuning range of approximately 55 mhz 2300. I can decode 7 mhz weather satellite imagery, 2 meter aprs. Nooelec purchased the remainder of the e4000 integrated circuit in limited quantities. Although designed for use with the elonics e4000 tuner it works with any of the available tuners, provided the software you use can control them. Amazons choice for elonics e4000 rtlsdr blog v3 r820t2 rtl2832u 1ppm tcxo hf bias tee sma software defined radio with dipole antenna kit 4. The elonics e4000 tuner is regarded as the best as it can tune over a wider range 641700mhz, with a small coverage gap in the middle compared to the others. This might make the e4000 a better candidate for use with a hf converter since most of the inexpensive ones available convert hf to the fm band on the rtl2832u sticks. Supposedly the best ones are based on the rtl2832u elonics e4000 chipset.
Rtl28232u with the elonics e4000 tuner yeah, they are pretty much hard to get these guys as i heard the elonics company folded out. The r820t and r820t2 go from 241760 mhz but with reduced performance above 1500 mhz. Terratec tstick dvbt usb stick e4000 sdr with metal. You can create one or more tuner configurations for each tuner and identify one of those configurations as the default configuration for the tuner. The e4000 is available in a pbfree, rohs compliant 5x5mm 32 lead qfn package. Stores for both e4000 and 820t based dongles are shown. As such, they have a frequency capability of approximately 55mhz2300mhz, with a gap near 11001200mhz, though this can vary somewhat from unit to unit. It is a transceiver, so can both transmit and receivebut halfduplex, so only can receive or transmit at a given time. How to spy on your neighbors with a usb tv tuner toms guide. In fact, the topical overlap was enough that occasionally those articles would get picked up here on hackaday. The p250 combines the rtl2832u with an elonics e4000 tuner, allowing it to pick up signals from about 52 megahertz to 2. The easiest way to find one is just go to ebay and search for sdr radio. Unfollow rtl2832u e4000 to stop getting updates on your ebay feed.
If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Thankfully there is a simple script that will perform the. Associated with sdr software, this usb stick will become a broadband receiverscanner fro 652300 mhz approximately, with a. Receivers free delivery possible on eligible purchases.