5 Cool Things You Can Do With An AIRSPY SDR Receiver

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Here we take a look at 5 cool things you can do with an AirSpy Mini SDR Receiver.
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[@JimmyMcThiccus]

This is perfect, I have a weather satilite that passes over every day where I live and It would be fun to pull images of it everyday, that is if there arnt clouds in the way, also my school also uses walkie talkies and it would be fun to tune into those

[@QuinnHartmann]

Oh boy I live on the outskirts of Chicago and police radio traffic is INSANE rn

[@marccarter1350]

I mess around with a Uniden Bearcat UBC125XLT at home, while out and about. Use a fixed Scanner Antenna. The SDR play has caught my attention recently. I would guess that a radio with that capacity would cost many many thousands of pounds. The range and coverage is insane!

[@jimdavidson2106]

Many thanks for providing this video as a new by to sdr listing I have found it very informative

[@jimdavidson2106]

Very good will download all your broadcasts learned plenty many thanks

[@williamwiese9963]

Hey great video, I was thinking about purchasing one of these can the software decode trunked channels?

[@blacksmock445]

Good basic guide to Airspy Mini. There's now a new ExtIO file from DG2YCB, for the RTLv3 which you can use with HDSDR in Windows that allows access to the direct sampling mode for MW and HF reception. I have used Mini with Spyverter or SV1AFN upconverters for HF, but if you're mainly interested in below 30 MHz, Airspy HF Discovery is way to go. Mini is good for DAB, as you showed, as it has the required bandwidth which the HF+ models don't have.

[@superbcutter16]

I want to use the rtl sdr for my research on GNSS/GPS spoofing. Can you make a video on how to setup?

[@jimallen4809]

Hello. Your videos are great. Look for them all the times. Do you know of a reasonably affordable receiver for monitoring the VLF band with a connection for a ouside speaker?

[@richardsmith9634]

Just installed SDR# and it is a great tool. However ADSBSPY does not appear to be in the package. Any idea where to now obtain it from ? Great video by the way.

[@mandrasaptakmandal636]

How to Decode video signal such as of TV or transmission of a DIY Cubesat in an SDR

[@FabioSpelta]

Can't you do most if not of all of these things with the much cheaper RTL-SDR v3? Although maybe not with the same signal to noise ratio.

[@beardedlady6291]

Video was made 12 months before your comment! I think what your try to say is... "Cheers Tech Minds, thanks for your great video. Amazing how technology changed in a year, and we can do so much off a cheaper RTL SDR device". Thanks again!!!

[@ningis21]

Thank You...very informative.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

You’re welcome 👍

[@jesustillero]

Hello... How does the tracking filter work on 137? I would be interested in dedicating an Airspy mini to work only on VHF and UHF, but I need to know how it copes with FM broadcast interference on 137Mhz. I currently use an SDRplay RSPdx to capture weather satellites and it does very well and I get excellent images by activating the FM notch filter. Do you think the Airspy mini would be as efficient as the RSPdx in dealing with FM interference? I congratulate you for your videos, I always watch them. Thank you. 73 from Venezuela YV8JET

[@rahmanbabaofficial2009]

great sir. sir please tell me.this device moblies calls listening or no?

[@NicksStuff]

Does it differ from all other RTL SDR receivers?

[@shornsparks20005]

Very good good adjective I like it can anybody or has anybody ever had any way of decrypting airwave radio I know it's a sensitive subject

[@iainmeteorscan1555]

At 5:06 - that’s how dreadful many radio hams sound these days, when using expensive digital equipment through D-STAR, DMR or C4FM Fusion. Metal Mickey. Totally unnecessary, and the final nail in the ham coffin. No doubt about it, though, SDR is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to monitoring the airwaves. Thanks for the video.

[@pjohnwilliams6941]

Can these devices by set to scan like a regular Scanner? Thanks

[@vitale6633]

Very Cool !!! I'll be downloading some new App this weekend :)

[@vettefatty]

did you recieve this on that little antenna .

[@davidbee3704]

Great video. Thanks. Subscribed.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Thank you 🙏

[@FlyBoyDrummer]

Very nice! Can you tell me what kind of indoor antenna to get for reception on the AirSpy SDR software? I don't have any yard space, and noticed their loop antenna. I'd like to receive HF Ham and all VHF bands at least up through 440. Thank you

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Take a look at some of my recent videos on the YouLoop antenna and the Discone antenna. Not the best, but it’s something if you can’t install outside

[@lambdaprog]

Great video. Thanks!

[@TechMindsOfficial]

You’re welcome! Thanks 🙏

[@mscir]

Can the Airsy R2 do everything that the mini can do?

[@arikjohnson412]

Really cool! Subbed

[@MrExpertwelding]

Great video

[@Equiluxe1]

So how do you use an airspy as a spectrum analyzer that would be the most use as real spectrum analysers are prohibitively expensive .

[@sethlavinder]

I definitely get the expense being a problem as it generally would be for me 99.99% of the time but a couple years ago I had a very rare opportunity to afford buying a new spectrum analyzer. I do not see that much extra cash in sight again anytime soon. But I bought a Siglent SSA-3021x it has the tracking generator option and cost $1,700 at the time, they now have one even cheaper (by nearly $300) , I compare these numbers to the first time I was looking at spectrum analyzers 25 years ago and it would have took anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 to buy a similarly spec'd unit. Now talk about prohibitively expensive!!! Should I ever find my self with a spare $20k its going to have to go towards a new mini van to haul the wife and kids around! The Siglent unit is a very good value for what it is! But it is quite amazing what these little SDR dongle's can pull off for nearly no real investment! Anybody can afford these SDR units! I probably have 5 of them and the best I have cost only $25 , Good luck and enjoy experimenting!

[@TheMicroPilot]

I tried doing all of this (DSD+) with my Mac but it didn't properly work, any tips for mac users?

[@beardedlady6291]

Windows VM!! Fusion Pro (latest version) then make a Windows VM from Win 10 ISO downloaded from Microsoft website. Try that, else try bare metal, or even a Rasp Pi (4b)

[@StorminNorvin]

WAY TOO MUCH GAIN!!! Try it in Sensitivity mode at 12-14. The noise floor should be 90-100. You want to get the best SNR number possible.

[@davesharp5472]

I’m very new to this and just learning so pardon my noob question but when scanning around like this are you having to adjust the length of your antenna?

[@TechMindsOfficial]

A tuned antenna will receive best, but no, you want to get an antenna where you don’t have to adjust all the time for receiving.

[@DanFrederiksen]

Does the airspy go down to 100KHz? and if not, why that oversight in an important band. Regarding UFOs aka ET ships flying in our atmosphere which surprisingly is real, I speculate that the hull of the typical 10-15meter diameter flying saucer is EM energized with standing waves and the shape is somehow crucial to the propulsion. So the shape is dictated by physics like an antenna is or magnetic coil. I just debated likely resonant frequencies for a 15 meter craft with bing AI. It was quite illuminating. It knows a lot :) a 15 meter spherical cavity would resonate around 4MHz so a discus shape would be around 3.5MHz or maybe lower if the material has a velocity factor below 1. But given how advanced they are 1 might be a good guess. A 10meter disc might be around 5MHz so try looking around for strong tones around 2-10MHz, likely with a lot of complex upper harmonics. Maybe lower too. I'm guessing the main tone is very frequency stable and it wouldn't be music or tv or any digital signal. Because some of these ET scout ships operate at gigawatt power levels I suspect they can be detected from great distance. And given the estimated number of sorties on a daily basis they should show up quite frequently. With a directional antenna they could be triangulated although 3MHz is not the easiest to direct. I suppose a back shield on a small antenna would allow determining direction simply from rotating full 360. With a few automated listening stations around the world we could show realtime location of all exotic craft. That might get a few hits

[@aajeev]

Hi, I’m curious. How is this difference from the rtl-sdr dongle? Thanks.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Sensitivity, Rejection, Bandwidth, sample rate etc etc

[@aajeev]

@@TechMindsOfficial Got it, thanks for the answer!

[@cabasluis]

What antenna are you using with it?

[@TechMindsOfficial]

I am using a dual band co-linear (for 2m and 70cm) mounted on my chimney, fed with RG213.

[@robertfeynman3174]

Question to you TM, considering this is costs x5 a regular Nooelec, is it really x5 times better than the Nooelec ?

[@robertfeynman3174]

​@@JosephTurcotte117 Gotcha, so doing home- ADS-B 1090 with the small desk antenna will be the same with both the Airspy and the Nooelec yes ?

[@Badg0r]

I've ordered a rtl-sdr V3. Will I be able to use the antenna and the software to use it for multiple purposes at the same time. So radio, satellite and aircrafts?

[@TechMindsOfficial]

You may receive something, but dedicated antennas for each band will get you best performance. Don't be disappointed if you don't receive much with the stock telescopic antenna. Antenna is the most important part of any radio system.

[@Badg0r]

@@TechMindsOfficial thank you for your answer

[@lacuevatecnologica4588]

To track planes you need a 1090 antenna right?

[@stuartslyper1479]

A 1090 antenna will improve your performance and range but it is not required. I used the standard little antenna which came bundled with my Nooelec Mini2 and it worked fine

[@BrianG61UK]

I don't understand. You seem to just leave the RF gain at max in SDR#. My AirSpy would be awash with massive intermodulation products if I did that.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

I did notice that issue too, but maybe I was just lucky while I was recording the video. :)

[@jplacido9999]

The digital voice at 5" is horrible. Such a shame. Remember GE MASTR II super analog audio on those super speakers?!😀

[@VeganRashad]

I have the RTL-SDR and Airspy. I will by your merch if you help me set up my equipment and do what you're doing in this video.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

DAB is a useless service outside of the UK.. IDK why it's even listed here when there are other things you can do with an SDR like listening to analog and digital trunking radio systems or watching OTA DTV stations. In the US we can decode railroad EOT and HOT devices. The HF models are better because then you can use the Ham radio software for decoding digital modes and receive SSTV, packet radio, etc.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

The airspy mini doesn’t support HF otherwise I would of included it. 25mhz upwards. I’m not located in the US so I can’t demonstrate what you can do in the US, where as here in the UK we have DAB. I even said in the video this is just a small selection of things you can do with an SDR. But yeh, so so so many things you can do.. Look back through some of my older videos :)

[@Elfnetdesigns]

@@TechMindsOfficial You have to tap the "Q" line of the RTL IC (usually on one of the capacitors in there) with a tiny wire to make an antenna connection to get HF and set SDR# to sample the Q branch. Kinda a round about way though when you can just buy sn sdr tha already has an HF tap built in and antenna port for HF.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

To be honest, if that’s something that’s even remotely possible I would personally not advise it, especially as you could purchase a Spyverter which would have the correct filtering for HF etc. But as you say, having a dedicated HF SDR would be better. I just released a video on the new Airspy HF+ Discovery. I didn’t go into much detail, but it has a really good receiver for HF.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

@@TechMindsOfficial I have a coupel different ones for HF.. I seen the best results, believe it or not, from the cheap chinese HF SDR I got for like $15 off ebay..

[@88njtrigg88]

@@Elfnetdesigns can you please tell me the brand.

[@wolfgreen162]

Don’t buy that from WISH

[@brodzhalse55]

Its male not female