Quick Start Guide SDR

10/1/2017 Quick Start Guide
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https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-quick-start-guide/ 1/27
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Quick Start Guide
Quick Start Guide

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This page is a guide aimed at helping anyone set up a cheap radio scanner based on the RTL-SDR software defined radio
as fast as possible on a Windows system. If you have any trouble during the installation, please see the troubleshooting
guide further down the page. We also have brief instructions for getting started on Linux and OSX at the end of this page.
Please note that the RTL-SDR is not a plug and play device. You will need to have sufficient skills to perform basic PC
operations such as unzipping files, installing software, moving and copying files and have the motivation to learn new
software.
Equipment Guide
Currently, the most common RTL-SDR dongle is the R820T/R820T2 which usually sells for under $20 USD. See the Buy
RTL-SDR dongles page for more information on purchasing.
Generally at least a dual core processor will be required to run most SDR software smoothly. Some command line software
and ADS-B decoders may work on less powerful hardware.
To get the most enjoyment out of RTL-SDR you will need a decent antenna. Our packages that come with two telescopic
antennas are a great start. Be sure to get them up high and place them on a metallic surface for best results. Units not sold
by us may come with a smaller fixed length whip antenna that is okay for testing, but overall is not that great. As an
upgrade for beginners who have the fixed length whip, a cheap bunny ears antenna mounted vertically should work well.
Use the simple kind like this so that it can easily be mounted vertically. The most recommended outdoor antenna for
general scanning is a scantenna or discone due to their wide band receiving properties. You can also cheaply build a
wideband planar disk antenna (pdf warning) out of some metal pizza pans.
RTL-SDR Blog V3 Users

After going through this quickstart guide please also see our V3 users guide for information on using the bias tee,
direct sampling HF tuning and expansion header features.
SDR# (SDRSharp) Set Up Guide (Tested on Windows 10/8/7 32/64 Bit) (XP
Incompatible)
SDR# is the most commonly used SDR program on Windows. We recommend it as one of the easiest to setup and use with
the RTL-SDR.
1. Purchase an RTL-SDR dongle. The cheapest and best for most applications is the R820T/R820T2 dongle.
Information on purchasing one can be found here.
2. You must have the Microsoft .NET 4.6 redistributable installed to use SDRSharp. Follow the link and install the
redistributable. Most Windows 10 PCs should already have this installed by default, but PCs with older operating
systems may need this to be installed in order to run SDR#. Note that .NET 4.6 is not compatible with Windows XP.
If you are running XP please scroll down on this page and look for the HDSDR or SDR-Console install guides. Note
that on some computers you may also need to install the Visual C++ Runtime if it is not already installed.
3. Go to www.airspy.com and find the downloads button on the top menu. Next to the SDR Software Package
heading click on the download button to download sdrsharp.zip. Note that we recommend downloading the x86
version for now even if you have a 64-bit OS as the x86 version is a bit more stable currently.
4. Extract (unzip) sdrsharp.zip to a folder on your PC. (Important! Many people who have issues forget this step! Do not run the
files from within the zip file or the following steps will fail). (Also, do not extract into a folder within the Program Files directory, or
installation may fail as these folders are often automatically made read only by Windows).
5. Double click on install-rtlsdr.bat from within the extracted folder. This will start a command prompt that will
download all the drivers required to make SDRSharp work with RTL-SDR. The command prompt will automatically
close after a few seconds when it is done. It the bat file ran successfully the files rtlsdr.dll and zadig.exe will
be downloaded into the SDR# directory. If they were not downloaded then your PC or anti virus solution may be
misconfigured and may have trouble running batch files (Check that the folder is not read only, and not located in the
Program Files directory). If install-rtlsdr.dll fails, do a manual driver installation.
6. Plug in your dongle. Do not install any of the software that it came with (if any), and ensure that you wait a few
seconds for plug and play to finish attempting to install the dongle (it will either fail or install Windows DVB-T
drivers). If youve already installed the DVB-T drivers that came on the CD bundled with some dongles, uninstall
them first.
7. In the folder where you extracted the sdrsharp files find the file called zadig.exe. Right click this file and select Run
as administrator.
8. In Zadig, go to Options->List All Devices and make sure this option is checked.
9. Select Bulk-In, Interface (Interface 0) from the drop down list. Note on some PCs you may see something like
RTL2832UHIDIR or RTL2832U instead of the bulk in interface. This is also a valid selection. Do not select USB
Receiver (Interface 0) however.
10. We need to install the WinUSB driver, so also ensure that WinUSB is selected in the box after the arrow next to
where it says Driver (this is the default selection). Note that there has been some confusion for a few people over this step. The goal is to install the
WinUSB driver. So to be clear, the box to the left of the arrow shows the currently installed driver, whereas the box to the right of the arrow shows the driver that will be
installed in the next step. The first time you open zadig the box on the left will show either None, or the default DVB-T drivers installed by Windows (RTL2832UUSB),
depending on your Windows configuration and version.
11. Click Replace Driver. On some PCs you might get a warning that the publisher cannot be verified, but just accept
it by clicking on Install this driver software anyway. This will install the drivers necessary to run the dongle as a
software defined radio. Note that you may need to run zadig.exe again if you move the dongle to another USB port,
or want to use two or more dongles together.
12. Open SDRSharp.exe and set the Source drop down box to RTL-SDR (USB). This Source tab is on the top
left. (Note that the first time you do this you may get a smart screen message indicating that Windows has protected your PC, this is a false
alarm. Simply click on more info and then run anyway).
13. Press the Play button (the right facing triangle). Your RTL-SDR software radio should now be set up and ready to
use! If everything has worked you should be able to start tuning to frequencies.
14. Important! Dont forget to also adjust the RF gain settings by pressing the Configure button (looks like a cog) up
the top next to the Play button. By default the RF gain is set at zero. A gain of zero will probably receive nothing but
very strong broadcast FM increase the gain until you start seeing other signals.
Next Steps
After getting your RTL-SDR set up with SDR# we recommend investigating the following:
1. Check out all our featured articles on this blog for various RTL-SDR related projects and tutorials.
2. Upgrade from the stock antenna. For optimal reception you should use an outdoor roof mounted antenna. The
optimal antenna will depend on the frequency and project you are interested in, but for a general all purpose antenna
we recommend a Discone or planar disk antenna (pdf).
3. If you are using your RTL-SDR for HF with an upconverter such as the SpyVerter then we recommended using
SDR# with the special decimation drivers. This will allow you to zoom in on the small bandwidth signals used on
HF without loosing resolution.
4. Check out our store for various RF accessories such as filters, LNAs and antennas.
Troubleshooting
I get the error No Device Selected when trying to start the dongle in SDR#.
Make sure you have run the install-rtlsdr.bat file, and that it has sucessfully downloaded the rtlsdr.dll file into the
SDR# folder. If it is not downloaded, check that your folder is not set to read only (this sometimes happens
automatically if you install into Program Files, so do not install into that folder). Another source of problems is if
you have accidentally installed the WinUSB drivers to Bulk Interface 1 instead of 0 with Zadig. If you have done
this, then SDR# will not recognise your dongle. TO fix it go into device manager or Devices and Printers and
uninstall the driver for Bulk Interface 1.
I get the error No compatible devices found when trying to start the dongle in SDR#
Long low quality USB extension cables can sometimes cause this error. Some USB 3.0 ports are also incompatible
with the dongle and cause this error. One user has had luck with this error by installing zadig from safe mode.
Finally, there is a small chance that the dongle is actually faulty. If the dongle produces the same error on
multiple computers the dongle is probably faulty and should be refunded or replaced.
Zadig just hangs when I try to install the driver

One user has reported that this can happen when a Windows Update has failed, and is continuously running in the
background without your knowledge. Another solution that people usually have success with is using an alternative
zadig tool available at visualgdb.com/UsbDriverTool. Use the tool to install the WinUSB driver.
Zadig shows NONE in the driver install screen.

This is normal. The box on the left indicates the CURRENTLY installed driver. The box on the right indicates the
driver THAT WILL BE installed after clicking on the install button.
My dongle was working before but today it no longer works and displays an error when I click on Play.
99% of the time this is because Windows automatic driver updates has automatically removed the SDR drivers and
installed DVB-T drivers in its place. Make sure Windows automatic driver updates are turned off, and rerun zadig to
reinstall the WinUSB driver.
My dongle gets extremely hot and stops working, or doesnt work at all. USB current measures well above
0.3A.
It is normal for the dongle to be hot or warm during operation. But there is a small number of RTL8232U chips that
come from the factory faulty (we measure this at less than 0.3%). They draw very high current, cause excessive heat
and eventually fail. Some units will work for a few minutes to hours before exhibiting issues, and others will fail
instantly. QC cannot check for those that do not fail instantly. If you have a USB current meter you can check and
see if the current draw is above 0.3A. If higher then something is wrong with the RTL2832U. If you suspect a fault
like this contact the manufacturer of your dongle and ask for a refund or replacement.
I get the error 1 compatible devices have been found but are all busy or libusb Open error -12
First check that another program is not using the RTL-SDR. To fix this it may be necessary to reinstall the drivers via
zadig and to try every USB port on the PC. You may want to also try disconnecting all other USB devices connected
to the PC. Also some USB 3.0 ports are buggy, switch to a USB 2.0 port. Some users have also had success with
installing everything from Windows safe mode. Make sure you are not selecting the USB Receiver (Interface 0) in
zadig, and instead are selecting the Bulk in interface, or one that may say RTL2838UHIDIR or something else
prefixed with RTL. If you dont see this make sure that Options->List All Devices is checked and that Ignore
Hubs or Composite Parents is unchecked.Another thing to try may be to disable Windows automatic driver
installation. Instructions for disabling this can be found here. This error also sometimes occurs after the computer
has been suspended to fix it simply disconnect and reconnect the dongle.
I get the error Unable to load DLL rtlsdr: the specified module could not be found. (Exception from
HRESULT: 0x8007007E)
Usually installing the Visual C++ Runtime solves this problem. Most PCs have this installed already, but if you are
on a freshly installed version of Windows it may not have been installed yet.
There is a constant spike in the middle of the spectrum that wont go away
This is normal and is a side effect of the design of most RTL-SDR dongles. It can be removed algorithmically in the
SDR# software by checking the Correct IQ box.
Zadig takes a long time to install the driver, then fails

You have probably not run zadig in administrator mode. Make sure to right click zadig, and select Run as
Administrator. If that fails to work try the alternative WinUSB installer at visualgdb.com/UsbDriverTool.
I dont see Bulk-In, Interface (Interface 0)

Ensure Options->List All Devices is checked. Sometimes you may also need to uncheck Ignore Hubs or
Composite Parents. Some people report seeing something else other than the bulk in interface. It may also show up
as the brand of your dongle or something prefixed with RTL, e.g. RTL2832U or RTL2832UHIDR. Any of those
options should work too. In rare cases you may receive a faulty dongle that will not show up in Zadig no matter what
USB port or computer you try it on. You should ask for a replacement in this case.
I dont see RTL-SDR/USB in SDRSharp

You may have downloaded a version without rtl-sdr support. Check that you have downloaded the official version
from the airspy.com website.
USB 3.0 ports dont work

Unfortunately many USB 3.0 controllers are buggy and dont work with some USB 2.0 devices. Generally, USB 3.0
works fine with the RTL-SDR, but there are some controllers that will just not recognise the dongle. In this case use
a USB 2.0 port instead.
When running install-rtlsdr.bat I get errors on the command line like The system cannot find the file
specified and the sdrsharp folder is not downloaded
This is probably because you did not unzip the files and you are trying to run install-rtlsdr.bat from within the zip
file. Remember to extract the files first, before running them.
When I run install-rtlsdr.bat a CMD/DOS window flashes on the screen briefly then disappears. Nothing is
installed.
There seems to be a bug or misconfiguration with some versions of Windows where batch files cannot be run. One
way around this is to install the RTL-SDR drivers manually. We have instructions for this here: rtl-sdr.com/manual-
installation-of-sdr. Some antivirus solutions are also overly restrictive and do not allow .bat files to be run. In this
case either disable or install a better antivirus, or perform a manual driver install.
Reception in SDR# seems very poor/receiver is insensitive

Make sure you have increased the RF gain slider which can be accessed by clicking on the configure button. Also, in
poor reception areas using the stock antenna indoors may not be sufficient. First test with the antenna placed up high
outside. In some cases with the stock antenna the connection to the antenna can become disconnected in the antenna
base causing unexpectedly poor reception. In rare cases if you still cannot receive any strong signals and another
radio can, then you may have received a broken dongle and should ask for a replacement.
SDR# gives error Application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135). Click OK to terminate.
This might mean that you do not have the correct .NET Framework installed.
SDR# gives error Object reference not not to an instance of an object

This may mean that you do not have an audio driver properly installed on your PC, or that you do not have any
output audio devices enabled. Enable them in the windows Sound Playback properties.
The dongle constantly disconnects from the USB port

First test to make sure that it is not the fault of a dodgy USB extension cable by plugging the dongle directly into the
PC. If it still disconnects often the dongle may be faulty and you should ask for a replacement.
The dongle wont connect and the LED does not illuminate on models with an LED
The dongle is faulty and should be refunded or replaced.
It seems that my PC is not powerful enough to run SDR# as it uses near 100% CPU
For graphical GUI SDR software like SDR#, at least a dual core processor is recommended. If you have a borderline
decent CPU and still experience high CPU usage, try reducing the sample rate to 1 MSPS or less, reducing the FFT
display resolution (or turning it off), turning off Correct IQ and reducing the filter order.
I used zadig but it broke my keyboard/mouse/other device somehow

This is because you would have clicked the install button in Zadig after selecting the wrong device in the drop down
menu. Make sure you select the correct RTL-SDR device, (Bulk-In Interface, Interface 0) first. Zadig overwrites
previous drivers. To get the old drivers back you should be able to do so in Windows device manager, update driver
software.
My R820T2 RTL-SDR shows up as an R820T when I run the diagnostic tool rtl_test
The R820T2 and R820T are identical electronically except for some minor changes in the maximum IF filter widths
that occurred by accident from using higher quality silicon in the R820T2. The accidentally different filters and
higher quality silicon may be the reason the R820T2 has generally better performance and less manufacturing
variability. Thus a R820T2 will show up as an R820T on the PC, since there is no distinction between them in the
digital part of the circuit. You can confirm that you have a R820T2 by checking the markings on the chip.
My antivirus shows SDR# as a virus.

This is almost 100% a false positive. SDR# is updated often and thus a new .zip file is sometimes released almost
daily. Poorly designed antivirus programs will sometimes assume that any file that is not downloaded often is
a virus. With SDR# being updated so often it takes a while for many people to download the new version and build
up trust with the antivirus company.
The Mode selection buttons in SDR# are graphically glitching and I cannot click on them.
Some users have found that this bug is caused due to selection of a custom scaling level or custom sizing options
in Windows. Reset this option back to default in Windows display settings to fix the bug.
When closing SDR# I get an error like An error occurred loading a configuration file: Access to the path
C:\Program Files\SDR\s14i12qq.tmp is denied. (C:\Program Files\SDR\SDRSharp.exe.Config) >
System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the path C:\Program Files\SDR\s14i12qq.tmp is denied.
This is usually because you have copied the SDR# files into a folder that is read only. In Windows folders located in
C:\Program Files are usually automatically read only. To fix, install SDR# into a non read only folder that is not
located in Program Files, for example C:\SDR.
My dongle came with a remote control. What is it for?

Some sellers opt to include the remote control that is used for changing TV channels. It is only useful for when the
dongle is used for its original purpose as a DVB-T HDTV receiver. The remote control has no purpose when the
dongle is used as an SDR.
I want to watch DVB-T with my dongle, how do I do it?

The original purpose of the dongle was for DVB-T TV, and it can still do this. But please note that the DVB-T
drivers and the SDR drivers are different, and they cannot both be installed at the same time. You can download the
DVB-T drivers here. We recommend using Prog-DVB as the TV software.
I bought the RTL-SDR V3 with whip antenna kit and I cant get the telescopic whip to thread on.
There is by default a small nut threaded onto the screw on the antenna base. You must remove this nut first by
turning it counter clockwise. Once the nut is removed the thread will be exposed and then you can screw in the
telescopic whip. Keep the nut as its purpose is for clamping on a long wire antenna.
I have a RTL-SDR V3 and cant get the HF signals to work

You must turn on the direct sampling mode for HF reception. Please see the V3 users guide for information on how
to activate the direct sampling mode.
If you continue to have issues please feel free to post in the troubleshooting section of our Forums.
How to set the Gain

The gain can be adjusted in SDR# by clicking on the Configure button which looks like a cog. When tuning the RF gain
you are trying to get the signal as strong as possible, whilst keeping the noise floor as low as possible. Start with a low gain
setting, and slowly increase the gain slider. Watch in the frequency spectrum as the signal strength increases, but stop just
before the point at which the noise floor starts to rise.
The noise floor is the part of the frequency spectrum where there are no signals.
SDRSharp Plugins
The official list of SDRSharp plugins can be found here and our unofficial list of plugins can be found here.
SDRSharp Guide
A good guide to learning how to use SDRSharp and what all the options do can be found here. Another great illustrated
guide can be found here.
HDSDR Setup Guide (Tested on Win XP and above)

1. Purchase an RTL-SDR dongle. The cheapest and best for most applications is the R820T/R820T2
dongle. Information on purchasing one can be found here.
2. Plug in your dongle and do not install any of the software that it came with, but ensure you let plug and play finish
trying to install it. If youve already installed the software drivers it came with previously, uninstall them first.
3. Go to http://zadig.akeo.ie/ and download Zadig.
5. Select Bulk-In, Interface (Interface 0) from the drop down list. Ensure that WinUSB is selected in the box next
to where it says Driver. (Note on some PCs you may see something like RTL2832UHIDIR or RTL2832U instead of
the bulk in interface. This is also a valid selection). (Do not select USB Receiver (Interface 0) however).
6. Click Install Driver. You might get a warning that the publisher cannot be verified, but just accept it by clicking on
Install this driver software anyway. This will install the drivers necessary to run the dongle as a software defined
radio. Note that you may need to run zadig.exe again if you move the dongle to another USB port, or want to use two
or more dongles together.
7. Download HDSDR from http://hdsdr.de/, using the download button at the bottom of the page.
8. Use the installer you just downloaded to install HDSDR.
9. Go to http://hdsdr.de/hardware.html and download the ExtIO_RTL2832U.dll dll file from the table entry RTLSDR
(DVB-T/DAB with RTL2832) USB (Direct Link).
10. Copy the ExtIO_RTL2832U.dll file into the HDSDR install folder which is by default set to C:\Program Files
(x86)\HDSDR.
11. Open HDSDR. You might be asked to select a .dll file. Choose the ExtIO_RTL2832U.dll file you just copied over
and then click Open. It is okay if you do not see this screen as long as you have copied the ExtIO_RTL2832U.dll file
over properly in the last step.
12. Choose your output sound card by clicking on the Soundcard button in the bottom left corner, or alternatively by
pressing F5. The only important setting here is the RX Output (to Speaker) setting which you should set to your
speakers, or desired audio piping software.
13. Click on the Bandwidth button or alternatively press F6. Choose an output Sampling Rate of 48000 Hz for general
use.
14. Press Start or alternatively press F2. This will start the SDR.
15. To set the RTL-SDR sample rate, gain and frequency correction click on the ExtIO button .
16. To tune to a station, change the Local Oscillator frequency to a frequency near the frequency you are interested in.
Then tune to the desired frequency either by clicking in the RF spectrum, or using the Tune numbers.
17. You can zoom in and out of the spectrum by using the Zoom slider which is to the left of the word zoom.
18. The mode can be altered by clicking on the mode buttons.
19. After clicking on the FM mode button, the FM bandwidth can be manually modified with the FM-BW slider.
20. To listen to a typical wideband broadcast FM station, you will need to change the audio sampling rate to 192000 Hz.
Do this by clicking on the Bandwidth button or alternatively by pressing F6 and then selecting the output sampling
rate as 192000 Hz.
SDR-RADIO V2 Setup Up Guide (Tested on Win XP and above)

To install SDR-RADIO for the RTL-SDR follow the steps below
7. Download the SDR-RADIO installer from http://v2.sdr-radio.com/Software/Download1.
8. Use the installer to install SDR-RADIO.
9. Download the RTL-SDR support package from the link at http://m3ghe.blogspot.com.au/p/adding-support-for-rtl-

sdr-usb-dongles.html (MIRROR).
10. Extract the SDRSourceRTL2832U.dll, rtlsdr.dll and libusb-1.0.dll files from the x64 folder into the C:\Program
Files\SDR-RADIO-PRO.com folder. Or if you have a 32-bit PC extract the files from the x32 folder into C:\Program
Files (x86)\SDR-RADIO-PRO.com folder.
11. Open SDR-RADIO. Upon opening it you will be greeted with the Select Radio screen and a prompt saying List is
empty add radio definition now? Click Yes. If this prompt does not display, click the + Definitions button.
12. In the new window open the Search drop down menu and select RTL SDR (USB). After clicking it the RTL-SDR
will be added to the Radio Definitions list. Click OK.
13. Click on the RTL-SDR click to select it, choose your desired sample rate then click Start.
14. Click on the Span button and adjust the span to the sample rate bandwidth you chose in the last step. This will let
you see the whole spectrum.
15. To change the receive mode use the left menu under the frequency tab. You can also change the signal bandwidth
here. NFM signals are typically around 12 kHz wide and broadcast FM is typically around 192 kHz wide.
16. To adjust the frequency, use the VFO tuning box on the right side. If you dont see it you may need to click on the
VFO tuning tab. Also if the screen is too small you may need to expand its size to show it. You can also click on the
waterfall to instantly tune to the clicked frequency.
17. Be sure to adjust the gain settings using the RF gain button in the top which is under the Home tab. By default it is
set to automatic.
18. Also to adjust the waterfall colors so that signals are more clearly seen go to the Display tab up the top and then click
on the Automatic Calibration button on the very top right.
CubicSDR Set Up Guide (Tested on XP and above)

Warning: CubicSDR is software that is in alpha stages of development. That said, at the moment it is fairly stable and
quite easy to set up.
7. Go to cubicsdr.com and go to the downloads page. Find the download link for the latest version. Download the
version suitable for your particular version of Windows.
8. Run the CubicSDR installer.
9. Plug in your dongle and run CubicSDR from your start menu.
10. You will be greeted with a SDR Devices menu. Choose your RTL-SDR from the menu and click on the Use
Selected button.
11. CubicSDR will automatically start.
12. Click anywhere on the waterfall to start listening.
Other SDR Windows Software Compatible with RTL-SDR

See the Software Guide for a big list of other compatible RTL-SDR software.
Getting Started on Linux

Linux instructions for installing the RTL-SDR libraries can be found at http://sdr.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/rtl-sdr. Repeated
below is the code:
sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev git cmake
git clone git://git.osmocom.org/rtl-sdr.git
cd rtl-sdr/
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ../ -DINSTALL_UDEV_RULES=ON
make
sudo make install
sudo cp ../rtl-sdr.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo ldconfig
After installing the libraries you will likely need to unload the DVB-T drivers, which Linux uses by default. To unload
them temporarily type sudo rmmod dvb_usb_rtl28xxu into terminal. This solution is only temporary as when you replug
the dongle or restart the PC, the DVB-T drivers will be reloaded. For a permanent solution, create a text file rtlsdr.conf in
/etc/modprobe.d and add the line blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu. You can use the one line command shown below to
automatically write and create this file.
echo 'blacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu' | sudo tee --append /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-dvb_usb_rtl28xxu.conf
Now you can restart your device. After it boots up again run rtl_test at the terminal with the RTL-SDR plugged in. It
should start running.
After installing the libraries and black listing the DVB-T drivers we recommend starting off with GQRX, a SDR program
similar in operation to SDR#. It can be downloaded via the package manager in your Linux distribution or
from http://gqrx.dk/download. We can now also recommend the multi-platform CubicSDR which can be downloaded
from http://www.cubicsdr.com/.
If you want to install GNU Radio we recommend using Marcus Leechs script by typing the following into terminal. This
installs the RTL-SDR drivers as well.
wget http://www.sbrac.org/files/build-gnuradio && chmod a+x ./build-gnuradio && ./build-gnuradio
Note that if you want to run Linux in a virtual machine it has been reported that RTL-SDR performance with VirtualBox is
rather poor due to its slow USB connection. VMWare Player on the other hand has good performance just remember to
set the USB controller to use the USB 2.0 protocol as by default it is set to USB 1.1.
Another good Linux quick start guide written by Kenn Ranous can be found here (pdf).
Getting Started on OSX

As there is a severe lack of SDR software for OSX, we recommend using either Linux or Windows. However, GQRX is a
SDR program that works well on OSX. Instructions for its installation on a Mac can be found on this
post http://www.smittix.co.uk/rtlsdr-up-and-running-in-mac-osx-yosemite-with-gqrx-gnuradio.
We can now also recommend the multi-platform CubicSDR which can be downloaded from http://www.cubicsdr.com/.
For a comprehensive book about the RTL-SDR you may be interested in our book available on Amazon. Available in physical and eBook formats.
The Hobbyists Guide to the RTL-SDR: Really Cheap Software Defined radio.
s 43 j 259 h 12 k o 314
SHARES
Posted in Tagged with guide, install guide, quick start, radio scanner, rtl-sdr, rtl2832u, sdr#, sdrsharp, set up, Software-
defined radio, Windows, zadig
229 comments
Older Comments
1.
September 28, 2017 - 7:43 pm Chuck
When I run SDR# (v.1.0.0.1583 RTL-SDR (USB)) I get No device selected. Going to settings The Device is
shown as E4000, the drop down is greyed out (Im trying to select Generic RTL2832U OEM (0)).
Im using the ADAFruit P1497 SDR USB dongle.
Using Zadig I was able to get Bulk-In, Interface (Interface 0) to use the WinUSB (v6.1.7600.16385) driver. I
uninstalled Interface 1.
Any suggestions on how to proceed? (yes, rtlsdr.dll file is in the correct location and the director i not set to read
only).
Reply
September 29, 2017 - 12:14 am Beer It
contact ADAFruit for support ?
Reply
Apparently this question was ask at the ADAFruit support forum with no satisfactory resolution.
https://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=117930&p=615565&hilit=SDR#p615565
Reply
September 29, 2017 - 5:05 pm Beer It
Have you gone through every single step of the rtl-sdr dongle setup guide, it should work for a
generic stick with the RTL2832 chip in it.
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-quick-start-guide/
Reply
Looking at the SDRSharp.exe.Config file I see that is empty.
Reply
Ill try this again, the the input device string is empty: key=inputDevice value=
Reply
2.
September 4, 2017 - 2:02 pm Bill Allen
I have got the software and dongle working just fine for receiving FM radio but would like to monitor some of the
VHF and UHF ham radio frequencies. I see very strong signals on the frequencies in question but not gleaning any
intelligence. The frequencies in question are, for instance, 146.52 and 446.0. The mode would be, by my lights,
Narrow band FM. Any thoughts?
Reply
3.
August 9, 2017 - 2:20 am Kevin Angus
+10 for the guide! Simple to follow, quick working install.
Reply
4.
August 3, 2017 - 2:29 pm robin
Hi, great instructions. I have a USB TV DVB-T 210 v2.0 from AugustInt. It works fine as a TV receiver with their
driver and software
I wanted to see if it would works a s radio receiver too

However when I install the driver using zadig I only see a devive called usbstick
I had removed the windows drivers and also removed the device in windows before starting
Zadig installs the new drivers ok I get the success message

However when starting sdrsharp and selecting RTL-SDR (USB) I get a message no device selected
Is this because my existing dongle is not compatible ?
thanks a lot, very clear instructions and working links too
Robin
Reply
5.
June 25, 2017 - 7:52 am Paul
Can get DLL bat file error while retrieving files?
httpget http://sdr.osmocom.org/trac/raw-attachment/wiki/rtl-sdr/RelWithDebInfo.zip
502 Bad Gateway
nginx/1.10.2
Reply
6.
June 23, 2017 - 3:21 pm Rainer Juntgen
When i installed the dongle it appered as a wireless keyboard?
Reply
7.
June 20, 2017 - 9:01 pm KS3B
I follow instructions to install SDRSharp. When I double click on SDRsharp.exe file nothing happen. Program does
not start. Please advise me how to fix it and install SDRSharp.
Reply
8.
May 24, 2017 - 12:36 am Miguel G.
Hi, I have the R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO. Is it possible to discipline the internal TCXO to an external
source?, Ex. with NTP it is possible to discipline in frequency up to 16ppb if a client is refreshed fast enough (16,000
better than 1ppm) . Thanks
Reply
May 25, 2017 - 12:43 am admin
You cant, but you can use the breakout pads on the PCB, and the clock selector headers to attach your own
NTP or GPS disciplined oscillators.
Reply
May 26, 2017 - 3:29 am Miguel G
What PCB?
Reply
May 26, 2017 - 3:55 am admin
The V3 PCB, see feature 3 https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-blog-v-3-dongles-user-guide/
Reply
9.
May 20, 2017 - 10:01 pm Anonymous
All works great for Win 10 x64, then step 12 (run sdrsharp.exe) just does nothing. No GUI opens, no errors on the
screen. Just nothing. Uh help? Has anybody seen this?
Reply
May 22, 2017 - 8:06 pm Jon
Me too. It does leave a crash.txt file in the directory the program was run from. I suppose the stuff in the file
will mean something to the programmer.
Reply
May 22, 2017 - 8:09 pm Jon
Anonymous, try downloading the first choice on the page, Windows SDR Software Package. Thats what I did
after the x64 failure, and it installed and works OK. Remember the part about running as admin.
Reply
10.
May 18, 2017 - 8:35 pm Joe
I followed your guide and had it up and running in about 30 mins.

Seems to be receiving find but Im not getting anything in the Ham Bands.
Am I doing something wrong. Also is there a way to directly input a freq instead of digit by digit?
Thanks for posting this guide.
Reply
May 25, 2017 - 12:49 am admin
Are you using a V3? Remember that for the HF ham bands you need to enable the direct sampling mode. See
the V3 users guide linked in this quickstart guide above.
Reply
11.
May 4, 2017 - 4:53 pm Bill
Hello.. Quick question

I had purchased a RTL_SDR R820T2
Got it up and running on sdrsharp on Win 7 x64 for the most part.. Seems to be receiving fine for the most part on
the UV side with the small antenna that came with it.. I have the HF side connected to my Multiband windom
outside.. But do not get anything on any of the ham bands.. in any mode.. Am I missing something? I have played
with the Rf settings from 0 all the way to max and still get nothing..
Reply
May 22, 2017 - 5:09 pm Larry vanerwegen
Change scan mode in SDR# to direct Q

. Stop the reciever first or the option wont appear.
Reply
12.
March 29, 2017 - 2:34 pm KiZa
Where i can download SDRSharp version 1533? There is nowhere to find archive of old revs of program!
Reply
13.
February 23, 2017 - 9:39 pm D. Roth
Ive loaded all of the SDR drivers; SDR Sharp and RTL1090 are all functional (even the scope on the beta version is
working). However, Im trying to use ADS-B Scope along with this to track aircraft. I loaded the maps and set our
location, but the aircraft dont appear on the ADS-B Scope map. Do you know of a solution for this?
Reply
14.
February 21, 2017 - 8:06 pm CHRIS
about antenas prices
Reply
15.
February 8, 2017 - 2:46 am Bill W
Hello! I have the NooElect NESDR SMArt Premium 0.5PPM TCXO and Im going to be trying to use it with
OSX El Captain. So far I have HDSDR up and running and have a nice waterfall with no ability to hear anything but
background static, I have the three stock antennas that came with the dongle which I dont expect much from, but I
am hoping to at least verify I dont have a bad SDR dongle. Any input on things to try would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Reply
16.
January 24, 2017 - 5:08 pm Roby
I had my new RTl-SDR.COM V.3 dongle today, but I have problem with Zadig: when I insert the dongle in my PC
and select Built-In, Interface (Interface 0) in the Driver I have (NONE) only: what I wrong?
No problem with my old R820T Newsky dongle.
Reply
January 24, 2017 - 9:49 pm admin
NONE is correct.
The box on the left shows the CURRENTLY installed driver. The box to the right of the green arrow shows
the driver that WILL be installed after clicking on install.
Depending on the configuration of your OS, some versions of Windows install DVB-T TV drivers via plug
and play as soon as you plug the device in. Often it wont install anything, hence NONE for the current driver.
It seems in your case nothing is auto installed. In either case you are okay to go ahead and install the drivers
via zadig. After installing WinUSB should be shown on the left current installed driver box.
Reply
January 25, 2017 - 10:49 am Roby
I disabled the automatic driver installing from system.

I installed the driver with Zadig and now on the left side of green arrow there is the same WinUSB of
the right side. I thought that there should appear the RTL2832U words.
In the device management appears Bulk-In, Interface (interface 0) in the Universal Serial Bus devices
voice.
However, the dongle works now, and is recognized as R820T Generic RTL2832U OEM (0) in
SDRSharp, RTL2838UHIDI in HDSDR and EZCAP USB 2.0 RTL2838UHIDIR R820T in SDR
Console.
Is that correct?
Reply
February 23, 2017 - 11:42 pm admin
Yes that is correct now. Remember the left of the arrow shows the currently installed driver, and
you want the WinUSB drivers to be installed. Most Windows systems will install a generic DVB-
T driver when you plug it in, so those will show RTL2832 on in the before box, before WinUSB is
installed. Some systems for whatever reason dont install anything automatically, and so will show
NONE.
Reply
17.
January 20, 2017 - 11:06 pm Ken_S.
I just installed CubicSDR under the latest version of Ubuntu x86_64. I get the following errors
(CubicSDR-0.2.1-x86_64.AppImage:6761): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets-assets.css:76:7:

Missing name of pseudo-class
(CubicSDR-0.2.1-x86_64.AppImage:6761): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1445:28: No

property named -gtk-icon-transform
(CubicSDR-0.2.1-x86_64.AppImage:6761): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: gtk-widgets.css:1505:18:

outline-radius is not a valid property name
(CubicSDR-0.2.1-x86_64.AppImage:6761): Gtk-WARNING **: Theme parsing error: calendar.css:9:18: outline-

radius is not a valid property name
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
Found Rafael Micro R820T tuner
(CubicSDR-0.2.1-x86_64.AppImage:6761): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid unclassed pointer in cast to

GtkWidget
(CubicSDR-0.2.1-x86_64.AppImage:6761): Gtk-CRITICAL **: gtk_widget_set_size_request: assertion

GTK_IS_WIDGET (widget) failed
Reply
18.
January 5, 2017 - 8:14 pm linux guy
I just bought rtl-sdr but it doesnt work for me. gqrx crashes. Are there any other programs or some more instructions
for linux?
Reply
January 6, 2017 - 11:32 am linux guy
OK, maybe it works. Where I can find something to check it? What frequency?
Reply
January 6, 2017 - 4:38 pm linux guy
OK, it works now. Is there a way to listen more then one frequency at the same time?
Reply
19.
December 24, 2016 - 9:50 am KG7FDW
i followed the guide and everything is up and running on two computers running different OS Win7 and XP no
problem
However, I cant hear any stations anywhere on any band local gazillion watt AM talk radio station nothing but
white noise
Why is my Dongle SDR deaf as a post?
Reply
December 29, 2016 - 7:07 pm W4CM
Are you trying to tune below 30mHZ ?

Stop SDR receiver, click on ExtIO, change sampling to Q input, start SDR.
Hope this is your issue.
Reply
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Recent Comments
23hiro { $99 was gone... Now, it costs $139 but it may support them. } Sep 30, 10:35 AM
Beer It { Have you gone through every single step of the rtl-sdr dongle setup guide, it should work for a generic
stick with the RTL2832 chip in ... } Sep 29, 5:05 PM
Chuck { I'll try this again, the the input device string is empty: key="inputDevic e" value="" } Sep 29, 3:51
PM
Chuck { Looking at the SDRSharp.exe.Co nfig file I see that is empty. } Sep 29, 3:49 PM
Chuck { Apparently this question was ask at the ADAFruit support forum with no satisfactory resolution.
https://forums. adafruit.com/vi ewtopic.php?f=5 3&t=117930& amp;p=615565&am p;hilit=SDR#p61 5565 } Sep
29, 3:43 PM
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What is RTL-SDR
The RTL-SDR is an ultra cheap software defined radio based on DVB-T TV tuners with RTL2832U chips. The RTL-SDR
can be used as a wide band radio scanner. It may interest ham radio enthusiasts, hardware hackers, tinkerers and anyone
interested in RF.

Quick Start Guide SDR

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10/1/2017 Quick Start Guide

Manual gain controls and decimation driver

Quick Start Guide

Quick Start Guide

Miniature Transmitters Miniature Underground Location Transmitters. Go Anywhere! prototek.net/products-item/fm-series

RTL-SDR Blog V3 Users

Zadig just hangs when I try to install the driver

Zadig shows NONE in the driver install screen.

Zadig takes a long time to install the driver, then fails

I dont see Bulk-In, Interface (Interface 0)

I dont see RTL-SDR/USB in SDRSharp

USB 3.0 ports dont work

Reception in SDR# seems very poor/receiver is insensitive

SDR# gives error Object reference not not to an instance of an object

The dongle constantly disconnects from the USB port

I used zadig but it broke my keyboard/mouse/other device somehow

My antivirus shows SDR# as a virus.

My dongle came with a remote control. What is it for?

I want to watch DVB-T with my dongle, how do I do it?

I have a RTL-SDR V3 and cant get the HF signals to work

How to set the Gain

HDSDR Setup Guide (Tested on Win XP and above)

3. Go to http://zadig.akeo.ie/ and download Zadig.

8. Use the installer you just downloaded to install HDSDR.

18. The mode can be altered by clicking on the mode buttons.

SDR-RADIO V2 Setup Up Guide (Tested on Win XP and above)

3. Go to http://zadig.akeo.ie/ and download Zadig.

7. Download the SDR-RADIO installer from http://v2.sdr-radio.com/Software/Download1.

8. Use the installer to install SDR-RADIO.

9. Download the RTL-SDR support package from the link at http://m3ghe.blogspot.com.au/p/adding-support-for-rtl-

CubicSDR Set Up Guide (Tested on XP and above)

3. Go to http://zadig.akeo.ie/ and download Zadig.

8. Run the CubicSDR installer.

11. CubicSDR will automatically start.

12. Click anywhere on the waterfall to start listening.

Other SDR Windows Software Compatible with RTL-SDR

Getting Started on Linux

Getting Started on OSX

September 28, 2017 - 7:43 pm Chuck

Im using the ADAFruit P1497 SDR USB dongle.

September 29, 2017 - 12:14 am Beer It

contact ADAFruit for support ?

September 29, 2017 - 3:43 pm Chuck

September 29, 2017 - 5:05 pm Beer It

September 29, 2017 - 3:49 pm Chuck

Looking at the SDRSharp.exe.Config file I see that is empty.

September 29, 2017 - 3:51 pm Chuck

September 4, 2017 - 2:02 pm Bill Allen

August 9, 2017 - 2:20 am Kevin Angus

+10 for the guide! Simple to follow, quick working install.

August 3, 2017 - 2:29 pm robin

I wanted to see if it would works a s radio receiver too

Zadig installs the new drivers ok I get the success message

Is this because my existing dongle is not compatible ?

thanks a lot, very clear instructions and working links too

June 25, 2017 - 7:52 am Paul

Can get DLL bat file error while retrieving files?

June 23, 2017 - 3:21 pm Rainer Juntgen

When i installed the dongle it appered as a wireless keyboard?

June 20, 2017 - 9:01 pm KS3B

May 24, 2017 - 12:36 am Miguel G.

May 25, 2017 - 12:43 am admin

May 26, 2017 - 3:29 am Miguel G

May 26, 2017 - 3:55 am admin