Radio & SDR
Software-defined radios, ham radios, antenna analyzers, and amateur radio gear. RTL-SDR, HackRF, NanoVNA, Baofeng, Yaesu, Icom.. 8 products compared with full specifications and recommendations.
Software-Defined Radios
USB SDR receivers and TX-capable platforms — RTL-SDR, HackRF, Airspy
RTL-SDR Blog V4
R828D + RTL2832U- RX Range
- 500 kHz – 1.75 GHz (HF via built-in upconverter)
- Sample Rate
- 3.2 MSPS (2.4 MSPS stable)
- TX Capable
- Receive-only
HackRF One
MAX2839 + LPC4320- RX Range
- 1 MHz – 6 GHz
- Sample Rate
- 20 MSPS (8 MSPS recommended)
- TX Capable
- Half-duplex TX (output varies by frequency: ~+15 dBm below 1 GHz, ~-5 dBm at 6 GHz)
Airspy HF+ Discovery
MSi001 + LPC4370- RX Range
- 9 kHz – 31 MHz (HF) + 60 – 260 MHz (VHF)
- Sample Rate
- 912 kSPS IQ (660 kHz alias-free bandwidth)
- TX Capable
- Receive-only
Ham Radios & HTs
Handheld transceivers for amateur radio, GMRS, and FRS — Baofeng, Quansheng, Yaesu, Icom
Baofeng UV-5R
RDA1846- Bands
- VHF 136-174 MHz + UHF 400-520 MHz (dual-band)
- TX Power
- 4W high / 1W low (UHF), 5W high / 1W low (VHF)
- Modes
- FM (analog only — no DMR / D-STAR / C4FM)
Quansheng UV-K5
BK4819- Bands
- 50-600 MHz (open RX with firmware mods); TX 136-174 / 400-470 MHz stock
- TX Power
- 5W high / 1W low
- Modes
- FM, AM (aviation band RX), SSB (with community firmware)
Yaesu FT-65R
Yaesu proprietary RF + MCU- Bands
- VHF 144-148 MHz + UHF 430-450 MHz (US Amateur 2m + 70cm)
- TX Power
- 5W high / 2.5W mid / 1W low / 0.5W min (selectable)
- Modes
- FM (analog only)
Icom ID-52A
Icom proprietary DSP + RF- Bands
- VHF 144-148 MHz + UHF 430-450 MHz (US Amateur 2m + 70cm dual-band)
- TX Power
- 5W high / 2.5W mid / 1W low / 0.1W min
- Modes
- FM, FM-N, AM (RX), D-STAR (DV digital voice + DD high-speed data)
Antenna Analyzers
Vector network analyzers for tuning antennas and measuring RF networks — NanoVNA family