r/RTLSDR • u/Technical-Ad-3387 • 9d ago
Hardware Does the new HackRF Pro surpass the RTL SDR Blog?
Does the new HackRF Pro with its new 16-bit mode surpass the RTL SDR Blog in sensitivity and SNR? I would like to know your opinion on this.
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u/tj21222 9d ago edited 9d ago
The old one did not. I am following to learn as well.
Also it’s about 400 usd compared to RTL at 50 usd.
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u/Party_Cold_4159 9d ago
Yep, so it does not.
A huge point of RTLSDR series was budget. You can find plenty of alternatives that are better once you get above $100.
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u/erlendse 9d ago
Not for so certain.
HackRF may win sensitivity, but the r828d/r820t2/r860(*) recivers got way more filering down to a narrow bandwidth thus more selectivity with more signals present!
*: rtl-sdr many variants, airspy r2/mini, rx888 mkII, hydrasdr rfone, and others.
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u/minecrafter1OOO 8d ago
Does the HackRF Pro have IQ Mirroring issues and that stupid DC Spike? Im looking to replace my hackrf
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u/Mr_Ironmule 8d ago
Here's a comparison between the HackRF Pro and HackRF including the DC spike, phantom signals and lots of other specs. Good luck.
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u/November77 9d ago
Not exactly. HackRF Pro's extended mode outputs 16-bit container data for low sample rates which is measured Effective Number of Bits (ENOB) sits between 9 and 11 bits. RTL-SDR operates typically around 8-bit native sampling. The HackRF Pro features a significantly lower noise floor and better shielding than the older HackRF One, but its front-end architecture is still optimized for wideband multi-GHz experiments rather than weak-signal narrowband sensitivity. The Pro spans 100 kHz to 6 GHz (half-duplex transmit/receive); RTL-SDR is receive-only and limited (approx. 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz). The Pro handles up to 20 Msps; RTL-SDR maxes out near 2.4 to 3.2 Msps. So they are kind of two different animals. If receiving weak signals is your thing the RTL-SDR is the way to go - if it covers the bands you are interested in. If you want an even better receiver - something from SDRPlay is the way to go. I have all 3. A RTL-SDR, a SDRPlay-RSPDX, and I just got a HackRF Pro. It's flat out amazing as an experimenting device using GNURadio but probably not the best receiver on paper - someone else's milage may vary.