Mostly the Frugal Radio channel has focused on budget SDRs like the RTL-SDR v3 and NooElec SMArt units.
These cost under $35USD and open up a world of possibilities when it comes to intercepting radio communications. There is just so much you can do with them.
I actually use my budget Software Defined Radios most, as they are left running 24/7 performing various duties, such as Pager Decoding, Satellite Decoding, ACARS aviation messages, or monitoring Digital DMR / NXDN or P25 systems.
However there are some absolutely amazing SDRs in the $100-$200 range as well. This episode looks at some of the options available at this price point.
You will notice that Airspy have 3 products within this price range, and SDRPlay have 1.
All 4 of these products are good!
If you are reading this article in / near Fall, then you might wish to consider that Airspy often run Black Friday sales. Here was some info from their 2021 Black Friday sale…