NooElec Ham It Up Plus v2 - Extend The Range of Your RTL-SDR, NESDR or Other Radio Down to 300Hz. HF/MF/LF/VLF/ULF Upconverter and Panadapter w/TCXO & Switchable LNA/Passthrough Options

It's always a good experience when a product is ordered, and actually does what is claimed in the ad text, so I like to give credit where it's due. Yes, this upconverter costs a bit more than some of the mystery "clones" one might find on eBay, but as the saying goes, you do get what you pay for.My main ambition was to catch radio traffic in some of the HAM bands, but also in AM broadcast, SW, and so on.As for the Ham it Up unit, it took only a few minutes to get it set up and running. It's a very simple procedure (provided you already have your RTL-SDR or similar device installed and running), but no worries, there are numerous YouTube videos which give very good step by step instructions.The main criteria to know about is setting the tuning offset of your software to -125 MHz, to compensate for the upconverter. It's purpose is to compensate for the tuning limits of your RTL-SDR device, which cannot reach below 25 MHz.If not familiar, I would strongly suggest using the HDR# software, as this has a huge user base and lots of blog sites and YT videos one can refer to. You can also use HDSDR with similar results, I have used both.Aside from setting up the tuning parameters and some other details in the software, your biggest variable will likely be antennas.It's good to have several different antennas to select from, depending on what you're tuning in on, but even more importantly is where the antennas are and how they're positioned. This you'll just have to experiment around a bit with.But as for the NooElec Ham it UP itself, no complaints, does exactly what it should do.My only suggestion is to have an extra USB power cord handy (I run my USB power from an AC powered USB extension port), as the device does not ship with one.

My five-star review is based solely on the fantastic customer support provided by Nooelec. I had initially purchased a fully assembled Ham-it-up Plus, but as with many of projects, it sat for a couple months before I actually got around to using it. Unfortunately, I discovered the item was defective (it was short-circuiting or something similar, it was drawing too much current from the USB port causing the USB controller to shut down to protect itself until the device was unplugged.) This was WELL after the return period outlined by the seller and I thought I was pretty much S.O.L., so to speak. On the off-chance that I could maybe probe the components and fix it myself, I emailed Nooelec. After sending a few photos of the device and demonstrating the odd current-draw, the support team (thank you Danielle!) sent me a brand new replacement unit by their own volition! I was blown away by this level of customer support, and will continue to use Nooelec for my RF and component needs moving forward. The replacement board arrived a few short days later and works perfectly.

This thing not only works perfectly, it is very stable and accurate - a few parts per million in frequency offset. No internal heating at all - it stays at room temp. I'm using it with the NooElec NESDR Smart and SDR Sharp software with several antennas (longwire, VHF / UHF). Please note: With all of the noise and hash from electronic devices in a modern household, an external longwire antenna with a balun (or unun) located AWAY from the house is needed. Feed some 50 or 75 ohm coax out to the antenna / balun, wait until after dark, and tune in the world. I'm having a blast with this combo. It works better than my old Heathkit shortwave radio ever did. Mine came with the "Noise Out" connector, which seems to be optional on some of these. It's a very useful white noise source with a very flat output. Great for testing just about any kind of tuned circuits.

It works what I expected. Thanks NooElec.Just one thing, I could not find a manual. Smomehow it works !

As of April 2024, using a ~2017 NooElec NESDR Smart XTR SDR device with this ~2017 NooElec Ham It Up Plus v2, and finding very similar, if not the same results as when using an ~2019 AirSpy Discovery HF+ device! With the exception, the Nooelec hardware works with many more commonly known software than the AirSpy high frequency device.About the only difference, seemingly only cosmetic or looks, I found the NooElec high frequency setup to have a +10-20dB gain in comparison to the AirSpy Discovery HF+ device. (I'll further clarify this from my notes once the review is published, rather than writing from memory.) I was expecting a 10dB decrease with the Ham It Up, but found the opposite to be apparently true. As documented within prior AirSpy reviews, the AirSpy USB device likely just incorporates additional hardware filtering, resulting in a less than 10-20dB gain, or decreased signals and noise floor. No real difference when using the Nooelec hardware, once you lower the gain level by 10-20dB! Audible noise levels sound about the same, but some less ghosting. Weird...Had I known the performance would be extremely similar, and having access to more compatible and much more stable software with the Nooelec hardware, I would have never had purchased the more expensive AirSpy. Also seems to be no reviews documenting the comparisons between the two popular devices.PROSSame/similar performance as the later ~2019 AirSpy Discovery HF+ device. Can easily save yourself a $100, unless you desire the sleeker looking AirSpy Discovery HF+ device.2) RTL-SDR and Nooelec are all well supported throughout most all popular operating systems. AirSpy developers (via mailing lists or forums) only support Windows' SDR++, with little support elsewhere, even though they say otherwise on their website.CONSThe Nooelec high frequency device setup, requires connecting an RTL SDR USB device to the Ham It Up Plus V2 device. (eg. NooElec NESDR Smart XTR SDR USB device) Also requires a -125mHz offset, however most software nowadays is automatically configured upon detection. Really no big deal, for those already computer literate.