Best products from r/numberstations
We found 6 comments on r/numberstations discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 6 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. TECSUN PL-380 DSP FM Stereo. MW. SW. LW. World Band PLL Radio Receiver, LCD Display, ETM Function Added
- Using Silicon Labs Si4734 DSP; To Digitalize The Analog MW / FM / SW Broadcasting Signal Base On The Modern Software Technology And Radio Principles
- Small and exquisite design, convenient to carry, excellent for walkers, hikers, campers, backpackers
- Seven Tuning Mode Selectable,LCD Display Screen,550 Preset Memories,Digital Clock Function With 12/24 Hour Format,Highly Intelligent On / Off Switch
- Light & Snooze Function,Key Lock Function,Built-In Charging System To Charge The Ni-Mh Rechargeable Battery,Built In Dc 5v Usb Jack, Earphone Jack
- Accessories:1PC STEREO EARPHONE, 1PC EXTERNAL FM/SW ANTENNA, 1PC CARRYING POUCH AND ENGLISH MANUAL. 1 YEAR WARRANTY ONLY BACKED BY VAIROCANA
Features:
▼ Read Reddit mentions
3. Nooelec NESDR Smart v4 Bundle - Premium RTL-SDR w/Aluminum Enclosure, 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input & 3 Antennas. RTL2832U & R820T2-Based Software Defined Radio.
- Premium RTL-SDR bundle includes newly designed NESDR SMArt in beautiful brushed aluminum enclosure, re-designed antenna base with 2m (6.5') RG-58 feed cable, and 3 antenna masts. Proudly built by Nooelec in the USA and Canada! Full 2-year product warranty
- A wide variety of improvements on other designs, including ultra-low phase noise 0.5PPM TCXO, RF-suitable voltage regulator, custom heatsink, 2 silicone pads and SMA female connector
- Designed from the ground up to reduce USB port occlusion. Run multiple NESDR SMArt side-by-side with any USB-compliant device, including tightly-spaced embedded devices like the Raspberry Pi
- SDR frequency capability approximately 25MHz-1700MHz. Frequency range can be extended down to 100kHz or lower with the Ham It Up, available on Amazon (Product ID B009LQT3G6)
- An 8pc SMA adapter set and carrying case is also available on Amazon (Product ID B073JT98RR)
Features:
▼ Read Reddit mentions4. RTL-SDR Blog R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA Software Defined Radio (Dongle Only)
- Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog brand R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Dongle (V3) (Dongle Only)
- Great for many applications including general radio, air traffic control, public safety radio, ADSB, ACARS, trunked radio, P25 digital voice, POCSAG, weather balloons, APRS, NOAA APT weather satellites, radio astronomy, meteor scatter monitoring, DAB, classroom learning, or for use as a low cost panadapter with a traditional ham radio.
- Several improvements over other brands including use of the R820T2 tuner, improved component tolerances, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector, aluminium shielded case with thermal pad for passive cooling, activatable bias tee circuit and a much improved antenna set.
- Can tune from 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz and has up to 3.2 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth (2.4 MHz stable). (HF reception below 24 MHz in direct sampling mode with reduced performance). Please note RTL-SDR dongles are RX only.
Features:
▼ Read Reddit mentions
Top comments mentioning products on r/numberstations:
Summary
1. TECSUN PL-380 DSP FM Stereo. MW. SW. LW. World Band PLL Radio Receiver, LCD Display, ETM Function Added
- Using Silicon Labs Si4734 DSP; To Digitalize The Analog MW / FM / SW Broadcasting Signal Base On The Modern Software Technology And Radio Principles
- Small and exquisite design, convenient to carry, excellent for walkers, hikers, campers, backpackers
- Seven Tuning Mode Selectable,LCD Display Screen,550 Preset Memories,Digital Clock Function With 12/24 Hour Format,Highly Intelligent On / Off Switch
- Light & Snooze Function,Key Lock Function,Built-In Charging System To Charge The Ni-Mh Rechargeable Battery,Built In Dc 5v Usb Jack, Earphone Jack
- Accessories:1PC STEREO EARPHONE, 1PC EXTERNAL FM/SW ANTENNA, 1PC CARRYING POUCH AND ENGLISH MANUAL. 1 YEAR WARRANTY ONLY BACKED BY VAIROCANA
Features:
▼ Read Reddit mentions3. Nooelec NESDR Smart v4 Bundle - Premium RTL-SDR w/Aluminum Enclosure, 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input & 3 Antennas. RTL2832U & R820T2-Based Software Defined Radio.
- Premium RTL-SDR bundle includes newly designed NESDR SMArt in beautiful brushed aluminum enclosure, re-designed antenna base with 2m (6.5') RG-58 feed cable, and 3 antenna masts. Proudly built by Nooelec in the USA and Canada! Full 2-year product warranty
- A wide variety of improvements on other designs, including ultra-low phase noise 0.5PPM TCXO, RF-suitable voltage regulator, custom heatsink, 2 silicone pads and SMA female connector
- Designed from the ground up to reduce USB port occlusion. Run multiple NESDR SMArt side-by-side with any USB-compliant device, including tightly-spaced embedded devices like the Raspberry Pi
- SDR frequency capability approximately 25MHz-1700MHz. Frequency range can be extended down to 100kHz or lower with the Ham It Up, available on Amazon (Product ID B009LQT3G6)
- An 8pc SMA adapter set and carrying case is also available on Amazon (Product ID B073JT98RR)
Features:
▼ Read Reddit mentions4. RTL-SDR Blog R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA Software Defined Radio (Dongle Only)
- Includes 1x RTL-SDR Blog brand R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Dongle (V3) (Dongle Only)
- Great for many applications including general radio, air traffic control, public safety radio, ADSB, ACARS, trunked radio, P25 digital voice, POCSAG, weather balloons, APRS, NOAA APT weather satellites, radio astronomy, meteor scatter monitoring, DAB, classroom learning, or for use as a low cost panadapter with a traditional ham radio.
- Several improvements over other brands including use of the R820T2 tuner, improved component tolerances, a 1 PPM temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO), SMA F connector, aluminium shielded case with thermal pad for passive cooling, activatable bias tee circuit and a much improved antenna set.
- Can tune from 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz and has up to 3.2 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth (2.4 MHz stable). (HF reception below 24 MHz in direct sampling mode with reduced performance). Please note RTL-SDR dongles are RX only.
Features:
▼ Read Reddit mentions
That one is twice the price in Canada! How about this one?
How is this compared to the CC Skywave aside from price?
The Tecson shortwave is the best price and has the best specs to boot with it. It is even better than the old Sony's.
Is that true?
Also I'm in Newfoundland Canada, will that impact the range and fun that can be had with this type of radio? I'm thinking of this as a possible gift for my father. Does this one also do HAM?
The applicable chapter in Big Secrets is basically a condensed version of How To Tune The Secret Shortwave Spectrum by the late Harry Helms. It's just as dated as Poundstone, but a fun read if you want to get a feel for what the 80s scene was like.
I second the nomination of Uno, Dos, Cuatro by "Havana Moon", pen name for the late William T. Godbey. It was published in 1987 so it's nearly as dated as the book by Helms but has more in-depth analysis of the information available at the time.
A cheap $25 software defined radio dongle paired with a long wire antenna is a very good way to get your feet wet with number stations and general listening.
I have this one and it works great. It also has a wide listening range and not just for number stations
Correct. You don't even need to know which frequency they're tuned in on specifically, you could look at the whole spectrum using a Software Defined Radio like an rtl-sdr or bladerf with an upconverter and then spot them in a waterfall like SDRTrunk, SDRTouch, HD-SDR, SDRSharp, etc etc.
William Poundstone's "Big Secrets." It only has one chapter on numbers stations, but it's damn good and the chapters on other topics are damn good, too.
A search on Amazon shows several copies going for as low as $15 dollars.