Airspy

Overview

Airspy makes a family of high‑performance, receive‑only SDRs that cover everything from HF to 1.8 GHz (and up to 1.75 GHz for the newest model). They are known for excellent dynamic range, low noise, high‑quality RF filtering, and extremely mature software support (SDR#, SDR‑Radio, GQRX, GNURadio, etc.). Below is a complete, structured, technically detailed overview of all Airspy SDRs.

🧩 Airspy Product Line Overview (All Models)

1. Airspy R2 — The flagship VHF/UHF SDR

Architecture: Low‑IF superheterodyne using R820T2/R860 tuner + 12‑bit ADC

Native coverage: 24–1700 MHz (or 24–1800 MHz depending on revision)   

HF coverage: Down to DC with SpyVerter upconverter

ADC: 12‑bit @ 20 MSPS (10.4 ENOB, 70 dB SNR, 95 dB SFDR)   

IQ output: 10 MSPS (standard), 2.5 MSPS (low‑power mode)

Clock: 0.5 ppm low‑phase‑noise TCXO

External clock input: 10–100 MHz (MCX) — supports phase‑coherent arrays

Dynamic range:

• IIP3: 35 dBm RF front‑end
• Very low NF: 3.5 dB between 42–1002 MHz
• Special features:
• Tracking RF filters
• Bias‑Tee (4.5 V)
• Loop‑through RF output
• 16 SGPIO pins, high‑speed ADC inputs, synchronized clock outputs

Use cases: ADS‑B, passive radar, radio astronomy, coherent arrays, satellite IF, VHF/UHF scanning.

2. Airspy Mini — Compact version of R2

Same architecture as R2 but smaller form factor, 6 MSPS IQ, slightly reduced dynamic range.

3. Airspy HF+ / HF+ Discovery — High‑performance HF/VHF SDR

Direct‑sampling HF receiver with extremely high dynamic range and low noise floor, covering 0.5 kHz–260 MHz.

4. Airspy Ranger — The newest wideband model

Frequency coverage: 0.5 kHz – 1.750 GHz (HF to UHF)   

HF coverage: 0.5 kHz – 31 MHz

VHF/UHF coverage:

• VHF‑I: 31–66 MHz
• VHF‑II: 66–118 MHz
• VHF‑III: 118–260 MHz
• UHF: 260–1750 MHz

Sensitivity (MDS @ 500 Hz BW):

• HF: −141 dBm
• VHF/UHF: −142.5 dBm   
• Dynamic range:
• HF BDR: 110 dB
• VHF/UHF BDR: 95 dB 

Architecture:

• HF/FM: Direct conversion (zero‑IF)
• VHF/UHF: Double conversion (low‑IF → zero‑IF) 

Filtering:

• 5 HF preselection filters
• 5 VHF/UHF preselection filters
• Polyphase harmonic‑rejection mixer

Image rejection:

• HF/FM: 120 dB
• VHF/UHF: 75+ dB 
• Clock: 0.5 ppm VC‑TCXO
• Bias‑Tee: User‑controllable
• USB: Type‑C
• Output: Up to 912 kSPS IQ with alias‑free output

Special features:

• Sigma‑Delta ADCs @ 36 MSPS + 18‑bit DDC
• Very strong ESD protection
• Ultra‑small CNC‑milled RF‑tight enclosure

🧪 Technical Themes Across All Airspy SDRs

High Dynamic Range

Airspy devices consistently deliver exceptional dynamic range for their class, especially the Ranger (110 dB HF BDR) and HF+ series.

Excellent RF Filtering

Tracking filters, preselectors, and harmonic‑rejection mixers reduce overload and improve weak‑signal performance.

Low Phase Noise Clocks

All Airspy SDRs use high‑stability TCXOs (0.5 ppm), with external clocking options on R2.

Strong Software Ecosystem

Airspy SDRs are natively supported by:

• SDR# (the “gold standard” for Airspy)
• SDR‑Radio
• HDSDR
• GQRX
• GNU Radio
• Many decoding suites (Krypto500, etc.)

Plug‑and‑Play

No drivers required on Windows 10/11; open‑source drivers for Linux. 

🧠 Expert Summary (for your engineering context)

The Airspy family fits into the high‑dynamic‑range, narrow‑to‑medium‑bandwidth category. They are not wideband SDRs like Fobos or RSR200B, but they excel at:

• HF weak‑signal DX (HF+ Discovery)
• VHF/UHF scanning and decoding (R2, Ranger)
• Passive radar and coherent experiments (R2 with external clock)
• Satellite IF monitoring (R2, Ranger)

Airspy Models Compared (Summary Table)

08:44:34> Airspy

08:44:34> Airspy library version 1.0 revision 6

08:44:34> Opening serial number 16C463C8-210C55C7

08:44:34> Opened serial number 16C463C8-210C55C7

08:44:34> Firmware version AirSpy NOS v1.0.0-rc5-0-g648c14f 2015-05-20