LimeSDR Mini - alternatives? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: 0-8-15 User
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2021, 02:38:05 pm
content: I am planning to purchase a Software Defined Radio for the first time. For the time being, my main interest is to monitor the cell utilization of surrounding LTE stations viaFALCON.I'm afraid that a RTL-SDR won't be enough for this purpose, so I'm looking for affordable alternatives. I would have bought a LimeSDR Mini, but it seems to be very hard to get.Should I try my luck with a Chinese HackRF? I am glad and grateful for any advice.

author: HB9EVI
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2021, 03:06:20 pm
content: it dependsthe selection of SDRs is quite high in the meantime. I didn't read now the whole pdf you posted, but it seems to be a FOSS, so you will be more or less free in your choice of the hardware. So next focus would be the maximal bandwidth the device can handle, where RTL-SDR seems to be no feasible option.SDRPlay offers 10MHz bandwidth what would cover the european 800MHz LTE band, the same goes afaik for the HackRF but SDRplay offers higher dynamic range (14bit vs 8bit).

author: radiolistener
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2021, 02:10:23 am
content: Quote from: HB9EVI on December 11, 2021, 03:06:20 pmbut SDRPlay has very dirty spectrum with a lot of parasitic spurs. RTLSDR is more clean.Quote from: HB9EVI on December 11, 2021, 03:06:20 pmSDRPlay provides almost the same performance as 8 bit RTLSDR.In some cases it can be a little better, but it's LO has spectral purity issues and RF tuner limitations."14 bit" is a marketing for processing gain. Actually it has 12-bit ADC, but it's spectral purity of LO synthesizer is worse than RTLSDR, so you won't get advantage in average.If you choose between RTLSDR and SDRPlay, I would suggest RTLSDR. Because RTLSDR has more predictable behavior, less spurs and no gaps in a frequency coverage.If you choose between RTLSDR, SDRPlay and HackRF, I would suggest HackRF. But they all are low performance budget level receivers. The performance of RTLSDR and SDRPlay is much worse than classic 8-bit DDC receiver. HackRF is better, it is classic 8-bit DDC.For LTE frequecy bands (1800-2100 MHz) I would suggest ADALM-PLUTO:https://www.analog.com/en/design-center/evaluation-hardware-and-software/evaluation-boards-kits/adalm-pluto.htmlIt has 12 bit ADC/DAC and FPGA processing, so you can look at it as upgraded HackRF with 12-bit ADC/DAC.ADALM-PLUTO has RF coverage from 325 MHz to 3.8 GHz (can be hacked to work from 70 MHz) with up to 20 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth.Also you can use custom made downconverter and high performance short wave DDC receivers such asRedPitaya SDRlab 122-16to capture wide bandwidth downconverted from 2 GHz to a short wave band.

author: HB9EVI
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2021, 10:54:16 am
content: sure they trick with the 14bit; but if we talk about the spectral purity of LO the situation did improve since the upcome of the newer RSP2 series; the very first one was indeed rather nasty. And spur situation could be done for sure much better after so many development cycles the RSP-series already hadand, not to forget: the SDRPlay series comes with proprietary software; you get libraries and headers to integrate the hardware in your own code, but there is no source code available for libraries themselves, what can be considered as total no-go when working with FOSS.like it has to be said ever and ever again - it's a tradeoff between features and technical parameters you want on one side and the costs on the other side. All of those lower-end SDRs have their flaws, so you should decide what are your ambitions and how much you're willing to spend for your engagement.

author: 0-8-15 User
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2021, 07:50:53 pm
content: The more I think about it, the more I lean towards the Adalm Pluto. What would be the next best device if I was willing to spend a little more?Edit 1:It looks like the Adalm Plutowill not workwith FALCON (at least not without reprogramming the FPGA).Edit 2:I will probably either have to wait many months for aLimeSDR minior pay big money for an Ettus / bladeRF:https://github.com/falkenber9/srsLTE#:~:text=Hardware

author: 0-8-15 User
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2021, 04:10:39 pm
content: I'm about to pull the trigger on either a bladeRF 2.0 micro xA5 (713 EUR) or an Ettus USRP B205mini-i (891 EUR).However, the following statement got me thinking about whether a bladeRF really is a sensible choice for a novice:Quote from:https://www.reddit.com/r/RTLSDR/comments/eirhg7/bladerf_vs_limesdr/Edit:I also assume that the resale value of an Ettus USRP is higher?

author: 9aplus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2021, 08:33:24 pm
content: How about second handLime SDR USB?orLime NET micro, which is the same likeminibut with/wthout RPI CM3 on board?

author: 0-8-15 User
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2021, 09:23:04 pm
content: Quote from: 9aplus on December 17, 2021, 08:33:24 pmI've tried literally everywhere to find one, but so far to no avail. Same goes for BladeRF or Ettus, which seem just as hard to find on the used market.Quote from: 9aplus on December 17, 2021, 08:33:24 pmI didn't know, thank you. I will definitely check it out!

author: 9aplus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2021, 08:59:51 am
content: Guessing that you are student doing some research for diploma or similar?Tip, go onhttps://discourse.myriadrf.org/Leave the message that you are looking for second hand Lime mini or Lime SDR USB for research.(I managed to buy one that way, now own 2 x Lime SDR USB, 1 x Lime NET micro)If no luck PM to me here, hope we can manage something, my HW is located within EU...