Hi All:
I tried something new this morning. A couple of weeks ago, I ordered one of the above devices from China on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/391095249092?It arrived this morning and I have been playing with it since it came after figuring out how to configure it, etc....
A good guide to using these may be found on:
https://coderwall.com/p/roldfw/getting-started-with-sdr-with-rtl2832uWhat it is is a receiver in a dongle which plugs into your USB port. It allows you to watch live SDTV and HDTV and listen to digital radio; Supports MPEG-2 / H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) video coding; Time-shifting and scheduled recording functions; EGP teletext Subtile and closed caption function; Recording format: :DVBT TV-DVD(MPEG-2) FM radio / DAB+ radio WMA convert format; Video: AVI-MPEG4 ASF MPEG4 MP4-MPEG4 (for iPod) PSP-MPEG4 3GP MPEG4 AVI DIVX AVI XVID MOV MPEG4 USB 2.0 connector; Recording format: DVBT TV-DVD(MPEG-2) FM radio / DAB+ radio WMA convert format; Video :AVI-MPEG4 ASF MPEG4 MP4-MPEG4 (for iPod) PSP-MPEG4 3GP MPEG4 AVI DIVX AVI XVID MOV MPEG4 Audio: MP3; Input: 75 Ohm IEC(Din)
TV will not work in North America, but covers radio from: 87.5~108MHz DAB+ radio: L-band: 1452960~1490624KHz; VHF-174928~239200 KHz, and I believe FM from 48.25~863.25 mhz, including police frequencies, though I have not yet had time to try it out on them...
Installation of the software is moderately difficult do not use the software which comes with it - use the software linked from the coderwall site. It is more tailored to radio reception. Just follow their instructions - they are dead on.
I have been receiving some of the local FM stations with it, and it does a great job. Later, I will try frequencies outside that band.
The dongle can be found for $8.75 USD with free shipping. It comes with an installation CD (which you don't use), the dongle itself, and with a cheap VHF antenna.
I am going to have fun with mine!
Dave