Airspy HF+

Specifications    Prices

HF and VHF pocket SDR with high dynamic range front-end. Tunable RF filter and polyphase harmonic rejection mixer for low-IF ADC. Ideated in USA, year of introduction 2017.

Reference market : amateur-radio

Airspy HF+ specifications

General
Frequency coverage
0.0090 ~ 31.0000 MHz [1]
60.0000 ~ 260.0000 MHz
Mode
CW / LSB / USB / AM / FM / WFM
Tuning step
1 Hz min
Receiver
MDS (Minimum Detectable Signal)
-140.0 dBm / 0.02 uV (15MHz, BW 500Hz)
-141.5 dBm (60-108MHz, BW 500Hz)
-142.5 dBm (118-136MHz, BW 500Hz)
-140.5 dBm (136-174MHz, BW 500Hz)
-140.0 dBm (174-260MHz, BW 500Hz)
Selectivity
User-defined bandwidth (0.1dB typ passband ripple)
ADC (Analog to Digital Conversion)
Sample rate36 Msps
TypeSigma-delta
Blocking
110 dB (HF)
95 dB (VHF)
IP3 (3rd order intercept point)
+15 dBm (max gain, HF)
+13 dBm (max gain, VHF)
RF maximum input level
+10 dBm
Image rejection
120 dB (software level)
Frequency accuracy
± 0.5ppm
Features
Memory
Unlimited memory channels
Antenna
SMA 50Ω (HF)
SMA 50Ω (VHF)
Power supply
USB 5 VDC
I/Q output
660 KHz bandwidth
Connections
USB
Mechanical and environmental data
Operating temperature
from -45°C to +85°C
Dimensions
60 (W) x 13 (H) x 90 (D) mm

  1. The HF input port is optimized for bands higher than 300kHz, a simple modification for VLF is possible.
Airspy HF+ description :

Airspy HF+ (Airspy HF Plus) is a joint effort between Airspy and Itead Studio. As pocket SDR uses a very high dynamic range front-end, also brings more performance from passive mixers with an excellent polyphase harmonic rejection structure. With its strong signal handling capability the Airspy HF+ is the ideal companion for light portable operation. Two RF tuner; for HF the receiver achieves excellent performance by means of a low-loss preselection filter, high linearity LNA, high linearity tunable RF filter, and a mixer that rejects up to the 21st harmonic. The 6 dB-stepped AGC gain is fully controlled by the software running in the DSP which optimizes the gain distribution in real time for optimal sensitivity and linearity; for VHF excellent FM performance is achieved by using optimized signal paths composed of band filters, high linearity LNA with a stepped AGC switchable in 3 dB-steps and fully controlled by the firmware running in the DSP. Extended VHF coverage is assured by a second Band-III tuner up to 260 MHz, but with reduced performance. For an evolution of this architecture see Airspy HF+ Discovery.


Airspy HF+ receiver architecture on HF path

The analog to digital converter (ADC) is a 4th order multi-bit noise shaping topology, sampling rate is determined by a control algorithm running in the embedded DSP. This technique adjusts the sampling rate depending on the tuning frequency with the goal of avoiding the disturbances and spurs generated by the switching discrete-time sections of the IF-ADC. Once the IF signal is digitalized, the I/Q stream is then frequency translated and processed with cascaded CIC and FIR decimation stages. After every stage, the sample rate is reduced and the resolution increased. The final signal at the output has 18bit resolution and an alias rejection performance of 108 dBc. The data is then scaled to 16bit and sent to the Micro-Controller for streaming over USB. The DSP core also implement a flexible and acoustically pleasant noise reduction algorithms, applications range from high-fidelity hiss removal for broadcast Wide-FM signals to unburying weak SSB signals from the HF noise floor.

Airspy HF+ features :

Frequency adjustment capability. Up to 660 kHz alias and image free for 768 ksps IQ output. Four programmable GPIO. No drivers required, plug-and-play on Windows Vista, Seven, 8, 8.1 and 10, Linux, OSX. Supported hardware: PC, Raspberry-Pi 2 and 3, Odroid C1/2 and XU4, other single board computers (SBC). Fully open-source driver, multi-platform. You can easily customize the HF input with one of published modifications: shunting an input capacitor would get the full band available for VLF listening, a custom filter can also be inserted between the SMA and the tuner block, for example.

Airspy HF+ in comparison with Airspy Discovery :

Airspy HF+
Airspy HF+ Discovery
Frequency range9 kHz to 31 MHz
60 to 260 MHz
0.5 kHz to 31 MHz
60 to 260 MHz
Antenna2 x SMA1 x SMA
RF front-endTwo tunersThree tuners
Main featuresHF/VHF separate inputPocket SDR. Input matching down to virtually few Hz
Year20172019

For a wideband Airspy SDR receiver see also the Airspy R2 model, 24-1800 MHz coverage in a single box with 10 MHz bandwidth I/Q output.

Airspy HF+ price

We have collected for your convenience the Airspy HF+ sale price (US Dollar) and its trend over time. Useful to guarantee a cheaper purchase of this radio and to put it for sale in the second-hand market. Of course offers, accessories, warranty terms and conditions can lead to different figures.

Price Date Condition
USD 199.00 2020-may Brand-new
USD 199.00 2019-dec Brand-new
USD 199.00 2018-dec Brand-new

Airspy HF+ review

Your opinion on merits, defects, experiences, with this radio set is welcome. Write your review, after a technical evaluation by our staff if found suitable will be published on this page. We thank you for your precious contribution.

Newsletter RadioMasterList.com

Thank you

Good, old times:
Grundig, the flagship receiver
Satellit 3400
FM, LW, MW, 1.6-30 MHz

Recent YAESU direct-sampling transceiver
FT-710
HF/50/70 MHz, 102dB IMDR, 100 Watt

Aeronautical HF Frequency List 2023
New eBook
All the frequencies, all the Countries

USA Ham Repeaters
Pennsylvania
And Maryland, New York, Virginia ...

Most view radios
RadioMasterList.com

Most view radios
RadioMasterList.com

Top