RTL-SDR dongle doesn't receive any external signals

In October last year (2025) I purchased two V4 dongles from the RTL-SDR.com store. One works perfectly, but the other has never succeeded in receiving any external signals. In SDR # just displays what appears to be internal birdies with lots of strong harmonics. Tuning to a known strong broadcast station makes no difference with no sign of the wanted signal.

Troubleshooting steps I’ve tried:

  • A/B tested the two dongles on the same antenna and software.
  • Tried different software (SDR # and SDR Console)
  • Tried on a range of frequencies across HF and VHF
  • Changing the RF gain has no effect at all.

Is anyone able to offer any further troubleshooting suggestions? I’m at a loss.

I have attached a screenshot showing what I’m seeing.

Kind regards,

Lance

Hi there, we replied to your email. I believe this is a defect and it will be refunded/replaced.