Hi All
Stuey3D here I am the creator of VibeSDR and the wider VibeSDR ecosystem.
Just letting you guys know that I have an RTL-SDR V4 and an RTL-SDR V4L both running on my Raspberry Pi500 VibeServer. These are both connected to the same amplified YouLoop antenna so this is a direct comparison.
Just to be aware I have built a custom fully working AGC system for the RTL-SDR which is locked on, and I have got zoom linked IF filtering locked on too, so the more you zoom in the narrower the IF filter goes whilst preserving the 2.4MHz sample rate. I’ve decoupled the IF filter from the sample rate and locked it to the zoom so that if you have a weak signal next to a super strong one simply zooming in can filter the strong one out for you and the AGC will boost the gain to compensate. I built this to make VibeServer and VibeSDR super simple to install and use without having to worry about gain etc so radio newbies can easily start using it. The AGC set gain level and IF filter are displayed in the bottom of the controls so you can see what they are doing so you have that info when comparing the V4 and V4L
Just to let you know that I have made VibeServer fully driver free for RTL-SDR’s and it fully supports the V4L out of the box. It is built into the Android app and is available on APT for ARM64 and x86 Linux, and for MacOS. It also supports driver free AirSpy HF+, HackRF, and it supports SDRPlay devices too but these do need the SDRPlay API installed as I could not include it due to legal reasons and because of this SDRPlay support is not on Android because no API exists for Android.
VibeServer has a full we client that works on a phone all the way up to a desktop so any device you point at it should work and fit the screen, no VibeSDR app required to use the VibeServers.
Also built into it is cloudflare tunnelling so if you wanted to host a Public VibeServer its super easy. Download and Install, plug in SDR, set your preferences, then all you do to list it in the directory is give your server a name and click list on VibeSDR(.net) and that is it. The server creates a free randomised cloudflare tunnel, connects to the directory, directory sends back a friendly name that is yours for easy access. The randomised cloudflare tunnel rotates every connection but the directory knows your server and simply directs traffic from your friendly address to the random cloudflare tunnel. What this means is no port forwarding, no IP address having to be made public, a simple one button connection.
Anyway if you want to have a play with the software and compare the RTL-SDR V4 and the V4L
The directory is https://vibeserver.vibesdr.net
and the direct connection to the Pi is https://stuey3d-raspberry-pi500.vibeserver.vibesdr.net
Also in the directory is a RTL-SDR V4 running on an ancient 2019 low end when it was new so barely functional now Android 11 Samsung phone. It is locked to the FM broadcast band but has a shared tuner for up to 10 people at a time, it functions exactly like the FM-DX servers just with a live spectrum and waterfall.
