Supported hardware
Every device Spektra RF speaks to, what each one can and cannot do, band presets, and the two devices that need an extra step.
Spektra RF finds the device itself when you plug it in. Everything in the table ships with its own driver inside the app, except SDRplay.
| Device | Connection | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RTL-SDR Blog V3, Nooelec NESDR, other R820T2 sticks | USB | The reference device, about €40. Supports Listen and the live waterfall. Windows needs the one-time driver step in Getting started. |
| RTL-SDR Blog V4 | USB | Experimental. Not enabled by default and not yet verified on real hardware. |
| tinySA, tinySA Ultra | USB | Sweeps come straight from the analyzer's firmware. No Listen, no live waterfall; the sweep history works. The Ultra reaches 6 GHz, but for anything above 800 MHz its Ultra mode has to be switched on in the device's own menu first. |
| RF Explorer WSUB1G, 3G Combo | USB | Same as tinySA: sweep only. |
| HackRF One | USB | Full IQ: live waterfall works. No Listen. |
| Airspy R2, Mini | USB | Full IQ: live waterfall works. No Listen. The Airspy HF+ is not supported. |
| SDRplay RSP1A, RSP1B, RSPdx | USB | Needs the SDRplay API service from SDRplay's own website, installed separately. |
Bands
Band presets: UHF (470–700 MHz), DECT (1880–1900 MHz) and 2.4 GHz. A preset only offers the part of the band your device can actually reach.
Two devices that need one extra step
SDRplay is the one device whose driver is not bundled — its API is proprietary. Install the SDRplay API service from SDRplay's own website and make sure it is running before you scan.
tinySA Ultra above 800 MHz needs Ultra mode enabled on the device itself: CONFIG → MORE → ENABLE ULTRA, code 4321. There is no remote command for it, so the app cannot switch it on for you. Readings above 800 MHz are not trustworthy until you have done it.
Intel Macs: the current Intel build supports RTL-SDR, tinySA and RF Explorer. HackRF, Airspy and SDRplay support on Intel is coming in a later build. Apple Silicon Macs and Windows have the full list.
Which features need which device
| Feature | Works on |
|---|---|
| Sweeping, free windows, the Advisor, every export | Every device, plus demo mode |
| Sweep history strip | Every device |
| Live waterfall | RTL-SDR, HackRF, Airspy, SDRplay, demo mode |
| Listen (FM demodulation) | RTL-SDR only |
If you are buying hardware for this, buy an RTL-SDR Blog V3. It is the cheapest option and the only one that does everything, including Listen. For long sessions, look for the TCXO variant — the standard crystal drifts a few ppm as it warms up, which at 700 MHz is a handful of kHz per carrier over an hour.
Thanks for the feedback.