NooElec SAWbird+ NOAA - Premium Saw Filter & Cascaded Ultra-Low Noise LNA Module for NOAA Applications. 137MHz Center Frequency

Product arrived as promised and works as specified.

Make sure you install this in the right direction. It isn’t obvious. The white light will go on when it is installed in the right direction. SDR sharp shows significant increase in gain and the images come through very crisp. I use this with RTL SDRv3 and enables bias tee using their Windows application. If using with SDR#, close SDR# before launching rtl_biast.exe. You will probably have to change the device ID from 0 to 1 like I did. If it works then you will get Found Rafael... message then the program quits. Plug in the LNA and the light should turn on. That’s it.

Works very well. I use this with my SDRPlay RSP1B for NOAA and Meteor weather satellites. Did have two small issues with it. 1. Caused a local FM Broadcast staion near me to overload my receiver. Used a Nooelec Flamingo BCFM filter to resolve that. 2. Since its the SAWbird+ it drew more current than my RSP1B would deliver so I had to power it via USB. I would recommend, if you have the same receiver, to get the SAWbird NOAA (not the plus version), its current draw is lower and the SDR has no problem with it.

It reduces FM radio and air band around 10dB, and now I can receives good NOAA images under 30 degree elevations which is impossible before I install this LNA!

Got this to help recieve NOAA weather images.

Great preamp. Use it with a RTL-SDR. Get fantastic horizon to horizon images. Must admit I am currently using my 2meter cross yagi. Bought it to replace a blown antenna mounted preamp on my Quadrifilar Helix. As soon as I figure out a good waterproofing technique I will get up on the roof and mount it close to the omni helix. Right now I have it connected directly to the RTL-SDR dongle. WA8EBM

I had another companies wide-band , unfiltered LNA working. I bought this hoping that perhaps some of the noise in my images might bet filtered out. It works. but produced images of less quality than my other LNA. I probably don't have a problem with nearby AM or FM stations and when I use filters my images just get noisier because the signal is weakened. The SAWbird also caused my RTL-SDR dongle to get too hot. I could fix that by clipping a sheet of foil onto it as a heat radiator. I am using a horizontal V dipole, perhaps this would work better for some urban dweller and or a QFH-type antenna.

Bad news first: (1) It's too darn expensive for the minimal amount of use I get from it. (2) The extra gain that it provides over their non-sawbird LNA, wasn't worth it to me. Good news: (1) True filtering, it really cleans up the segment it is designed for. (2) Although not superb amounts of gain, if you're serious about this frequency segment, get this LNA, it works. Honestly, the reason for the 4 stars is the price. Would I buy it again, not this frequency segment, but I am not dead set against purchasing one of their other sawbird+ LNA's.