DSP2 SDR Radio Receiver 2GHz

This is simply the best Shortwave (And any radio for that matter) I have ever owned. It looks great and it has great functionality. I have not experienced any of the issues some reviewers have mentioned in some places, such as noise when the screen is on etc. I think that's because they have gotten bad clones or defective units somehow. This seller seems to sell the authentic, real thing. Delivery was also superfast. Reception in this radio is excellent in all bands I have tried. Shortwave in particular is great. I have discovered many stations from Europe and South America. Many think Shortwave is dead, but no, there are still some good stations around. Of course, it helps that I understand English and Spanish, so that increases my listening options. Battery lasts for a long time. I paired it with the GOOZEEZOO GA800 Loop Antenna and it's a great match. Expensive? Yes. The best around? That too. If you are looking for a great shortwave radio, or a way to listen to other bands such as amateur radio bands, and FM/AM/Air etc. this is probably the best around as of the time of this review.

Complex radio to operate, need to reset after each band change. You will need good antennas to use effectively. I have tested it with a cheap ML30 loop antenna for HF and good Comet discone antenna for VHF-UHF. Spectrum bandwidth is very narrow, maximum 192 kHz.

It is a well putt together radio, but complicated as hell. Beautiful screen, plenty of features.

The receiver is good but by default it does not keep current settings for a band. For instance, you must restore a frequency adjustment step or pre-amplifier state unless you saved it from a band control sub-menu.

Even though it is expensive it is worth it. There is a learning curve. I have found YouTube as a good source for tutorials and learning how to use it.

After receiving the Malahit DSP2 V2.4, I spent several hours becoming familiar with the unit to be able to operate it reasonably well. In the past, I have used the RTL-SDR with AirSpy. The comments presented here represent my observations and impressions of the Malahit DSP2 V2.4. As with any new technology platform, the Malahit unit has a small learning curve but the instruction manual does help as do internet videos and reviews. Malahit has built a handheld wideband (SDR) receiver covering 10kHz through 2GHz minus about 20 MHz near 390MHz (military frequencies). It’s extremely nice not to haul a computer around to scan the airwaves, but this is also a limitation for this unit probably attributable to the capabilities of the embedded microcontroller. The Malahit DSP2 V2.4 has excellent sensitivity and selectivity with an excellent set of amplifiers and noise reduction circuits, along with the 50Ohm and High Impedance (Hi-Z) antenna connections. The unit has plenty of memory locations for presets. Unfortunately, for my purposes, the maximum bandwidth of 192 kHz at the waterfall and of the spectral frequency span is too small. For someone wanting to scan individual bands (as defined in the ‘Band’ tab), the 192kHz might be acceptable. The 192kHz determines the range of ‘channels’ (i.e., station frequencies) that can be seen in the spectrum. That means if a person wanting to scan, for example, the spectral range of 1MHz to 2GHz, then the person must find a means of easily moving at least 0.192 MHz per step even at the 1GHz center frequency. One method is to tap the spectrum display and another is quite tedious, namely, rotating the frequency knob, and then periodically pressing it to expand the jump (1kHz to 1MHz), and then click the knob again to continue shifting frequency. That’s a lot of turns! Besides problems with scanning, it creates a problem for stations that randomly come online, such as for airports, since the channels will most often be outside the 0.192MHz span, and will not be seen in the spectrum/waterfall. The bandwidth also prohibits the decoding of digital TV audio. Perhaps the new upcoming V3 (etc.) will include an auto volume circuit so that changing between modes (such as AM to FM demodulation) will limit the sudden volume jumps. This unit, even with the 192kHz limitation previously discussed, would be the best if it could be connected to a computer app such as ‘SDR Console’ since then the app might be able to partially circumvent bandwidth limitation and offer easily viewed filter settings (etc.). Overall, this Malahit DSP2 V2.4 is wonderfully portable with excellent sensitivity and gain/filter sections. It would be excellent for shortwave listeners and ham radio enthusiasts and for them, I enthusiastically recommend it. For me, I would like the larger decoding bandwidth. Addendum: 2025-05-21: For excellent descriptions, instructions and operational information, refer to the book by Andrew Barron titled "The radio today guide to the Malahit DSP2 receiver". The book describes the radio menu items in depth along with features not discussed in the small manual accompanying the radio. It has a listing of allotted frequencies, and best procedures for maximizing the available receiver functionality. It also contains some information on how to connect the radio to a Windows10 computer. The book can be purchased on Amazon for around $10-$15.

I was constantly frustrated with my cheap Chinese Malahit knockoff and its flaky tuning and display response to finger presses. This official unit is world's better and has been a complete win for me. Better hardware, better firmware. I like the build and heft of the unit. Recommended.

I've had this radio for a couple of months now. Impressed with the sensitivity of this radio, even if it is attached to a magnetic loop antenna placed on a window sill. It has a nice sized speaker and sounds great. Being a ham radio operator, I bought it as merely a radio for listening to the ham bands (SSB and CW) and I occasionally will tune in FT8 operation. But I will say that I was quite impressed with the sensitivity of the MW AM broadcast. It's sensitivity is much, much better than the stereo boom box I have in my apartment. Plus with it's built in noise reduction circuitry, it cuts down on a lot of the noise produced by the lights inside and outside of my apartment building.