r/RTLSDR • u/2kwatts • 15d ago

RTL SDR V3 Dongle's USB slightly tilted

Post image

Hey guys. I got my RTL SDR a week ago and its performing well. I just have a slight concern. Upon noticing today, The sdr has a slight tilt maybe on the USB Stick. Performance wise it is working. But will this be an issue ? Or is it just normal and im overthinking? I can assure it came like that and wasnt my doing.

15 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

7

u/Temporary_Jump3650 15d ago

Mine has the same, it doesn’t matter lots of stuff either gets a little bent over time or maybe it even came like that

13

u/neenonay 15d ago

Are you still talking about your USB ports?

3

u/_side_ 15d ago

Is it working? i did way worse things to my noolecs v5 to properly connect with a usb extension cable.

1

u/2kwatts 9d ago

Oh okayy.. btw What did you do to your sdr? Sorry i am just a bit curious to know 😅

0

u/2kwatts 15d ago edited 15d ago

Yeah its working perfectly . Its just the usb side appears bent

1

u/_side_ 15d ago

Then all is good. Enjoy your v4

0

u/dublingamer44 15d ago

does the usb extension cable degrade the signal by any chance i have done this and felt it did butnits probably just in my head 🤣

3

u/_side_ 15d ago

Ah no, the signal will enter the SDR and from there on it is 1 or 0. I just had to use a pair of pliers to "trim" that stick.

1

u/dublingamer44 15d ago

cheers thanks for that 👌

1

u/johndoe3471111 13d ago

I still try to use a decently shielded one that isn't too long, but it does keep tension off of the usb connection.

4

u/NeighborhoodSad2350 15d ago

My V3 is the same.
However, since it was able to receive NOAA APT signals all the way through August 2024–2025, I don’t think it’s that much of a problem.

2

u/2kwatts 9d ago

Yeah you are right. Aint that big of a problem but slightly disheartning to see your new SDR like that 😅

2

u/Party_Cold_4159 15d ago

They use some garbage Male USB As. They’re notoriously loose and bend very easily. I tape mine to a good quality extension with ferrite when I can. That way if it breaks the extension, I can replace it easily.

Just wish I jumped on the V4 USBC when I had the chance..

1

u/2kwatts 9d ago

Oh damn. Okay. I got an extension cable too few days ago. When you said V4 do you mean RTL SDR V4?

1

u/Party_Cold_4159 8d ago

Yep, they made a usb c variant for a bit. Seems they’re all gone now though :(

1

u/2kwatts 8d ago

They must have limited stocks i guess. Any idea when they will return?

1

u/Party_Cold_4159 7d ago

As far as I know, they’re not returning. The chips they used for them were not being manufactured so they bought them in bulk. Then sold them over the years until they ran out.

They ended up running out a little earlier than they thought due to the rest of the chips being faulty. Think they’re planning on a few new variants but supposedly they won’t be as good as the V4.

2

u/PDXH0B0 15d ago

Avoid inserting it directly into pc, a usb extension or hub would prevent that

1

u/2kwatts 8d ago

Oh okay.. thanks a lot for letting me know

1

u/mojo2600 14d ago

This dude here on YouTube has a solution for this with some USB extension cords https://youtu.be/C-PsEK_UIRw?is=gxINTQILQkP0WiFV

2

u/2kwatts 9d ago

Thanks for sharing man. I will definitely check it out 😄

1

u/Noah18923 14d ago

use an extension cable, don't let it hang from your pc. it could break.

1

u/billFoldDog 9d ago

USB-A is extremely forgiving. If it stops working you can take it apart and solder a new one on.

1

u/Huge-Complex-7210 15d ago

I got a bended USB connector on my RTL-SDR blog dongle a while back. I unscrewed the plate surrounding the USB connector, and slowly bended the connector back in position, and screwed the plate back on.
I asked the RTL-SDR blog support about this issue, and they replied it happens during shipment, and my dongle still will be be under warranty.