OK, guys, I took the "challenge" and inspected the published specifications of
the QS1R. Any good technical assessment of those against the NetSDR is a hands
down, no argument, conclusion that the NetSDR comes out on top by several orders
of magnitude (more than the 3 dB difference in price!). If you must, compare
sensitivity specifications. The NetSDR shines. Look at IP3. Again, the NetSDR
shines. Look at the hardware suppliers. The NetSDR shines (I work in the
electronic industry as an EMC/RFI Engineer. I know what's out there and who
offers top-rated chips). Look at the front end design with its array of filters
and attenuators. The NetSDR shines. Sure, I like the coverage to 64 MHz, but
at what price? In the published specifications category, the NetSDR wins hands
down.

Another item I consider highly important - the interface to the PC. In my
career I have seen likely six or so major PC interfaces come and go. The latest
has been FireWire. It's lifetime was relatively short compared to the others
and it was a real problem from an EMC/RFI standpoint (not an advertised
"feature"). What is the one interface that's been around the longest and is
still strong today and likely into the next couple of decades? Ethernet. What
is the primary interface used on the NetSDR? Ethernet. This was a very wise
decision on the part of RFSpace. I am not going to sink a portion of my
retirement "income" into an SDR radio whose interface will likely go extinct in
a decade or less.

Another important point on my part is the OS with which the radio operates
under. I have for the time being "frozen" my OS on Windows XP. This is not for
performance or underwriting Windows OS. It is simply that all my applications
run well under that OS. Newer OS's from Windows will break roughly half of the
my applications (they are technical and circuit and fields and waves modeling
tools). No, I'm not a typical PC user. I use the PC as a TOOL. I want
anything I attach to the PC to operate reliably under the chosen OS. Again, the
folks at RFSpace seem to support the PC OS in ways no other supplier does. They
seem sensitive to this issue. When I bought the Icom PCR-1500, I also paid for
the front panel. Reasoning? If the radio at some time in the future was no
longer supported by the PC OS, I still wanted the radio (the supplied SW does
not run under Win 7 or Vista). I don't see this happening with the folks at
RFSpace. The support is there! Look at the SDR-14 track record. They do care.
The support is outstanding!

No, I'm not in any way, shape, or form associated with RFSpace or their SW
developer. I've decided the "others" just don't come up to the (technical)
specification of the NetSDR and the other products from RFSpace. It's just the
decision on when best to part with the $1500 that is holding me back. Compare
the TECHNICAL specifications and the TECHNICAL reviews out there on the www and
you will come to a similar decision - ham radio or radio astronomy or
"snooping". Yes, the $1500 hurts, but, then, you typically get what you pay
for. Assess the radios on their TECHNICAL aspects and the TECHNICAL reviews,
not here say and opinions. If you don't understand the technical specification,
the resources are on the www to learn what they mean. I don't see a "bargain"
in the other contenders for my applications (RA, Solar RA, hydrogen line,
Jupiter, ....).

Dave - W0LEV