Which is better for listening to shortwave?

The HF Bundle. The Ham It Up upconverter brings in signals from 100 kHz up, while the base NESDR SMArt v5 starts around 24 MHz.

Is the bundle worth the extra money?

If you want HF, yes. Buying the SDR and an upconverter separately usually costs more than the $84.95 bundle price at Nooelec as of November 5, 2026.

Do both use the same SDR?

Yes. Both use the NESDR SMArt v5 with an R820T2 tuner and 0.5PPM TCXO. The bundle adds the upconverter, antennas and cabling.

Which is easier to set up?

The base NESDR SMArt v5. The bundle needs the upconverter and pigtail cable connected before HF tuning works.

Both carry the same two-year manufacturer warranty and the same SDR board. The bundle has more parts, so more to fail or lose.

Can I add HF to the base unit later?

Yes. You can buy a Ham It Up upconverter and a pigtail cable separately, but check the total price against the bundle first.

NooElec NESDR SMArt v5 vs Nooelec NESDR SMArt v5 HF Bundle

Buy the NESDR SMArt v5 alone if you want a cheap, proven RTL-SDR for VHF and UHF listening. Buy the HF Bundle if you need shortwave and HF reception out of the box, since the Ham It Up upconverter adds that band. The base SDR is $36.00 at eBay as of November 5, 2026, and the bundle is $84.95 at Nooelec as of November 5, 2026. The roughly $49 gap buys the upconverter, extra antennas and cabling.

Today the NooElec NESDR SMArt v5 costs $48.95 less at its best price.

Ask our shopping agent

It checks today's price at every store, compares the alternatives and answers in about a minute.