AR-DV3 Connections & Power

Summary: Powering the AR-DV3 and using its antenna, audio, USB and IF/IQ connections.

Power

• DC 12 V: the optional AC supply ATM024T-W120V or any suitable 12 V supply (10.7-16 V, 5.5 x 2.1 mm plug, at least 1 A).
• USB-PD: a third-party USB PD supply of 15 V and at least 30 W into the rear USB-C port. Compatibility with every PD product isn’t guaranteed. If both supplies are connected, the higher voltage is used.
• Use a regulated supply for best performance. Don’t connect it straight to a vehicle or boat electrical system; use a good quality DC-DC converter because of voltage spikes and drops.
• Unplug the power if it won’t be used for a long time.

Antenna

BNC, 50 ohm. Use the RA8600 telescopic antenna or a good indoor/outdoor antenna. The antenna terminal is delicate. The maximum input is +30 dBm (1 W); keep the receiver’s antenna well away from any transmitting antenna, since strong signals can damage the front end.

Audio Outputs

• PHONES (front): 3.5 mm stereo, mono audio in both ears.
• SP (rear): external speaker, left channel only (mono).
• Priority: PHONES beats the external speaker, which beats the built-in speaker. The volume knob controls all three.
• LINE: 3.5 mm, mono, -10 dBm into 600 ohm, not linked to volume. Choose AUDIO or 12 kHz offset IF with the LINE OUT setting.

USB (Front Type-C)

• USB Audio compliant digital audio output (choose audio or 12 kHz offset IF with LINE OUT).
• PC control and programming with dedicated software. A “C” mark shows during remote control, which disables everything except volume and squelch; press [ENT] to exit.
• The 12 kHz offset IF is used by some third-party software. If the IF bandwidth is 30 kHz or wider the signal may be distorted. Noise in the audio when connected to a PC isn’t a malfunction.

Optional Outputs

• IFDV3: analogue 10.7 MHz IF output (+/-2 MHz) on a BNC, for a spectrum analyser or external demodulator. No settings.
• IQDV3: digital I/Q data (300 kHz bandwidth) on a Type-C port (USB 2.0 Hi-Speed) that Airspy’s SDR# software can decode.