When opening HDSDR, select the newly copied ExtIO_RTL2832.dll.
To install HDSDR, download the program from the link on the main HDSDR page, then to use the RTL-SDR you will need to download the ExtIO_RTL2832.dll file an place it into the HDSDR folder. HDSDR supports the RTL-SDR through use of an ExtIO.dll module. HDSDR is based on the old WinRAD SDR program. SDR# also decodes RDS signals from broadcast FM. The basic SDR# download without any third party plugins includes a standard FFT display and waterfall, a frequency manager, recording plugin and a digital noise reduction plugin. It has a useful modular plugin type architecture, and many plugins have already been developed by third party developers.
SDR# is a simple to use program that also has some advanced features. SDR# is designed to be use with the $199 Airspy SDR, but works just fine with the RTL-SDR. We have a full overview of the installation procedure on our Quick Start Page. It is relatively simple to use compared to other SDR software and has a simple set up procedure. SDR# (pronounced “SDR Sharp”) is the most popular free RTL-SDR compatible software in use at the moment. We define general purpose SDR software as programs that allow the RTL-SDR to work like a normal wideband radio receiver.
