I get bombarded with those buy me adds including one I got for a McClaren custom automobile at only $400K. But for 0.001% of that cost ($400 bucks) you can have this jewel.
A 5-Watt SDR Transceiver
The Hermes Lite 2.0 is truly a marvel in its own right, with its small size and rich features. All Band thru HF and all Mode is only the starting place as I have it running on a wired network in my home using a $20 Network Switch.
With some Cat 6 cable and a variety of computers the HL2 can be literally everywhere in my home. Some have managed a wireless latch up so now out by the pool with the laptop having QSO's -- and the HL2 nowhere in sight. That is a tough choice -- pool bunnies in bikinis or a 20M DX opening!
The BEST part is that it will run on a host of software packages including QUISK, Openhdsdr, Encore and Thetis. The latter two are the uptown packages used with the high end SDR radios. I have it running on both Linux and Windows Computers all the way from an RPi4 to a Big Box Desktop converted to Linux Mint 20, with a couple of Windows machines also in the mix.
But its real value has been as a test instrument. It will let you see 384 kHz of spectrum and for HF that is most of the bands. I often use it for crystal testing as I can distinguish down to 1 Hz various crystal frequencies. It can be used as a VNA and gives a good look at carrier suppression in a homebrew rig. The binaural audio reception is a bit nerve racking but in split operation you can hear two different QSO's at the same time.
The HL2 is sold by Makerfab and is a complete board but you also need the N2ADR LPF board and the case plus shipping from DHL you are cruising close to $400.
If you lack the knack don't buy this product as you do have to assemble the board inside the case, but the hard part is installing the software suites. Since it is on a network you have to add network addresses and one of the software packages is based on the FLEX radio Power SDR.
Not for the OT's who grew up in the Analog world, but for the 12-year-olds just another day at the computer. Some knowledgeable users suggest that the HL2 with an outboard amp and the upscale free software puts you in the league of the Apache Anon and FLEX Radios. I have not tried those radios, but I can say I am really impressed how the HL2 performs especially with the more advanced software suites. Not even close is my Drake C line.
For those who like tailored audio -- yes some of the software distributions include a built-in audio panel to independently fine tune the audio spectrum of the receiver and transmitter. A touch of a couple of slider bars and you have moved the audio to transmit lows, mid-range and the highs.
Most of the software packages enable at least two receivers and Encore I think can do 8 receiver slices. This is where your monitor must be at least 37 inches -- 50 inches would be better. I also recommend a high-end audio amp following the HL2 so you can benefit from the 6 kHz ESSB signals emanating from NJ (do you remember W2ONV, SK).
With a Raspberry Pi4 this makes the HL2 a candidate for POTA and SOTA ops.
TYGNYB.
73's
Pete N6QW