Pi3B+ vs. Pi Zero 2W

[k2pi]

Swapped out my 3B+ for a Pi Zero 2W for a few weeks, and just switched back. I run two Piaware dongles (1090 and 978) and have done pretty well with them on the 3B+ over the last couple of years. I routinely receive packets from 250+ miles out, occasionally farther from my location. The Pi Zero 2W worked, but definitely not as well. My total packet capture dropped, and my distance decreased. Worse, I had 3 occasions where the device stopped reporting, and did not know till Piaware alerted me. I really like the Zero 2W’s, and I have substituted them in for Pi3’s and 4’s in a lot of applications, but in this one, I am sticking with the larger Pi. I assume this is a CPU load problem from the Dual SDR’s, but would love to hear from others.

Thanks.

[wiedehopf]

@k2pi

I assume this is a CPU load problem from the Dual SDR’s, but would love to hear from others.

I doubt it’s CPU load but rather a voltage issue with the SDR not getting the full 5V.
That can cause all kinds of issues.

If the 2W had real USB ports that would be nice … instead of this OTG stuff.