AU-520 Dual-SCU 500W Integrated SDR Transceiver
Designed without a built-in display or Maestro front panel, the AU-520 is ideal for remote stations, rack-mounted installations, or operators who prefer external control via SmartSDR™ for Windows, macOS, iPad®, iPhone®, or Maestro™ clients. Radios are licensed for SmartSDR Basic.
The AU-520 features two independent SCUs (Spectral Capture Units), each capable of digitizing wide portions of the HF/6m spectrum simultaneously. This dual-SCU configuration allows for up to 4 slice receivers and 4 independent panadapters, making it a powerful choice for contesting, diversity reception, multi-band monitoring, and advanced digital operation—all while maintaining full coverage from 30 kHz to 54 MHz.
Features
- 500W high-efficiency transmitter
- Integrated wide-range AC power supply
- Automatic antenna tuner
- SmartSignal™ adaptive predistortion for outstanding spectral purity
- Controlled Envelope SSB (CESSB): Up to 3 dB more talk power without distortion
- MultiFlex™: Enables two SmartSDR clients to operate independently on the same radio
With its dual-SCU design and fully integrated architecture, the AU-520 delivers the flexibility and performance of a multi-component station—without the clutter. Whether you’re operating from across the shack or across the globe, the AU-520 is built to handle high-demand operation with ease.
The AU-520 is a true SO2R (Single Operator Two Radio) solution, designed for serious contesting with dual SCUs, integrated 7th-order bandpass filters, and full isolation between receivers. Built-in OTRSP support makes integration with logging software like N1MM+ effortless—no extra hardware or wiring needed. It’s a plug-and-play SO2R contest powerhouse, ready right out of the box.
Full Specifications
- Remote Operation: SmartLink™ included
- Delivered with the current licensed SmartSDR Basic firmware
- Client Options: PC, Mac, iPhone®, iPad®, Maestro™
- Integrated GNSS Receiver: 12-channel GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS, SBAS
- Time to First Fix (Cold): <35s
- Frequency Stability (0°C–50°C): 0.001 ppm (GNSS), 0.5 ppm (TCXO)
- Optional High-Performance GPSDO: 10 MHz output, 5 × 10⁻¹³ stability over 24 hours
- External 10 MHz Reference Input: Yes
Receiver
- Spectral Capture Units (SCUs): 2
- Independent Band/Mode Receivers: 4
- Slice Receivers: 4
- Frequency Coverage: 30 kHz–54 MHz
- 2 kHz RMDR: 110/115 dB
- Dynamic Range (Max Zoom): >145 dB
- ADC: 16-bit @ 245.76 Msps direct sampling
- Amateur Band Preselectors: 7th order
- DAX / DAX IQ Channels: 4 / 4
- Receive-Only Ports (Base / Including XVTR Ports): 2 / 4
- Full Duplex RX/TX Operation: Yes
Aurora Transmitter
- 160m–10m Transmitter Output (Amateur Bands Only): 1–500W PEP (125W AM)
- 6m Transmitter Output: 1–200W PEP (50W AM)
- Harmonic Suppression: ≤ –60 dBc
- Transverter Ports: 2
- Transverter IF Frequency Coverage / Power: 100 kHz–54 MHz / adjustable up to +10 dBm
- Integrated Automatic Antenna Tuner Range: 3:1 SWR
- Adaptive Pre-distortion: Included (SmartSignal™)
- Supported Modes: SSB, CW, AM, FM, RTTY, Digital
Spectrum/Waterfall Display
- Spectrum/Waterfall Displays (Max): 4
- Spectrum/Waterfall Bandwidth (Min / Max): 5 kHz – 14 MHz
- Spectrum Resolution Bandwidth (Min): 1.46 Hz/pixel (bin)
- Spectrum Dynamic Range (Max Zoom In): >145 dB
- External Display Support: HDMI®
