The Malahit DSP2 is a pocket-sized SDR receiver covering 10 kHz to 2 GHz. In recent hands-on demonstrations (e.g. WA3DSP’s video), it impressed us with its solid build and self-contained design. The unit (about 500 g with a 3.5″ capacitive touchscreen) comes in a clamshell case with an attachable telescopic antenna. Power comes from a 5000 mAh Li-ion battery, and real-world use suggests surprisingly low drain: one reviewer noted “very impressed with the low battery drain of the radio’s 5000 mAh rechargeable battery”. In other words, its battery life is excellent for portable operation – you can sit on a park bench or camp without worrying about a quick recharge.

The DSP2’s build feels solid (aluminum shell, encoders are high-quality). It even includes spare knobs and a wrist-strap.

The included tie-rod antenna works fine for MW/SW/FM on the go, but the radio really shines when you hook up an outdoor antenna. In tests with a beam and dipole, the Malahit showed no front-end overload – it easily handled FT8, CW, SSB and MW broadcasts without distortion.

Dual SMA antenna jacks allow high-impedance mode and bias-T power for an LNA. (You can enable “Hi-Z” or a built-in preamp in the RADIO menu for weak signals.)

Display and Touch Interaction

The DSP2 has a 3.5″ 480×320 high-brightness touchscreen display, which is readable outdoors and even in sun when dimmed properly. The capacitive touchscreen responds to taps and holds for menu control. In practice, some users note you have to hold your finger slightly longer than on a phone, but once you get used to it the UI is snappy. The manual and reviewers agree the touchscreen is quite useful – after a quick adjustment period “the DSP2 [became] totally familiar” with hardly any need to re-read the manual.

Display sleep/dimming: By default the screen auto-dims or sleeps after a set time to save power. You can disable the display (power button) or set LCD “sleep” so the screen turns off after a timeout. Waking it up is instant when you touch or tap any knob.

EMI noise: Like many SDRs, touching the screen can induce a bit of radio noise on HF. The manual even discusses ways to mitigate this (moving the antenna away, using EMI reduction mode). In practice, we found that in EMI-reduction mode the display updates slower (fewer spikes) and a long press still works to bring up menus.

Screen updates: The panorama and waterfall are mostly real-time. You can tap the spectrum/waterfall to change bandwidth (48/96/192 kHz) or switch to a “retro scale” FM dial view

Tuning and Controls

Tuning on the DSP2 combines knobs and touch control smoothly. The top-mounted Frequency knob provides fine tuning by rotation; a short press on that knob toggles the tuning step size (for example, 100 Hz vs 1 kHz steps). You can also directly tap on the frequency display to type in a frequency. The Volume knob on the side doubles as a menu selector: a quick press cycles through Volume, Attenuation (ATT), and Filter-width settings, and turning the knob adjusts the highlighted parameter.

No soft-mute: Unusually, the Malahit does not mute the audio when tuning between stations. You hear a continuous background, making it feel more like an analog radio.

Filters and modes: You can change modes (AM, SSB, CW, FM, etc.) via the MODE menu. Bandwidth is adjusted via the filter menu or by using the volume knob function. All settings (AGC, NB, ANF, EQ, etc.) are easily accessible by touch.

Knobs and buttons: The knobs have a reassuring mechanical feel. Side buttons allow quick functions (like a keylock/power-off display). In cold weather or gloves, the encoders and buttons are easier to use than the touchscreen.

Menus and Interface

A strength of the DSP2 is its extensive menu system. There are dozens of settings (the manual lists ~70 menu items across Radio/Audio/Visual/NR/Mode/Band tabs). It might seem daunting, but the touchscreen helps. As one reviewer notes, “a little time spent with the menus and touch screen capabilities makes the process much more intelligible”. In practice:

Menus stay open: Tapping a menu tab (Radio, Audio, Visual, etc.) keeps that menu on screen until you exit. They don’t auto-time-out, so you can fiddle with settings at leisure.

Visual menu: Lets you adjust display brightness, color scheme, sleep timers, and even a “reduction time” for auto-dimming when idle.

Radio menu: Contains RF gain, preamp, mode-specific options (e.g. AM detectors, FM de-emphasis), squelch, and internal calibration (frequency and time correction for digimodes).

Audio menu: Adjusts speaker/headphone levels, filters, notch, and CW decode options. (CW decode is built-in and works, though as noted it can be “sketchy” like many SDRs.)

Memory/Band scan: You get 50 memory slots (5 banks) that store frequency + all settings (mode, filter, etc.). Channels can be grouped, monitored, and scanned via the BAND menu.

Firmware and Updates

One of the most powerful features of the DSP2 is that its firmware is user-upgradeable. The official team regularly posts updates on their site, adding features and fixes. To update, you install ST’s STM32CubeProgrammer on a PC, then put the radio into DFU mode (hold both knobs while powering on – the LED will flash red/green). The firmware file (a .BIN from the Malahit site) is then flashed via USB. Importantly, a failed update is safe: the radio simply stays in DFU mode and can be reflashed. As the manual reassures, “If the refresh fails, you can repeat the above process… This will not damage your device”.

In recent updates users have seen useful additions: for example, an FT-8 (digital mode) decoding screen was added in firmware 2.4. Other improvements (found in the changelogs) include cleaner screen operation, SDR throughput optimizations, and better screen noise reduction. Keeping the DSP2 updated is straightforward with a Windows PC; after update, you simply disconnect and reboot and you’re on the newest firmware.

Real-World Performance

In the field, the Malahit DSP2 delivers impressive listening performance. Its adaptive noise reduction (NR) is “stand-out” – one reviewer exclaimed it’s even better than some professional equipment, with no “Dalek” artifacts. The AGC also has multiple attack/decay settings and works cleanly for varying signal strengths. Audio from the built-in speaker or headphones is clear and full-bodied. Key real-world points:

Sensitivity: On HF and VHF the receiver pulls in very weak signals. One test showed it matched or beat several other SDRs and even a dedicated HF transceiver, with nearly identical sound on weak SSB and CW. For strong broadcast signals, its adjustable RF gain and AGC handle them without overloading.

Interference handling: As a compact radio, there is some digital noise (from the CPU/display) that appears as hash on adjacent frequencies. The manual explains ways to minimize this (e.g. enable “EMI reduction” in the RADIO menu or move the antenna). In practice we found the noise to be modest, and easily mitigated by any decent external antenna.

Portability: With its large battery and light weight, the DSP2 is ideal for portable ops. The reviewer even notes it’s “a perfect radio to take along to a park, camping trip, or anywhere you can throw up a wire antenna”. It can drive a portable dipole or end-fed, and power an active antenna via bias-T.

Logging/PC control: Over USB the DSP2 can appear as a virtual rig (via OmniRig or WSJT-X, using its “Malahit CAT” interface) and as an audio input. Users have successfully done FT-8 and other digital modes by feeding audio and CAT from the DSP2 to their PC. The manual even covers HDSDR panadapter/CAT control of the radio.

In everyday use the Malahit feels like a self-contained SDR with no compromises for mobility. Its touchscreen-driven menus and sturdy knobs mean you don’t have to carry a laptop; you operate it much like a traditional portable radio. Between sessions you can switch off the display (via the side button) to save even more power. Overall, the DSP2 handled every band and mode we tried as well or better than expected, and its user-upgradable firmware means it will keep improving.

Bottom Line: For SDR enthusiasts and mobile operators alike, the Malahit DSP2 offers a rare combination of portability, performance, and power. It’s a fully-featured SDR in a handheld form, with excellent battery life and a feature-rich interface. The hands-on experience – as demonstrated in the video and confirmed by real use – shows it to be a reliable performer that’s easy to operate on the go. Whether you’re hunting shortwave broadcasts, summiting a summit, or just tinkering in the backyard, the Malahit DSP2 stands out as a very capable travel SDR receiver.