In this study, the architecture of zero-IF receiver is compared with that of superheterodyne receiver, and the advantages of zero–IF receiver in multi-waveform reception and software flexibility are analyzed. At the same time, the possible engineering problems such as DC deviation, local vibration leakage and flicker noice in zero-IF architecture are identified, and the performance differences are verified through experimental comparative testing. The results of the study emphasize the optimization strategy and direction for the zero-intermediate frequency terminal machine.