Best radio antennas according to redditors

We found 389 Reddit comments discussing the best radio antennas. We ranked the 128 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Radio Antennas:

u/KetchinSketchin · 365 pointsr/AskMen

Software Defined Radio

For $30 you can get a USB dongle that will let you pick up all kinds of signals. ATC talk, plane location ADS-B data, standard AM/FM and shortwave stations, CB, all the power/water meters in your area, even pager traffic.

Check out /r/RTLSDR Half that subreddit is people picking up NOAA satellites, which is cool, but I'd start with the simpler stuff. Just pick up a local FM station and go from there.

u/wafflesareforever · 100 pointsr/RTLSDR

I'm one of them. I just went ahead and bought one of these without having the slightest clue what I'm doing. My wife will be highly unimpressed when this thing arrives and I have only a vague idea of what I'm going to use it for.

u/cftw · 39 pointsr/RTLSDR

Seems there is definitely a learning curve to RTLSDR. Reading it reminds me of this video Retro Encabulator

Edit: TL;DR Seems like get this then download one of these and finally have fun.

u/droid_mike · 32 pointsr/AskMen

Spend $30 and get one of these USB dongles + antenna and listen to all sorts of radio transmissions, from local police, fire, and scanner trasmissions, to FM and AM radio, to shortwave and HAM radio from around the world.

Speaking of shortwave and HAM. you can listen to all of that using a virtual radio on the web. This will connect you to folks who are sharing their software radios with the world. You can tune in and listen to any band they are able to receive. Go here: http://www.websdr.org/

u/Tinfoil_Haberdashery · 20 pointsr/techsupportmacgyver

Their radios can't tune to FM. I'm not broadcasting on the channel the store uses for communication, I'm broadcasting on an FM radio channel. My radio will switch over to my coworkers' frequency if there's any chatter on that channel, then switch back to the (unused, in this area) FM radio channel I've got my audiobooks playing on.

I use this SDR. My handset has a scanning feature that could theoretically have done the job, but this allows me to survey a much broader spectrum much more quickly.

u/funbob · 16 pointsr/amateurradio
u/sam210723 · 15 pointsr/RTLSDR

Tune to 145.8MHz while the ISS is overhead and you should see a constant signal. If there's nothing there, wait about 2 minutes for the next image to start. Once you have the signal, it can be decoded using something like MMSSTV, MultiScan 3B or even Robot36 for Android. Edit: They're using SSTV mode PD120.

You'll generally get better results with a directional antenna like the one I used but it is possible to receive signals from the ISS with an omnidirectional antenna. The one that comes with the dongles from China isn't all that good, but the telescopic one bundled with the rtl-sdr.com v3 dongle is much better.

u/RangerSkyy · 14 pointsr/cbradio

Getting into the hobby for cheap can certainly be done. Asking for 20 miles out of a cheap set up is going to be where it gets tough...

Long story short, your communication abilities can range from <1mile to hundreds of miles, even thousands of miles depending on a ton of variables. It doesn't really matter what radio you use (yes, some are better than others) but in the end, it's environment, conditions and ANTENNA, ANTENNA, ANTENNA! Power (linear amplifiers) certainly helps too, but it mainly comes down to those 3 topics.

Where are you transmitting/receiving? In a city with buildings and lots of RF background noise? On top of mountain with wide open land for miles around? Obviously, you'll perform much better the higher you are and the less obstructions you have.

Now we are on top of mountain, what kind of antenna do we have? Do we have a 6" rubber duck antenna on a handheld? Or are we running a 102" whip or big base antenna? I can assure you that no matter how high this mountain is, that rubber duck ain't getting out of a paper bag. Whereas I've talked barefoot (no amp) on a 4ft Firestik about 50miles as the crow flies when I was on a local mountaintop. With more antenna and/or more power, I could extend that range exponentially.

For an entry level set up, I'd recommend a few things. A good mobile set up could include;

Radio - Uniden PRO505XL 40-Channel CB Radio. Pro-Series, Compact Design. Public Address (PA) Function. Instant Emergency Channel 9, External Speaker Jack, Large Easy to Read Display. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ZLB0E4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_h7bmDbXMZGZ2J

Antenna - K40 K-30 Automotive Accessories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2W270/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_N8bmDbSDJ2RW1

This radio and antenna is a cheap, effective mobile combo that you can expect decent performance from. In poor to good conditions, you'll get 1-5 miles of transmit/receive. In optimal "top of the mountain" conditions, you could easily get 10-20+ miles. There's also this phenomenon called "skip". I'll let you research what that's all about, but basically it's using specific atmospheric conditions to bounce or "skip" your communication over vast distances. Plenty of YouTube vids explaining skip, so I won't get into that here.

For a more dedicated, base type set-up, I'd recommend a better radio and more substantial antenna. You can still use mobile radios in base setups, but there are also "base" specific rigs too. Same wattage, just in a desktop version and are generally 110, not 12V. My current base set-up is cheapish, and has proven to be very effective, as I have made contacts to several out of state stations. Again, these are just recommendations from equipment I've personally owned. There is tons of kick ass gear out there, and finding what works for you is all part of the fun.

Base radio - Uniden BEARCAT 980SSB 40- Channel SSB CB Radio with Sideband NOAA WeatherBand,7- Color Digital Display PA/CB Switch and Noise Cancelling Mic, Wireless Mic Compatible https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B5ZAES/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_alcmDbH8DQMGD

Base antenna - Solarcon A-99 CB Base Station Antenna https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017J7NQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RlcmDbFSJ9T95

Hope all this info helps. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. This is a great sub with tons of knowledge! Have fun on the waves!

u/xG33Kx · 14 pointsr/RTLSDR

No no no. Do not get the cheapy $10 ones, get the official RTL-SDR Blog dongle and do it properly. You won't be sorry for spending an extra $15. If you're that hard up for $15, you won't be able to afford either making or buying a reasonable antenna that will get you worthwhile signals anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487281641&sr=8-3&keywords=rtl+sdr

As Ron Swanson said: don't half ass two things, whole ass one thing.

u/Patq911 · 11 pointsr/RTLSDR

it's actually not 2$, it's 25$.

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500044557&sr=8-1&keywords=rtlsdr

you plug it in, install the drivers, install SDR# (program) and then press receive. you then get a waterfall and you tune to a frequency and see if anything is there! FM is easiest at around 80-110Mhz, the stock antenna should be able to read that easily.

hoped this helped.

u/THEMCV · 9 pointsr/battlewagon

Mine is not built up completely yet, but I'll give you my parts list for everything I have and what I'll be getting as well. :) These prices are close to what I paid for at the time.

What I have:

24" Front LED Bar -$75

36" Roof LED Bar -$180

Rally Armor Universal Basic Mud Flaps -$16

N1 4" Muffler -$40

Curt Roof Rack -$120

Primitive Racing Skid Plates (Front, Transmission (thanks /u/Pizza_The_Hutt), and Rear -$450

5" PA Speaker -$12

K40 CB Antenna (mine came damaged) -$30

Less battle oriented mods:

Nexus 7 16GB (2012)- $199

Sound System- $950

What I'm getting next in order:

SJR 2" Lift Kit -$300

5 General Grabber AT2s -$560

Tube Bumper -$300-$400

That's pretty much everything. So just including off-road related mods, I have spent $923 so far and when I'm done will have spent about $2133.

I hope this helps. :)

u/spoocs · 8 pointsr/RTLSDR

Get the V3 blog dongle. Has a txco so signals will not drift, bias-t to power lna's or whatever, better build quality and does direct sampling HF with just software. Nice antenna kit (https://www.rtl-sdr.com/using-our-new-dipole-antenna-kit/ ) with this one - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ or just the dongle - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0129EBDS2 . Spec sheet on it - https://www.rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/RTL-SDR-Blog-V3-Datasheet.pdf

u/kekforever · 8 pointsr/RTLSDR

looks like i found the most beginner friendly version, but i think you pay the premium for not doing the leg work of hacking a wal-mart dongle or whatever: https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1500042787&sr=1-1&keywords=RTL2832U

u/SmokyDragonDish · 7 pointsr/amateurradio

I'm going to focus on AM broadcasting in my reply. I'm not going to go into the whole groundwave/skywave thing, since others are going to address that. But, this could serve to be a very interesting introduction to AM DXing.

AM broadcast stations, during the day, operate differently than they do at night.

https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-stations-at-night

TL;DR, Many AM broadcast stations DROP their power significantly at nighttime or cease operations, so they don't interfere with other AM broadcasters.

So, an AM station like WABC out of NYC broadcasts at 50kw daytime and nighttime.
WABC-AM

HOWEVER, same city, WNYC (public radio) transmits at 10kw during the day, but at 1kw at night.
WNYC-AM

Now, for the cool part... I went to college in Indiana. During the night, I could hear 770 WABC out of NYC. So, I could listen to Yankee games. So, that leads me to...

Something really fun to do at night is AM DXing, especially during winter. You don't need much. A "solid" sort of portable AM radio, like a portable SW receiver that has a ferrite core. A passive AM antenna.

You don't even connect the antenna to the radio. You just put the two of them next to each other, and you just tune the antenna to create nulls in different directions to pull-out AM stations that you want to hear.

Anyway, here is a URL to get you started in AM DXing if I have piqued your interest: http://www.amdxing.com/

u/MeepM00PDude · 7 pointsr/RTLSDR

I'm another one of the /r/askreddit crowd, and have always had a bit of an interest in amateur radio but never wanted to spend the cash to get started. That thread was exactly what I needed to get going!

My NooElec NESDR SMArt bundle arrived Monday afternoon, I had it and SDR# set up in no time and even managed to pick up some air traffic radio during my test run! I came back to the radio multiple times throughout the day never really finding anything else of interest, I was a bit disappointed. Luckily I made one last attempt before bed and found two gentleman having a conversation on 70mm short band!!! It was so exciting, I couldn't believe what I was listening to, with the stock telescoping antenna no less. Man I'm still excited.

The coolest thing about all of this though was that my girlfriend sat next to me while we searched the waves and she was just as interested and as excited as I was. She's agreed to let me put a discone antenna in the attic of our townhouse, and even pick up a HAMitup converter. I'm so happy. :) We're even discussing getting our HAM operator licenses this fall!

So I have some adapter questions about upgrading my setup with this discone, some RG-8 coax, and a HAMitup converter. I know the dongle and upconverter have SMA connections but I have absolutely no idea how to figure out which adapters I would need to connect it all together. Any advice would be very much appreciated, thank you!

Edit: /u/ivebeenfurthereven thanks for sharing that comment man, I've found my new hobby and it's because of your post. Cheers!

Edit 2: The folks at NooElec answered my question on Amazon, they are replying to almost every single question on there, top notch customer service!

u/jjayzx · 7 pointsr/RTLSDR

This is typically where people start - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME

u/mel2000 · 7 pointsr/Android

> You actually don't need headphones, just a cut off jack will work...

I use a cheap 3.5mm FM antenna. Works fine and no headphone needed.

u/pentagrid · 6 pointsr/shortwave

You can try one of these reel-up shortwave antennas. They clip onto the whip antenna if your radio doesn't have an antenna jack. These antennas are usually under 23' in length. You can also buy some hookup wire and solder on an alligator clip. Same thing, but no reel. Keep the length short. Most shortwave portables priced under $100 US will overload with longer antennas. When they overload you will hear a lot of distortion and the same strong stations appearing repeatedly all over the band.

u/FinlStrm · 5 pointsr/cbradio

For about the same price of the Predator, you can get yourself an A99 on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Solarcon-99-Base-Station-Antenna/dp/B0017J7NQ2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Solarcon+A-99&qid=1567992827&s=gateway&sr=8-1 - though if the Predator is what you already have on hand (or height is currently restricting), then why not..

I've seen people use a cookie sheet as a ground plane on a magnet/drilled mount - but your mileage may vary...

u/Okney1lz · 5 pointsr/whatisthisthing

That'd be an Antron 99 CB/10 meter ham antenna that is missing its top section. Usually 3 pieces. It also doesn't have the radial grounding kit.

Solarcon A-99 CB Base Station Antenna https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017J7NQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_YeFZBb0A5NE1D

u/Quan1um · 5 pointsr/verizon

There are many non-Verizon brand hotspots out there, I can't say that the one I use is the best as its the only one I've tried but the one I use has ports for antennas and 4 ethernet ports to hard wire in your computers which i needed for my work from home computer.

There is a workaround involved with getting this activated on Verizon prepaid which involves you owning a Verizon brand hotspot, registering that hotspot for the prepaid plan and then simply moving the sim into this device. i purchased a $30 Verizon Jetpack on ebay for this purpose.

MOFI4500-4GXeLTE-SIM4 4G/LTE Router AT&T T-Mobile Verizon Embedded SIM with Band 12

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EY11K40/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also use the following products to get the best signal possible, currently:

(Quantity 2): Wilson Electronics Wideband Directional Antenna 700-2700 MHz, 50 Ohm (314411)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J14YEHQ/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Quantity 2): Wilson Electronics 20-Foot WILSON400 Ultra Low Loss Coax Cable with N Male Connectors - White

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NQ3P3M/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Quantity 2): MPD Digital UC-5FHC-9DB9 N Female to SMA Male Right Angle Pigtail LMR-200 Double Shielded Coaxial Cable, 6-Inch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CJWQJ2U/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Signal Strength: -51 dBm (100 %)

Speedtest results (extremely dependent on location but these are my results for my location):

Ping: 28 ms Download: 82.55 Mb/s Upload: 15.97 Mb/s

https://www.speedtest.net/result/8022626633

​

Here are the videos I used to build my system (just a heads up there is nothing about Verizon Prepaid in these videos):

Fast Unlimited 4G Internet Router for RV or Van or Rural Off-grid: How to Setup the Mofi 4G Router

https://youtu.be/pKyf9BQsduU

RV Internet - Get The Fastest Mobile Internet & Wifi On The Road - "How We Do It!"

https://youtu.be/7m_I9i0eTnM

u/EPerezF · 5 pointsr/chile

Como sale justo US$29,95 no paga impuesto. aprox 6 lucas de envío a Chile usando Amazon

EDIT:Link

u/The_Music · 5 pointsr/RTLSDR

Tools used:

RTLSDR Blog Dongle

Default antenna at full attention, mounted on my bedroom floor on a metal pizza pan.

SDR# For tuning to frequencies.

AcarsDeco2 for decoding the transmissions.

u/CollateralFortune · 5 pointsr/homelab

Cheap acurite temp/humidity sensors. Use an rtl_sdr to capture the data and use rtl_433 software to decode it.


These

And

This

With this software

u/niandra3 · 5 pointsr/OP1users

I just got a generic 3.5mm antenna from Amazon for $5 which works great. Although from what I can tell, just having headphones plugged in works just as well.

I also invested in the T.E. screen protector.. $15 to help protect the screen of a $900 instrument seems like a no-brainer. I've heard the screen can scratch easily, though that may have just been older models, I'm not sure.

u/n2thetaboo · 4 pointsr/ATT

First, go to Antenna Search and locate the tower you want to pull from. Then find the contact person for that tower by clicking on it. Email that person explaining your problem, and then you'll have a local expert helping you out.

When I ran in to this issue I got 2 yagi antenna, the proper low loss cabling, the adapters to connect to the antenna and to my hotspot, a mounting pole, and put them at a 45 degree angle pointed right at my tower. Then I set the band priority on the hotspot based on what the tower tech told me was the optimal band coming from that tower.

When you get in to the world trying to optimize your LTE connection, you will probably want to join up with the LTE Hacks group on facebook.

u/cjgny · 4 pointsr/HamRadio

>what I should order for at home and for mobile?


For base , something like this works well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QVPGKHU/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_.VxJDbJ8CDNAM

The higher you can get it teh better of course.

As for mobile ... Be careful putting that in something operated on public highways without proper permits. In NY for example , that would be unlawful. A pure receiver 'capable of receiving police transmissions' is frowned upon in the VTL equipment section. You ham ticket would cover you if it had transmit capabilities and just so happened to be able to scan.

I dont know of any really good multi band scanner ants for mobile. If it was me , I would likely figure the band I would be most interested in and use a single band that has some gain.

u/hvdc123 · 4 pointsr/boston

Just get an rtl-sdr dongle for $25 and be done with it. Unless you snag an old crystal scanner at the swapmeet for $15.

u/[deleted] · 4 pointsr/RTLSDR

RTL-SDR v3 is like $20-$25. Has a little antenna and seems pretty versatile from what I understand.

It seems like a good starting point. I picked one up not too long ago, then magically shelled out around $400 for other shit.

u/sdr55 · 4 pointsr/RTLSDR

From his description it is either:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=rsv0f-20&linkId=e6b872ce4bf757ba9f71fbd35a53742e

OR

https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-NESDR-SMArt-Enclosure-R820T2-Based/dp/B01GDN1T4S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500228932&sr=8-1&keywords=nooelec

Both are great starter receivers although there are a few small differences between them. Some people start with the really cheap ~$11-12 ones, but frankly they suck. $25 for a proper one isn't much.

u/MinhoSucks · 4 pointsr/RTLSDR

Spend the extra 5 dollars and pick up this one. It has a metal case for better heat dissipation/noise reduction, 2 antennas, and a more common antenna connector.

u/ThisHandleIsStupid · 4 pointsr/RTLSDR

I got one of these a couple of months ago and it works great. If you're new to SDR (like I am) I think it's a good deal.

u/bloons3 · 4 pointsr/RTLSDR

I've had good experience with this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME

26$, gets you an antenna and the SDR (nice one too).

u/Zecellomaster · 4 pointsr/RTLSDR

No problem!

Yes, this is a V dipole, specifically it is this kit from the RTL-SDR website.

The dipole was attached to a flexible mini-tripod (included in kit), then placed on a brush pole at the handle part, which was then stuck in the ground under a tree (as the mulch was easier to do this with).

The laptop/dongle is usually ~1.5 meters/yards away, and I try to position myself away from the where the satellite is during the pass.

No LNA is used, I only use WXtoIMG for decoding, SDR# for DSP, and Orbitron for tracking in order to calculate doppler shift, where a plugin automatically changes the SDR# frequency.

I have been doing this since Saturday last week when I got the kit and set up all the programs. I've been bitten by the APT bug, and receiving/decoding the images is really addictive!

u/bassiswhereitsat · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

Very nice. I'm in an apartment with upstairs neighbors, so operating at my place is pretty much out of the question. So, portable antennas are where it's at for me. I have a 7300, and have been using it with a Super Antenna MP1DXTR80 that hasn't been too bad.

What output level do you have the radio set at?

u/cdnincali · 3 pointsr/shortwave

This should help you out. Be careful while hanging it - stay away from power lines.

EDIT USA (.com) link in place of Canada (.ca) link.

u/Hawk810 · 3 pointsr/preppers

Shortwave radio is great because you can listen to all the HF bands, and with a good antenna, listen to what is being broadcast from around the world if the conditions are right. (The ionosphere plays a big part in wave propagation, so certain bands/frequencies are better at different parts of the day, or sun cycle).

most entry level HF transceivers cost upwards of $800-$1000, so this is a great option if you just want to listen in on what is going on around the world.

The Shortwave portion of this radio is listening somewhere between the AM and FM bands, but it does have specific modes for AM and FM as well. (and it looks like the VHF aircraft bands it picks up is just out of range of the NOAA stations). I've read that this antenna works pretty well for this unit too.

u/piggybankcowboy · 3 pointsr/shortwave

The Kaito KA-1103 was my first shortwave radio, and remains a personal favorite. They actually make a variety of affordable radios to get your feet wet, and you'll want to pick up this easy-to-use 20' wire antenna. It has a nice compact design that doesn't leave you dealing with untangling it, and I put a cheap clip on it so I can hook it to a tree or something while outside. The adapter it comes with makes it so you can either plug in to an ANT IN port, or just clip it to the existing telescopic antenna on most radios.

Just out of curiosity, where abouts are you in the world? Location does matter, a bit. For example, I live in Michigan in the US and often struggle to pick up anything other than the preachers in the Southern half of our country. That being said, I have had some really wonderful nights where the atmospheric conditions were just right, and I was able to get signals from Europe and Africa, which is pretty exciting.

u/Butt_Pocket · 3 pointsr/BudgetAudiophile

75 ohm antenna

thing that makes impedance 300ohm

They work the same, the adapter is to hook up rabbit ears to use for a fm antenna

u/blackbeardshead · 3 pointsr/radio

You can actually use speaker wire for an antenna or buy some Parts Express FM Dipole Antenna https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000M9EREE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-SfyCbXCP3R9J

u/frugal_lothario · 3 pointsr/shortwave

It's quite possible that you're overloading the front end when you clip it directly to the antenna. Placing the antenna wire near the radio creates an inductive coupling, similar to how one of these works for the AM broadcast band.

u/switchhand · 3 pointsr/CrownVictoria

Those appear to be NMO mounts from the photo. Very standard. Amazon has lots of caps for NMO mounts for just a few bucks, or you could also just get some antennas to put on them. Alternatively, Amazon also sells NMO rubber gaskets which will seal them so they don't leak anymore.

u/xxile · 3 pointsr/verizon

That antenna only works on Band 13. You want something that can support all of Verizon's bands, like this: https://smile.amazon.com/weBoost-700-2700-Directional-Antenna-Connector/dp/B00J14YEHQ/

I've used this one with great results.

u/SlappyMcWaffles · 3 pointsr/pcgaming

Contact local city planner and ask if there are issues or when expansion is planned. They might be able to help you who to contact next. It's also possible you need to contact the FCC.

Since you're using a 4g hotspot you might also consider a cellular antenna similar to this.

I hope you find a solution.

u/cuweathernerd · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Just launched a balloon this week using this set-up. It worked beautifully. I'm assuming you're following the makezine article? If so, be careful to adjust the values of a couple of the surface mount resistors in the software because the trackunio expects values of like 10kOhm and the article lists like a 6.x kOhm one. There are variables to do so either way.

A few quick notes: learned the hard way, it's better to over-inflate your balloon than under inflate it. A difference in 1m/s ascent rate can have big effects on your time to go retrieve things. It pushed us into a really heavily forested area and made retrieval hard. I'd make a complete dummy payload that you attach to your filling apparatus, so when that lifts off the ground, you know you have the right mass + free lift. Then remove the dummy payload and attach your real flight line. It can be hectic at launch but our transmitter worked for much longer than the 4 hour duration of the flight (used disposable AA lithium batteries) so you've got some time to go. Likewise, our CHDK hacked camera worked well past landing. Patience at launch will save you frustration later.

Secondly, the trackunio code we used wasn't well configured when it comes to repeats. I thought I had fixed it but apparently I didn't flash the most recent code over to uno. Anyway, we ended up asking for repeats through the whole flight, and not just when we were less than 5kft above the ground. I feel pretty bad about this because balloons cover a big area and I don't want to clog up 144.390. In hindsight, I should have tested this by setting my threshold below my current altitude when I was driving around.

For recovery, i found typing the exact lat/long (in hours, min, sec) into http://www.sygic.com/gps-navigation and putting it in pedestrian mode to work beautifully. Got us to within 50 feet of the balloon, with a countdown of how far away we were. This was great.

While I used aprs droid to decode things out of my 2m radio, I actually got better performance from a cheap sdr receiver and gqrx. We didn't fail to decode a single packet with that set up and a cheap magnet mount 2m antenna, while APRS droid + the dedicated radio missed a couple. I'd highly recommend the little dongle if you don't have one. They're loads of fun outside the ballon.

Finally, just in case you've not seen them balloon performance calculator and landing predictor.

u/VA7EEX · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Welcome to the sub! Congrats on passing your Tech.

First up pick up an RTLSDR, these are great little receivers that will cover 30MHz-1700MHz which covers a tremendous swathe of spectrum. Definitely check out the different types of antennas you can make over on Antenna-Theory, the RTL-SDR blog and /r/rtlsdr

Then if you want to transmit on the post popular amateur bands for techs (which are local to your area) pick up a VHF/UHF Baofeng radio like a UV-B5, UV-82 or UV-5R. Not a whole lot of difference between any of them; I think the UV-B5 is the better one, since it has a better antenna and a rotary encoder. But it's very much up to you as to what you get (style > substance after all :) ).

Now from there its a question of what where you are. City? Rural? Nearby airport? Ports or ocean?

Edit: I should start linking to the wiki more often: Baofeng radios and Your First Radio are good places to start.

u/ka_re_t · 3 pointsr/RTLSDR

Cannot agree more. The RTL-SDR.com Blog V3 has a kit with really good antennas. Should be available by itself for $11 on Amazon too.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CZfrDb96GXQR4

u/rfv3 · 3 pointsr/shortwave

Afaik, all SDRs currently available support Linux and most (if not all) will compile on ARM. Many people have used SDRs on the Pi 3, so the Pi 4 should work fine. Your main considerations will likely have to be frequency range, sampling bandwidth, sensitivity, and cost.


For $30, [this](RTL-SDR Blog V3 R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Software Defined Radio with Dipole Antenna Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2LkiDbECBPWMK) is a good receive only starter kit.


Also, the Adalm Pluto often sells for $99, has better bandwidth, sensitivity, and can transmit.


But, with either of these, you'd require something like a Ham-it-up to operate on the lower frequencies. (<80MHz).


I'd suggest checking out rtl-sdr.com for more SDR information. They also have a store on their site, but their SDR info still seems unbiased in my opinion.

u/eibv · 3 pointsr/RTLSDR

I think you meant this one, judging by the url.

/u/maxadmiral /u/LilVinny

u/gumpgraves · 3 pointsr/HamRadio

If you want to listen then you do not need a license (as indicated by rock_vbrg). I assume you already have a computer (what college student doesn't), so I would start with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536752080&sr=8-3&keywords=rtl+sdr+dongle you can listen to the air traffic plus a whole lot more. It also gives you the option to do a little more advanced stuff without having to re-invest in hardware. Check out making it into an ADSB tracker : https://www.rtl-sdr.com/adsb-aircraft-radar-with-rtl-sdr/

You can run it with a windows machine using SDR# which has a lot of plug ins for different digital signals. Or you can use GQRX as your front end on a linux machine. There are Rasp-Pi options to run it as well, it is is a little swiss army knife for receiving radio. Browse through the archives at https://www.rtl-sdr.com/ to see if anything interests you. And look at all of the available software for these little things here: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/big-list-rtl-sdr-supported-software/

Then if you want to take that next step and get involved, get your license (which i highly recommend). Hope this helps.

BT/AR
KC5CG

u/forkworm · 3 pointsr/RTLSDR

Here! Even better if somebody 3D Prints you a v dipole bracket for them.


RTL-SDR Blog R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA Software Defined Radio with 2x Telescopic Antennas https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UYb7Cb4PF42HV

u/DwarfVader001 · 3 pointsr/RTLSDR

It depends on what you want to do with the setup HF, vhf, ect. Personally I would start out with an sdr setup like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_vEt1CbG4069E9
I've bought 8 of these little sdrs over a few years for monitoring the the entire 2m and 70c ham bands and occasionally playing around with weather sats. They are essentially the baofeng of sdrs.
If you're interested in a higher quality sdr I would look into something like an airspy r2 or mini. https://airspy.com/

u/suddenlypandabear · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

For $20, the RTL-SDR Blog v3 stick is very good and has some features that matter in practice. Bias tee for LNAs if you end up needing to use one (needing a long antenna wire going outdoors is a common reason), aluminum enclosure, a good TCXO, and some ESD protection.

Aside from the actual SDR, the antenna will make a huge difference and you can do reasonably well without spending a lot of money for something fragile and non-portable.

You can get a kit that includes the RTLSDR v3 and a cheap looking but useful "rabbit ears" antenna (see important note below!). It's obviously not a great antenna, but I've used it for receiving NOAA weather satellite images, since you can arrange it as a V-dipole. It's also really lightweight and portable, and if you accidentally break or lose it, or if you leave it outside and it rusts, they sell them separately for a few bucks.

For a slightly more durable and capable, but still really cheap and portable antenna, take a look at the N9TAX Slim Jim. I've had one of those for years and love it, because it can be easily hung up outdoors and taken back down quickly. He makes a few variations, but the one in the link comes with a 10ft cable and SMA connector on the end, and has a built-in velcro wrap for coiling it up and storing/transporting it. It's designed for the 2m and 70cm ham bands, but for receiving with an SDR I've used that antenna on everything from commercial FM all the way up to 1090Mhz ADS-B.

(If you do get that rabbit ears antenna kit, make sure you open the little plastic housing on it and look for wires that might cause a short circuit between the 2 antenna elements. There should be a little resistor connecting them for ESD protection, but there should not be bare strands of wire shorting them directly.

That happened on mine every time the wire moved, and it severely harmed reception until I fixed it by snipping the stray wire strands off. It may also cause damage to the SDR if the bias tee gets activated while the antenna is directly connected and shorted like that, which is more likely than it sounds because the normal TV drivers for the SDR chipset in linux apparently turn on the bias tee by accident, not knowing that there's a bias tee circuit in there).

u/mooglinux · 3 pointsr/RTLSDR

I suggest either the RTL-SDR Blog kit or the NooElec NESDR SMArt Bundle. The RTL-SDR V3 has one advantage over the SMArt, which is that it has a bias t.

Both kits include a selection of antenna. Attach the magnetic mount to a piece of metal, and go to town.

u/ElectronSpiderwort · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

This is the one I just replaced my older one with. It is totally worth $5 more for the TCXO option.

u/ironhydroxide · 3 pointsr/RTLSDR

I am using the RTL-SDR v3 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
And at the moment have been trying to setup GRC to visualize/capture as I don't know enough about the sensor to know that what i'm capturing is actually from the sensor, or from something else.

From my understanding the sensors periodically send temperature data, as well as presence triggers. Though I do not know if it's an immediate packet sent as soon as motion is detected, or just a change in the data on next periodic update. I have tried to correlate room entry (motion) with the sensor triggering, but haven't found anything conclusive on a delay. Sometimes it seems immediate, others it seems like there's a minute to 5 minute delay before the ecobee software shows presence detected.

The ecobee thermostat shows presence in 5min blocks if I review the "follow Me" data for my thermostat. I believe the sensor has a much higher resolution of motion/no motion though.

u/SnardleyF · 3 pointsr/cbradio

I use a Larsen NMO-27 10m-11m nmo mount with a Browning 10m-11m antenna:


https://www.amazon.com/Browning-26-5-30-MHz-NMO-Antenna/dp/B013PXD0J6

u/vr6oom · 3 pointsr/dji

I use something like these for my phantom and they work well. I see a 20-30% distance increase with them on.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072HFCC2S/ref=cm_sw_r_tw

u/upofadown · 2 pointsr/ota

ABC is a VHF-low channel so a small antenna isn't likely to work all that well. The easiest thing to try would be good old rabbit ears (you might want to get the type that can adjust all the way flat). The other thing to try would be a separate FM antenna and depend on the fact that real ch 6 is right next to the FM band. Something like this:

u/NonNisiTe · 2 pointsr/vintageaudio

That metal tube I believe is the AM Antenna. What you can do is buy something called an FM Antenna. It looks something like this. That is American side, I do not know the UK equivalent. I would recommend just going into your generic audio parts shop (Whatever the UK equivalent of radio shack is and getting help).

Second you need to fix your speakers. Put both on A Speaker Right and Left. Or B Speaker R + L but not as it currently is B Speaker Right and A Speaker L. A + B speakers are there for you to hook up two sets of speakers and allows you to change from A to B speakers via dial or you can use both A + B speakers together although the volume will be a little less overall since you are trying to power more.

u/Fallwalking · 2 pointsr/vintageaudio

You can simply use a pair of wires, other wise there are other compact dipole antennas around that can sit behind it.

https://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-FM-Dipole-Antenna/dp/B000M9EREE

u/Jaylaw1 · 2 pointsr/radio

Flat water is a great conductor of radio waves. Drive down to the water, late at night, and tune your AM radio to a station there. It will probably be coming in loud and clear.

105mi is a bit of a trip for during the day and especially on FM, but if you have a receiving antenna like a dipole you might be able to tune in. (Not affiliated with that Amazon seller, it was just the first link that came up for dipole. Super easy to make one of your own.)

Lastly, radio stations in Cuba are available on livestream. Unless the US government blocks it, of course.

u/bumblesski · 2 pointsr/cbradio

Recommendations will depend on your budget. The little unidens that have already been recommended are good. For an antenna, this here is sort of the king of base station cb antennas. We're talking 50 miles instead of 5.

Solarcon A-99 CB Base Station Antenna https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017J7NQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_e-qXCb5Q4M2MB

Just check Amazon for base station cb antennas, to find one in budget and if you're not wanting it on your car. They'll be easier to mess with than adapting a mobile, IMO.

First rule of CB, ANTENNAS!! You can have a 1000$ radio hooked to a bad antenna and never hear anyone, and kill your fancy radio. Hook a 30$ uniden to a good, properly set up antenna and you'll hear for miles.

Learn what SWR is before you ever use your radio to transmit. Listen all you want without transmitting, but you'll need to tune your antenna before transmitting. Keeping asking questions and googling. Good luck!

u/chewybass · 2 pointsr/cordcutters

I have a peak roof and mounted it on the back of the house. Here's and image of it mounted. This bracket I bought from Amazon for $26 bucks. It's very strong and I have no worries that it would fall off. I bought a Preamplifier to help boost the signal. The mast I bought from a local store, so hopefully you can find one in your area. Hope this helps, if have any questions just let me know.

u/it_refugee · 2 pointsr/shortwave

It's fantastic with this loop.

u/pocketoffish · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

What excellent advice, thank you. I've eyeballed that at5888uv and I'm really interested to hear what you think. I like your idea of the slim Jim jpole but I don't have anywhere to put it outside as I rent and there's just no spot for it. Would I slowly nuke myself if I hung it inside the house in a back, empty bedroom?

As for mobile, I did grab a magnetic from Amazon that I checked with a friend's swr meter that showed a 1.5, so good enough! Lastly, I grabbed a better mobile antenna than the stubby that is still untested with a transmit but receives well.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

u/MythicalMover · 2 pointsr/vandwellers

The white and black cylindrical low profile antennae, and the two whips are NMO mounted. You should be able to carefully unscrew them to reveal the mount, which will be about 1/4" in height. The holes drilled for these mounts can vary between 3/8"-3/4". There should be no leaks if you leave the mounts installed. This should clear the roof enough for solar.

Replace the antennae with these suckers: https://www.amazon.com/Tram-1290-Nmo-Rain-Cap/dp/B00474A1M2

As for the shark fin... I'd leave that one for style points!

u/IntHatBar · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

New Ham Here. Santa treated me well. I need to pick up a power supply and I should be all set.

Yaesu FT-2900R 75 Watt 2 Meter VHF Mobile Transceiver Amateur Ham Radio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WKH00M/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_1sIFwbVF2MQ4A

Dual Band VHF / UHF Gain Base Station Antenna ANLI A-100 Amateur Radio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093N20D0/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_UrIFwbBKED42G

u/lazyman73125 · 2 pointsr/radio

The radio would be in a basement, so it looks like my best bet would be to get an antenna like this one and mount it somewhere in my garage upstairs for now, and eventually move it outside. Some of the reviews show improved reception with the antenna mounted inside. It seems to me like the extra $20 is worth it for something like this that I can keep higher up instead of down in the basement. I had no idea antennas like that could be so cheap and seem to be so well reviewed.

I appreciate the long answers. You're packing in a ton of useful information that's really helping me out.

u/TheCheshireCody · 2 pointsr/answers

There's always something better - it's how much you're willing to pay and how much effort you're willing to put in. Thirty miles for a college radio station is really pushing the limits no matter what you use. The thing is, a stronger antenna like this isn't just going to pick up their signal, it's going to pick up every signal of their strength and stronger - and weaker ones as well. So, you could very well end up with just more chaos than you have now. Why not just listen to the webcast?

u/AmadeusK482 · 2 pointsr/vintageaudio

https://www.amazon.com/FM-Dipole-Antenna-Male-connector/dp/B00EIB70N2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1505689913&sr=8-5&keywords=FM+antenna

this is a barebones antenna

I recommend an FM signal amplifier and an outdoor antenna

But FWIW.. FM radio is pretty dead since pretty much every station that broadcasts nowadays has an internet stream

I feel about 90% confident the meters don't work because you don't have an antenna hooked up to it. That's a badass tuner, I'd of loved to find it. Wonder how it would sound compared to my Kenwood KT-8300

u/etronz · 2 pointsr/NoContract

Most of the mobile hotspots have TS9 RF ports. At that point it is all about finding what fits and your specific use case.

This is a good place to start https://www.amazon.com/Netgear-6000450-MIMO-Antenna-Connectors/dp/B00DN3J03O and if you are a little more serious, a tripod, along with a TS9 male to N male adapter, and this antenna https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Wideband-Directional-700-2700-314411/dp/B00J14YEHQ/ can pull in signals that normally are unusable.

u/CasumWallum · 2 pointsr/wisp

I did find this:
https://www.alternativewireless.com/machine-to-machine/home-phone-connects/netgear-nighthawk-hotspot-antennas-boosters.html

Which would be paired with two of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Wideband-Directional-700-2700-314411/dp/B00J14YEHQ

That's $300-$400 for a maximum of +10.6 dBi gain

Where as a Mikrotik LHG LTE kit-US is $160 for +17 dBi gain

u/GPCAPTregthistleton · 2 pointsr/television

I have not. All I needed to get set up was a proper router+antenna(e)+modem. I grabbed a Sierra Wireless MC7455, threw it in a WE826 from ltefix.com (since they preinstall the U.FL antennae bulkhead adapters for you), attached one Wilson Directional LTE antenna, and I was flying. The nearest TMO tower gets 22mbps when there aren't a bunch of tourists sucking up the bandwidth and making that deprioritization line crazy long. Most rural locations don't have tourists by the hundred eating up their bandwidth, making cell towers even more appealing.

u/xyzzzzy · 2 pointsr/HomeNetworking

>How exactly would I install or use something like the MOFI 4500?

Basically you get a compatible SIM, install it in the Mofi, configure it, and you're ready to go. Configuration is often as easy as logging into the Mofi and changing the default passwords with the rest being plug and play. If it doesn't fire right up things can get a little fiddly as Mofi documentation is not great.

>Is this what I want? MOFI4500? Is it just a router that picks up the signal from the tower and turns it into a regular router?

Yes that's it, it's basically like a normal cellular hotspot except is has ethernet ports and can use an external antenna. The external antenna is the key part for you, probably.

>Could I attach a stronger directional antenna to it such as This?

Yes you can. Make sure to get a compatible cable (example)

>Also, what would I do about the Verizon sim card? Isn't it possible to get an unlimited one somewhere?

If you don't care about unlimited you can just get one from Verizon. You could buy a hotspot plan and just take it out of their hotspot. Not sure if they would sell you a bare SIM with service, never tried. They will throttle you to 600Kb after 10GB of data.

If you want unlimited then you're into something like Unlimitedville or grey market eBay (example, this is not an endorsement). The grey market sellers are often happy to send you just the SIM versus a whole hotspot. Note the risk with those guys is there is no contract, so if they terminate service and disappear with your money you have no recourse. But, you pay month to month so generally your risk is limited to one month's fees.

​

u/jdanonzzz · 2 pointsr/ATT

1 of Netgear 6000450 MIMO Antenna with 2 TS-9 Connectors

Also have 2 directional antenna setups using dual Wilson Electronics Wideband Directional Antenna 700-2700 MHz, 50 Ohm (314411)

I only got the netgear from amazon; but those should still be the same models.

u/LinearFluid · 2 pointsr/HomeNetworking

I have installed (Weboost)Wilson Boosters for several clients and I myself have them at home work and Vehicle.

This is NOT what you want.

It will really do nothing for you.

You have to go with a Booster.

Wilson has renamed their setups to Weboost after FCC started to regulate them.

They have different levels of boost and pricing goes from about $400 to $899.

https://www.weboost.com/

You need to buy the 4G versions which is available at each level.

Second is DO NOT directly Connect these to your Modems antenna. They come complete with an inside repeater antenna. If you do the power will blow your modems receivers.

Wilson/Weboost used to make a M2M setup that you could connect directly to the Modem but they quit making them. M2M stands for Machine To Machine. Think Being able to connect your Vending Machines/Interactive Billboards located in the middle of nowhere and controlling them over the internet VIA 4G

Last is if you must give it a try the Omnidirectional will not suffice go with the YAGI Directional in 50 Ohms.

https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Wideband-Directional-700-2700-314411/dp/B00J14YEHQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=weboost+yagi&qid=1556673233&s=wireless&sr=1-3

The Yagi has to be pointed directly at the tower you are receiving from. Not hard to setup just have to watch when you rotate it. Your signal bar on the modem will peak when pointed at the tower.

u/rageaccount373733 · 2 pointsr/HomeNetworking

I got you. I have a similar setup. So here’s what you need.


Wilson Electronics Wideband Directional Antenna 700-2700 MHz, 50 Ohm (314411) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J14YEHQ/

Buy two of these. Place on a pole as high as you can get it. Mount them 45° and -45°. That’s how LTE is polarized.

Example: https://www.solwise.co.uk/images/images3g/4g-ren6702709-lpda-5.png


Heavy Duty Weather Proof Multi... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4FSKZM

Put the M1 in this on the pole too.

Use this to send power up the Outdoor cat6 cable:


TP-LINK TL-PoE150S PoE Injector Adapter, IEEE 802.3af Compliant, up to 100 Meters (325 Feet) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PS9E5I/

And this to pull the power out of the Cat6


ANVISION Gigabit PoE Splitter,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PW9FJNT

Then convert the mini to USB C:


ARKTEK USB-C Adapter, USB Type C (Male) to Micro USB (Female) Syncing Data Transfer and Charging Converter for Chromebook Galaxy S10 Note 9, Pixel 3 and More (Black/White, Pack of 4) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I0ZAJXO/

Ok.

That’ll get you where you want. Don’t get a booster or anything else. It’ll make your signal slower.

Put the whole thing on the pole because if you leave it inside you’ll get a lot of signal loss along those long cables.

———

Now the M1 is a 4x4 MIMO which claims it can get you gigabit speeds. But once you plug in the external antennas you’ll get 2x2 MIMO. the only way to solve this is a bit hacky.

You’ll need this:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183651187710

(This isn’t me but it’s the only guy I’ve seen selling these wires)

Then you’ll need two of these:

weBoost Outdoor Directional Yagi Antenna with N Female Connector 301111 for 700/800/900 MHz Band https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006H4FVM/

These will be you MAIN antennas. While the other covered ones will be your additional.

To explain. LTE towers send out 45° 800mhz, -45° 800mhz, 45° 2700 MHz, and -45° 2700 MHz You need an antenna for each. This will get you the fastest speed and best reliability. But this is hacky. I haven’t done this, YET. I’ve just planned it all out. I’m using a LB1211 with two covered yagis. I’ve gotten up to 70mbps with just that 2x2 setup (in a valley).

I plan on getting an M1 with 4 antennas soon, but right now my pole situation sucks. I need to figure out a better solution first. Then I’ll be comfortable spending that much more money. But just getting those two covered yagis and putting you M1 up until the pole, you’ll get a much better issue

u/wickedwarlock84 · 2 pointsr/whatisthisthing

Wilson Electronics Wideband Directional Antenna 700-2700 MHz, 50 Ohm (314411) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J14YEHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TH6LDbGN1REV7

Just an example, they can be mounted on walls ceilings or any type of pole. The tripod would just make it stronger if the area is pron to storms.

Your mentioned a greens area, yes most likely wifi if it's near a college commons area.

Also some colleges will use antennas like these as a dedicated connection between buildings.

u/Mr_T0ad · 2 pointsr/ATT

These have been recommended to me. I have not tried them yet.

Wilson Electronics Wideband Directional Antenna 700-2700 MHz, 50 Ohm (314411) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J14YEHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_6PQQCbGMC2RMT

u/Besca · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Get a discone antenna...great for scanners.

u/dlf420 · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

I highly recommend this thing:
----- https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME

User guide here:
----- http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-blog-v-3-dongles-user-guide/

SDR# (SDR 'Sharp') Software here:
----- http://airspy.com/download/

Picks up from ~170khz to 1.7Ghz without modifications. Even has a built in bias tee that can be enabled by software to power LNBs and the such.

Also you are not limited to that software. There are many that will work with that dongle. That's another thread, though.

u/Giric · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

I'd check this with /r/RTLSDR as well. If you have an up-converter or an RTL-SDR.com receiver like this one, which has been modified for direct sampling for HF, (or, really, and modified RTL-SDR set up for direct sampling), then any antenna that will get you outside the steel and concrete box you're probably in is a good choice.

Apartments are hard for radio, especially since some of them only have one wall that's to the exterior. I had a balcony the last time I lived in one, and my receive was much better out there. I ran a random wire out through the sliding glass door and connected it to the telescoping antenna I connected to my SDR. It worked pretty well for anything. After all, I was just receiving.

I'm not really sold on the idea of active antennas. I have one, but it doesn't seem to really do much for me. Of course, this was a kit antenna, and my soldering skills are still abysmal, so I may have wired something in wrong.

u/SniffMarkers247 · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

>What modes/frequencies are you looking at using?

I really have no idea. To be honest, looking at the band allocations, I genuinely don't understand the difference between the bands. Is it basically just if there's people on a particular frequency, then you find another in your band allocation? I suppose it would be difficult to listen to the higher bands without having a huge antenna?

>Are you comfortable with used equipment?

Sure, but the only issue is that since I have no idea what to look for when buying amateur radio equipment, I don't know whether something is trustworthy or not. Since it's expensive electronics and stuff, I feel like that can easily go wrong and I might need a warranty/return, and used equipment scares me a bit. Nevertheless, if there's a way to make an educated decision when buying used equipment that you could help me with, I'd appreciate it.

>Are you near a city/town that has a club presence and possibly a club rig you can book time on?

There's a club presence but it's basically just a bunch of old guys who meet once a month to talk about ridiculously complicated electronics stuff which I don't really understand yet. I think (???) my university has an amateur radio club, so I'll try to visit them, but other than that I have no other contacts.

>Are you interested in exploration/listening/making contact? (SDR dongles can be a huge cost saver if looking at passive comms).

Not really too concerned with making contacts, more about learning about the equipment/science/electronics so that I can make projects of my own in my dorm/college so that I can talk about it to job interviewers. I have an SDR dongle, but I still really don't understand it that well. Can it basically receive everything that a regular transceiver can, but more? Or are there limitations? I understand that it can't transmit and that's cool, but I really get confused by the software aspect. Also, apparently my dongle has a direct sampling feature that can be accessed via software, but to get to the HF frequencies, do I need to actually buy/make my own special antenna just for the HF frequencies or can I use the little telescoping antenna included?

The big question I have is that there are so many frequencies/bands but I don't know what the difference is/what they're used for. All I'm doing now is just going up and down the regular FM bands while also slowly going through the RTL-SDR manuals to understand it. I just think it might be nice/helpful to actually have a hardware transciever that I can play with and hopefully learn about the hardware side when making my own systems/projects (which again, I don't know what I can do, maybe make some repeaters or something no idea) that I can talk about to employers in the telecom/networks field.

u/IsolatedVampire · 2 pointsr/RTLSDR

Sup all !
I just ordered a RLT-SDR Blog V3 with antennas (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/)
--
And as a total newb on the hardware, what should I worry from the start? Should I put a metal base on the antenna that comes with it, should I use a indoor TV atenna or make a new one? Is there an easy way to start HF with it with not much hardware to buy? Any tips for a beginner with this model?

Apart from that I will read more about SDR while it arrives here, I don't know what to search from the frequencies yet haha. I use Fedora Linux and will use only *nix software and they look awesome! :D
Any tips welcome, and sure I will read the sidebar of course :) Thanks !

u/thxYukikaze · 2 pointsr/RTLSDR

What exactly did you buy? There might be a compatibility issue but if you bought something like this it should be relatively easy and will work on GNU Radio. Making a simple spectrum analyzer require something like 3 blocks and that's it. Here's a good link to get you started Also, if you're new to linux, setting up GNU Radio for RTL_SDR might be a little tough (you should just go easy route and just do the apt-get along with some extra dependency to be able to connect to your RTL_SDR) or might be an over kill depending on what you want to do. What exactly do you want to do? Another method is to use SDR# with things like wine, I forgot how I've done it but it's definitely possible to run SDR# on linux though it was kind of pain in the arse. I'd say if you want to do something kind of complicated, use GNU Radio, if you just want to look up nearby spectrum, use something like SDR#.

u/mahmahmonkey · 2 pointsr/RTLSDR

[this works great. ](http://www.RTL-SDR.com/ Blog R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA Software Defined Radio with 2x Telescopic Antennas https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_5V8nii1dBta4M) You might need a short USB extension if other ports are in use.

u/The6P4C · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Have a look at the RTLSDR. Cheap enough that you can buy one and throw it away if it doesn't work, but I think it should do.

u/lmore3 · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

I'll link a $35 sdr kit. Gimme a bit

Edit: it's actually $27 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/

u/badon_ · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

> Welcome! Another way to receive while you're learning is through the use of web SDRs or buying your own SDR (an RTL SDR dongle can be had for even less than the baofeng!) that way you can also listen to HF frequencies.

u/TheInsomniac03: Linky links:

u/w1ll1am23 · 2 pointsr/homeassistant

This is the one I am looking at getting. No guaranteed it will work, but I have something else I will be using it for that I know will work.

RTL-SDR Blog R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA Software Defined Radio with 2x Telescopic Antennas https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lIyYCbZKQVDSP

u/molo1134 · 2 pointsr/RTLSDR

Get one with a R820T2, better sensitivity.

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/

Listening is a great gateway to ham radio. You will be able to hear local VHF/UHF ham traffic with any rtlsdr. The one I linked includes the direct sampling mod, so you would also be able to hear HF traffic going long distances. More info at /r/amateurradio

u/zombieregime · 2 pointsr/flying

Here is the one I ordered. Seems to work pretty alright for what it is(the antenna mounts have no grounding plane and the dongle get a bit warm). But I can receive ADSB from barstow to almost san diego, and get a partial images from NOAA just having it suction cupped to my bedroom window.

Definitely would recommend to anyone looking to fiddle about with SDR.

u/watcherdata · 2 pointsr/hipaa

I'm 150 miles from one, and 175 miles from another. I'm assuming the pager carrier broadcasts the messages over a wide area, regardless of where the page originated.

This is the kit I'm using. Then you just use Virtual Audio Cable, SDRSharp, and PDW to receive and decode the data. There are tons of YouTube videos on it.

I work in IT as well, and hadn't heard of it either. It's alarmingly easy to do.

u/big0bum · 2 pointsr/RTLSDR

I bought this from Amazon.

u/bites · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

Out of curiosity what are you trying to listen to?

You can get a rtl-srd dongle and listen to that and a lot more with it from a computer.

I recommend this one but you can find outers with lower quality components for like $10.

u/the_spanish_archer · 2 pointsr/cbradio

It's an NMO.

Here is a Larsen antenna for CB freqs:
https://www.amazon.com/Larsen-NMO27B-Field-Tunable-Antenna/dp/B007JSDKO4/

Here is a cheaper Browning:
https://www.amazon.com/BROWNING-26-5-30-MHz-NMO-Antenna/dp/B013PXD0J6

I'm going to be buying the Larsen soon for an odd install I have.

u/KF4HZU · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Check out this laptop for the computer part. Also I recommend this antenna kit since it is very portable. A long as you are doing mostly digital modes, check out this SDR which may be all you need if 5 watts is ok. They have a 50W amplifier too that is pretty small if needed. Those three items are together less then half your budget :)

u/DrewCIL · 1 pointr/shortwave

I use the CC Radio SW with this antenna and I get decent reception from stations all over the world! Night time is the best time to listen.

u/chuckmilam · 1 pointr/shortwave

Welcome to the hobby! To improve reception, you need to improve your antenna. For short wave listening (SWL), a long wire is a good start. If you radio allows for an external antenna, you might consider something like this.

u/KC3MLC · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Honestly if you have some wire around the house start with that. You can start off getting something, and then try to figure out how good or bad it is compared to a more optimal solution. The commercial add-on antennas for shortwave radios, which isn't what you have, tend to be in the 20 foot range, and they get the commercial bands on 3/7 Mhz etc.

I'm adding a link to a commercial shortwave antenna. I don't think you should buy it, especially since jack doesn't work with your sdr, but you'll see it's not particularly elaborate. Some extremely thin wire that rolls out and has a clip to try to get some height on one end, it's not even really designed to be resonant on a particular frequency:

https://www.amazon.com/Sangean-ANT-60-Short-Wave-Antenna/dp/B000023VW2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tecsun+antenna&qid=1573145462&sr=8-3

I bought some cheap 22 gauge four wire telephone wire at the local hardware store and started with that because I thought the housing might keep the small wire from breaking, and stapled it up around my back porch.

But as you're just getting started, don't overthink it and just start seeing what you get.

u/wamblin · 1 pointr/shortwave

Thanks again Stephen. Question about your proposed setup: do I need another adapter to convert my 3.5 mini plug into an RCA male input?

Here is link to antenna I'm using Sangean reel antenna

u/uli2000 · 1 pointr/shortwave

Doesn't it have a external antenna plug? Many of the cheaper shortwave wind up long wire antennas have a clip adapter to clip to the end of the whip, like this.

u/wassup2190 · 1 pointr/shortwave

Thanks very much :-). I will keep trying. I am using a 23 foot plug in antenna made my Kaito here:

https://www.amazon.com/Kaito-T-1-Radio-Antenna/dp/B00066Z9XG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=kaito+antenna&qid=1575000752&sr=8-1

I am guessing it will be behind the CODAR making things even more difficult, but I guess it is possible to pick it up from the US. I wonder if it would be a good idea to check the weather in russia to see if it is heavy atmosphere over there (thus bouncing the signal more and all) Funnly enough I have the same story with the Squeaky Wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMcV8TYt--g&list=PL9LiN2Y2lKDGk-6-7L8UwwwEIZkA0hFJK&index=11&t=0s Only to not hear it again since. I was wondering what would be a best time of year as well? Thx.

u/amd_kenobi · 1 pointr/cbradio

A hood channel mount like this firestik or this procomm with an antenna like this Tram or this firestik should work well and not look terribly out of place on a small car. A small mag mount like a K30 or lil will would be another good, non-permanent option.

u/cso · 1 pointr/cbradio

The Uniden 520 is a great choice for a basic radio. I've been using one for years with excellent results. It's really hard to beat for the size/money.

Consider the K30 magnet mount antenna for an alternative in that size.
I've used both it and the Little Wil and found the K30 to perform noticeably better. It's also less expensive:

http://www.amazon.com/K40-K-30-Stainless-Magnet-Antenna/dp/B000H2W270/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417900765&sr=8-2&keywords=K30

The other commenter that suggested getting an SWR meter is also correct. These antennas all require some degree of adjustment for optimal performance. Just a basic meter will work fine.

http://www.amazon.com/Astatic-PDC1-100-Watt-Meter/dp/B004ULN610/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417900872&sr=8-1&keywords=SWR+meter

And the jumper:
http://www.amazon.com/Procomm-Coaxial-Cable-Jumper-Connectors/dp/B003DRJ738/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_text_y

The meter and jumper is something you'll very rarely need (just when moving the setup to a different vehicle, for the most part) so if you husband has a friend into CB or HAM operation, he may be able to borrow one for a few minutes rather than buying.

Finally, you'll need some way to power the radio. The easiest way is with a lighter plug:
http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-Fused-Replacement-Cigarette-Lighter/dp/B0016LG0CY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417901045&sr=8-1&keywords=lighter+plug

Just cut the connectors off the ends of the wires and splice it with the ones on the radio.

Alternatively, you can connect to the fuse box with an Add-A-Circuit. These come in different sizes depending on the fuses in your car. You can get one of these for less than $10 at any auto parts store.

u/jon-burrows · 1 pointr/SWFL

There is /r/cbradio, but I pretty much just googled everything. I bought these items and I'm pretty happy with them:

Uniden 520XL - Nice, small, cheap radio

Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter

K40 Magnet Mount Antennae with wiring - it is 15 feet of wire so that should be enough to go from the trunk lid to your dash.

SWR tester - this is to test your SWR and make sure the antennae is tuned properly, it also comes with a jumper wire to connect to your radio

If you need help with anything let me know. The CB has been very helpful on I-75, but on Daniels in Fort Myers and Golden Gate Parkway in Naples I have not had any success getting traffic updates etc. which I expected, but it's definitely super helpful on the interstate.

u/FoxxMD · 1 pointr/amateurradio

So I thought it was a single wire but it turns out it's not.

Here's what the connector looks like. Is this the correct type of antenna to get?

u/umdivx · 1 pointr/hometheater

Search for FM Dipole antenna.

​

Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-FM-Dipole-Antenna/dp/B000M9EREE

u/Artbrutist · 1 pointr/audiophile

Hard to tell from the pics, but that black thing is the AM loop antenna. For FM you need one of these

u/dmfdmf · 1 pointr/cordcutters

Real CH2 and CH6 are down near the FM frequency range, your antenna won't even see those signals. Your signals are strong enough that an FM antenna would probably work and you don't need the amp. I'd get a FM folded dipole antenna (the T-type that you tack to the wall) like THIS and connect it to a Balun like THIS and then use a regular two-way coax splitter like THIS to combine the signals from the FM antenna and the 1ByOne into the TV/Tuner.

u/flaquito_ · 1 pointr/DIY

If you can manage to get a decent signal at the edge, I would highly recommend one of these gable mounts: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DFTGUQ

I had previously tried one of the hinged mounts like they use for satellite dishes, and it would occasionally collapse and I would find my antenna pointing at the side of my house. The gable mount has been rock solid.

u/DuggyMcPhuckerson · 1 pointr/cordcutters

Well. Let’s see here. I first purchased this antenna and this mast holder once I made the decision this year to cut the cord. Reading this sub, I quickly realized that I could use this mast amplifier to obtain about 10 more channels and this distribution amplifier to run the signals into 7 rooms of my house.

I configured and tested my setup in the middle of the summer thunderstorm season so I installed this UPS to prevent the brownouts that were occurring all too often during this time. I still had two television sets that were analog/CRT, so I purchased this set top converter which gave me the added bonus of Broadcast DVR when I purchased this flash drive to plug into them.
I then purchased two Roku3 units to supplement my broadcast programming. I also discovered that even when using a dual band router , I was only able to obtain a reliable 18 Mbit wireless stream in my far bedrooms from my Laundry Room equipment location. While this was sufficient for managing two simultaneous streams of HD for now, I was concerned that we would need to have 3 or 4 simultaneous streams or need to upgrade for UltraHD in the next year or so. I then purchased some Cat5e cable and ran 3 separate cables to each of 7 rooms and centralized all the lines into this switch which acted as my Ethernet distribution network.

I had an idle desktop PC with an AMD FX-8350 processor which I upgraded with gigabit LAN, 8GB DDR3 RAM, and five 3TB Disk Drives. I installed Plex Media Server based on recommendations from this sub and I have been torrenting like a madman to fill a little more than half this disk space in the past 4 months. I connected the media server to my Ethernet switch via a Gigabit link and have had no issues with lag even while transcoding on the fly. I plan to purchase some more streaming devices which will probably be Roku3 or Chromecast units depending upon the price and suitability.

My next step is to look at high quality music streaming and how I might integrate some vintage (1980s) audio equipment into this setup.

u/Azozel · 1 pointr/cordcutters

Get a Tivo Premiere, a good antenna, a good signal amplifier, Some RG6 cable, a ground block, a crimp set with ends, an antenna mount, and antenna rotator. Put it all together and hook it to your home network.

What you will get:

Most of the OTA signals withing 50 miles of your home. (I currently receive 32 channels from OTA signals. a lot of them are duplicate ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CW, FOX stations from different cities but there are a lot more channels in there then I thought I'd get and surprisingly there's good stuff to watch half the time, especially for my kids)


A DVR that gives you a guide of upcoming shows that appear on the OTA channels you receive (there is no programing channels on your part), and lets you setup your season pass recordings for the shows you want off those channels.

If you have a Hulu Plus or Netflix subscription, the TiVo lets you access those from the comfort of your couch as well as youtube and Amazon.

From Amazon, you can rent newly released movies and TV shows and download them directly to your Tivo from anywhere (sometimes I buy shows at work and have them download before I get home) TV shows run anywhere from $1-$3 an episode and you can get most new episodes anywhere from 1-7 days after they air on traditional cable. However, a lot of stuff is available on Hulu or on the networks website for free eventually if you're not in a rush.

It's a steep initial investment and it requires dedication but once it's paid for itself and you only have the $15 monthly fee you'll be saving a ton of money (even if you're buying the occasional TV show you just have to watch) and you'll realize how much TV you can really do without.

u/BruceBurrito · 1 pointr/cordcutters

Thanks for the tip about the tripod and/or the guy wires. I'd like to put as few holes in my shingles as possible. I'm starting to consider a gable end mount instead, like the one below.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DFTGUQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0Z130RFVXT4NRKG2NQR8&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop

u/Megas3300 · 1 pointr/amateurradio

https://www.amazon.com/Eton-NGAN200-Grundig-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B001PNNXGO
For low power, these RX mag loops work nicely for transmitting. I use one when demonstrating radio to young'ins at the museum.

u/tuoder · 1 pointr/amateurradio

>would a ferrite loop work at all inside a 22 gauge steel box,

Not well at all, no.

>is there a standard port I could add to the cabinet to suport an external removable AM antenna,

Use whatever connector you have lying around that's easy to work with. It doesn't matter very much. 1/8" audio jacks would be good. You could probably repurpose an antenna for a Countycomm GP-5.

Or maybe something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Eton-NGAN200-Grundig-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B001PNNXGO

u/soawesomejohn · 1 pointr/amateurradio

So I know you want to get on HF and I definitely encourage that. However, if you want to just work on getting more contacts for now, you may want to look into a few things via the computer and 2M.

First, EchoLink is a PC/Android/IPhone app that will let you connect to other hams and use their radios to get on their local repeaters. Obviously, you're using the Internet to connect to a radio far away, but it's a good low-cost way to talk with other operators. I find you can learn a lot just by listening to operators discussing their setup on the air.

Check out WAN Repeater. They have an EchoLink node (W3WAN) AND a huge number of repeaters linked in. I hear traffic on these repeaters almost all the time. So it's a good system to listen and talk on.

Second, you can actually tie your PC and EchoLink into a radio. So if you can find a cheap 2M mobile/base radio at a hamfest or ebay (I've picked up various 25W 2M radios for ~$40) and connect it to your computer, you can add a -L to your call on EchoLink. Now, you can talk to the "base" radio using your handheld, and have that go out over echolink to another radio somewhere else.

Third, you may just want to look at a bigger 2M radio, or even just a better antenna for the UV-3R. I love my UV-3R, but it is only 2W. With a $30 mag-mount antenna you may find yourself reaching out even further and hitting other repeaters.

u/brickson98 · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Yeah, I have a lot to learn with antennas. How does this one look?

u/kc2syk · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Please use clean amazon links: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093N20D0/

u/nclh77 · 1 pointr/vintageaudio

This is what I bought. Use rg6 and a metal pole to mount in the attic.

u/JohnCryptoRambo · 1 pointr/BudgetAudiophile

I got one like this and it has worked like a dream to pull in stations I am quite far from. I’m 45 miles away from the classical station I like to listen to. It was a big improvement to a t antenna mounted inside by a window.

Outdoor FM Antenna OMNIDIRECTIONAL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHHOZBI/

I don’t know if it could be mounted in a wall and do so well, but it doesn’t look objectionable at all on a pole. It doesn’t look like a classic antenna so you don’t really notice it outdoors.

u/ekrunkcom · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Awesome feedback! I look forward to trying this out. I did attempt to attach these two antennas to the FM Transmitter without too much difference in the signal strength:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DHHOZBI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W55JW3X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/kamomil · 1 pointr/cordcutters

If the wife doesn't approve of wall mounted antennas, look into ways that you could have an alternate to the bow tie antenna. Try an FM radio dipole antenna - it's 2 wires stretched on the wall. Here's one with a coax connector https://www.amazon.com/FM-Dipole-Antenna-Male-connector/dp/B00EIB70N2?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2

Or invest in an outdoor antenna

An antenna could eliminate some additional costs, eg you can watch local news and some NFL games.

We have one of these in our living room and it's not that unsightly https://www.philips.ca/c-p/SDV8625T_27/digital-tv-antenna (then again, I'm the wife, and I have a ham radio license)

u/jwidgeon · 1 pointr/NoContract

I ordered him the Wilson Wideband Directional Antenna found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Wideband-Directional-700-2700-314411/dp/B00J14YEHQ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=wilson+yagi&qid=1569347723&s=gateway&sr=8-2

I'm waiting on an adapter to connect the antenna cabling to the LB1120 modem, so I can't give any insight on speeds yet. (I recommended he get two for a MIMO setup, but he would like to try one first before doubling up)

All together, here is what we purchased:
AT&T Prepaid Sim ($10)
Nighhawk AC1750 Router ($80)
Wilson Wideband Directional Antenna (700-2700 MHz, 50 ohm) ($50)
LB1120 4G Modem ($100)
32 ft of N Male to RP SMA Male cabling ($15)
Connectors to convert to a TS9 plug ($6, part I'm waiting on)

All this for under $275, not too shabby. If he decides to go with the second antenna, add $70-ish. I'll report back once the connector is in on Thursday.

u/GManLegendary · 1 pointr/HomeNetworking

So the main problem again I think I would encounter is being able to pick up Verizon's signal as I believe Verizon has the closest cell tower to me (3 blocks away according to open signal app). How exactly would I install or use something like the MOFI 4500? Is this what I want? MOFI4500? Is it just a router that picks up the signal from the tower and turns it into a regular router? Could I attach a stronger directional antenna to it such as This? My apologies if that's a cell booster or if any of this is ignorant or dumb, I really don't understand a ton about it. Also, what would I do about the Verizon sim card? Isn't it possible to get an unlimited one somewhere?

u/ryanmcd90 · 1 pointr/NoContract

I just went through the process of setting up an M1 with external antennas and can give you my experience. For background, I'm located in a pretty rural area where satellite is the only option for internet, so I was probably willing to put in a little more time and money than the average person.

Initially, with no antenna, I was getting around 3-4Mbps most of the time. Occasionally, I had issues connecting at all.

Added the following equipment (x2 of everything for MIMO):

u/shitzafit · 1 pointr/RTLSDR

Noob here as well. I was pretty frustrated with my dongle and it's stock antenna. I got this https://www.amazon.com/Tram-1410-Discone-Scanner-Antenna/dp/B00QVPGKHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495759802&sr=8-1&keywords=discone+antenna and I'm satisfied now. Before, it seemed that all I could get was FM radio. Now I listen to hammers when I'm lucky to run across them, aircraft flying overhead, and I'm getting a strong enough signal for my DSD+ to actually half work when listening to emergency services.

u/OneleggedPeter · 1 pointr/RTLSDR

It's really easy and inexpensive ($30 USD), unlike most ALL of my other hobbies. For hardware, you need a PC (Windows Linux or Mac. I only use Windows), a SDR (Software Defined Radio) USB Dongle, an antenna (I'm using a homemade one made of coathangers), and a place to to put the antenna outside where it will have a reasonably clear view of the sky.

​

This is the kit that most of us start out with, and will start you getting decent images. It comes with everything you'll need, except the PC.

​

RTL-SDR Blog V3 R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Software Defined Radio with Dipole Antenna Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME

​

A really good tutorial to start getting the NOAA satellites is here. https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-tutorial-receiving-noaa-weather-satellite-images/

The Meteor M2 like is in this picture takes a bit more effort, but not extremely hard. Start with the NOAA, then move up if you want.

​

There's also a new subreddit called r/amateursatellites specifically for this hobby. Everyone is extremely helpful, so if you need any help or ideas, just ask.

u/rtlsdr_is_fun · 1 pointr/RTLSDR

Probably this kit.

u/compsci36 · 1 pointr/RTLSDR

Did you use a V dipole?

I was thinking about getting this: https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/

How do you orient the antenna correctly?

u/kingrpriddick · 1 pointr/HomeNetworking

It's not perfect, it won't do over 1.2Ghz iirc, but for $30 it's totally worth it to get started. Having a sdr, just for reception, is a super powerful tool. I've used mine for all kinds of things. It's not a scientific instrument and I can't use it that well anyway but I like the peace of mind in verifying compliance.
Edit: forgot the link www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME

u/tastyratz · 1 pointr/homeautomation

rtl_sdr software with one of these

http://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1462501770&sr=1-1&keywords=rtl-sdr
it creates a file, you do with that file as you please.

I can pick up meter readings for half of my town.

u/flyengineer · 1 pointr/stratux


To get started you'll need:

  • An RTL-SDR (I've used these two with success: 1 2)
  • Zadig & Install-RTL-SDR
  • dump978 source
  • compiler (I used Visual Studio)

    Once you have the pieces, you'll need to:

  • Install RTL-SDR following their instructions
  • Build dump978 and uat2Text
  • Run rtl_sdr -f 978000000 -s 2083334 - | dump978.exe | uat2text.exe and see some output.
  • uat2Text is useful to make sure you are receiving UAT data, but not the greatest as an intermediate step in processing data
  • Figure out some way to convert the demodulated UAT frames into something your application can use (maybe gen_gdl90).
  • The best option here really depends on what you want as input on your display: GDL-90, just a list of lat/lons, a json request interface, etc.
u/uncle_debo · 1 pointr/sailing

You can also use a Pi with an RTL-SDR USB dongle to receive AIS using OpenCPN. A good dongle is $27 on Amazon. There are also many tutorials for setting it up. One is here:

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/setting-up-a-raspberry-pi-based-ais-receiver-with-an-rtl-sdr/

u/mumrah · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Nice! So something like this would allow direct sampling? https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME

u/GrenobleLyon · 1 pointr/shortwave

[later post than the one below/above]

another amateur radio different than you has advised me too to have a look at RTL-SDR USB dongles

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&linkId=e6b872ce4bf757ba9f71fbd35a53742e

I will then maybe definitely buy one (there are out of stock now and will be back on march 15th).

I will hope my laptop will have enough battery for the day when I will need to use the USB radio dongle.

Thanks again

u/reven80 · 1 pointr/diyelectronics

You could combine an Acurite temperature/humidity sensor with a RTL-SDR receiver which you can hook up to a Raspberry PI and decode the signals using some available drivers that already understand the Acurite signals.

Acurite
RTL_SDR

u/ThisFaceLeftBlank · 1 pointr/RTLSDR

I like that kit you recommended. Here's the same kit on Amazon - out of stock, but it has a more direct URL, and lists things better.

The kit looks like a great value, but I can't tell - does that kit have an adapter included with all the the other stuff that will let me plug in my FM antenna (f-type connector)? If not, I have to buy one separate.

u/temeroso_ivan · 1 pointr/RTLSDR

I am using my RTL-SDR on raspberry pi B3 with these kind of antenna https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/Devhux · 1 pointr/Calgary

This one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011HVUEME/

Haven't tried it much yet as I had to tear down a laptop to clean out its fan, but I've heard quite a few good things about this kit.

u/fast_edo · 1 pointr/cordcutters

Software defined radio. It's a $20 usb dongle that lets you listen to HF (high frequency) stations as well as vhf and uhf. Really useful for digital modes cause it's all run on the computer. I use some software called sdr# and fldigi. There is another flavor called wsjt-x that's useful as well.

You can listen to people from around the world including stuff like ares nets from the hurricanes. Ares is a amateur radio emergency group that lets anyone with an hf rig call in and give checkups then they disseminate info to the authorities.

The next thing I am gonna use my sdr for is to listen to hd fm radio. A guy has a git repo with the software.


Rtl-sdr.com

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011HVUEME/


I may not be on my sdr as much coming up since I just got my general license and ordered a full blown hf radio.

u/adventure_dog · 1 pointr/Truckers

I use an nmo mount with a wire whip on my cars.

That's given me the best reception on my cars, there's also /r/cbradio they seem to like the lil wil for mag antennae. I used that one and a different one with not much luck.

u/stephen_neuville · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Saw the update with the photos and the drill info. If you're wanting a CB antenna, get one of the Tram/Browning 11 meter antennas and switch to an NMO mount. They're inexpensive (both the antenna and mount) and you can have your buddy open up the hole just a bit more to securely install the mount.

https://www.amazon.com/Browning-26-5-30-MHz-NMO-Antenna/dp/B013PXD0J6/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1541270388&sr=1-11&keywords=tram+cb+antenna

example

this will also have much lower wind load and stiffness

u/BongRipsMcGee420 · 1 pointr/OP1users

Oh, and I grabbed this antenna from Amazon because 20 bucks is ridiculous. ENUODA 3.5mm FM Radio Antenna for Mobile Cell Phone 8.5cm/21cm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0185KMVOO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_qC6BybBASNDN0

It works great and it was 5 bucks and some change

u/k5bdl · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Super Antenna MP1DXTR80 HF SuperWhip Tripod All Band 80m MP1 Antenna with Clamp Mount and Go Bag ham Radio Amateur https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BDPDKTI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZJZXDbWNCJSB4

u/thehackerattacker · 1 pointr/dji

Also, do products like these actually work? Would this solve my problem?

u/fickle_fuck · 1 pointr/djimavic

For $9 bucks these might be worth trying?

u/miguelsan22 · 1 pointr/DJISpark

Check to see what 2.4GHz or 5.GHZ channels are congested then pick a channel that is not heavy used. In addition to an OTG cable, you can try this antenna booster. I've had mostly positive results with it. I've gone out to a mile with video only cutting out for a second or two.

u/kadinshino · 1 pointr/dji

Ones for the mavic will fit the spark Signal booster

They boost the signal to help quality when flying within range of your bird of choice. Mavic or spark

u/Tim-Whatley-DDS · 1 pointr/drones

Don’t forget OTG cable. Thats more important IMO.

Here’s a link, not sure if this is same brand but they’re probably more or less the same: Threeking Foldable Parabolic Signal Booster Range Extender Antenna Extender Compatible for DJI Mavic Pro/Mavic 2 Pro/Mavic 2 Zoom[Not fit DJI Smart Controller]/Spark/Mavic Air Remote Controller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072HFCC2S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_biKRCbE656R2Y

Edit: Also important to note that it was a clear day with completely unobstructed line of sight. In my experience even one tree in line of sight can have significant
effect on range.