best antenna

[fungus]

1090 Mhz,
Thanks for those links to the Youtube vids. I'm a former electrician but don't know very much about antennas of any sort and have found those vids extremely helpful in understanding some of the technical detail. Anything I did know I've long forgotten anyway.
I posted the original vid of that guy sniffling throughout and putting the DIY colinear together (made from RG-6) earlier on this thread (one of which I've made but not yet tested outside) but even I woudn't be able to find it now the thread has grown so much and appreciate that some one has re-posted it.

absd567,
Thanks to you also for your brilliant posts re antennas. They are also extremely helpful, I'm sure to all the guys interested in DIY's and antennas in general.

... and thanks to anyone I've missed.

Regards,
Gregg

[abcd567]

Screenshot Showing the effectiveness of a simple antenna like "Cantenna"

My setup: Cantenna+Amplifier+50ft/15m RG6 coax+DVB-T usb receiver+RPi

Here is screenshot of my RPi's dump1090:

Screenshot_2015-01-31-11-29-07.png

[Fuzzyjets]

I have tried about 15 ADS-B antennas from all around the world. And there is one antenna that is a lot better then all other antennas, it's this one: http://web1745.kostenlos-onlineshop....action=details
You can double your coverage with this antenna compared to other ADS-B antennas.

Mike, the link is broken and it's now 2 1/2 years later. Is it still the best ADS-B antenna and if so, what is it ? I just want something better..

Fuzz
.
.

[gquejada]

Screenshot Showing the effectiveness of a simple antenna like "Cantenna"

My setup: Cantenna+Amplifier+50ft/15m RG6 coax+DVB-T usb receiver+RPi

Here is screenshot of my RPi's dump1090:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]5593[/ATTACH]

Hi!

What if the setup is -
Cantenna + dvb-t usb dongle + 50ft USB extender with active repeater + Rpi (or PC or Android tablet)

Will it work? Something like this is what member MatthewE was asking some Posts back...

It is much easier (and cheaper) to get a usb extender with repeater than an amplifier. It would be interesting to compare performance of both setups. Abcd567, I could lend you my 20m (!!!) USB extender with repeater/booster... 😊😊😊

Gerry

[wxmeddler]

Hey guys,

I got my DC blocker today, but in the meantime I also ordered a R820T2 dongle (for other purposes) which supposedly has a better noise floor than the original R820T. So I hooked them up one by one and compared the two ranging maps to see if one dongle improved over the other (This is with no amplifier or power injector.)
SDRv1Cantenna.PNG
SDRv2Cantenna.PNG

The result was the the R820T2 dongle did not improve over the R820T at 1090 MHz and any difference is likely due to atmospheric effects. However, the newer dongle did improve the noise levels (5-7db) at lower frequencies in the classic FM band areas (80-200MHz). The more you know! Now to try the amplifier!

[1090 MHz]

Mike, the link is broken and it's now 2 1/2 years later. Is it still the best ADS-B antenna and if so, what is it ? I just want something better..

Fuzz
.
.

Here is the antenna Mike sent me last year with the FR24 radio, which is most likely the best antenna they could find. http://ads-b.ca/radar-cape-apart.htm

This antenna for it's size does a great job.

[kucengemok]

Here is the antenna Mike sent me last year with the FR24 radio, which is most likely the best antenna they could find. http://ads-b.ca/radar-cape-apart.htm

This antenna for it's size does a great job.

U dismantled the antenna???

[abcd567]

U dismantled the antenna???

It is obvious that he dismantled, took photo & reassembled the antenna.
This was meant purely for learning, and was not intended for any commercial gains, nor does this cause any damage to antenna.
By doing this he did a great service to DIY antenna community: these photos are valuable guidance for DIY antenna enthusiasts.

[abcd567]

Hi!

What if the setup is -
Cantenna + dvb-t usb dongle + 50ft USB extender with active repeater + Rpi (or PC or Android tablet)

Will it work? Something like this is what member MatthewE was asking some Posts back...

It is much easier (and cheaper) to get a usb extender with repeater than an amplifier. It would be interesting to compare performance of both setups. Abcd567, I could lend you my 20m (!!!) USB extender with repeater/booster... ������

Gerry

Many forum members have reported success in using Active USB Cable. Give it a try.

I never tried Active USB cable because I did not know about it when I was setting up my system .
I joined 3 plain usb cables, 15 ft each, and it did not work .

I then looked to option of Amplifier, it cost me very little and worked fantastic .

The amplifier and accessories I purchased cost me $13 as detailed below:
RCA amplifier $4,
15 VDC adapter $5,
components required for power injector: TV Splitter $1.5, inductor $0.5, Capacitors $0.25
components required for DC blocker: TV Splitter $1.5, Capacitor $0.25.

[trigger]

I've built a 24 segment Coax Collinear antenna which gives me a superb range of over 200nm in most directions. However, I've lost the ability to see aircraft on the ground at my local airfield (3 Km away). With a shorter CoCo this was possible. It seems like the lobes are lifting from the ground with the higer number of segments. Is this a trade-off I have to accept?

[abcd567]

My 8 Element.PNG

I've built a 24 segment Coax Collinear antenna which gives me a superb range of over 200nm in most directions. However, I've lost the ability to see aircraft on the ground at my local airfield (3 Km away). With a shorter CoCo this was possible. It seems like the lobes are lifting from the ground with the higer number of segments. Is this a trade-off I have to accept?

Theoretically "No".
If tuned/trimmed using test equipment & anechoic chamber "No".
In DIY situations "Yes" - The Dark Art of DIY CoCo Making

Collinear Patterns.jpg . Gain-Pattern Swr-CoCo 8 Element RG6 FPE VF 0.83.PNG . 1200px-Radio-frequency-anechoic-chamber-HDR-0a.jpg

[fungus]

abcd567
Regarding trigger's last post about the loss of closer contacts, is it possible that he may regain them again if he were to parallel the two antennas? I've done it here with good results but not for that particular reason.

... and I'll second that comment of yours re the dark art of DIY.

Regards,
Gregg

[trigger]

is it possible that he may regain them again if he were to parallel the two antennas? I've done it here with good results but not for that particular reason.

... and I'll second that comment of yours re the dark art of DIY.

Regards,
Gregg

Hi Gregg, can you explain what you mean by parallel the 2 antennas.
Thanks

[fungus]

Hi Gregg, can you explain what you mean by parallel the 2 antennas.
Thanks

trigger,

Sure thing except that I don't know what combination of antennas/cables/connectors you are using (or receiver for that matter). Take a 'T' connector (or, substitute a splitter here), feed into it the two antenna cables and output to your receiver. The result should (may) be the combined output of each antenna so long as they match impedance wise. Some try this method in reverse, supplying two unmatched devices on a single antenna only to find a reduced signal due to the mismatch of the devices themselves. One sucks all the signal and kills it to the second device. I'm not sure about the two antenna method as in my case I may have simply fluked it as I didn't know the exact specifications of the two antennas that I used. The cables I used were identical.

Television technicians use this method regularly if one requires both VHF and UHF antennas connected to your TV. I have such an installation here at my house with each antenna, being directional, pointing in completely different directions and each receiving very different frequencies. I'm just not sure if they run the cables from each antenna (and amps) directly to the TV or through some sort of matching device.

That's why I sought abcd678's counsel re your situation. Might be worth an attempt.

Regards and good luck,
Gregg

[trigger]

Gregg,
My setup is a 24 segment coax collinear, satellite amp, 10m RG6, power inserter, dongle and Raspberry Pi. All F connectors except the fly lead from the dongle which is MCX to coax then coax to F adaptor.

I do have a few T connectors. I've got a spare Pi which I'm just about to press into service as a "test bed".
I'll wait for ab cd to come back before dismantling anything