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  • lgad1
    replied
    Originally posted by markend View Post
    [*]homebrew spider antenna (find details here)
    Amazing antenna setup! Thank you for sharing this 3d model

    Leave a comment:


  • markend
    replied
    Hi there,
    After more than a year of feeding now I'd like to show my setup to you.

    Hardware:
    • Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+
    • NooElec Nano 3
    • filter + LNA
    • homebrew spider antenna (find details here)
    • RG174 cable

    Software:
    You do not have permission to view this gallery.
    This gallery has 2 photos.
    Last edited by markend; 2020-06-04, 19:26. Reason: typo

    Leave a comment:


  • magnum
    replied
    Originally posted by abcd567 View Post
    magnum:
    Amazing that you could achieve your maximum range with such simple setup. Did you try placing the mag-mount antenna over a metal plate or food can?
    Yes, i put it on a metal cookie box where we store our christmas cookies.
    So around Christmas time i have to find a workaround :-)

    Yesterday i opened the window and placed the antenna for an hour outside without seeing an improvement.
    Looks like our flat as paper thin walls......

    However i will try some of the DIY antennas later, just to improve my skills

    Leave a comment:


  • abcd567
    replied
    magnum:
    Amazing that you could achieve your maximum range with such simple setup. Did you try placing the mag-mount antenna over a metal plate or food can?

    Leave a comment:


  • magnum
    replied
    Originally posted by Chucker View Post
    Understood. Since a scan saw a ton of signal activity around 870MHZ (probably from a tower less than 400m away) I have a FlightAware blue stick and filter on the way to help correct that. Then once I have optimized for the bedroom window, I'll try the attic first. If no significant improvement, then we'll try the chimney mount.
    I bought recently a bundle with a Raspberry, the (blue) FA Pro Plus stick and a cheap indoor antenna, after removing the tip and replace it with a wire in the correct length, my signal and my range went up by 25%.
    Looks ugly, but it works. For the range see my image some posts earlier. I am satisfied so far based on my location.

    copper-antenna.jpg

    Range-Geo-Vergleich.jpg

    Leave a comment:


  • Chucker
    replied
    Understood. Since a scan saw a ton of signal activity around 870MHZ (probably from a tower less than 400m away) I have a FlightAware blue stick and filter on the way to help correct that. Then once I have optimized for the bedroom window, I'll try the attic first. If no significant improvement, then we'll try the chimney mount.

    Leave a comment:


  • wiedehopf
    replied
    The NooElec antennas are very, very bad.

    Just chop the whip antenna or put on a copper wire of appropriate size after unscrewing the old whip.

    Leave a comment:


  • Chucker
    replied
    Hello! South of Lake Ontario, near KROC. Just started a few days ago, running the following -

    Raspberry Pi 3 B
    32 GB SD card that was pre-loaded with NOOBS when I bought it two years ago
    NooElec NESDR Mini with their stock antenna (not chopped at this time), stuck to the top of a soup can
    Also picked up the NooElec Discovery 5dBi bundle, which has a 1090MHz SMA antenna, a 978MHz SMA antenna, and 2 male MCX to female SMA pigtail cables, but haven't used yet

    Farthest I have picked is 49nm to the SW, with much restricted to the NE because of placement in western facing upstairs window. Pondering moving the Pi to the attic for higher antenna mounting either inside or on the chimney.

    Leave a comment:


  • magnum
    replied
    Originally posted by abcd567 View Post
    magnum:
    Wire 42mm is too short. Should be 52mm
    To improve performance, place mag-mount antenna on a metal plate or a food can. Try to place antenna near a window.

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]10967[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]10968[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]10969[/ATTACH]
    Sorry, this was a typo, i've put a 52 mm wire on it. For this i took one of your tutorials

    The antenna is alreayd on a metal plate (cookie box, unfortunately already empty) and i have identified the best place in my home office. Any other position makes the signal more worse
    Next project is a DIY antenna (probably outdoor)

    Which one do you think gives the best performance, compared to my current setup? I'm thinking about a spider

    I have two "blind spots" to the north and south based on the environment, these i want to eliminate with the new antenna.
    blind spots.jpg

    Is there a realtime Linux console tool available which gives me the current signal strength of the antenna instead of placing - waiting - placing - waiting......
    Last edited by magnum; 2019-07-28, 04:53.

    Leave a comment:


  • abcd567
    replied
    magnum:
    Wire 42mm is too short. Should be 52mm
    To improve performance, place mag-mount antenna on a metal plate or a food can. Try to place antenna near a window.

    Optimized-Whip-Steel-Tie-Wire.jpg Optimized-Whip-on-Plate-1.jpg Mag-mountWhip on Food Can and Near Window-1.jpg

    Leave a comment:


  • magnum
    replied
    I started feeding a week ago.
    For this i bought a bundle which was provided by a german Raspberry shop

    Content
    Raspberry Pi 3 B
    Flightaware pro plus Stick (the blue one)
    a cheap indoor antenna with magnetic socket
    16 GB SD card

    No idea if it will work, i simply installed the Flightaware image and was surprised that even in the living room the first aircrafts were detected. I then installed FR24 application and started feeding there aas well.
    After reading a lot i removed the antenna from the socket screw and replaced it with a 42 mm copper wire, so in reality i made the cheap antenna even cheaper

    I then placed the equipment in my home office under the roof indoor. After some try&error attempts i found the best antenna position indoor.
    Comparing the max possible range based on the geographic location (heywhatsthere) and the real world tests after this week i can say that i'm getting close to the maximum. Next try is a DIY outdoor antenna.

    This is the output of heywhatsthere and the last days of coverage (to make it easy i grabbed it from RB24 where i also feed since then). I cannot complain, especially in the area of Frankfurt there are lots of aircrafts

    Range-Geo-Vergleich.jpg

    Leave a comment:


  • NeoDude
    replied
    Just recently changed from an FA Prostick Plus to an RTL-SDR v3 & LNA. Seeing significant improvement. Still need to get it mounted on the roof but not fancying the ladder climb :P

    Leave a comment:


  • lgad1
    replied
    Originally posted by viking05 View Post
    Are you guys really using the RPI in a box outdoors? 365 days a year?
    I'd really wonder if this is working, I don't think so
    In the same position I had another RPi running for almost 2 years without any issue and still working but not for the same purpose.
    I think, a fan and trying to avoid direct sun light is enough to keep this implementation up and running for many years.

    Many years ago, we had a whole PC running on the rooftop inside a junction box for antenna and routing purposes with no issues. Great years!

    The only danger could be a nearby thunderstorm.

    Leave a comment:


  • viking05
    replied
    Originally posted by wiedehopf View Post
    What do you think would fail?
    I've no idea, I was just wondering and yes it's worth a try at least :-)
    Temperatures here are between -20 and +40° C, in the sun even more. It definitely will be a stresstest for the equipment :-)

    Leave a comment:


  • wiedehopf
    replied
    A secondary sun shield to keep the entire box from overheating probably helps.

    But with a fan why shouldn't it work? In the winter the heat of the pi keeps the complete box at least a little bit dry or drives out moisture that might get in.

    What do you think would fail?

    Leave a comment:

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