SDR Dongle arrived yesterday

[koØm]

I did not have a problem loading the driver, it scanned the FM radio segment so, I know it work. the challenge is to now interface with the SDR software.

.

[KG4CGC]

*in for updates*

[K7SGJ]

Me, too. Be sure to include pictures of your dongle. Oh........wait a minute............never mind.

[WØTKX]

I forgot which one you got. Does it work with PowerSDR?

[koØm]

DVB-T USB Digital TV FM Stick Tuner Dongle Receiver Antenna for PC Laptop RTL2832U+R820T (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NGFVCM6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

13767

http://sdrsharp.com/#download

It's not working with the software yet but it is installed and receiving FM radio signals.

.

[KC9ECI]

I picked one of those up around Christmas. Nifty toy to play with.

[wa6mhz]

I have one on the way from China. I got one awhile back and it didn't work. I want to use it as a SDR RX. They had a program at a local radio club how to program them to recieve D-STAR!

[KC9ECI]

Is D-Star still a thing?

[KG4NEL]

Is D-Star still a thing?

It is around here; there are two MOTOTRBO machines and a D-Star one with a small, but devoted following.

*shrug*

[koØm]

I picked one of those up around Christmas. Nifty toy to play with.

I have the dongle working with HDSDR but, it leaves a lot to be desired; this will be addressed by spending money for
hf conversion unit and connector adapters for the antenna input.

Good introduction into "Software Defined Radio"

.....Just a thought, when I'm using HRD and Sound card modes to make contacts over the air, isn't my radio already being "Defined by Software"?

It seems that these programs are turning my radio into an "appliance" whose only job is to generate RF to the antenna; I have a Palomar TX-5300 amateur amplifier that operates on all bands, if I could substitute that for a RF generator, I could use the radio for it's primary design, voice.

.

[n0iu]

I use my dongle for a "virtual radar" system:

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv124/scottaschultz/vrs_4_zps436a82f7.jpg

ADS-B (Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast) will eventually replaced ground-based radar for tracking aircraft. With the dongle and FREE software, you can track aircraft in your area. In my case, I can track aircraft about 200 miles away. Kewl!

Details here: http://forums.radioreference.com/aircraft-data-decoding/281356-virtual-radar.html. A lot has changed in the software since I made that post, but the concept is basically the same.

[KF4ZGZ]

I received my dongle ( that just sounds bad ... ) a couple of weeks ago.
I'm running mine with SDR# doing the HF software hack .... no soldering needed.
Works pretty good for my purposes ... Panadapter and all around receiver.
The big thing is the filtering ... YAY!

My radio is the Yaesu FT 101ZD with the IF coming out from the back of the rig to the antenna on the dongle.
Apparently, this with the software hf hack won't work in any other software, but I'm happy with what I've got.


Matt

[KC9ECI]

Gonna have to give that ADS-B a try, looks cool.

[koØm]

This is almost like the Gillette Razor trick, give me this Dongle cheap then, make the supporting gear expensive.

I paid five bucks and change to Amazon for an adapter to the MCX (Micro Coax) antenna in jack on my SDR Radio; shipping cost eight bucks!
I'm looking at the Ham-it-up frequency upconverter on ebay for $47.00, the cable I need to connect it to the dongle is also on eBay for ten dollars.

For some reason, the seller on eBay has all his sales / feedback as "Private". His listing says "Shipped from Niagara Falls, NY while his ebay ID lists him as Canadian.

link (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ham-It-Up-v1-2-RF-Upconverter-For-RTL-SDR-HF-Converter-R820T-E4000-RTL2832U-/171289114398?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27e1a0771e)


Anybody else "Hamming It Up" yet?

BTW, the connector adapter was the wrong polarity (MCX "Female" looking connector on the Dongle is actually the "Male" connector). I also ordered a MCX to Male BNC adapter; I wonder what I'm gonna get sent from China, I'm sure they put it on a slow boat, how else could you afford "Free Shipping".


Gonna have to give that ADS-B a try, looks cool.

ETA: Because of noise restrictions, planes can land only on the North-South runway, all the planes must approach the airport from the north; even coming from the south, they overshoot the airport by ten miles or so and then do a "U-Turn" in to the final approach.

It works good until the planes start their final approach then, I lose them to the control tower radar; same way with take offs, about 20 miles out (?) from the airport, the departing plans pop up on the map.

.

[n0iu]

Anybody else "Hamming It Up" yet?

I got one of those Hamitup whachamacallits and after getting the correct adapters, it actually worked fairly well. I found the SDR# software a bit easier to use than HDSDR. I eventually got bored with it and sold the Hamitup. I put it up for sale "over there" and someone snatched it up only a few hours after I posted it. (Can I say snatch over here?) Fortunately I only lost a few bucks in the process. Its not that it didn't work, it was because I already have an HF rig and it is much easier (for me!) to just spin the big dial than to drag a mouse across the screen looking for activity.

The one thing it did do was to make me more interested in perhaps looking into a real SDR from Flex (or someone like them) one day. I mean I kinda sorta like the concept of SDR, but I am still not ready to kick my HF rig to the curb just quite yet.


It works good until the planes start their final approach then, I lose them to the control tower radar; same way with take offs, about 20 miles out (?) from the airport, the departing plans pop up on the map..

Well there is this pesky little thing called the curvature of the earth that causes this to happen. I live about 35 miles from the airport in St. Louis and can track planes down to about 1200 feet or so on approach. I suppose I could put the antenna up a little higher, but I don't think it would buy me much more in terms of tracking them any further. Besides, I just run the virtual radar once in a great while when I get really bored in the shack.

[koØm]

I got one of those Hamitup whachamacallits and after getting the correct adapters, it actually worked fairly well. I found the SDR# software a bit easier to use than HDSDR. I eventually got bored with it and sold the Hamitup. I out it up for sale "over there" and someone snatched it up only a few hours after I posted it. (Can I say snatch over here?) Fortunately I only lost a few bucks in the process. Its not that it didn't work, it was because I already have an HF rig and it is much easier (for me!) to just spin the big dial than to drag a mouse across the screen looking for activity.

The one thing it did do was to make me more interested in perhaps looking into a real SDR from Flex (or someone like them) one day. I mean I kinda sorta like the concept of SDR, but I am still not ready to kick my HF rig to the curb just quite yet.



Well there is this pesky little thing called the curvature of the earth that causes this to happen. I live about 35 miles from the airport in St. Louis and can track planes down to about 1200 feet or so on approach. I suppose I could put the antenna up a little higher, but I don't think it would buy me much more in terms of tracking them any further. Besides, I just run the virtual radar once in a great while when I get really bored in the shack.

I'm wondering whether or not the beacons are shut off during final approach and take off; I have no problems with flights that are not stopping here, their data keeps coming in and they stay on the chart.

I don't know how far I'm gonna go with this SDR thing, sure it's a neat trick but, would you try to implement it on Field Day?

Maybe I haven't looked into it enough but, I would like to be able to share the same antenna with my transmitter but mute the receiver on transmit, some kinda plug-in for JT-65 etc.

.

[WØTKX]

Baofeng is gonna mess with it all with new SDR rigs.

Rumor has it.

[KA9MOT]

I received my dongle ( that just sounds bad ... ) a couple of weeks ago.
I'm running mine with SDR# doing the HF software hack .... no soldering needed.
Works pretty good for my purposes ... Panadapter and all around receiver.
The big thing is the filtering ... YAY!

My radio is the Yaesu FT 101ZD with the IF coming out from the back of the rig to the antenna on the dongle.
Apparently, this with the software hf hack won't work in any other software, but I'm happy with what I've got.


Matt

Hmmm....Please tell me more about this software hack.......

[koØm]

Hmmm....Please tell me more about this software hack.......

Bump

Enquiring minds want to know!

.

ETA: I received my MCX to BNC adapter today from China and of course, they were the wrong polarity/sex. I'm tempted to cut the POS antenna off and solder the coax to a PL-259 then run it to a tuner and antenna.

[KG4CGC]

Bump and ......

Here is the direction I went. I'll update as things progress.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MB4CPJC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Here's a page FULL of useful information.

http://www.rtl-sdr.com/big-list-rtl-sdr-supported-software/

[KA9MOT]

Bump and ......

Here is the direction I went. I'll update as things progress.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MB4CPJC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Here's a page FULL of useful information.

http://www.rtl-sdr.com/big-list-rtl-sdr-supported-software/

I wish you would have said something. I have one of those things in my junk drawer I would have given you. They are junk. These use a very poor mod called the Direct Sampling Mode Mod. It works, but works horribly. The upconverter method would have been better and costs about the same.

[KG4CGC]

I wish you would have said something. I have one of those things in my junk drawer I would have given you. They are junk. These use a very poor mod called the Direct Sampling Mode Mod. It works, but works horribly. The upconverter method would have been better and costs about the same.

There's a software fix in use for that. I might mess with it this week. Aside from that, all it needs is a preselector, ie: a resonant antenna for each specified HF band.

[WØTKX]

Or a small tuned RX loop with Hi-Q when tuned to frequencies of interest... Neat trick that I used to use with homebrew regenerative receivers.

[n2ize]

Just give me an old fashioned radio with vacuum tubes, No dongles, dungles, or software needed.

[KG4CGC]

Just give me an old fashioned radio with vacuum tubes, No dongles, dungles, or software needed.

That's not exactly what this string is about.

[NQ6U]

That's not exactly what this string is about.

Besides, we just like to say dongle. Dongle dongle dongle dongle!

[KA9MOT]

Besides, we just like to say dongle. Dongle dongle dongle dongle!

My wife likes it when I talk about my dongle......