Dongle

[Smokey]

Thanks Ian   


everything responded as u said ... so looks like I'm in  business for now

[IanH]

What are you going to display the dongle output on?

[Smokey]

I didn't think that far ahead yet ... 


Maybe Google Earth, or get suggestion from the forum about other packages available

[junglejet]

I can offer a trial with a dedicated Windows hardware.

If you have a dongle with E4000 and RTL2832U AND it does cover 1090 MHz (you can find out by using rtl_test you may want to send me a PM and I will direct you to the downlink and a dedicated Yahoo group.

But be warned. Without a proper antenna (75 Ohms!) the dongle is deaf and due to its slow clock it will receive much more less than a dedicated device.

Andy

[Anmer]

Thanks Andy.

What's a "proper antenna"?  Would my GP-1090 be any good?

[Smokey]

Andy,


I will PM u later tonight


Antenna ... Im getting from a llocal guy that specializes in these types
and he also supplies to all the radar box guys


I will consider a pre-amp when i get to it


I'm going to use 1inch thick coax cable ... just to be sure 

[junglejet]

It is a TV dongle, so my guess would be that 50 Ohms antennas, connectors and splitters pay their tribute to a lousy sensitivity. Also at 1090 MHz in my case the dongle tuner is only 12 MHz away from its tuning gap and I am afraid that it is quite deaf in that area.

On the other hand the effective rsolution of the A/D converter is only 7 bit (!) and the dynamic range is less what we are used to.

Only experiments will show.

On my window sill and side by side with other receivers the dongle is half in range and 10% in detection rate (stock antennas).

[IanH]

Andy

But £20 allows people to try out receiving ADS-B for themselves even with all the limitations - maybe they move on to better things.

I've got 2 dongles - the gaps start at 1109 and 1117 so not quite as close to 1090 as yours.

Ian

[Smokey]

Am I reading you guys correctly ... When I receive my "package"
I might end up with a receiver that's "dead" on  1090MHz ? 

[shakysen]

In total agreement with you Ian if folks  can get on it for a small fee. I'm More than Happy with these Dongles.

[Anmer]

In total agreement with you Ian if folks  can get on it for a small fee. I'm More than Happy with these Dongles.

But are you trying to track ModeS/ADS-B aircraft or just listening to the radio?

[shakysen]

Smokey don't know if this is the type your getting  http://www.hamradioscience.com/10-ads-b-receiver-rtl2832u-r820t/ 

[IanH]

Smokey

First thing to do when you get the dongle is to run rtl_test -t

That will tell you the available tuning range (52-2216, 52-2232 MHz on mine), and the non-available gap (1117-1238, 1109-1260 MHz for mine).

Yes some do seem to have that gap overlapping the 1090MhZ frequency but don't panic until it arrives.

Ian

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[Smokey]

Smokey don't know if this is the type your getting  http://www.hamradioscience.com/10-ads-b-receiver-rtl2832u-r820t/

A mate of mine already got his and its the Realtek RTL2832U Elonics E4000

I just emailed him & shared the thought that maybe I should actually get the /R820T as per your link
BUT, between me & him, we are TOTAL Linux IDIOTS  so if its going to require any serious Linux fiddling
we wont be able to do it - we rely on the clever guys to write the software that we can just download & run
... unless its irrelevant if its the 4000 or the R820

In total agreement with you Ian if folks  can get on it for a small fee. I'm More than Happy with these Dongles.

But are you trying to track ModeS/ADS-B aircraft or just listening to the radio?

In my case it would be to track the AC, already have the coms radio in place


Just another question on the installation if I may
with reference to http://www.irrational.net/2012/08/06/tracking-planes-for-20-or-less/
step 5

cd - OK
git clone https://github.com/bistromath/gr-air-modes.git - OK
cd gr-air-modes - OK
cmake . - OK
make - OK
sudo make install - OK, now it works EDITED
sudo ldconfig - see no action, just returns to prompt

[IanH]

The E4000/2832U combination was the system that was first identified as being more than just a DVB-T dongle. People wrote software to utilise its capabilities.

The E4000 is no longer being made (and hence was becoming expensive) so the DVB-T manufacturers look to have chosen the R820T instead. And the SDR guys have written drivers for that chip. So it probably no longer matters which of the chipsets you have. I suspect that the R820T's availability compared to the E4000 is reflected in its lower price.

Not seen many comments on the R820T performance - another member here "Dongle" was buying one but not heard the outcome.

Bottom line, if you've got one on order, try it out when it arrives.

Ian