RTL-SDR Blog V3 R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Software Defined Radio with Dipole Antenna Kit

So would this be better than the Baofeng? Antenna and everything okay? And is there a guide to getting started with the software?

According to the guides I've seen, and Amazon recommendations (and yes, I agree that's a tenuous slope to start down), the main kit folks are buying is this one (no referral):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME

Agree that just like in Step 1, there is a certain amount of figuring out what hardware you have and need. I was loathe to recommend a particular offering since most of these change over time, and I honestly only have experience with this one package (so far).

I am open to suggestions on how to write "Step 0" :-)

Ideally, when this satellite is actually in orbit, will we be able to use something like an SDR kit to receive the very important payload?

I've used it for NOAA weather satellites, but it requires a program for proper decoding (like WXtoIMG or something similar).

What audience are you targeting for actually being able to receive information from the satellite? HAM operators only? Students? Anyone that can position an antenna and run a program?

Would be really cool to see some sort of kit (like RTLSDR) and some easy to use software. It could be a neat way to teach students/people about radio waves and other concepts.

I'm going to second the person who said raspberry pi and suggest throwing in a RTLSDR.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_hodZFbH9YRST0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Please use clean amazon links in order to prevent your message from being caught in the spam filter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/

Considering I think I got Haysville (but it's re-broadcast as I understand it) and I'm kinda NE off of an rtl-sdr.com one, I think this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/ is what I have. Maybe an earlier version?

2 of those and you should be good. (There are others, with the same chip+tuner, but I haven't used them.)

You can do it with the Raspberry Pi and the RTL-SDR kit (~$29 on amazon)

Order an RTR-SDR kit ($32) and you should be able to pick up local emergency services easily.

An SDR Dongle like this (RTL-SDR v3) along with a computer should do the trick and depending on the model and age you may be able to listen in on it.

If you have a raspberry pi and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 you can hook into satNOGS and its mostly open source (hardware isn't but the software is).

YOU THINK 25 - 512 MHz IS COOL? TRY 500 kHz - 1766 MHz FOR ONLY $35!

I’m assuming u mean something like this?

Sounds quite interesting, I’ll check it out, thanks!

An RTL-SDR is probably the least fiddly way of doing what you ask.

Plus, you'd gain the benefits of having an SDR and they are pretty cool to play around with.

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

That's a very basic model but it gets you in the door

It's the folding dipole antenna that comes with the complete package offered on amazon, though not fully extended. As for the low noise floor, I just adjusted the gain on SDR# like a responsible adult.

This one work?

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

Or Amazon.com 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/

Might be able to get an rtlsdr and listen with your computer to figure out the frequencies. They go for about 25 dollars without antennas, and 35 with some included.

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

This is kit I'm using:

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

You wouldn't need to deal with any of the software part, that is all setup in the container already. Just pass the USB device to the container and you're good to go!

RTL SDR v3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wsm6Eb0ZAKADS

Hey, no problem. Truth be told I've only been in the hobby for a few days and this was my third attempt at capturing NOAA images.

From my understanding, a dipole does not work best but it is "good enough" for capturing NOAA images. I used the adjustable Dipole that was included in this RTLSDR kit but I'm sure you could just use some old TV rabbit ears too. Each telescoping antenna was adjusted to about 54.5cm and then I pointed the part where the two antennas meet northward and spread the antennas 120 degrees apart and mount 44cm off the ground. You would think that mounting it higher would be better, but because the signals we're dealing with have very long wavelengths (218cm) then if you mount it at the wrong location the reflections of the signals off the ground could cause interference that makes you lose the signal occasionally. I read between 44 and 60cm above the ground or a reflector dish is best for a good signal and that's what I did with the NOAA 18 capture.

I'm planning to build a turnstile antenna in the near future since depending on how you mount the antenna you can have interference that screws with the image, hence the NOAA 15 image you see in my capture.

GOES is a whole other animal. You'll need a satellite dish of some sort for that since they are WAY farther out in space than the NOAA satellites.

Also, I hate to break it to you but the lines on your capture were added by wxtoimg and were not received from the satellite. It does this by looking at the wav file's creation and modified times to determine where the satellite should be and drawing lines accordingly, you could change the creation and modified times with PowerShell or manually change the satellite and then they would be drawn in completely different areas. NOAA images are transmitted as black and white with some bars on the right or left, any extra effects you see are added after the fact by interpreting that image in different ways. So your image was just pure static, BUT if you saw the signal you've at least proven you can find the satellite. Try again another night, when these pictures were taken the beeping of the NOAA 18 was VERY clear, there was no mistaking it or struggling to hear it under static.

Correct. Amazon has the official kit that has a NOAA capable antenna with it. I think you need a matching balun with a more appropriate antenna to receive HF/shortwave radio.

No, they're not adjustable. You'd either need a 49.860MHz transmitter, or a transmitter capable of shifting its transmission frequency, like a Software Defined Radio (SDR).

Honestly, if you're interested in learning about RF stuff, a simple USB SDR like the RTL-SDR is a great little investment, although it won't actually transmit anything, you need a more full-featured SDR for that, like the HackRF.

[Not the same antenna, but here you go] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_2QkWFb1BBXWTX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sxin_2_ac_d_pm

Nah, these are just single freq 49MHz devices. Get them someting in the FRS/GMRS band instead. Teach them about channels vs freqs, "privacy" tones, etc. Get them an RTLSDR kit too...scanning will eventually lead to an interest in transmitting too.

Unless you are going to spend over $100 on an sdrplay, don’t bother getting any other one than this one. Don’t waste your time with dirt cheap eBay ones.

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_api_i_riUgEbHCFV5NJ

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=sdr&qid=1578035542&sr=8-4
I like it. I have it set up most of the time and let it run in the background on my computer. You can do way more with this little fucker than I ever expected.

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-radio-scanner-tutorial-decoding-digital-voice-p25-with-dsd/

This shows how it was done a few years ago. The software has improved a bit, as I believe there is a plug-in for sdr# to tie everything together now.

The sdr kits (rtl-sdr v3) are about $30 each. So for $60 and about 2 hours you could get this working.

Here is the link to the sdr kits. 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_s2vwEb4T6NMWC

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=rtlsdr&qid=1582288464&sr=8-3

​

I find poking around the HF band the most intriguing.

Warning: may blow your mind.

If you want to do it on a computer or Raspberry Pi you can buy a USB software defined radio.

These can pull down FM radio (even FM HD Radio with some work). In addition to AM, Ham Radio, NOAA radio, pretty much anything you can as long as you have the right antenna.

A free software package called SDR# gives you a nice interface for tuning all the different bands (FM/AM/Ham Bands/NOAA Weather/etc).

Note, this device directly tunes and receives the radio signals no Internet access is needed to operate.

If you're just looking to listen casually to the radio then any AM/FM compact radio with a built in antenna will work.

I know that others have answered you already, but I'm going to point out something that others haven't.

IF you happen to have a PC or Laptop around that's not being used much, you can task it into being your weather station. I'm using a Windows 8 laptop from 2013. Then all you would need is an RTL-SDR and antenna. You can get a complete kit at the link below for $35 shipped (if you are in the USA).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/

This will enable you to receive the 3 currently operating NOAA satellites operating APT and the Russian Meteor M2 operating on LRPT. If you want higher resolution images, I believe that you're probably going to need a dish and possibly a means of making the dish track the satellite. I only do APT & LRPT, so I can't help you there.

Although an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) isn't necessary, it can certainly improve the quality of your reception, and therefore images. I use a Nooelec Sawbird +NOAA unit. They currently run between $35 - $43, depending on if you want it enclosed or the barebones kit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWPR871/

Depending upon your location, you might want to move the antenna away from your house to minimize RFI (Radio Frequency Interference, like from your TV or other appliances). I got a lot better images once I moved my antenna about 10 meters / 30 feet from the house. I'm using 50 feet of RG58 to reach out there from my laptop.

Using a variety of free software applications, my station runs 24/7/365. It then automatically uploads the images to my Amazon Photos account (free for Prime members), so that I can access them from my phone.

Software used:

SDR# (SDR Sharp) with DDE Tracking and Meteor Demodulator. $0

WxtoImg - For APT - $0

M2_LRPT_Decoder - For M2 $0

MeteorGIS - For M2 $0

Smooth Meteor (occasional use for M2) $0

Reception issue in urban area

Hello,

I received this week my first rtl-sdr kit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME) and I tried to play with it. But I have a lot of noise and I can't hear anything interesting except FM radio, I have managed to get POCSAG signals on 466MhZ but PDW can't decipher most of it, I get a ~20% signal quality. I found a DMR signal around 433MhZ but it's too weak to do anything with it. Example: https://imgur.com/PKCQfaw

Environment: urban area inside a courtyard surrounded by buildings https://imgur.com/Tki9y6x I use the kit antenna on my window 2x15cm.

What I tried:

• Get a USB extension to separate the dongle from my PC, helped a bit

• Get a FM "blocker" https://www.amazon.com/Distill-Barebones-Broadcast-Bandstop-Applications/dp/B076D354LW/), didn't help at all

• Set Tuner AGC and RTL AGC on

Will I ever be able to get a decent signal with this setup and in this environment ? How can I improve the reception ?

Thank you

Thank you! That's a good clue.

I know essentially nothing about software-defined radio. Would you say this is a good choice for this project? https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME/

Super cheap - $35

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=pd_bxgy_img_3/136-3057242-2074050?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B011HVUEME&pd_rd_r=6029f340-9589-496f-8a6b-47fe1cffa8a9&pd_rd_w=ti2Ai&pd_rd_wg=SEFRp&pf_rd_p=ce6c479b-ef53-49a6-845b-bbbf35c28dd3&pf_rd_r=MJZX27Y485TZ68PMEXHV&psc=1&refRID=MJZX27Y485TZ68PMEXHV

Do you have gear already?

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&dd=pMf-wtxOVgyIaWGCzx2mtw%2C%2C&ddc_refnmnt=free&keywords=baofeng&qid=1595434162&refinements=p_101%3A19346685011&rnid=19346684011&sr=8-1

and

https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=rtlsdr&qid=1595434259&sr=8-5

Are what I have as of now and was listening to some people way up north this morning. Research over the past few days led me to these.

I use a set of Ambient Weather F007TH sensors monitoring temp/humidity around the house. (greenhouse, garage, attics, etc), along with an SDR dongle and software to capture those readings. I feed into HA via MQTT.

Disclaimer: I had this working on Hassbian and currently porting everything to HassOS (or whatever the name is)

Depends on what you mean by really tight. Here’s your “cheap” options:

$0 - use an online sdr. http://websdr.org/ is a good start

$30 - buy your own rtlsdr dongle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bQhnEb8D8DKJR. You can get them for cheaper on ebay or aliexpress, especially if you don’t care about the antennas (though you should get them if you can afford it)

$150 - buy a “real” shortwave receiver like the tecsun pl-880: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GJ51NVA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QRhnEbRWZHANR

Each of these has major pros and cons.

Since I know there's other aviation geeks on this sub...

Been playing around with a USB software-defined radio and picking up ADS-B transmissions. Fun dongle to play with.

Been watching Flightradar to see how far away I can pick up signals while fiddling with my antenna. Saw a 737 MAX test flight earlier today, and a 777 from US Transportation Command from BWI to BFI (still sitting around with its transponder active on the BFI runway for whatever reason: https://www.flightradar24.com/B772/24e080b4)

The other remarkable thing is how many goddamn medical / Lifeflight helicopters are flying around. Obviously don't know that they're all covid-related but realistically yeah they're all covid-related. I've seen ones from Jefferson County Airport, Bremerton, and a hospital in Olympia. Just right now there's one hauling ass from Snohomish up towards Whidbey, and another from Harborview heading towards Olympia.

edit: balloons from Project Loon show up, too. never seen one of those before.

The satellites have two channels, infrared and near infrared at night or infrared and visible during the day. There's software enhancements that use telemetry data to get false color or weather overlays from the data the satellite gave you.

You can see some example images uploaded automatically 6 times per day (depending on satellite trajectory) on my Twitter which you can find here.

I started with this guide which should give you the basic idea but some software stuff is outdated. I have all the right versions of software on my computer so please tell me if you'd like for me to send them to you. I'd love to help someone else get into this.

While any piece of wire can theoretically hear them it's best to use one of the three types of antennas on the guide I linked earlier. I'm personally using a V Dipole that I made myself and it's mounted a meter above the ground to use the Earth as its reflector. The RTL-SDR v3 has a kit that comes with a telescopic dipole kit that can be configured as a V Dipole and that's what I would recommend using to get the hang of it. You can find the kit on Amazon here. I would definitely recommend replacing it later though and you will need a tripod or pole to stick it to. The kit is only $10 more than the SDR itself but if you know you're going to want to make your own V Dipole you can spend that on a terminal block and about 48in of thicker copper wire, you'll obviously need some coax too but RG 6 for TV works fine. I would really recommend getting the hang of the software side with the kit if you're not experienced with antenna building.

Again, if you have any questions or need help please PM me. I primarily use Discord but you can also get to me through my Twitter and if you don't have either Reddit would be fine.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/

Here's the amazon link for what I have. Also I'm not picking up any AM broadcast stations, but FM works fine.

Here's a photo of the AM band on SDR#: https://i.imgur.com/DvsA3wD.jpeg

Sure thing. I use this SDR:

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

I then am running RTL-SDR and RTL 433 along with the SDR on a Raspberry Pi to intercept the 433MHz signals and resend them to my MQTT server.

RTL 433 isn't limited to just this device; it can get messages from motion sensors, weather stations, other manufacturers ... even some car keys.

RTL 433: https://github.com/merbanan/rtl_433 (see the list of supported devices if you're wondering what else you can pick up)

RTL-SDR: https://github.com/osmocom/rtl-sdr/

MQTT-Explorer is quite helpful to listen to what's passing through the MQTT server, and figure out what different messages actually mean.

I use this setup to pick up sensor data and then the MQTT server sends it to an MQTT broker I have set up in OpenHab.

Yup, I just browsed their site and it definitely appears to be RF. They don't mention any FCCID on their site, so I doubt the device itself has labels. If it did, we'd be able to lookup a complete teardown of the device along with the exact radio frequencies from the FCC website.

If it's not being detected by your 433mhz receiver, there's a great chance it's 315 mhz since those are the two most common standards. There's dozens of chinese knockoff receivers like this one that should be able to detect/transmit the signal through your Pi.

Here's a video that might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxLF0PtA1zM

Here's an article on how to capture 315mhz signals and decode the data being sent. You'll need a cheap sdr for this.

Let us know how it goes or if you need any help! I have played around with radio a small bit. Seems like a fun project.

​

EDIT:

This video and corresponding article seems a lot simpler for capturing/replaying the signal and seems it should work with both 433/315mhz transceivers.

Great since you'll be going the sdr way check this antenna:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1pfRCvi1P4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0MD51FqPPY&t=16s

​

I have one I from ebay and it works great with the https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME

Check this websdr (http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/) they use one of these antennas and if you can set it up very high the better.

It is important to remember that this is a newbie. Is this his first exposure to ham radio, e.g. no family friends in it? Do you think he is going to want a HT (handie talkies. Think hold in your hand the whole radio)?

In general I would avoid dropping tons of money on it until he tries it. There is a free website hamstudy.org for studying for the exam. It took me 3 days studying 2 hours a day to prepare for the technician (entry level license) exam using the site. I'd just get him the basics to get into it and then upgrade once he figures out what he likes. Below is a good first radio, programming cable, antenna, SDR, and shortwave radio. Shortwave radio is a cool way to listen to radio stations from around the world. The below are all things I have ordered recently to get my little brother into the hobby (minus the really expensive bottom two radios and bottom two sw radios)

If you want to spend more in the $220 amount for the handheld radio take a look at the Anytone D868UV Plus radio. It also has DMR and is a great radio.

BaoFeng UV-5R https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_gg63EbKAC8ZF7

BaoFeng Programming Cable

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HUB0ONK/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_Rh63Eb5HF35ZC

Nagoya Antenna

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KC4PWQQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

RTL-SDR (software defined radio)(checkout this link to a sdr in the Netherlands http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_Uk63EbCS46101

Tecsun R-9012 (shortwave radio)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HX4D84/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_zn63Eb7APHARQ

Tecsun PL-380 (nicer sw radio)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H912FC/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_Gp63EbGJQAKXT

C. Crane Skywave SSB (nicest small traveler sw radio with SSB for listening to ham radio)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HXKR479/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_Sq63EbPHET1B0

If you want to spend more in the $220 amount for the handheld radio take a look at the Anytone D868UV Plus radio. It is a dual band radio and also has DMR. It is a great HT.

https://www.bridgecomsystems.com/collections/amateur-handheld-radios/products/anytone-at-d878uv-plus-bluetooth-gps-programming-cable-with-support

I wouldn't recommend going out and buying the nicest stuff for a first radio, but if that is what you want to do look at the Yaesu FT3DR or Kenwood DH-74a.

Yaesu FT3DR

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WVF9NM1/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_-t63EbSGK21WB

Kenwood DH-74a

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZNETPS/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_Lu63EbMA8RG9Y

Other sites to to buy from.

https://www.gigaparts.com/ http://www.randl.com/