AirSpy Mini performance-heat

[notoriousiroc]

I have a site where I am testing two SDRs side by side. One has an AirSpy mini with 1090 filtered pre-amp (Uputronics) powered via the built-in BIAS-T, and the other is the blue FA dongle. Previously the FA dongle would max out around 1200 messages / second while the AirSpy would climb to 15-1600+ with identical antennas. Now that it is warmer (both in the same outdoor enclosure), the FA stick will go 1600+, and the AirSpy is the lower performing unit. Is it possible the equipment is derating due to heat?

[caius]

I haven’t had any issues with heat affecting my airspy mini. It’s in the loft which gets very hot in the summer. Under similar conditions I would expect the airspy to be easily outperforming the rtl dongle.

Have you tried swapping the antennas over to see the difference remains the same?

[JRG1956]

How have you got the mini attached to Uputronics? I have mine directly connected - the theory being that as the Uputronics doesn’t produce much heat of its own, its case is acting as a large heatsink for the Airspy. I’ve also added heatsinks to the top and bottom of Airspy:

The setup lives outside in a section of PVC pipe mounted vertically with the Uputronics at the bottom - air is intended to enter from below and exit at the top.

During the recent (Southern Hemisphere) summer temperatures hit 38 Celsius with no overheating issues.

[notoriousiroc]

I found the reason the FlightAware stick was seeing a much higher count. During late night testing I had enabled modeac on that unit and forgot it was still enabled.

[SoNic67]

@JRG1956

I’ve also added heatsinks to the top and bottom of Airspy:

That’s not an a heatsink. This is a heatsink:

PS: This post was meant as a parody of this.

[notoriousiroc]

I am planning to add some heatsinks to the mini soon as well as the chipsets on the SBC running it. I noticed how warm the mini runs even sitting on my desk.

[SoNic67]

If you put heatsinks on the some circuits, it might affect the functionality of those chips in RF.

[notoriousiroc]

The plan isn’t for heatsinks on the chips in the AirSpy – just a similar plan to what you have posted. The Rock64 board running it doesn’t have heatsinks on the processor so that will be getting them.

[JRG1956]

@SoNic67

That’s not an a heatsink. This is a heatsink:

At the risk of hijacking the thread

It is the failed video card assembly that I replaced in a 2009 iMac. Your post reminded me that I had it lying around in the shed. It might come in handy!