Gents,
This might be the wrong thread to ask this but I need some advise on what cable or options to extend my antenna an extra 10 meters away from the current location. My current setup is the NooElec dongle on the Pi board and then a Heath Robinson short cable to the Flightaware antenna I got through Amazon. As I now have the option to place my antenna on the top of a 14 story apartment building with 360 degrees of open sky I’m looking at massive gains in contacts. The cable will be approx 10 meters as stated and I prefer to make it myself so it does not end up looking like a pile of spaghetti on the roof or in my office. Can anyone help please?
2 Likes
RG-6 coaxial (cable/satellite TV type) is the most affordable and easily found option.
3 Likes
Quality RG6 will do the job fine in terms of electrical performance, but you’ll want SMA on one end and Type-N on the other.
If you use RG6, you’ll use Type -F connectors and then you’ll need adapters.
I’d use a quality 50Ω cable intended for GHz. LL195 or LMR200 are two common low loss cables available in convenient (RG58) form factor. This will allow you to use the correct connectors direct to the cable.
(don’t use rg58)
3 Likes
Much appreciate gecko, Ali Express here I come 
2 Likes
I realize I’m rather unfashionably late to this party, but I just don’t understand the logic here.
The 1090 only filter isn’t sold in the US because GSM850 is used and not the 900; I see where you’re coming from however… My local power company is allocated 20-25 channels between 938.7 and 939.9625, and the dual filter (which I use now) only attenuates these signals by about 3dB. I’m in an apartment, so I’ve also a fair bit of junk in the 900-934 area which is still quite visible in a local scan with the dual filter (~5dB attenuation).
You’re making two filters anyway, so it seems to me that a better plan would be to sell the narrow 1090 filter world wide and make the second filter a 978 specific filter and only sell it in the US. Exact same distribution logistics you’ve got now, but more useful for everyone.
I’m learning to optimize my current system and planning to add 978 in a couple weeks on the same Pi as the 1090, so now I have to figure out what to do. I like your stuff and am happy to support you by buying your gear, but FA filters are not looking to be a part of the solution, for both performance and cost reasons.
$20 for the RadarBox filter via prime, or ~$30 and international shipping time for the FA filter. And then what do I do for 978? Sure there’s going to be some bleed with any filter, but I know I can do better than -3-5dB I get with the dual filter for the power company and ISM/cordless phone interference.
Preamps would be a waste as I’ve indoor antennas and the cable runs are 5 feet max, but I guess maybe I’ll do that for 978 as that’s probably the best way to get some good 978 filtering, unless someone has a good source for filters; I haven’t seen any so far.
1 Like
Please brows this thread, particularly last few posts. It may help solving your issue.
RF Scan of Various Combinations of Dongles, Filter, and LNA
I saw that before, which is how I found out about the Radarbox filter. Only thing I don’t like about it is the plastic case. Can always get cheaper SAW filters in metal case, too.
With some of the FA filtered amps in stock, I may just get one of those, even though it’s mostly wasted on an indoor antenna and 5’ (1.5m) of LMR195; more loss in the dual band filter than the coax. Future proofing for when I can mount an outside antenna, I suppose.
Still, not any good solutions for 978 that I have seen. The Radarbox 978 has mixed reviews, and like the filter, not in a metal case.
Of course, there may not be much 978 around my area, or at least what I can get with an indoor, fairly low, dipole.
Veered off topic a bit, so sorry about that.
Main point being, the dual band filter is (a poor, in my opinion) compromise for US customers, and this compromise makes me less likely to buy FA products to support FA and this site (which I enjoy and learn a lot from).
Seems smarter to me to just have single band 1090 and 978 filters and only sell the 978 in the US.
True, some users may be splitting after the dual band filter to feed two receivers, but you’d usually want an amp in that case anyway, so it would cost a bit extra for the second filter (but less than dedicated antennas) versus their current set up, but it should perform better.