Antenna Extension Cable - Is this the right one?

FlightAware ADS-B Flight Tracking
1

Hi,

I use PiAware on a Raspi with a DVB-T Dongle. The dongle comes with a Whip antenna that plugs into the Dongle using (I think) an MCX Connector.

The Dongle is listed here: EDAL USB 2.0 Software Radio DVB T RTL2832U+R820T2 SDR Digital TV Receiver Stick Technology|Satellite TV Receiver| - AliExpress

I would like to extend the length of this antenna and was considering buying a 10 meter long cable from Aliexpress. The cable is listed below.

The cable is basically a RF Coaxial MCX Male Plug to MCX Female Jack Cable Extension with RG316 cable.

Will this work in my setup. Please advise and share your experiences.

2

It will reduce the signal probably so much that you wonā€™t be receiving anything.
A random RG316 data sheet shows 12 dB of attenuation for 10m of cable.
With the whip antenna already being a bad antenna there wonā€™t be much left for the dongle to receive.

The whip antennas arenā€™t really made for outdoor use so i suspect you want to use it indoors?
Transferring the Raspberry Pi to that location is the much better choice.

A LMR200 coax with around 3.5 dB for 10 m at 1 GHz would be more suitable.
Still with a whip antenna itā€™s problematic using much cable at all but it might work.

3

No. Thatā€™s horrible. 10m of RG316 will give you around 8.5dB of loss (using this site for the spec). Consider that if you introduce 3dB of loss then youā€™re reducing your signal by 50%.

Iā€™ve said it before, Iā€™ll say it again. Donā€™t skimp on coax, buy the best you can afford and keep the run as short as possible.

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4

Thanks for your suggestions, I will look for a Coax cable and try to keep the run short, that seems to be a better choice.

5

RG316 is a coax cable.
You need the correct type of coax cable.

LMR200 for example, also available on that page you linked.

1 Like
6

Three Easy DIY Antennas for Beginners

7

RG-6 should be fine up to 30 m (100 ft). Cheap and plentiful.

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8

I wouldnā€™t even run top quality coax of that length without an LNA.
Combine with a whip antenna 30m of RG6 will result in no reception on a normal rtl-sdr dongle pretty much.

9

I missed that part. The included whip antenna is borderline as is. Consider an FA antenna, then as @wiedehopf said, an LNA.

11

First post, maybe belong another place - I take the risk :slight_smile:
I bought one of these FlightAware Pro Stick Plus ADS-B USB Receiver with Built-in Filter from FlightAw | eBay
(Maybe not same supplier). Point is: I bought a 1090MHz antenna (Small whip) that connect directly to
the pro stick inside a small waterproof enclosure (antenna at the outside of enclosure). Bought a USB extension cable, cut it in half. inserted a cat6 cable in between, approx 15 meters. Used 1 pair for
VCC (2 wires), same with ground, and 1 pair for D+ and D- - Works like a charm :slight_smile:

2 Likes
12

Interesting ā€œtechniqueā€.

13

You can do the same without cutting and splicing

image
image505Ɨ543 42.3 KB

(this is not a recommendation)

14

Indeed. I got a couple of those here, but I have not used them yet.

The way I read the post I thought it was powering the Pi as well.

15

In this way I power the ADS-B USB stick via the Raspberry as if you connected it directly.
No need to worry re loss of signal coax.
I think the picture you have posted is a USB to RJ45 network converter.
Donā€™t think it can be used to power the ADS-B USB stick linking them together
with CAT5/6 cable.

16

I have not used mine yet, but my understanding is that itā€™s a physical ā€˜converterā€™, like a DB9 gender bender of years past, not a logical one.

17

Could be your right. I have a similar device here, never used/tested.
Just plugged it into a USB port on computer (Nothing on RJ45 plug)
Windows find driver for it, thus Iā€™m pretty sure it cannot be used for this purpose.
If no respons when you connect your unit, it maybe can be used.

18

The pair I showed was listed as ā€œUSB Extension adaptersā€
If you think about it, the bottom adapter (female USB) makes no sense in terms of a network adapter.

19

My bad.
Any reason not using this kind of setup ? - Canā€™t see any downside.

20

Given the performance drop Iā€™ve observed using even very short USB cables, Iā€™d start with fairly low expectations.

21

The gauge of CAT5/6 is much better for distance, I would think.

Mine says: USB RJ45 Extension Adapter.

I connected it to my computer, nothing detected, no driver installed.