Hello,
I am trying to find ways to get my antenna higher. It is current mounted outside and I have options to go higher with it but the cable length of course is my issue. One way would be able to place the usb dongle in my attic. However, I notice it already runs pretty warm inside my house and I am afraid it will get to hot in the attic. Does anyone else have their equipment in the attic?
Hi, yes all my equipment is in the attic, the raspberry pi has a fan on it, which rarely spins up using an official cooler…
You can leave your dongle outside the casing or add a heatsink.
It would end up looking like a sort of sandwich: heatsink + thermal paste + thermal pad + thermal paste + dongle board, secured with screws if possible. Mine runs with the IC temperatures around 45°C and the heatsink at 41°C. If your SDR is an RTL-SDR with an aluminum case, you can attach a heatsink and a thermal pad and secure it with zip ties.
Just a rambling thought from an older guy who no longer worries about pushing sensitivity to the maximum limits…
I have fixed my setup directly onto the aluminum railing on my 2nd-floor balcony.
I am hoping this gives a decent heat-dissipation effect (acting like a big heatsink) and maybe even a slight grounding effect. What do you all think?
Have you measured the temperature of the device in isolation and compared it to the current temperature? I think using a thermal pad would be more advantageous, as it would ensure good heat conduction between the device and the metal structure.
OBS: Are you worried about the heat? The average temperature in Japan right now is below 20°C. Here in northeastern Brazil—specifically in the city where I live—it’s 31°C.
Thanks for the tip about the thermal pad!
To answer your question, no, I haven’t measured the exact temperatures. I’ve never touched the device and felt it was “hot!”, so I just haven’t got around to measuring it.
You’re right—it’s getting pretty cool here in Japan now, so it’s not urgent. But summer here can get quite hot, so I wanted to think ahead for next year!
Wow, 31°C in Brazil is intense! Stay cool, and greetings from Japan!
