You should be getting better performance with added height and your metal roof “shouldn’t” be causing a problem. Perhaps adding another meter or two pattern distortions due to proximity of the metal.
I’d go over the antenna connections and make sure all they are good (check for bent pins as well as poor solder joints.
Maybe take your receiver (RPi?) as close as you can and use your original feeder to see if you can replicate your original performance.
For about a year, I had it mounted on to the side of a metal Ikea Barsö trellis, attached with first the mounting plate, then simple zip ties. It worked excellently. But after having seen the antenna internals, I realized the metal of the trellis was probably having a capacitive effect on the counterpoise. So I ordered some hose clamps, and I remounted the antenna a few inches higher, aligning the top of the trellis with the shiny part of the antenna.
Results? I get many more weak messages. I pick up far more reflections off neighbouring buildings (anything west of me), and I get far more messages from 160+ nm away than I ever have before (more at 200+, too). It’s only been a day, but the change is obvious.
Lesson? Mount the FA antenna above anything metal.
Maybe. Maybe not. Might not even be necessarily that cheap. They’re probably just plated carbon steel, which is really the incorrect material to use for the application
Sorry folks but I am finding this rather confusing since I am not a radio hobbyist.
My Pi system was fired up with a standard magnetic base antenna and the radio dongle. I am willing to invest in a better antenna to improve performance but I am confused about connectors, etc. I am indoors, no long runs, antenna is stuck to the outside of the Pi case. I just want to replace it. Sitting high (roof level) in my wife’s greenhouse.
So I need the fancy Flight Aware antenna announced here
Amazon says I should buy afilter
Reading descriptions this cable would complete the package: http://a.co/bsEB0u9
The confusing thing is that the picture on Amazon of the bottom of the antenna looks like a F connector to me. Neither the N male cables or the N females look like the right thing to connect. Could somebody who actually owns one point me at the right pigtail?
Plan is to screw the filter to the dongle, connect the antenna to the filter, short pigtail to the antenna mounted on the (wooden) wall.
Fa antenna has N type female,so you will need a N type male to SMA male pigtail,then SMA female to MCX pigtail to your dongle. The filter has male and female and both are SMA type.
@johnelle
Yes sure.
I use 20 inch (60cm) N-male to SMA-male Pigtail to connect Flightaware antenna directly to Filter+ProStick.
Both the Antenna and Pi are indoor, close to each other.
Below are links to two common 20 inch long pigtails available at Amazon.com. NOTE:
These two are not the only ones available, and if you search Amazon.com and eBay.com, you will find many alternative lengths, prices, and delivery times. These two are given only as an example for your guidance.
Make sure that in write-up, “WiFi” or “Wireless” or “RP-SMA” is not mentioned. What is needed is “SMA”, which has a pin in its center. The “RP-SMA” has a hole in its center. Carefully check ALL the photos posted on Amazon/eBay site to make sure you see a center pin in the SMA connector.
I installed this antenna and I am impressed. My distances increased by 75 plus miles in certain directions at my location. I am waiting on the ADSB filter.
The forum name wont necessarily match the ADSB site name. Is yours named Sonic67 ?
That being said, there is no site listed for airport 56S (Seaside Oregon) and the airport nearest there is KKLS Kelso.
He may have gotten 1 hit from Alaska through Tropo ducting which would be an anomaly and a half. Ive gotten hits as far as 500 miles but not 2200. Mine was an aircraft on ground in oregon that appeared for about 5 minutes.