In preparation for buying this - was planning on mounting my Pi + Pro stick at the antenna itself with a POE connection to minimize cable losses but I’ve read that people have had better reception by NOT having the Pi so close to the antenna.
So, should this antenna be used with a length of cable attached vs having the Pi/Pro-stick connected right up to it to get max performance? (need to know what cable length I should get)
TIA
Dave
You can always reduce the gain on the dongle to cater for higher input power.
If reducing the gain doesn’t help, then you can also add attenuators to reduce the power level.
I run two devices via POE with LMR400 coax cable and both devices run well. I run another two via POE in my basement.
Keeping the coax short, if available, is a great way to maximise your range.
My antenna and Pi are installed in my loft. The antenna is 3 metres from the Pi. Originally I had a 3m USB lead and had the dongle connected directly to the antenna. Seemed to work ok.
I recently installed an Airband antenna next to the ADS-B antenna, this is connected to another dongle which is plugged directly into the Pi. The airband antenna is connected to the dongle via 3m of low loss coax (WF100). The performance was rather disappointing with a lot of noise and interference. I thought that perhaps the FlightAware dongle being so close was maybe interfering so I changed my setup to mimic the airband setup using another 3m of WF100. Not only did this solve my airband noise issue it also improved my ADS-B reception.
So I now have both antennas connected via 3m of WF100 back to both dongles which are plugged directly into the Pi. Seems to have the best performance for my particular setup. My performance graphs also show around a 4db drop in my noise floor after moving the dongle so it would appear that interference from the dongle affects the antenna if placed too close.
Putting the dongles in metal cases can help. Ensure that there is a good ground connection at both ends.
I have all of my pro sticks and pro stick pluses in metal cases.
They have a few left at the rtl-sdr website store rtl-sdr.com/buy-rtl-sdr-dvb-t-dongles/
FA dongles fit without any modification.
I use an RF-choke on 6"/15cm USB extension cables (I use quality USB3.0 cables to have better cabling and shielding, I hope).
The RPI itself can also be put into a metal case to reduce noise(in and out).
If the RPI is in an attic, consider one with a fan to keep it cool in the summer.
Thanks guys, just what I needed to know. Was looking for a metal outdoor enclosure and in the end I think I’ll attack this from 2 angles. Metal box under the eaves (no need to be waterproof) for the Pi and dongle and a ~10’ cable from the dongle to an antenna.
Antennas have been delivered (finally) from our supplier. They will start going out to retailers worldwide next week. I expect you will start to see them stocked in the next 1-2 weeks, just depending on how fast each retailer can take in the new inventory. Thanks for your patience.
A friend of mine, that is living in Norway, is trying to buy this very good antenna but it says amazon have changed their shipping so they dont ship outside USA anymore. He also chatted with amazon directly and they said he have to talk to flightaware, amazon and DHT to see if they can do anything about it…
Whats up with this? I hope you can fix it so we can buy this great antenna in Europe as well!
The antenna is not available directly from FlightAware on Amazon.com anymore. Please try our European retailer ModMyPi.com.
Think they are sold out at the moment, I got the last one:)
They just received more but they may not have them listed yet. Check back with them soon.
What is the best outdoor or weatherproof cable for this antenna and FlightAware Pro Stick? I did actually buy this cable (amazon.com/gp/product/B000F … UTF8&psc=1) but it’s significantly dropping receiving signal which was quite disappointing. Any idea or experience with this cable? I both tested with 6.5/26.2ft version.
Any recommendation will be highly appreciated.
Chris
The problem with that cable is it’s reverse (polarity) SMA, there’s literally no pin on either end just a gap between the cable and the dongle connector. You need a normal male SMA to male N cable.
Could trying stuffing a little bit of bare wire in there between the holes in the cable and the dongle; should get much better results.
TEMPORARY WORKAROUND
The SMA-male has center pin. The reverse SMA (RP-SMA) male does not have a center pin, it has a hole. The center wire connection is open because of missing pin. A temporary workaround is to cut a short piece of center wire of coax and insert in hole of RP-SMA male. This piece of wire will act as the missing pin, and connection will be established.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SMA AND RP-SMA
Wow, now I understand what “reverse” means…thanks very much mduel!
Now I fully understand the difference. Also thanks for providing workaround, let me give a try and will see how it goes!
I have this antenna as part of my setup that has been running for a only a few days. I live in a location surrounded a by significant coastal mountains, so I know my performance won’t be that of of someone with a better view of the sky.
My antenna is installed on the peak of my house roof, making it about 33’AGL. I have a fairly direct connection with a piece of LMR400 coax that is 25’ long. The thing I’m wondering is if my metal roof greatly impacts the antenna performance. Would adding an amplifier help?
It seems like it worked better just hanging out the second story window, when I was first putting the system together. Suggestions are welcome,. Thanks.
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.
73
I have a mounting tip for this antenna.
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.
