search

gut-space / svarog

📡 A ground stations network for receiving satellite transmissions, using VHF, UHF, and more.
MIT License
9 stars 0 forks source link

Upgrade VHF omni on TKiS-1 #37

Closed tomaszmrugalski closed 3 years ago

tomaszmrugalski commented 3 years ago

Ok, it's over a year since the TKiS-1 station became operational. It's time for some upgrades. The station seems to be stable, but the reception is of reasonably poor quality. There's a lot of interference. Here's couple things we could try:

  1. [x] upgrade RTL-SDR v3 to a better SDR.
  2. [x] choose, buy and install pre-amplifier, some form of LNA
  3. [x] choose, buy and install band-pass filter
tomaszmrugalski commented 3 years ago

The airspy mini I ordered some time ago on eBay UK has arrived. Compared to RTL-SDR v3, it has the following parameters better:

I plan to test it tomorrow, as there are no usable passes tonight.

tomaszmrugalski commented 3 years ago

Just found a potentially good solution for both the LNA and a filter here: Sawbird+ NOAA.

tomaszmrugalski commented 3 years ago

I've tweaked the setup a bit. The Sawbird+ NOAA finally arrived. This is how the setup looks like right now.

current-config

I've also added velcro straps for easy attachment. The Sawbird filter requires power supply. One way to provide it is to use bias-Tee. We need to tweak the SDR-RTL configuration a bit and see if there's any difference.

tomaszmrugalski commented 3 years ago

Another change is that the omni TA-1 antenna has been moved to the other corner of the terrace. The downside is that it's now connected via 25m cable, but on the flipside we now have LNA and a filter. Also, the sky visibility there is a bit better. The roof obscures line of sight in the S-E direction. N, W, and S are all clear!

ta1-new-location

tomaszmrugalski commented 3 years ago

The AirSpy has arrived a long time ago, but it's currently being used for experiments with the X-Quad, see #3.

tomaszmrugalski commented 3 years ago

The setup is now connected to the AirSpy. The RTL-SDR v3 has been retired. May be still useful as a backup...