ADS-B DIY Antenna

[xforce30164]

Made some more progress with the combined dump1090 mode. Almost got it working the way I want it to.
You can now choose receivers by id, and select table colums through the url.
base url:

http://dump1090.ayadex.com/cmb/index.php?receiver=<...>&cols=<...>

where you change <...> to the correct values, for receivers it is (a combination of) 1 and 2, if both, separate them with a ";" and for the cols it is default or a custom selection of column names, also separated by ";"

so for example you could do:

http://dump1090.ayadex.com/cmb/index.php?receiver=1;2&cols=icao;flight;speed;altitude;track

which will display data from both receivers, and only show icao, flight, speed, altitude and track columns.

or do

http://dump1090.ayadex.com/cmb/index.php?receiver=1;2&cols=default

which will display data from both receivers, and all default columns. (Including a new R/D column which represents the "quality of the signal". which is calculated in the following way: (it could be changed later though if I find a better formula)

(tableplane.sitedist !== null ? (Math.abs(tableplane.rssi)/(tableplane.sitedist/1000.0)).toFixed(2) : "")

Edit: now updated selected planeview aswell to show information if available from both receivers simultaneously.

also anyone knows what happened to flight NJE732B? It squawked 7700 and then dissappeared?
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NJE732B

 

[jepolch]

@xforce30164: What's the name of that program that shows the Pi stats, like CPU, temp, etc? I'll start looking back through the forum, but if you read this, please let me know. Thanks.

How's everybody doing? I guess all the Pi's and antennas are working perfectly. Pretty quiet around here.

@Sjacket99: How's that antenna working out that you bought on eBay?

 

[xforce30164]

@xforce30164: What's the name of that program that shows the Pi stats, like CPU, temp, etc? I'll start looking back through the forum, but if you read this, please let me know. Thanks.

How's everybody doing? I guess all the Pi's and antennas are working perfectly. Pretty quiet around here.

@Sjacket99: How's that antenna working out that you bought on eBay?

RpiMonitor is the program called, you can find it here

 

[jepolch]

RpiMonitor is the program called, you can find it here

Thanks! I was running it on my feeder Pi's for a while, but I started having very high CPU loads and I wasn't sure if it was caused by RPI-Monitor, so I took it off. I'm going to try it on my Pi 2.

 

[xforce30164]

Thanks! I was running it on my feeder Pi's for a while, but I started having very high CPU loads and I wasn't sure if it was caused by RPI-Monitor, so I took it off. I'm going to try it on my Pi 2.

Hmm, weird, afaik I've never had problems with high cpu-usage. Lets hope RpiMonitor behaves itself on your Rpi2

 

[trigger]

@xforce Great work. I like your choice of music too

 

[ab cd]

You using that with pieware?

Yes, I have connected Platenna to DVB-T dongle, which is inserted in RPi. The RPi feeds data to Flightaware, Flightradar24, and Planefinder.

The connection between Platenna and DVB-T dongle/RPi by a 5meters/15ft long RG6 Coax, No amplifier. The RPi is connected to router by an eathernet cable.

Here is VRS Range plot for Platenna
(VRS running on my Windows desktop, pulling plane data from dump1090-mutability on RPi)

 

[hepiv]

Remember to connect Amplifier's IN port to Antenna and OUT port to power inserter. See image below.

View attachment 659

hi
I have the rca amplifier and I will order this Motorola Power inserter." BDP-100/PI"
does this power inserter have the DC block inside it or do I need to get one ??

Where can I buy a DC Adapter that is ready to go ??? ( with the f connector on the supply )
I see Motorola makes one..


I am using a TED monopole and a pepsi can !!
any help would be greatly appreciated.....

Howard

 

[ab cd]

.....snip....
I am using a TED monopole and a pepsi can !!
.....snip.....

So you have made a Cantenna using TED antenna & Pepsi can.

The TED antenna is very alluring as it is very sturdy, good looking, and professional. It is good for transmitting from aircraft.

Have you measured the length of monopole whip of TED antenna?
Some forum members have reported that its length is substantially less than ¼ wavelength (69 mm).

IF its whip length is substantially less than ¼ wavelength (69 mm), it will not be optimum for receiving.

You may get a better receiving antenna from a whip made of a 69 mm long piece of wire.

It will be very kind of you if you measere the length shown in the photo below and post it in this forum. Thanks

 

[hepiv]

So you have made a Cantenna using TED antenna & Pepsi can.

Have you measured the length of monopole whip of TED sntenna? Some forum members have reported that its length is substantially less than ¼ wavelength (69 mm).

The TED antenna is very alluring as it is very sturdy and professional, good for transmitting from aircraft, but IF its whip length is substantially less than ¼ wavelength (69 mm), it will not be optimum for receiving. A whip made of a 69 mm long piece of wire will give better reception.

View attachment 1447

thanks for the reply !!

I will go with the 69mm whip !
my other question is :
Motorola Power inserter." BDP-100/PI" does this have the dc blocker inside it ???
I also need a power supply to power this any ideas. I like the wall wart with the F connector on it

thanks for your help here ....

Howard

ps I will measure the antenna ( gotta find a metric scale first )

So you have made a Cantenna using TED antenna & Pepsi can.

The TED antenna is very alluring as it is very sturdy, good looking, and professional. It is good for transmitting from aircraft.

Have you measured the length of monopole whip of TED antenna?
Some forum members have reported that its length is substantially less than ¼ wavelength (69 mm).

IF its whip length is substantially less than ¼ wavelength (69 mm), it will not be optimum for receiving.

You may get a better receiving antenna from a whip made of a 69 mm long piece of wire.

It will be very kind of you if you measere the length shown in the photo below and post it in this forum. Thanks

View attachment 1448

 

[ab cd]

thanks for the reply !!

I will go with the 69mm whip !

If TED whip is only a few mm shorter or longer than 69 mm (= 2.72 inches or 2¾ inches) then it is ok to use it. ¼ wavelength monopole/dipole is much more tollerant than collinears.

my other question is :
Motorola Power inserter." BDP-100/PI" does this have the dc blocker inside it ???

All power inserters Block DC to go to Receiver.

All power inserters Pass DC towards Amplifier/Antenna.

If you want to block DC to go to receiver, you dont need an extra dc blocker. Power inserter does this job.

If you want to block DC to go to Amplifier, then amplifier wont work without DC.

If you want to block DC to go to Antenna, you need a separate DC Blocker, inserted between Amplifier and Antenna.

I also need a power supply to power this any ideas. I like the wall wart with the F connector on it

Ok, give me some time, I will search and give you links for purchasing:
(1) DC power supply with F-connector.
(2) DC blocker.

ps I will measure the antenna ( gotta find a metric scale first )

You can measure & post in inches. I will convert it into mm, it is easy, inches x 25.4 = mm

 

[hepiv]

If TED whip is only a few mm shorter or longer than 69 mm (= 2.72 inches or 2¾ inches) then it is ok to use it. ¼ wavelength monopole/dipole is much more tollerant than collinears.


All power inserters Block DC to go to Receiver.

All power inserters Pass DC towards Amplifier/Antenna.

If you want to block DC to go to receiver, you dont need an extra dc blocker. Power inserter does this job.

If you want to block DC to go to Amplifier, then amplifier wont work without DC.

If you want to block DC to go to Antenna, you need a separate DC Blocker, inserted between Amplifier and Antenna.


Ok, give me some time, I will search and give you links for purchasing:
(1) DC power supply with F-connector.
(2) DC blocker.


You can measure & post in inches. I will convert it into mm, it is easy, inches x 25.4 = mm

OK I measured it and it is approximately 56mm...

I saw your post using the RCA amplifier with a Motorola Power inserter." BDP-100/PI"

I found the motorola power inserter now I just need to find a DC power supply ...

according to the post I saw here this should get me working with the Amp correct ?

Thanks

Howard

 

[ab cd]

OK I measured it and it is approximately 56mm...

I saw your post using the RCA amplifier with a Motorola Power inserter." BDP-100/PI"

I found the motorola power inserter now I just need to find a DC power supply ...

according to the post I saw here this should get me working with the Amp correct ?

Thanks

Howard

TED Monopole
Well 56mm is substantially less than 69mm. However since you have already purchased it, you can make two cantennas, one with TED Monopole+Pepsi can, other with 69mm wire whip+F Barrel connector+Pepsi can. Then try both and see which one gives better results.

DC BLOCKING:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-power-bl...-cable-voltage-blocking-adapter-/370609430351

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Coaxial...g-In-Line-Coupler-25-7901-14668-/251432963230

http://www.amazon.com/Cable--line-Voltage-Blocking-Coupler/dp/B0002ZPIN2


POWER INSERTER:
The post was for a specific user who already had Motorola Power Inserter. This does not mean other makes of power inserter will not work. There are heaps of equally good power inserters.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005XO4J5K/sr=8-1/qid=1427479737

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCT-POWER-I...-1G-TAP-5-1002Mhz-24VDC-MAX-NEW-/161423443132

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTRONIX-2-...RECTIONAL-COUPLER-CMCDT2106T-NEW/281602657197

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antronix-re...r-DC-power-coax-cable-adapter-F-/271812855897

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-WAY-SVI-S...E-POWER-INSERTER-COUPLER-TAP-BN-/251809557830

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-WAY-SVI-S...E-POWER-INSERTER-COUPLER-TAP-BN-/171043894141

POWER SUPPLY:
Now I found two which are all-in-one:
(1)15V DC Adapter
(2) Power Inserter
(3) F-Connections for Antenna & Receiver.

There may be many other good ones. Search Amazon.com and eBay.com

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pico-Macom-...r-Supply-15-VDC-15-Volt-In-Line-/221389012860

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Winegard-Po...wer-Supply-for-ChromStar-Series-/221523231893

.

 

[ab cd]

15V DC POWER SUPPLY ONLY (F Type connector for DC)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/POWER-SUPPL...714?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4958e312

 

[DougJohnson]

I've been silent for a week or so, working on my 6 element Franklin. I fixed the broken wire and put it up where I could get to it easily and started tuning the tap. I moved the tap back and forth, each time logging the signal strength, maximum distance, average hourly message rate, and maximum message rate for 24 hours. The differences were dramatic. 0.2" could change the performance by more than 40%. After finding the optimum spot, I added the Pawsey trap which improved the performance by about 20%.

The total performance was not very good, but I attributed that to the lousy location where I was testing it, so I replaced the spider atop the chimney. Fail. It wasn't the lousy location, it was the lousy antenna. By any measure you'd like, the spider is twice the antenna the 6 element Franklin is. I'll entertain suggestions as to why, but I think I've found my permanent antenna. Go Spider!

-- Doug

 

[trigger]

I've been silent for a week or so, working on my 6 element Franklin. I fixed the broken wire and put it up where I could get to it easily and started tuning the tap. I moved the tap back and forth, each time logging the signal strength, maximum distance, average hourly message rate, and maximum message rate for 24 hours. The differences were dramatic. 0.2" could change the performance by more than 40%. After finding the optimum spot, I added the Pawsey trap which improved the performance by about 20%.

The total performance was not very good, but I attributed that to the lousy location where I was testing it, so I replaced the spider atop the chimney. Fail. It wasn't the lousy location, it was the lousy antenna. By any measure you'd like, the spider is twice the antenna the 6 element Franklin is. I'll entertain suggestions as to why, but I think I've found my permanent antenna. Go Spider!

-- Doug

View attachment 1457

Hi Doug,
Good that you have persevered with the Franklin, but sorry you have joined the Spider club.
It is difficult to be sure from your picture but your stubs look a bit wide to me. Also the tap position is much further away from the bend than mine. Any chance you could lay the Franklin on a ruler and post a picture?

 

[airbus340]

I have been following this thread quite a while now and I have tried several of the antennas described here but I am surprised nobody seems to have tried stacked dipole.
It is very simple to make and it works great.

Some result from my tests:
Cantenna - work ok but not very good range
Spider - work good
Franklin - work even better
Stacked dipole - work best for me, it give me 200 NM indoors and the most positions according to the stats in Planefinder.

Looking forward to summer so I can put my stacked dipole on the roof.

 

[ab cd]

I have been following this thread quite a while now and I have tried several of the antennas described here but I am surprised nobody seems to have tried stacked dipole.
It is very simple to make and it works great.

Some result from my tests:
Cantenna - work ok but not very good range
Spider - work good
Franklin - work even better
Stacked dipole - work best for me, it give me 200 NM indoors and the most positions according to the stats in Planefinder.

Looking forward to summer so I can put my stacked dipole on the roof.

WELCOME ABOARD!

You tried and compared so many different designs! This is great! Thanks for your input.

We all will love to see some photos and contruction details of your two best antennas: stacked dipole & franklin. Thanks.

 

[ab cd]

I've been silent for a week or so, working on my 6 element Franklin. I fixed the broken wire and put it up where I could get to it easily and started tuning the tap. I moved the tap back and forth, each time logging the signal strength, maximum distance, average hourly message rate, and maximum message rate for 24 hours. The differences were dramatic. 0.2" could change the performance by more than 40%. After finding the optimum spot, I added the Pawsey trap which improved the performance by about 20%.

The total performance was not very good, but I attributed that to the lousy location where I was testing it, so I replaced the spider atop the chimney. Fail. It wasn't the lousy location, it was the lousy antenna. By any measure you'd like, the spider is twice the antenna the 6 element Franklin is. I'll entertain suggestions as to why, but I think I've found my permanent antenna. Go Spider!

-- Doug

View attachment 1457

Most likely the colored fiberglass rod to which Franklin is tied, has deteriorated the performance.
This has happened with me.
My CoCo was supported on a wooden plank. When I used a colored fiberglass rod to support it, its performance suddenly dropped drastically. I moved back the CoCo to wooden plank, and its performance was back to original.

It seems the florescent warning paint on fiberglass rod absorbs/disturbs microwave. Try using un-painted fiberglass rod or PVC pipe.

If you can cut-off a piece of color painted fiberglass rod, keep it in a microwave oven for 1 or 2 minutes (with fiberglass piece, keep a cup of water also to prevent damage to your microwave oven). If the piece of rod becomes hot or warm, dont use it to support ADS-B Antenna.

 

[xforce30164]

I've just replaced my own standard antenna from the dongle with one of the spiders I made in eindhoven, I have reset the range plot on VRS, let's see what this baby can do .