RTL-SDR (RTL2832U) and software defined radio news and projects. Also featuring Airspy, HackRF, FCD, SDRplay and more. - https://www.rtl-sdr.com/techminds-testing-the-ga-450-portable-hf-active-loop... December 23, 2021 TechMinds: Testing the GA-450 Portable HF Active Loop Antenna Over on the Techminds YouTube channel, Matt has uploaded his latest video which is a review of the GA-450 portable HF active loop antenna. The antenna costs between US$60-$80 + shipping and is available on Chinese market sites like Aliexpress [1] and Banggood [2]. It's advertised as covering 2.3 - 30 MHz, and uses a very portable and sturdy 20cm stainless steel loop. The active base amplifier is powered via a USB-C connector, and it even has a built in lithium battery for portable field use. In his review Matt shows the antenna in action, noting that it's performance is quite a lot better than expected for it's small size, but it can't compare to his large half-wave end fed antenna. He notes that it appears to work best from 7 - 21 MHz, but not so well below 7 MHz. Overall he recommends it if you're looking for a small sized loop antenna. 1: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002748091899.html 2: https://www.banggood.com/GA-450-GA450-Loop-Antenna-SDR-Short-Medium-Wave-Rad... 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKSY0kr43ks GA-450 Portable Active Small Loop HF Antenna - https://www.rtl-sdr.com/nils-reviews-our-rtl-sdr-blog-l-band-active-patch-an... December 23, 2021 Nils Reviews our RTL-SDR Blog L-Band Active Patch Antenna Over on his blog Nils Schiffhauer (DK8OK) has recently uploaded a review[1] of our RTL-SDR Blog Active L-Band Patch Antenna. This is a satellite patch antenna designed for experimenters who want to receive Inmarsat, Iridium, GPS and other GNSS signals. It covers 1525 - 1660 MHz. (Please note it does not cover GOES or other L-band weather satellites as these are much weaker signals that require a dish). The antenna comes as a set with mounting hardware and extension cable and can be purchased on our store[2] for $49.95 including free worldwide shipping to most countries. In his review Nils tests the patch antenna with his wideband BladeRF software defined radio showing a wide 60 MHz of bandwidth being received. He then goes on to show it being used to receive AERO, via the JAERO decoder, and STD-C via the Tekmanoid decoder. We want to take this opportunity to pre-announce that due to rising shipping costs the price of this antenna set will be going up by $10 in early 2022. Before the price raise we will put out another post, but if you are interested in one we'd recommend picking one up soon. Nils tests the water resistance[3] of the antenna. 1: https://dk8ok.org/2021/12/16/rtl-sdr-active-patch-antenna/ 2: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/buy-rtl-sdr-dvb-t-dongles/ 3: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/patch_antenna_1.jpg - https://www.rtl-sdr.com/a-rs41-and-dfm09-radiosonde-decoder-plugin-for-sdr/ December 23, 2021 A RS41 and DFM09 Radiosonde Decoder Plugin for SDR++ A new decoder[1] for RS41 and DFM09 radiosondes has been released as a plugin for SDR++ by dbDexter. A radiosonde is a sensor package with RF transmitter that is attached to a weather balloon. Meteorological agencies around the world typically launch two per day in order to gather weather forecast data. With an RTL-SDR, appropriate antenna and a decoder it is possible to receive this data, and plot the GPS location on a map. Installing a plugin for SDR++ requires adding the build options to the SDR++ source, and building SDR++, so it could be a little difficult for Windows, but relatively simple build instructions for Linux are provided in the Readme. A[2] Radiosonde Decoder for SDR++ Over on Twitter FelixTRG (@OK9UWU) has tested the plugin out and has found it to work well. [3]
FelixTRG @OK9UWU dbDexter developed a WX radiosonde decoding plugin for @ryzerth's SDR++, i tested it rn on Vaisala RS41 launched from Prostejov (CZ) and works wonders. Tested on linux, question when it will be in win release is on Ryze https://github.com/dbdexter-dev/sdrpp_radiosonde
Supports RS41 and DFM09 so far. Image [4]
1: https://github.com/dbdexter-dev/sdrpp_radiosonde 2: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/sdrpp_radiosonde_plugin2.... 3: https://twitter.com/OK9UWU/status/1473086574493585416 4: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHF0Df7X0AgkyiN?format=jpg