Re: [amsat-bb] Fun Cube Dongle

-- Steve May, W5IEM Amateur Extra - Georgetown, KY (520) 261-7847 - Cell Skype: USHorseman Steve.W5IEM@gmail.com *This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying the communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the email along with any and all attachments from your system* On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 1:02 PM, Lizeth Norman normanlizeth@gmail.com wrote: > Steve, > All you should have to do is download the appropriate software > interface file (.dll) that is specific to each receiver. Assuming > HDSDR is installed, go to c:/program files (x86) /HDSDR then drop the > .dll file (after it's unzipped) into that folder. > Start HDSDR, pick your bandwidth and start the receiver. > Took me a while to figure it all out. SDR is the next generation. > Norm n3ykf > > > On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 12:24 PM, Steve May steve.w5iem@gmail.com wrote: > > Patrick and Lizeth, > > > > Thank you both very much. I appreciate the suggestions, and I guess I > will > > just plan on buying a FCD Pro+ this Friday. > > > > I will say that I am enjoying the RTL-SDR for some other non-satellite > > projects. It is great for monitoring my local repeaters and listening to > > the commercial stations in my area, so it is certainly not a complete > loss, > > and even if it was it was only ~$20. > > > > I have not been able to get HDSDR to work with the dongle, though, but I > > was able to add the plugin to SDR# to interface with SATPC32 last night. > > Perhaps I will have better luck with the FCD Pro+. > > > > In the end the FCD Pro+ is probably something I will use with some other > > radio projects on HF, so I am sure that I will get plenty of use out of > it > > no matter what, but I am excited to find out all of the satellite uses I > > will have for it. > > > > Thank you again for the information. I'll catch you guys on the linear > > satellites in the near future. > > > > -- > > Steve May, W5IEM > > Amateur Extra - Georgetown, KY > > (520) 261-7847 - Cell > > Skype: USHorseman > > Steve.W5IEM@gmail.com > > > > *This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to > > which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, > > confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the > reader > > of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified > that > > any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying the communication > is > > strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, > > please notify the sender immediately and delete the email along with any > > and all attachments from your system* > > > > > > On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 12:17 PM, Patrick STODDARD patrick@wd9ewk.net > > wrote: > > > >> Hi Steve! > >> > >> My answer to your Million Dollar Question would be - YES! The FUNcube > >> Dongle Pro Plus, at around US$ 200 depending on the exchange rate with > >> the British pound, is a good value. I also have an RTL-SDR dongle, and > >> previously had the original FUNcube Dongle Pro. The RTL-SDR dongles are > >> OK, but lack some of the things I like with the FCD Pro+. The FCD Pro+ > >> is more sensitive, and has better front-end filtering. Where the RTL-SDR > >> dongles are intended for digital television reception, needing a much > >> wider front-end on its receiver, the FCD Pro+ has filtering that helps > >> it perform very well in the amateur 2m and 70cm bands. It still works > >> fine in other parts of the RF spectrum it receives. > >> > >> The RTL-SDR dongles, as well as the original FUNcube Dongle Pro, were > not > >> usable as my downlink receiver when working AO-73 or any other > satellite. > >> Whenever I would transmit with my FT-817, even at 500mW, the RF from the > >> 817 would shut down the dongles. The FCD Pro+, on the other hand, works > >> very well with my FT-817 for working satellites. Between the dongle and > >> the software you run on a computer, there is a slight lag in hearing the > >> audio from the downlink, something you don't hear when using a radio to > >> receive the downlink. If you use software with the FCD Pro+ like HDSDR, > >> that software can be controlled by SatPC32 just like another radio - one > >> way to deal with the lag in hearing the downlink signals on the > computer. > >> > >> For my satellite station, I normally use two FT-817s, connected through > >> a diplexer to my Elk handheld log periodic. If I had an Arrow Yagi, I > >> could skip the diplexer and run coax from each radio to the appropriate > >> feedpoints on the antenna. At 5 watts, and with the diplexer in the > >> coax feedline out to the antenna, I have taken steps that should protect > >> the dongle from stray RF. If I had an Arrow Yagi, I would consider > using > >> a diplexer in line to the dongle, with the appropriate band port > connected > >> to the dongle to prevent other RF from coming down the coax line to the > >> dongle. > >> > >> Good luck, and 73! > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK > >> http://www.wd9ewk.net/ > >> > >> > >> > >> On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 8:51 AM, Steve May steve.w5iem@gmail.com > wrote: > >> > >>> So the Million Dollar Question (actually, I guess it is the > "$180-higher > >>> cost + shipping" question) is whether the Funcube Dongle is > significantly > >>> better than one of the cheap $20 RLT-SDR tuners? I have been > experimenting > >>> with the cheapo version the last couple of days, and so far I have been > >>> able to pick up my local repeaters fairly well with a mag-mount > antenna. I > >>> tried to pull in AO-73 late last night with an Arrow and a preamp but > had > >>> some issues with SATPC32 that I have since resolved. I am pretty sure I > >>> heard something but I am still getting used to using SDR#. I need to do > >>> some more tuning. > >>> > >>> I am going to keep on working with this, at least for the next few > days, > >>> but should I just plan on shelling out the money for the Funcube > Dongle if > >>> using the computer to receive the linear satellites is my long-term > plan? > >>> > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available > > to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. > Opinions expressed > > are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of > AMSAT-NA. > > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite > program! > > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb >