Global Geo SATCOM system?
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR
Hi Bob & everyone.
I have a partially obscured view at the angle required for geostationary satellites but was curious to see if I could get Outernet's signal from Inmarsat 4-F3, which is where Outernet's transmission originates from in this area (USA East Coast).
For background, I had used a variety of antennas (patch, vivaldi, DirecTV dish repurposed) to receive some of the various data streams from Inmarsat 4-F3 in the past, with varying results.
I ordered the combination patch antenna / LNA / SDR that Outernet has assembled optimized for L-Band. That left only the software side to configure.
The first option was zero-cost, which was to attempt to decode the Outernet feed using their guided software install for an existing Linux computer. This consisted of a number of apps working in concert.
The "receiver" portion worked properly - I did see a reasonable SNR and mostly error-free data stream. Unfortunately, I never decoded any content with the other apps either due to their alpha or beta stage of development or my lack of linux expertise.
However, at the same time I was corresponding with a couple of other hams who saw similar results with the "add on" apps for a working linux computer. I have not dug any deeper with that method so as of now, for all I know that branch of the software might have improved.
In stark contrast to my lack of success with the linux method was a turnkey boot image that Outernet makes available for you to write to an SD card for use in a Raspberry Pi. Consisting of a fairly lite linux OS, plus all the apps required and optimized for Outernet use, this solution was very much ready for production use.
I would say within 2 minutes of booting a new Pi-3 with the Outernet image, content started downloading to the local storage on the Pi. I didn't have to do a thing but figure out how to log into the web interface that is your portal to the Pi. (web as in http; there is no internet connection, naturally) It was as plug-and-play as you could possibly get... turn on the Pi and point the antenna. Period. Content just starts downloading if you have a decent signal. You connect to the Pi from another computer and any files that have downloaded are available for you to view.
Of course the antenna / LNA / SDR was attached before I powered up the Pi and positioned to have decent visibility in the right direction. And of course it's easy to see that the better your RF receive situation, the better will be the rate at which content is received.
Finally, using items already on-hand for other experiments, I replaced the patch antenna with the TP-Link 2.4 GHz dish (https://www.amazon.com/Directional-Parabolic-Connector-Resistant-TL-ANT2424B...) that you often see used by amateurs for experimentation. Never mind that it's supposedly for a higher frequency and never mind that it's not circularly polarized, I found that in conjunction with the LNA & SDR from Outernet, I received a much stronger signal than with the patch antenna. But in fairness, I have not made a comparison with a 100% clear view of the sky.
I hope those very early and limited observations of Outernet's solution are useful to you.
-Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2016 6:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Global Geo SATCOM system?
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR
Scott
I am interested in getting mine going tonight
Can you step me through the software side please
Andrew
------------------------------------------ Andrew Rich VK4TEC w www.tech-software.net e [email protected] m +61 (4) 19 738 223 m 0419738223
On 6 Oct 2016, at 9:25 AM, Scott [email protected] wrote:
Hi Bob & everyone.
I have a partially obscured view at the angle required for geostationary satellites but was curious to see if I could get Outernet's signal from Inmarsat 4-F3, which is where Outernet's transmission originates from in this area (USA East Coast).
For background, I had used a variety of antennas (patch, vivaldi, DirecTV dish repurposed) to receive some of the various data streams from Inmarsat 4-F3 in the past, with varying results.
I ordered the combination patch antenna / LNA / SDR that Outernet has assembled optimized for L-Band. That left only the software side to configure.
The first option was zero-cost, which was to attempt to decode the Outernet feed using their guided software install for an existing Linux computer. This consisted of a number of apps working in concert.
The "receiver" portion worked properly - I did see a reasonable SNR and mostly error-free data stream. Unfortunately, I never decoded any content with the other apps either due to their alpha or beta stage of development or my lack of linux expertise.
However, at the same time I was corresponding with a couple of other hams who saw similar results with the "add on" apps for a working linux computer. I have not dug any deeper with that method so as of now, for all I know that branch of the software might have improved.
In stark contrast to my lack of success with the linux method was a turnkey boot image that Outernet makes available for you to write to an SD card for use in a Raspberry Pi. Consisting of a fairly lite linux OS, plus all the apps required and optimized for Outernet use, this solution was very much ready for production use.
I would say within 2 minutes of booting a new Pi-3 with the Outernet image, content started downloading to the local storage on the Pi. I didn't have to do a thing but figure out how to log into the web interface that is your portal to the Pi. (web as in http; there is no internet connection, naturally) It was as plug-and-play as you could possibly get... turn on the Pi and point the antenna. Period. Content just starts downloading if you have a decent signal. You connect to the Pi from another computer and any files that have downloaded are available for you to view.
Of course the antenna / LNA / SDR was attached before I powered up the Pi and positioned to have decent visibility in the right direction. And of course it's easy to see that the better your RF receive situation, the better will be the rate at which content is received.
Finally, using items already on-hand for other experiments, I replaced the patch antenna with the TP-Link 2.4 GHz dish (https://www.amazon.com/Directional-Parabolic-Connector-Resistant-TL-ANT2424B...) that you often see used by amateurs for experimentation. Never mind that it's supposedly for a higher frequency and never mind that it's not circularly polarized, I found that in conjunction with the LNA & SDR from Outernet, I received a much stronger signal than with the patch antenna. But in fairness, I have not made a comparison with a 100% clear view of the sky.
I hope those very early and limited observations of Outernet's solution are useful to you.
-Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2016 6:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Global Geo SATCOM system?
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
The O/S image for the Pi can be downloaded from:
https://archive.outernet.is/images/rxOS-Raspberry-Pi/
... there is documentation at:
http://rxos.readthedocs.io/en/develop/getting_started/raspberry_pi.html
... but that doc currently seems to cover a lot more than the Pi and also a lot more than just installing & using the system.
So, in summary it's a lot more straightforward than you would think from the instructions:
-write the O/S image to a micro-SD card for the Pi
-point your antenna in the correct direction & plug it into the LNA > SDR > Pi
-power on the Pi
-from a wi-fi capable computer, connect to SSID "Outernet"
-in a browser, connect to either 10.0.0.1 or 10.10.10.10 (mine uses the former, but I noticed in the doc that they reference the latter)
-the browser interface will walk you through setting up an admin password; you can explore the interface from there
Ref. the TP-Link dish, the feed is included. I believe it's more-or-less a dipole.
==================================================================
On Thu, Oct 6, 2016 at 12:53 AM, Andrew Rich [email protected] wrote:
Scott
I am interested in getting mine going tonight
Can you step me through the software side please
Andrew
what feed on the dish ?
Andrew Rich VK4TEC w www.tech-software.net e [email protected] m +61 (4) 19 738 223 m 0419738223
On 6 Oct 2016, at 9:25 AM, Scott [email protected] wrote:
Hi Bob & everyone.
I have a partially obscured view at the angle required for geostationary satellites but was curious to see if I could get Outernet's signal from Inmarsat 4-F3, which is where Outernet's transmission originates from in this area (USA East Coast).
For background, I had used a variety of antennas (patch, vivaldi, DirecTV dish repurposed) to receive some of the various data streams from Inmarsat 4-F3 in the past, with varying results.
I ordered the combination patch antenna / LNA / SDR that Outernet has assembled optimized for L-Band. That left only the software side to configure.
The first option was zero-cost, which was to attempt to decode the Outernet feed using their guided software install for an existing Linux computer. This consisted of a number of apps working in concert.
The "receiver" portion worked properly - I did see a reasonable SNR and mostly error-free data stream. Unfortunately, I never decoded any content with the other apps either due to their alpha or beta stage of development or my lack of linux expertise.
However, at the same time I was corresponding with a couple of other hams who saw similar results with the "add on" apps for a working linux computer. I have not dug any deeper with that method so as of now, for all I know that branch of the software might have improved.
In stark contrast to my lack of success with the linux method was a turnkey boot image that Outernet makes available for you to write to an SD card for use in a Raspberry Pi. Consisting of a fairly lite linux OS, plus all the apps required and optimized for Outernet use, this solution was very much ready for production use.
I would say within 2 minutes of booting a new Pi-3 with the Outernet image, content started downloading to the local storage on the Pi. I didn't have to do a thing but figure out how to log into the web interface that is your portal to the Pi. (web as in http; there is no internet connection, naturally) It was as plug-and-play as you could possibly get... turn on the Pi and point the antenna. Period. Content just starts downloading if you have a decent signal. You connect to the Pi from another computer and any files that have downloaded are available for you to view.
Of course the antenna / LNA / SDR was attached before I powered up the Pi and positioned to have decent visibility in the right direction. And of course it's easy to see that the better your RF receive situation, the better will be the rate at which content is received.
Finally, using items already on-hand for other experiments, I replaced the patch antenna with the TP-Link 2.4 GHz dish (https://www.amazon.com/ Directional-Parabolic-Connector-Resistant-TL-ANT2424B/dp/B003CFATOW?th=1) that you often see used by amateurs for experimentation. Never mind that it's supposedly for a higher frequency and never mind that it's not circularly polarized, I found that in conjunction with the LNA & SDR from Outernet, I received a much stronger signal than with the patch antenna. But in fairness, I have not made a comparison with a 100% clear view of the sky.
I hope those very early and limited observations of Outernet's solution are useful to you.
-Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2016 6:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Global Geo SATCOM system?
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR
What are the frequencies for the different regions ?
I want to use my SDR to get a dish going
Andrew '
On 7 Oct 2016, at 01:02, Scott [email protected] wrote:
The O/S image for the Pi can be downloaded from:
https://archive.outernet.is/images/rxOS-Raspberry-Pi/
... there is documentation at:
http://rxos.readthedocs.io/en/develop/getting_started/raspberry_pi.html
... but that doc currently seems to cover a lot more than the Pi and also a lot more than just installing & using the system.
So, in summary it's a lot more straightforward than you would think from the instructions:
-write the O/S image to a micro-SD card for the Pi
-point your antenna in the correct direction & plug it into the LNA > SDR > Pi
-power on the Pi
-from a wi-fi capable computer, connect to SSID "Outernet"
-in a browser, connect to either 10.0.0.1 or 10.10.10.10 (mine uses the former, but I noticed in the doc that they reference the latter)
-the browser interface will walk you through setting up an admin password; you can explore the interface from there
Ref. the TP-Link dish, the feed is included. I believe it's more-or-less a dipole.
==================================================================
On Thu, Oct 6, 2016 at 12:53 AM, Andrew Rich [email protected] wrote:
Scott
I am interested in getting mine going tonight
Can you step me through the software side please
Andrew
what feed on the dish ?
Andrew Rich VK4TEC w www.tech-software.net e [email protected] m +61 (4) 19 738 223 m 0419738223
On 6 Oct 2016, at 9:25 AM, Scott [email protected] wrote:
Hi Bob & everyone.
I have a partially obscured view at the angle required for geostationary satellites but was curious to see if I could get Outernet's signal from Inmarsat 4-F3, which is where Outernet's transmission originates from in this area (USA East Coast).
For background, I had used a variety of antennas (patch, vivaldi, DirecTV dish repurposed) to receive some of the various data streams from Inmarsat 4-F3 in the past, with varying results.
I ordered the combination patch antenna / LNA / SDR that Outernet has assembled optimized for L-Band. That left only the software side to configure.
The first option was zero-cost, which was to attempt to decode the Outernet feed using their guided software install for an existing Linux computer. This consisted of a number of apps working in concert.
The "receiver" portion worked properly - I did see a reasonable SNR and mostly error-free data stream. Unfortunately, I never decoded any content with the other apps either due to their alpha or beta stage of development or my lack of linux expertise.
However, at the same time I was corresponding with a couple of other hams who saw similar results with the "add on" apps for a working linux computer. I have not dug any deeper with that method so as of now, for all I know that branch of the software might have improved.
In stark contrast to my lack of success with the linux method was a turnkey boot image that Outernet makes available for you to write to an SD card for use in a Raspberry Pi. Consisting of a fairly lite linux OS, plus all the apps required and optimized for Outernet use, this solution was very much ready for production use.
I would say within 2 minutes of booting a new Pi-3 with the Outernet image, content started downloading to the local storage on the Pi. I didn't have to do a thing but figure out how to log into the web interface that is your portal to the Pi. (web as in http; there is no internet connection, naturally) It was as plug-and-play as you could possibly get... turn on the Pi and point the antenna. Period. Content just starts downloading if you have a decent signal. You connect to the Pi from another computer and any files that have downloaded are available for you to view.
Of course the antenna / LNA / SDR was attached before I powered up the Pi and positioned to have decent visibility in the right direction. And of course it's easy to see that the better your RF receive situation, the better will be the rate at which content is received.
Finally, using items already on-hand for other experiments, I replaced the patch antenna with the TP-Link 2.4 GHz dish (https://www.amazon.com/ Directional-Parabolic-Connector-Resistant-TL-ANT2424B/dp/B003CFATOW?th=1) that you often see used by amateurs for experimentation. Never mind that it's supposedly for a higher frequency and never mind that it's not circularly polarized, I found that in conjunction with the LNA & SDR from Outernet, I received a much stronger signal than with the patch antenna. But in fairness, I have not made a comparison with a 100% clear view of the sky.
I hope those very early and limited observations of Outernet's solution are useful to you.
-Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2016 6:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Global Geo SATCOM system?
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR
Sent via [email protected]. 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
What are the frequencies for the different regions ?
I-4 F3 Americas Position: 98°W Coverage: North, South, and Central America, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans Outernet Frequency: 1539.8725 MHz
Alphasat Position: 25°E Coverage: Europe, Africa, Middle East, East Asia, Atlantic and Indian Oceans Outernet Frequency: 1545.525 MHz
I-4 F1 APAC (Asia-Pacific) Position: 144.0°E Coverage: Asia, Australia, Pacific and Indian Oceans Outernet Frequency: 1545.9525 MHz
Legend
Andrew
----------------------------- Sent from my iPhone Andrew Rich e [email protected] w www.tech-software.net m 0419 738 223
On 7 Oct. 2016, at 17:42, Daniel Cussen [email protected] wrote:
What are the frequencies for the different regions ?
I-4 F3 Americas Position: 98°W Coverage: North, South, and Central America, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans Outernet Frequency: 1539.8725 MHz
Alphasat Position: 25°E Coverage: Europe, Africa, Middle East, East Asia, Atlantic and Indian Oceans Outernet Frequency: 1545.525 MHz
I-4 F1 APAC (Asia-Pacific) Position: 144.0°E Coverage: Asia, Australia, Pacific and Indian Oceans Outernet Frequency: 1545.9525 MHz _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Scott
what feed on the dish ?
Andrew
------------------------------------------ Andrew Rich VK4TEC w www.tech-software.net e [email protected] m +61 (4) 19 738 223 m 0419738223
On 6 Oct 2016, at 9:25 AM, Scott [email protected] wrote:
Hi Bob & everyone.
I have a partially obscured view at the angle required for geostationary satellites but was curious to see if I could get Outernet's signal from Inmarsat 4-F3, which is where Outernet's transmission originates from in this area (USA East Coast).
For background, I had used a variety of antennas (patch, vivaldi, DirecTV dish repurposed) to receive some of the various data streams from Inmarsat 4-F3 in the past, with varying results.
I ordered the combination patch antenna / LNA / SDR that Outernet has assembled optimized for L-Band. That left only the software side to configure.
The first option was zero-cost, which was to attempt to decode the Outernet feed using their guided software install for an existing Linux computer. This consisted of a number of apps working in concert.
The "receiver" portion worked properly - I did see a reasonable SNR and mostly error-free data stream. Unfortunately, I never decoded any content with the other apps either due to their alpha or beta stage of development or my lack of linux expertise.
However, at the same time I was corresponding with a couple of other hams who saw similar results with the "add on" apps for a working linux computer. I have not dug any deeper with that method so as of now, for all I know that branch of the software might have improved.
In stark contrast to my lack of success with the linux method was a turnkey boot image that Outernet makes available for you to write to an SD card for use in a Raspberry Pi. Consisting of a fairly lite linux OS, plus all the apps required and optimized for Outernet use, this solution was very much ready for production use.
I would say within 2 minutes of booting a new Pi-3 with the Outernet image, content started downloading to the local storage on the Pi. I didn't have to do a thing but figure out how to log into the web interface that is your portal to the Pi. (web as in http; there is no internet connection, naturally) It was as plug-and-play as you could possibly get... turn on the Pi and point the antenna. Period. Content just starts downloading if you have a decent signal. You connect to the Pi from another computer and any files that have downloaded are available for you to view.
Of course the antenna / LNA / SDR was attached before I powered up the Pi and positioned to have decent visibility in the right direction. And of course it's easy to see that the better your RF receive situation, the better will be the rate at which content is received.
Finally, using items already on-hand for other experiments, I replaced the patch antenna with the TP-Link 2.4 GHz dish (https://www.amazon.com/Directional-Parabolic-Connector-Resistant-TL-ANT2424B...) that you often see used by amateurs for experimentation. Never mind that it's supposedly for a higher frequency and never mind that it's not circularly polarized, I found that in conjunction with the LNA & SDR from Outernet, I received a much stronger signal than with the patch antenna. But in fairness, I have not made a comparison with a 100% clear view of the sky.
I hope those very early and limited observations of Outernet's solution are useful to you.
-Scott, K4KDR Montpelier, VA USA
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Bruninga Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2016 6:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [amsat-bb] Global Geo SATCOM system?
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
I took delivery of my outer net eq last night
We qualified the patch antenna, amp and dongle
Dongle is very stable
Picked up INMARSAT on the bonnet of my car just on patch
Lots of new signals
I now need to get frequencies and decoders going
Look on my website I have just added photos
Signals - are quite strong
about 45 degree beam
mine is 145 deg
Will report back when i decode
Andrew
------------------------------------------ Andrew Rich VK4TEC w www.tech-software.net http://www.tech-software.net/ e [email protected] mailto:[email protected] m +61 (4) 19 738 223 m 0419738223
On 6 Oct 2016, at 8:51 AM, Robert Bruninga <[email protected] mailto:[email protected]> wrote:
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
I have a couple of additional pieces of information to pass along on this topic as of tonight.
As many are aware, the Outernet hardware "package" consists of a patch antenna, LNA, and unmarked SDR with bias-T enabled.
Tonight I remembered that some time ago I could not resist buying a couple of the second (?) generation metal-case RTL-SDR dongles from rtl-sdr.com. I have been using one on my linux computer but the other one was unused. Remembering that these rtl-sdr dongles had 5v bias-T as an option, I took the unused one apart and soldered the appropriate pins to enable the bias-T. That allowed me to do a comparison with the unmarked SDR that came with the other Outernet items.
Setting Outernet aside for a moment, I did an apples to apples comparison of the L-Band AERO signals coming from Inmarsat 4-F3. The difference in signal strength was obvious and substantial. The rtl-sdr gave me over 10db more SNR, so in addition to the 600 & 1200 AERO data streams, I could now easily decode the 10k AERO signals where there is a lot more (and more interesting) traffic.
So with that test complete and fairly conclusive, I reconnected everything to the Raspberry Pi but with the rtl-sdr dongle this time. Not surprisingly, the L-Band Outernet signal was also greatly improved. Where my SNR figure had been around 3, with the rtl-sdr dongle it was varying between 6 & 8. Please keep in mind that I do not have a clear sky view, so take all of these findings with that in mind.
A few minutes after powering up the Pi and seeing the improved SNR figure, content from the satellite started downloading. As you might expect, the rate seemed to be noticeably quicker than before.
Imagine my surprise to see the first file arrive as a .tgz compressed archive that, when extracted, contained some amateur radio content! Here are the first few lines from the file that just arrived:
========================== OUTERNET>APRS:>OUTERNET file created Fri Oct 7 05:00:19 UTC 2016 VI50CC>APRS,RS0ISS*,qAR,ZL4JL-6::RS0ISS :Hello ZL James G/day Mate RS0ISS>CQ,qAS,ZL1KM-H:>ARISS - International Space Station K6PKL>CQ,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:=3748.51N/12112.44W-Solar powered, 20 watts j-pole {UIV32N} KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl tK>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl"@K>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl"cK>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = RS0ISS>CQ,qAS,KK6RKY:>ARISS - International Space Station ==========================
... and it continued with similar APRS type traffic.
So, if my finding is any example, if anyone would like to optimize their Outernet reception, or for that matter ANY L-band reception, you can do it without dedicating one of the expensive SDR's to this function. The metal-case rtl-sdr dongle with bias-T enabled was an excellent step up in performance for me.
-Scott, K4KDR
============= =============
On Wed, Oct 5, 2016 at 6:51 PM, Robert Bruninga [email protected] wrote:
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR
Ok not you have got me REALLY interested
Please tell me about your setup
Andrew
On 7 Oct 2016, at 15:28, Scott [email protected] wrote:
I have a couple of additional pieces of information to pass along on this topic as of tonight.
As many are aware, the Outernet hardware "package" consists of a patch antenna, LNA, and unmarked SDR with bias-T enabled.
Tonight I remembered that some time ago I could not resist buying a couple of the second (?) generation metal-case RTL-SDR dongles from rtl-sdr.com. I have been using one on my linux computer but the other one was unused. Remembering that these rtl-sdr dongles had 5v bias-T as an option, I took the unused one apart and soldered the appropriate pins to enable the bias-T. That allowed me to do a comparison with the unmarked SDR that came with the other Outernet items.
Setting Outernet aside for a moment, I did an apples to apples comparison of the L-Band AERO signals coming from Inmarsat 4-F3. The difference in signal strength was obvious and substantial. The rtl-sdr gave me over 10db more SNR, so in addition to the 600 & 1200 AERO data streams, I could now easily decode the 10k AERO signals where there is a lot more (and more interesting) traffic.
So with that test complete and fairly conclusive, I reconnected everything to the Raspberry Pi but with the rtl-sdr dongle this time. Not surprisingly, the L-Band Outernet signal was also greatly improved. Where my SNR figure had been around 3, with the rtl-sdr dongle it was varying between 6 & 8. Please keep in mind that I do not have a clear sky view, so take all of these findings with that in mind.
A few minutes after powering up the Pi and seeing the improved SNR figure, content from the satellite started downloading. As you might expect, the rate seemed to be noticeably quicker than before.
Imagine my surprise to see the first file arrive as a .tgz compressed archive that, when extracted, contained some amateur radio content! Here are the first few lines from the file that just arrived:
========================== OUTERNET>APRS:>OUTERNET file created Fri Oct 7 05:00:19 UTC 2016 VI50CC>APRS,RS0ISS*,qAR,ZL4JL-6::RS0ISS :Hello ZL James G/day Mate RS0ISS>CQ,qAS,ZL1KM-H:>ARISS - International Space Station K6PKL>CQ,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:=3748.51N/12112.44W-Solar powered, 20 watts j-pole {UIV32N} KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl tK>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl"@K>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl"cK>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = RS0ISS>CQ,qAS,KK6RKY:>ARISS - International Space Station ==========================
... and it continued with similar APRS type traffic.
So, if my finding is any example, if anyone would like to optimize their Outernet reception, or for that matter ANY L-band reception, you can do it without dedicating one of the expensive SDR's to this function. The metal-case rtl-sdr dongle with bias-T enabled was an excellent step up in performance for me.
-Scott, K4KDR
=============
On Wed, Oct 5, 2016 at 6:51 PM, Robert Bruninga [email protected] wrote:
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR
Sent via [email protected]. 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://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Please tell me about your setup
The items involved and the order to do the setup are in this earlier post:
http://www.amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/2016-October/060666.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message----- From: Andrew Rich Sent: Friday, October 07, 2016 3:21 AM To: Scott Cc: Amsat BB ; Peter Davies Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] Global Geo SATCOM system?
Ok not you have got me REALLY interested
Please tell me about your setup
Andrew
On 7 Oct 2016, at 15:28, Scott [email protected] wrote:
I have a couple of additional pieces of information to pass along on this topic as of tonight.
As many are aware, the Outernet hardware "package" consists of a patch antenna, LNA, and unmarked SDR with bias-T enabled.
Tonight I remembered that some time ago I could not resist buying a couple of the second (?) generation metal-case RTL-SDR dongles from rtl-sdr.com. I have been using one on my linux computer but the other one was unused. Remembering that these rtl-sdr dongles had 5v bias-T as an option, I took the unused one apart and soldered the appropriate pins to enable the bias-T. That allowed me to do a comparison with the unmarked SDR that came with the other Outernet items.
Setting Outernet aside for a moment, I did an apples to apples comparison of the L-Band AERO signals coming from Inmarsat 4-F3. The difference in signal strength was obvious and substantial. The rtl-sdr gave me over 10db more SNR, so in addition to the 600 & 1200 AERO data streams, I could now easily decode the 10k AERO signals where there is a lot more (and more interesting) traffic.
So with that test complete and fairly conclusive, I reconnected everything to the Raspberry Pi but with the rtl-sdr dongle this time. Not surprisingly, the L-Band Outernet signal was also greatly improved. Where my SNR figure had been around 3, with the rtl-sdr dongle it was varying between 6 & 8. Please keep in mind that I do not have a clear sky view, so take all of these findings with that in mind.
A few minutes after powering up the Pi and seeing the improved SNR figure, content from the satellite started downloading. As you might expect, the rate seemed to be noticeably quicker than before.
Imagine my surprise to see the first file arrive as a .tgz compressed archive that, when extracted, contained some amateur radio content! Here are the first few lines from the file that just arrived:
========================== OUTERNET>APRS:>OUTERNET file created Fri Oct 7 05:00:19 UTC 2016 VI50CC>APRS,RS0ISS*,qAR,ZL4JL-6::RS0ISS :Hello ZL James G/day Mate RS0ISS>CQ,qAS,ZL1KM-H:>ARISS - International Space Station K6PKL>CQ,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:=3748.51N/12112.44W-Solar powered, 20 watts j-pole {UIV32N} KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl tK>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl"@K>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = KK6OTJ-7>DE1QYT,RS0ISS*,qAS,KK6RKY:`.BJl"cK>CQ CQ CQ ALL LIVE OPERATORS PLEASE REPLY = RS0ISS>CQ,qAS,KK6RKY:>ARISS - International Space Station ==========================
... and it continued with similar APRS type traffic.
So, if my finding is any example, if anyone would like to optimize their Outernet reception, or for that matter ANY L-band reception, you can do it without dedicating one of the expensive SDR's to this function. The metal-case rtl-sdr dongle with bias-T enabled was an excellent step up in performance for me.
-Scott, K4KDR
=============
On Wed, Oct 5, 2016 at 6:51 PM, Robert Bruninga [email protected] wrote:
AMSAT tinkerers?
OUTERNET is a free worldwide Geostationary Satellite downlink system designed to bring content to remote areas all over the globe. They have six geostationary birds covering the entire globe EVERYWHERE. All you need is a small 18” (or 36” in some very remote areas) to receive content via your own home-made receiver based on a TV dongle and Rasberry Pi.
Is there anyone on AMSAT-bb that is already receiving this content? We’d like to hear about how easy it is to set up a receiver.
We have some ideas on how this can be used to augment Ham radio in our Emergency Response and remote operations missions. See http://aprs.org/outnet.html
Bob, WB4APR
participants (4)
-
Andrew Rich -
Daniel Cussen -
Robert Bruninga -
Scott