This will show you how to download weather satellite images really cheaply and easily using easy to obtain parts.
For this you will need:
RTL SDR USB software defined radio. It costs around 20 pounds.
get it here:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140803976327?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
I have discovered a problem with this radio. It does not pick up weather satellites at all any more but it still picks up everything else very well. It seems to lose sensitivity to the signals over time.
SDR Sharp. You can search Google for this.
Audacity
APT Decoder
this is a free program.
There are many places to get it
2 metre long piece of wire
long pole to hold the wire
A small laptop computer that you can hold for 15 minutes at a time.
You can connect your radio to a USB extension cable and just hold the radio in your hand rather than having a laptop under your arm. If you do this, the USB cable sometimes causes noise and signal loss so it is best to have the radio plugged directly into the laptop.
Finally, if you have really enjoyed this or found it useful, please consider making a tiny donation trough Paypal here:
http://sdstuff.net76.net/Donate.html
For this you will need:
RTL SDR USB software defined radio. It costs around 20 pounds.
get it here:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140803976327?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
I have discovered a problem with this radio. It does not pick up weather satellites at all any more but it still picks up everything else very well. It seems to lose sensitivity to the signals over time.
SDR Sharp. You can search Google for this.
Audacity
APT Decoder
this is a free program.
There are many places to get it
2 metre long piece of wire
long pole to hold the wire
A small laptop computer that you can hold for 15 minutes at a time.
You can connect your radio to a USB extension cable and just hold the radio in your hand rather than having a laptop under your arm. If you do this, the USB cable sometimes causes noise and signal loss so it is best to have the radio plugged directly into the laptop.
Finally, if you have really enjoyed this or found it useful, please consider making a tiny donation trough Paypal here:
http://sdstuff.net76.net/Donate.html
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Signing UpStep 1: The Setup
I have modified my software radio that I bought by removing the existing connector and attaching a coaxial socket instead. I also covered it in foil which can help block noise in some cases.
You simply have to secure the wire to the central pin of the coaxial connection by soldering or making up your own connection. The other end of the wire is attached to the other end of the pole a bit like a fishing rod. Once you have the software at the right frequency, you close the laptop, hold it in your left arm and hold the antenna pole with your right hand until you can hear the satellite.
To set up the software so it detects the radio, you need to copy rtlsdr.dll into the same directory as SDR Sharp.
A better guide will be included with your radio or you can find it online.
In SDR Sharp, you have to set the front end option to your software radio. In my case it is RTL SDR/RTL 2832U.
You have to uncheck filter audio and you must set the bandwidth to 36 KHz. The mode should be set to NFM and the squelch off.
I find that my radio picks up NOAA 18 the best so go here to track it:
http://www.n2yo.com/?s=28654
It struggles with other satellites because there are noise spikes near the NOAA 19 and NOAA 15 frequencies. These spikes may be caused by the radio itself or USB power supply noise.
You simply have to secure the wire to the central pin of the coaxial connection by soldering or making up your own connection. The other end of the wire is attached to the other end of the pole a bit like a fishing rod. Once you have the software at the right frequency, you close the laptop, hold it in your left arm and hold the antenna pole with your right hand until you can hear the satellite.
To set up the software so it detects the radio, you need to copy rtlsdr.dll into the same directory as SDR Sharp.
A better guide will be included with your radio or you can find it online.
In SDR Sharp, you have to set the front end option to your software radio. In my case it is RTL SDR/RTL 2832U.
You have to uncheck filter audio and you must set the bandwidth to 36 KHz. The mode should be set to NFM and the squelch off.
I find that my radio picks up NOAA 18 the best so go here to track it:
http://www.n2yo.com/?s=28654
It struggles with other satellites because there are noise spikes near the NOAA 19 and NOAA 15 frequencies. These spikes may be caused by the radio itself or USB power supply noise.
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http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/SatProducts.html
Anyway, I appreciate the HAM aspect of getting this signal direct and decoding it. Good job.
Oddly enough with any of my radios I've had the best luck with my HF antenna for the NOAA sats, no clue why. I've been meaning to build a circularly polarized antenna for them for a couple of years but never seem to get around to finishing it.
Same deal for soldering a new connection, these boards are tiny, the traces are tiny, and they're really cheap so it's easy to break/lift a trace. Adding a new connector will help get a slightly better signal from the anteanna by removing a few db of losses from the adapters - but it's also going to create a whole host of it's own issues I'd rather not deal with.
Instead I just accept that the $20 dongle has it's place. It's a ton of fun for listening to strong terrestrial signals but just isn't great as a ground station for sat work. It's great for listening to the local repeaters - but can't decode 1200 baud APRS transmissions reliably either. I can hear lots of APRS activity - but it never gets decoded. Most likely the computer I'm using it on is a little underpowered as well which isn't helping. But I've got a shoebox full of softrock RX's that work great for HF. I just really wanted one of these for all mode VHF/UHF to complement my softrocks and for $20 I got more than my money's worth. But that isn't to say it's a great radio.
Will this work around the world or its limited to some countries?
Given that he has taken the step of wrapping the SDR dongle in foil, I'm assuming he's further doing this to minimize any noise interference.
(As far as i know, in the U.S. you're allowed to receive anything that's "on the air".
When i remember correctly, it is linked to the "freedom of speech".)
Having worked with GOES, Meteosat, and weather radar processing for over 30 years I can assure you that getting involved with this can be extremely rewarding.
For you next project, I challenge you to get this data accurately overlaid onto a high resolution ground map.
Spherical trigonometry is your friend.. :o)
Shaunak