New Feeder (UK) - Sugestions for USB SDR device to purchase please?

I am shortly going to set up a feed to ADSB Exchange. I would like some advice on what would be a good USB SDR to use. I have seen some mention that some devices such as the R820T2 USB DVB-T and RTL-STR may not be the best for this use.

I would be grateful for any advice for items that are available in the UK and others recommend.

I already have a colinear for 1090 Mhz, coax and a PI 3+ so am nearly ready to go.

 

Hello EK18,
I have been using the Flight Aware (Orange one) for a few years now, I also have the FA filter attached, they also do a blue one as well, not sure but I think this one may have the filter already installed.
I am also using a couple of nooelec ones, including the Nano 2+ again with no problems, one of these I also use for a SDR on a computer, what can I say but also with no problems.
I guess you have to weigh it up between specifications and cost, what I would recommend though is that you have your antenna as high as possible prefferably in the open. Any dongle you choose will only be as good as your antenna.
Good luck.
Regards.
Colin

 

Thanks for the info Colin. I have gone for the blue Flight Aware one which I believe has a filter. I've just come down from the roof having installed the antenna. Old radio ham here so quite a bit of experience with VHF & UHF antennas.

Although I have the Raspberry PI I also have a linux server which runs H24 so I will look into running the software on that if possible. I quite like the ethos of ADSB Exchange so will be happy to run a full time feed.

Best regards,

Ken.

 

Hello Ken,
Nice, a very popular choice.
Happy Hunting.
Colin

 

FA Blue is a good choice. I got one as I got fed up of waiting for my 1090 LNA to arrive for my RLT-SDR Blog V3. Unsurpringly with a filter and an amp in it it performed much better on my little dipole I have mounted on the inside of the bedroom window. My range went up about 20-30mn and I went from getting 80-90 planes/day to ~150 plane/day. Got the FA antenna in the post yesterday and it is now mounted on the bedroom window (much to the disgust of my S.O.) and PPD is now up to 280+ and range up to 150mn (I live in the bottom of a valley - my range plot is long and thin). Now I just need to work on my landlord to let me replace the disused Yaggi on the roof with the FA antenna.

 

Thanks Richard. My FA Blue should arrive mid next week and I now have the antenna mounted on the chimney. I've got the PI 3+ so will check out a suitable power supply over the weekend. Hopefully get it feeding by the end of next week. I'm in NW UK and about 250' ASL. I know in the past when using an SBS1 that I could see aircraft at FL330+ on the south coast of UK. I hope this setup works out to be similar.
I was thinking of getting it to work on a linux machine but will get the PI working properly before trying anything else.

 

From what I can gather make sure you get a good stable powersupply for the Pi - mobile phone chargers are not up to the job.
Running it on a Pi will be kinder on your electricity bill + plus using the ADSBEx image was really a piece of cake on a Pi.

 

Hang on to your seat Ken you're in for a pleasant surprise with your distance.
Cheers.
Colin

 

now I to am new to this and now Colin and EK18 got me wondering if my choice of the FA green was the right one, granted I still have yet to buy the Raspberry pi should have it by next week, so with that what is the difference between the orange, blue and green?

 

Hello Marty,
Not sure about the green one but I have the orange one and that does not have a filter built in where as the blue one does have a filter installed, I think they are compatible in performance other than that.

I purchased the FA filter after the dongle, making it more expensive than it need have been, not unless the green one is more tuned towards the lower frequency 978 I think, don't use it so have forgotten if that is correct, it's somewhere around there, never have heard of a green one but there you go, I'll have to look it up now.

C

 

My apologies,
I seem to have addressed my last post to the wrong person, it's 05:20 here in the UK, that's my excuse and I have recently been talking to Marty.
Elder, I can't see a green dongle, I thought after that it may be for something TV related but the Orange one has an on board amplifier at $18.75 and the Blue one has an on board filter and amplifier and comes in at $59.99, so I'm sure the Blue one would give better performance at a price yet they are both no good without a decent antenna.
My apologies again for my error.
C

 

Hello Wiedehopf,

Your not kidding it's expensive, that price is from the FA site and they are usually more expensive direct from the manufacturers, I would probably think a cheaper one could be found elsewhere, like you though I thought the Blue and Orange were not that far apart in cost, especially having the filter in the wrong place as well, to have to purchase a filter also, well, that takes it out of a lot of peoples budget I would think. I didn't even know there was a Blue one when I purchased my Orange one, may have purchased the Blue one otherwise, the one I have is still in the loft and plodding away at 4 uploads.

Glad I know about the Green one may give it a look, nice to hear from you Wiedehopf.

Take care.
C

 

Bare with me, I'll have to look through my history to see if I can find the link, I didn't bother keeping it but I will try and find it.
C

 

I can't find the site I got on to, the only thing I can think of is that I was on the FA site and I clicked on another link and it took me to Amazon USA (the price was in Dollars but I spend a lot of time on Amazon and did not recognise the page as an Amazon site, also it may have been the prices of the orange one at the bottom end of their models and a blue one closer to the top end.
I have put together some sites together below, if anybody is considering an upgrade or just getting into ADS-B, comparison sites and prices.
I see now that FA also have an orange dongle on the market now priced at £68 and a blue one priced at £83 and I hadn't noticed before they have now two types of blue the bright one and a dark blue.
The list of suppliers is growing as well, so far I have seen the usual Amazon and Ebay and now PiHut, Radioworld, Moonraker are selling the the FA dongles, I even noticed that Argos are selling them, not sure if they are doing the FA dongles though.
The only prices I found on the FA site are those quoted from PiHut but they are getting very expensive.
I personally am a NooElec fan in fact one of the comparison sites below shows the NooElec mini 2 + at number one but it always comes down to a budget and spec. Also I see that FA are doing an ADS-B antenna for outdoors, it's priced at about $50 (think it's the last one on the link.
The links don't seem to have copied and pasted very well, if they don't work copy and paste what is there and it should go to the page.
I'll keep one eye cocked for that site wiedehopf and post it if I find it, I definitely wasn't seeing things, I do have my history set to flush out automatically but I will find it.
C

FlightAware News and Announcements - FlightAware
http://www.radio for everyone.com/p/group-ads-b-test-19-dongles.html
FlightAware Pro Stick (USB SDR ADS-B Receiver)– The Pi Hut
FLIGHTAWARE PROSTICK PLUS at Radioworld UK
[Updated] Best SDR Dongle Reviews of 2020 | Tested by Experts (sdrradiokits.com)
flightaware pro stick - Bing
FlightAware Prostick vs FlightAware Prostick Plus: Review (rtl-sdr.com)
[Updated] Best SDR Dongle Reviews of 2020 | Tested by Experts (sdrradiokits.com)
Amazon.com: 1090 MHz ADS-B Antenna - 66 cm / 26 in: Home Audio & Theater

 

To be quite honest I wasn't paying much attention to where that little click took me but I do see your point, I know everybody has to make a profit.
Amazon comes up on one of them with currently unavailable, I think it was the dark blue one.
There's some interesting reading in those links, like I said if anyone is thinking of buying a new dongle.
C

 

LOL that's ok Colin actually my name is Tim just everybody calls me elder. and as far as the green one.... that is my fault the one I got is a RadarBox FlightStick now I'm wondering if that one only works on radarbox or what? Hmmm looks like I shall have to buy the blue one for now money is kinda tight as of late but this is the kind of stuff that keeps my mind off of it