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Radio Antennas:
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Software Defined Radio
For $30 you can get a USB dongle that will let you pick up all kinds of signals. ATC talk, plane location ADS-B data, standard AM/FM and shortwave stations, CB, all the power/water meters in your area, even pager traffic.
Check out /r/RTLSDR Half that subreddit is people picking up NOAA satellites, which is cool, but I'd start with the simpler stuff. Just pick up a local FM station and go from there.
Yeah, and if you want to know what it's sending, get you an RTL-SDR software radio dongle, then compile and run rtlamr on your software development laptop.
Their radios can't tune to FM. I'm not broadcasting on the channel the store uses for communication, I'm broadcasting on an FM radio channel. My radio will switch over to my coworkers' frequency if there's any chatter on that channel, then switch back to the (unused, in this area) FM radio channel I've got my audiobooks playing on.
I use this SDR. My handset has a scanning feature that could theoretically have done the job, but this allows me to survey a much broader spectrum much more quickly.
You might wanna look into an SDR, a >$30 device you can get on amazon and can listen on your computer from 500 kHz to 1.7 GHz. tons of projects you can do with them like tracking aircraft and downloading weather info from NOAA satellites.. i use one to listen to my local police and highway patrol, Cal-Fire has been a big one this year to listen too... i also use it over my network as a garage radio listening to local FM stations, really handy tools to have. and you can listen to most the ham bands with it.
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i started off hooking mine up to a TV antenna just like the one you have in your attic and it worked well. i did end up making a di-pole with to get more all around coverage as that TV antenna is really directional.
agreed - like an old school version of this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGY21GZ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_RHW1SAC5SDXAEWDJHZ28?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I'm another one of the /r/askreddit crowd, and have always had a bit of an interest in amateur radio but never wanted to spend the cash to get started. That thread was exactly what I needed to get going!
My NooElec NESDR SMArt bundle arrived Monday afternoon, I had it and SDR# set up in no time and even managed to pick up some air traffic radio during my test run! I came back to the radio multiple times throughout the day never really finding anything else of interest, I was a bit disappointed. Luckily I made one last attempt before bed and found two gentleman having a conversation on 70mm short band!!! It was so exciting, I couldn't believe what I was listening to, with the stock telescoping antenna no less. Man I'm still excited.
The coolest thing about all of this though was that my girlfriend sat next to me while we searched the waves and she was just as interested and as excited as I was. She's agreed to let me put a discone antenna in the attic of our townhouse, and even pick up a HAMitup converter. I'm so happy. :) We're even discussing getting our HAM operator licenses this fall!
~~So I have some adapter questions about upgrading my setup with this discone, some RG-8 coax, and a HAMitup converter. I know the dongle and upconverter have SMA connections but I have absolutely no idea how to figure out which adapters I would need to connect it all together. Any advice would be very much appreciated, thank you!~~
Edit: /u/ivebeenfurthereven thanks for sharing that comment man, I've found my new hobby and it's because of your post. Cheers!
Edit 2: The folks at NooElec answered my question on Amazon, they are replying to almost every single question on there, top notch customer service!
According to the guides I've seen, and Amazon recommendations (and yes, I agree that's a tenuous slope to start down), the main kit folks are buying is this one (no referral):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME
Agree that just like in Step 1, there is a certain amount of figuring out what hardware you have and need. I was loathe to recommend a particular offering since most of these change over time, and I honestly only have experience with this one package (so far).
I am open to suggestions on how to write "Step 0" :-)
No, they're not adjustable. You'd either need a 49.860MHz transmitter, or a transmitter capable of shifting its transmission frequency, like a Software Defined Radio (SDR).
Honestly, if you're interested in learning about RF stuff, a simple USB SDR like the RTL-SDR is a great little investment, although it won't actually transmit anything, you need a more full-featured SDR for that, like the HackRF.
The antenna is an extendable folding dipole antenna. This is the one I bought from Amazon. It's not the best, but it works!
First off, kick ass find.
I would personally use the ground on the left side near the phono inputs, since you've mentioned the ground wire is in the same sleeve.
You can just snip off the ends off of something like this which came with my Sansui T60 Tuner.
Sounds remnant, though if I were to guess they were suggesting an earth ground or possibly an isolated ground, seeing as there was a potential back then that the actual two prong receptacle box that were common back then might not have been grounded at all.
Before that, I would recommend the 9:1 balun for random wire antennas. These seem to perform the best for me for HF, beyond the loops and miniwhips
Thank you, I just ordered a SDR from Amazon this morning and should arrive later today.
RTL-SDR Blog V3 R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO HF Bias Tee SMA Software Defined Radio with Dipole Antenna Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_0VWFK5QQK1105SZ9F8TF
Any suggestions on filters and additional antennas you'd recommend?
You will be looking for a 300 ohm antenna
That is the official RTL-SDR blog Amazon page
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_596MQ12Y3XZ7DG89R5RP
The first link was the unit by itself and my link is the kit. This is the one I have.
A decade ago, this would've been a job for a $3500 spectrum analyzer. Today, you can do it with a $35 RTL-SDR receiver. The 315 and 433 MHz bands are nicely within its range, and its lack of sensitivity can be a virtue for hunting strong interference like this.
The basic $35 kit is gonna work just fine for what you're doing, you don't need any of the filters or adapters in the more expensive offerings. (Realistically the even-more-basic $22 kit would work fine too, but in the event that you decide this is an interesting hobby to explore further, it's a much worse foundation to start from. Up to you.)
Hie thee over to /r/rtlsdr and hit up the wiki for software. Whatever OS you're running, you want something with a spectrum analyzer or "waterfall graph".
Set it to something like 313-317MHz so you can see a little on either side of the signal of interest. Turn on automatic gain control, then turn it back off (it'll get you in the ballpark). Adjust the sensitivity (gain controls) until the signal on the graph is neither at the top nor the bottom of the displayable strength range.
Then, hold the antenna against (or just in front of) your chest, and slowly turn in a circle, using your body to block the signal as you watch the display. Where it's weakest, the signal is behind you. Lather, rinse, repeat!
There's a good chance that the interference is coming from an appliance or computer or whatever, so another thing you can try, while waiting for that to ship, is ask each neighbor to turn off their main circuit breaker for a minute. Yeah yeah, they'll need to reset the clock on the microwave, but cycling all the breakers is healthy to keep 'em from sticking anyway. If things suddenly work when one particular house is off, unplug individual devices until you narrow it down.
Semi-newbie myself, and i threw my money at this really nice discone antenna. I set it up outside and am very satisfied with the large range of RF i can acquire:
Considering I think I got Haysville (but it's re-broadcast as I understand it) and I'm kinda NE off of an rtl-sdr.com one, I think this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/ is what I have. Maybe an earlier version?
2 of those and you should be good. (There are others, with the same chip+tuner, but I haven't used them.)
Try amazon smile to donate to charity automatically at no cost to you!
https://smile.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Defined/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=RTL-SDR+Blog&qid=1601409164&sr=8-3
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Surprisingly, I've been very happy with the Abbree foldable whip I got on Amazon. It comes in lengths from 13"-42" (33-107cm). I got the 18.8"/48cm version and it outperformed my 771 on both bands. It folds up too like a military tactical antenna for easier storage. A couple of people have reviewed them on Youtube and liked them. I'm thinking of getting the 42" just to be absurd about it.
ABBREE SMA-Female Dual Band VHF/UHF 144/430MHz High Gain Soft Whip Foldable CS Tactical Antenna for Baofeng UV-5R UV-82 BF-F8HP Ham Two Way Radio (18.8in) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GYKN6ZD
I would look into SDRs and radio and work to get your amateur radio license. Getting licensed is a good way to learn a lot about basic circuits and a good way to pick up some scholarships along the way.
I would start with a RTL-SDR. A full kit is about a $40 investment. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HVUEME/ref=as\_li\_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B011HVUEME&linkCode=as2&tag=rsv0f-20&linkId=b3bd3c48a6a7e921144609cb59359f0e
https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-Balun-One-Nine-Applications/dp/B00R09WHT6
I use this and some scrap speaker wire for listening sub 20Mhz. you can easily get the adapter you need on amazon, so no soldering is required unless you wanna do that.
Buy an RTL-SDR and download SDR++. That setup won’t transmit though. If you’re in the US, buy the ARRL technician license manual and read about what you’re getting into to be allowed to transmit. r/amateurradio is a good place to ask when you have questions. I say this not to discourage, but to warn—as others have said, most of the radio spectrum is licensed out to various people/organizations/functions.
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>300 ohm fm antenna
this. Easiest solution. These simple things perform surprisingly well.
This little guy should do it.
They are a little bit of work to setup right. I suggest visiting r/RTLSDR for more info on how they work.
That being said, this kit on Amazon seems to be a good little starter setup for around 40 dollars.
Your Pixel loop should be able to pick up NDBs and AM broadcasters much farther away at night. That you hear them with the miniwhip may just be that its preamp lifts the signal more. However, the difference between NV and GA with the same equipment indicates that something else might be amiss. Could it be that you have a lot more local noise where you are now, and that the miniwhip (which is very susceptible for noise on the other hand) just got the best spot away from the noise?
As for the Hi-Z port on the RSP2, I'd recommend converting it into a low impedance input using a cheap 9:1 balun like the Nooelec one-nine in reverse:
https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-Balun-One-Nine-Applications/dp/B00R09WHT6
IOW you can use 2 short plain wire jumpers to connect the RSP terminal piece to the balun terminals and get a low-z input with SMA. There is a small 0 Ohm bridge on the PCB backside of that balun marked "R1" on the circuit diagram. If you cut that connection you also get full galvanic isolation which could help with noise pickup.
You can clip 10-20 feet of any old wire to the antenna and throw it out a window. That can drastically improve reception.
Then just pull the wire back inside when finished listening, and no one's the wiser to your 'stealth' shortwave radio listening station.
EDIT - Here's just the thing, a retractable 'reel' antenna with a clip for just such a setup. Under 20 bucks :
https://www.amazon.com/Sangean-ANT-60-Short-Wave-Antenna/dp/B000023VW2
Here's a video review of it :
You are asking wrong questions but that's ok because that is how we learn.
Airband has no channels like marine or public safety or CB radios do.
Channels are like a speed dial on an old phone. A channel so and so has a such and such frequency programmed into it. On some radios, notably CB and marine, channel so and so is the same frequency for everyone. Dial in CB channel 19 and you are talking to truckers. Dial in channel 16 on a marine radio and you are talking to coast guard. Public safety radios are different for every agency. Their channels are programmed with whatever frequencies they are authorized to use. Channel 1 is different for cops in your city vs mine.
All that said, airband has no such thing at all. It's like your car radio. Pilots dial in a frequency directly. Airband is between 118 MHz and 137 MHz. Any $100 scanner can pick up those frequencies. Just make sure it has AM demodulation. An FM receiver would pick it up but it would sound distorted. (Yeah AM and FM aren't different frequencies they are different ways of modulating voice onto a radio carrier wave.)
If you feel adventurous you can pick up an SDR on Amazon:
....and download the software to make it work. HD-SDR and SDR# are most popular.