Cliff's meteor station diagram :) and works!

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Cliff's radio meteor station that works!

picks up radar echo pings from G-r-a-v-e-s 143.049 mhz

Diagram how i set mine up you mite want to do same

Hope my diagram helps!

[David Smith]

Nice Cliff. With the weather. the way it is cutie moment I think you have the right idea investing in this post of set up.

[The Sailor]

Nice Cliff, interesting

Jim

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Just simple set up and very cheap to buy get sdr for couple quid of ebay get them super cheap from hong kong imports. and easy to get tv/radio signal booster they in argos for about 13 quid look for the ones with little gain control on them, and antenna easy to set up you can buy 144mhz antenna or even make dipole from some bits of copper pipes

and software is easy to set up use Zadig to set drivers for the usb port your using sdr in

and then set SDRsharpe or even use HDSDR software very easy to do take your time reading how to install from sdrsharpe website http://sdrsharp.com/ you have to install stuff and copy some rtl_sdr.dll to sdrsharpe directory.

i use version SDR V1.0.0.1066

and then it's setting DL4YHF's Amateur radio software Audio Spectrum Analyzer Spectrum Lab set all sound input i use virtual audio repeater driver which creates a virtual audio cable. so doesnt interfier with me normal sound card.

and you just experiment changing some settings listening to white noise and you be amazed when echo ping radar sound comes through white noise. or you can even use to listen to Ham radio people, airplanes, taxi's pogsac pagers which you can decode simple, and even weather sats noaa and decode using Xmxtoimg software and even normal radio just like normal scanner does.

can listen to allsorts.

for meteors remember set on usb and on center frequency tune to 143.049.890

and on the frequency bit put 143.048.890

or you can if you got 50mhz antenna use bramms 49.970.000, or 49,990,000

they also few other frequencys you can use for meteors they also the iceland e4 62.252.000

If you need any help just ask i'll be willing to help get you set up.

[madatter]

This looks intresting, just ordered the parts, will build a j-pole over the next couple off day and download the software. Then ill be in touch to ask you way its not working, lol

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Some SDR images example how to set up once you got your sdrsharpe installed

set config sample rate 1024 msps, tick offset tuning, set db gain set around 19-25db i set mine to 22db and set your ppm off set i set it to around 52 - 53 just experiment.

Set frequency!

smoothing i set as this below

Here example of audio of some meteors i captured on mine

http://skycamcliff.h...013_meteors.wav

http://skycamcliff.h...24thfeb2013.wav

As you can hear i pick up echo radar pings once set up correctly it works.

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Couple my latest detections

[Stargazing_Cliff]

I recommend these from hong kong was quick delivery to uk only took ten days i just recently sent off for spare one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170942168690?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Just only need to do bit modding snap of the antenna bit and wire it to your antenna outside or to signal booster like in me diagram

easy done.

[madatter]

Thats the one ive ordered.

[Tom2012]

Sorry to sound daft here. What is a meteor station? I got the impression that you can track moving objects with it?

I apologise for my ignorance.

Tom.

[Stargazing_Cliff]

This give you better understanding what meteor station is

http://www.qsl.net/g0isw/g0iswms.htm

Recieving station monitoring for echo pings from meteor scatter ironised trails/ and other objects from which a cw signal from G-r-a-v-e-s space survielance radar is sending up into space and when something passes it's field of signal like say meteor/ space object it scatters the signal and bounces and reflects back and thats when we pick up the signal.

they is quite few frequency's you can tune to to get echo pings from meteors/ space stuff

they is also the bramms which Is 49.70mhz

Radio recieving stations using forward scattering techniques to study the meteoroid population.

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Thats the one ive ordered.

Nice one

[madatter]

Thank for your help everything seems ok on the pc side now, didnt expect the bits to be here yet, less than a week from HK. havent started on the j-pole yet and im away tomorrow for 5 days.

Thanks again...

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Thank for your help everything seems ok on the pc side now, didnt expect the bits to be here yet, less than a week from HK. havent started on the j-pole yet and im away tomorrow for 5 days.

Thanks again...

No problem like to help show others how to use simple sdr dongle radio to pick up stuff.

and amazing when picks up space radar g-r-a-v-e-s they also others to try out also on yet

which i will do sometime.

once you registered sdr using the zadig software on usb port that dongle is in

you just need to set the sdr sharpe build or even use HDSDR software

but i like sdr sharpe better.

and connect antenna up and little signal booster helps.

and find some frequencys to tune into to test it like try airband frequencys listen some planes radar towers and you know dongles working then.

then set your db gain i set mine to around 22.9

all varies depends on whats local near you.

[Stargazing_Cliff]

This is well cool listened to ISS

[kev]

FWIW Ive ordered one too. I thought that at this rate it may be the only way I do astronomy! ..(and Im sure CLiff being not too far away and on the east coast knows exactly what I mean!)

[kev]

OK, Ive got the DABTV USB from Hong Kong....

Ive found the item on Argos Web site : http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5344235.htm

Now the J Pole. Ive looked around and I see there are different sizes and different frequencies ranges... Maybe Im being thick (bear with me) or not but exactly what am I after please?

Best regards to all trying / doing this

[madatter]

http://www.hamuniverse.com/jpole.html

Im making my own j-pole, 144mhz , im using the above site for the correct size.

[Stargazing_Cliff]

http://www.hamuniverse.com/jpole.html

Im making my own j-pole, 144mhz , im using the above site for the correct size.

Brilliant glad i showed people about these dongles and what they can do.

gets ears on the skies

[kev]

Thanks!

[madatter]

Hi, all up but not running, just white noise, can you post, explain the use off DL4YHF? its lost me!

An idiots guide to setting up would be better if you have the time.

[astro_al]

Hi Cliff,

Thanks for posting about this. It piqued my interest a few weeks ago as I have been looking for a project since I sold my scopes. Spent the last couple of weekends building a Yagi antenna, hooked it all up yesterday and got my first 'ping' this evening. Addictive!

Al

[cthorpey]

Hi Cliff,

Thanks for the inspiration, got pretty much everything working now but can you give me a hint on how to set up the trigger for recording in Spectrum Lab. seems to just record constantly.

Also do you leave sdrsharp on USB when using graves?

Thanks

Chris

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Hi Cliff,

Thanks for the inspiration, got pretty much everything working now but can you give me a hint on how to set up the trigger for recording in Spectrum Lab. seems to just record constantly.

Also do you leave sdrsharp on USB when using graves?

Thanks

Chris

Yes leave it on USB selected on sdrsharpe and tune to around Center 143.049.890 and allways 1khz below so for Frequency 143.048.890

make sure you have set the ppm off set which can be done by tuning into your local volmet repeater station or tune to local radio station and set ppm from that.

with speclab thats what it does records constantly. they quite few options to do with speclab you can also have hourly grabs if the constant screens shots too much to go through.

what i do is i make link on me desktop for 2d screens and me 3d screen grabs from speclab and i just go through them every couple of hours to see if got any big detections peaks.

[JKB]

Hi Cliff

Well I now have all the bits and pieces together after reading this great thread. This afternoon I will set it all up and see what happens. Quick question or two please though.

Yes leave it on USB selected on sdrsharpe and tune to around Center 143.049.890 and allways 1khz below so for Frequency 143.048.890

make sure you have set the ppm off set which can be done by tuning into your local volmet repeater station or tune to local radio station and set ppm from that.

I understand the basics of tuning to graves etc but really don't understand the PPM bit and where do I find frequencies for Volmet? What is PPM and why set an offset?

Thanks

Jamie