SDR Quest: Looking for Software Defined Radios for FreeBSD

[Phishfry]

I decided to build a dedicated box for SDR Receivers and FreeBSD. What would be your ideal host SDR machine?

Touchpad/Tablet/Laptop with external dongles.

Touchscreen with Internal dongles.

Embedded amd64 Box with internal dongles.

Some Arm64 box with dongles.

Some thing else??

I plan to convert a pair of Nooelec RTL-SDR dongles to internal 4 pin USB header once they arrive. I like the low cost of these dongles.
I wanted a better jack I can bulkhead mount in a chassis..

I really have a beef with many of the PLUTO+ design. They have a microSD card slot and a dual core cpu. Reset buttons and all that. An embedded OS?
To me that is a security threat. What OS is on that board? Much like Sierra modems with a snapdragon cpu onboard. Do I trust them?

cubicSDR seems to only work with PulseAudio for output???
Do you copy?

 

[penguinslayer]

Do you copy?

I wish I could help. I'm still cutting my teeth on SDR. Maybe one day I'll have something useful to contribute. Meanwhile, it's nice to soak up the knowledge.

 

[Phishfry]

I just got back from a survey of the Home Depot looking for antenna parts.
They had 3/8 hard tube bronze but only 24" stick. So I could make a 1/4-Wave Ground Plane antenna for Marine Band as a start.

Must I use tubing for an antenna? Solid aluminum roundbar is cheaper stronger and easier to work..
Extreme version of question. Could you use all-thread for elements? Is stainless OK for material?

I had these in my used stash. Kinda useless for General Purpose??? One for Cellular Bands and one Wireless.

TerraWave 698-896/1700-2700 MHz 3/3.5 dBi Omni Antenna (M3030035O10006O-B)

DescriptionTerraWave 698-896/1700-2700 MHz 3/3.5 dBi Omni AntennaKey Features and BenefitsExperience the power of seamless connectivity with the TerraWave 698-896/1700-2700 MHz 3/3.5 dBi Omni Antenna. This high-performance antenna is designed to provide reliable, consistent signal strength...

www.solidsignal.com

OD9-2400

The OD9-2400 2.4 GHz Data Transfer Antenna is popular because of its high-performance & rugged construction. It terminates with a female N connector.

www.mobilemark.com

 

[waym0re]

Must I use tubing for an antenna? Solid aluminum roundbar is cheaper stronger and easier to work..
Extreme version of question. Could you use all-thread for elements? Is stainless OK for material?

Aluminum is great, and you can use any type. It's better for the surface to be smooth and uniform, so I would not recommend "all-thread". It sounds like a recipe for distortion at any frequency.

 

[freezmi]

I just got back from a survey of the Home Depot looking for antenna parts.
They had 3/8 hard tube bronze but only 24" stick. So I could make a 1/4-Wave Ground Plane antenna for Marine Band as a start.

Must I use tubing for an antenna? Solid aluminum roundbar is cheaper stronger and easier to work..
Extreme version of question. Could you use all-thread for elements? Is stainless OK for material?

taken from your previous link:

caption said this one is for ADS-B aircraft signals on 1090MHz. you only need the N-Type Amphenol rf socket pair and some spare thick copper wire.
I'd do one of these just for the cuteness factor.

 

[Phishfry]

I bit the bullet and ordered tube to fix myTV Antenna with plenty left over for SDR HF Antennas.

I plan on making a J-Pole Antenna first out of solid 5/16 Aluminum that I had. I like the enclosure approach.

Slim Jim and J Pole calculator – M0UKD – Amateur Radio Blog

VHF is my target. Marine Channel 16 is the hailing frequency. I want to setup SDR++ to record it. 156.8MHz

Antenna Theory website was a nice start.

Since I am concentrating on Receiving Signals the antenna becomes my focus. VHF Channel 16 and adjacent 162Mhz for NWS weather.

I am planning to build a quarter wave ground plane type.

 

[Phishfry]

I saw I/Q settings in some of the SDR software. gqrx seems to work well with audio output working out of box but I can't seem to get it to record in WAV format. Only RAW.

I/Q Data for Dummies

whiteboard.ping.se

Today I finished my J-Pole Antenna. I need to do the electrical work now. I am going to use an SMA connector instead of N or SO259. Using same concept smaller footprint.
I decided to use the center pin of the SMA Male and jump that to other side of the 'J'. I bought pre-made RG58 cable in 25 & 40ft lengths. Should bolt right up..

I started on the hub section for my 1/4 wave ground plane antenna. 3/8" thick aluminum with 4 threaded holes for radials. Center hole for connector.
Possibly SMA male connector on this one too.

I was hoping to pickup Ship AIS data but from my reading you need to be very close to shore. Within a mile with an elevated antenna..