RTL-SDR updated L-band patch antenna review - perfect for your SDR radio!
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- The RTL-SDR team have just released a new version of their L-band patch antenna. In this video, I reviewed the new product and compared it to the SDR-Kits L-band patch antenna I had been using up until now.
The antenna was only tested on Inmarsat for this review, however it is specced to receive 1525 - 1660 MHz so would work for Iridium & GPS as well. I may make a future video reviewing it on those frequencies.
Testing was performed by decoding CPDLC transmissions across 600, 1200 and 10500 bps transponders.
Details on the upcoming giveaway will be released in the next video.
----- Links -----
RTL-SDR.COM L-Band Patch Antenna (gen 2) : amzn.to/3xCvAYG
The L-band Patch Antenna can also be purchased from the RTL-SDR.COM store via the following link : frugalradio.co...
For details of the unit, you can read the post on the RTL-SDR blog : frugalradio.co...
You can view my review of the SDR-Kits L-band Patch Antenna at : • SDR-Kits frugal L-band...
If you are into Software Defined Radio, you may enjoy viewing the 2021/2021 SDR Guide : • 2020 / 2021 SDR Guide
And if aviation is your thing, the Monitoring Aviation Communications playlist might be of interest : • Monitoring Aviation Co...
---- Disclaimer ----
I received the RTL-SDR L-Band patch antenna used in this review as a free sample. This did not affect my findings as reported.
Thank you for watching the Frugal Radio (FR) channel!
If you would ever like to make a donation in support of the channel, you can do so at frugalradio.co...
I've been tracking & monitoring ATC locally as well as oceanic for many years now, it's good to see this type of info as it helps to keep things up to date.
I did try to set up a sat monitor but could not get a good enough signal from my qth, watching your video has sparked my interest again so I will try again as it is something that I wanted to do for ages.
Frugal, keep up the good work, I always enjoy your vids!!!
All the best, Mac...
Thanks Mac. As new products become available at good price points, we definitely have more options. Glad to hear you've been inspired to give it another go :-)
I just started getting into SDR. I have a KerberosSDR and now have to figure out which antennas to buy/make because so far all I can catch is local FM radio! Thank you for making these videos, they are really helping me learn the hobby.
You're most welcome Richard, and welcome to one of the most rewarding hobbies on the planet 😀
Nice! You went big right off the bat huh LOL
I started off w/ a pair of Nooelec NESDR SmartV4's primarily for monitoring Ohio MARCS radio system for a lot less money than a digital scanner, but also have gotten interested in other things as I've explored and I'd love to have one of those Kerberos/Krakens for direction finding
Yes, a Kraken would be fun!
It’s brill how every time a new vid is posted it opens up a new selection of frequencies to explore!
There's definately a lot out there to be monitored across the spectrum!
Fantastic , at the moment I'm using an sdrplay rspduo with a colinear antenna and still learning what this radio can do 👍
Thank you Rob for all the great information on SDR'S and receiving possibilities, love your channel !
Thank you Alain 😃
Thanks for this review. I realize now how interesting this band can be.
And now, the question is : what's inside the box ?
I want to remove those 8 screws :-)
Ha ha - should I dare remove them?
@@FrugalRadio please do..
Thank you. Your videos are giving me more courage to give SDR and satellite listening a try. I've always been curious about this, but lacked information and courage to try.
It's definitely worth a shot I'd say, and patch antennas like this are much easier to set up than satellite dishes or helix antennas.
Thanks for the review. I'd like to see sdrangel used in your videos, its author added plenty of features lately and I'd love to see them covered by you in a video or maybe even a series ♥
Hi Fabio.
I haven't used SDR Angel for a while. I'll have to look at it again and see how the project is moving along!
This looks like a great upgrade from the previous version, I'll definitely have to look into getting one. Cheers!
It certainly has a decent amount of gain, that's for sure.
Thanks for testing this. Can't wait to play around on L band.
Yeah, it's loads of fun!
Ok update its saving the files as audio and text, which is fine as long as the text is being saved ..regards Alan
Very good!😊
Thanks for the review. I have just taking the plunge and ordered one.
Great! Hopefully you'll be very pleased with the purchase!
Awesome new antenna
Yeah, it's great. Thanks for the support Ken!
Just ordered one, thanks for the review.
Great @Ron Jr! I'm sure you'll have fun when it arrives.
thanks for this review ive ordered one . I have the old gps antenna and it worked well (i got a mention in radio user mag for my dustbin lid ground plane )
Ha ha, that was you? I saw that in radio user!
@@FrugalRadio Yes my claim to fame . it was my friend mike ladd who put me on to the immersat antenna and i was over the moon when they wrote the article about him and shocked when i saw my name hehehe
My wife bought me this antenna back in November for a Christmas present based on this review. I am located in central Florida and was previously able to pick up Lband aero signal just by placing the modified gps antenna on a metal cookie tin lid in a south-facing window shaded by leafy oak trees. The last signal recorded by Jaero was back in Oct 2019. I have put the antenna outside on top of a fence facing right where Dishpointer says the Inmarsat satellite is located, south and west. After fiddling with this for a month I still have not gotten a 4 point signal or the data light to come on. I can pick up a bunch of single frequency, two point signals from 1511MHz to 1980 MHz but nothing kicks on data reception in Jaero. This has been very much of a let-down since Amazon doesn't have any more and no date when more will arrive.
Good morning Jim. Sorry to hear you've had some problems.
Your issue sounds like it could also be a receiver issue, so I would start there. Making sure volume level is good, bandwidth is correct etc.
I would also reach out to Carl from the RTL-SDR store. He is very knowledgable, and stands behind his products. www.rtl-sdr.com/submit-a-storycontact/
@@FrugalRadio Thanks for your quick response.
You're welcome Jim.
@@FrugalRadio Hi again. Just for grins I thought I'd hook up my old tri-bander scanner antenna to my RSP2 with SDRuno 1.41.1 and look for paging frequencies for Openear. It turns out all the frequencies I could receive on the SDR blog panel antenna I can also get with no antenna at all - 1.536, 1.5377.452,1560, 1608 1632 etc. I never thought of trying this with no antenna.
I will see if I can get this replaced. I made a similar question on a channel monitored by SDRplay and my question got deleted. I also tested with an SDRblog V3 and got similar results.
Pagers use very powerful transmitters. It is not unusual to be able to receive them with a completely inefficient antenna. Although I've never tried picking them up with no antenna connected, I can receive them on short pieces of wire connected to the SMA adapter.
Thanks for the video!! I still hate the sound of China plastic.
Thanks for the video. i placed an order and i'm looking forward to it.
Excellent. Thanks for letting me know.
I see you have a couple of P7100 radios back there. I would absolutely love it if you did a video showing AEGIS digital voice. There is really not much information on that mode online and I've only found one sample of how it sounds, and that was with DES encryption too which I read sounds different from normal AEGIS.
Yeah, I have some Harris radios. These ones are actually P7200s used for P25. I haven't ever played with AEGIS as I use these for RX only.
If you ever run out of ideas for Rtl Sdrs maybe you can start a series on the Ubitx transceiver kits. It would keep with the frugal spirit and it too has a large online community.
I'd certainly love to try the Ubitx transceivers!
@@FrugalRadio I gave my Ubitx5 to a new ham when I got my second transceiver, but you can even solder the rtl sdr directly to the board and after the filters for spectrum and waterfall on the desktop. Great little pieces of kit.
Sounds like they are very capable and a lot of fun!
Really enjoy your videos. I am still a little confused on where to point an antennae to receive the satellite. I am in Central Tennessee. Thanks
Hi Jim. Generally facing south, but it depends on which satellite you're looking for. Your inclination angle would be a lot lower than mine, since you are much further south than me. Depending on the antenna you use, you could probably just let it point straight up, assuming a decently clear view of the sky. Once you find a selection of carriers, you just manipulate the antenna until you get the strongest reception.
Try dishpointer.com - select the satellite you're looking for from the pulldown list, enter your town/city as the location, and voila - tells you direction and elevation!
Great tip, thanks for that!
@@FrugalRadio Than you for the information. I just ordered the patch antenna
you should make a teleprompter for your lens!
Ha ha - yep, I need to do that!!!
Impressive antenna ;)
Great work something to look forward to ,I am learning more and more each day keep it up , I would like to see goes weather sat images can you do that with this patch antenna???
Hi John. No, this antenna is not be able to receive GEOES images.
@@FrugalRadio sutch a shame do you think you could look into ones that might or mods to make it pick up the right frequencies???
Yes John, I would like to pick up a grid antenna and specific LNA to try GEOS. You'll see it on the channel once I acquire the gear and get a video made.
@@FrugalRadio fantastic I cant wait 👍👍👍🌏
nice!
Nice and portable and receives pretty good by the looks of it.. Hey is it possible whenever you have the time to do a tutorial on how to install and set up JAERO.. I tried to install it but didn't work out for me.. everybody shows it fully functional on RUclips but nobody shows you how to install it.. Thank you for your videos, they are helpful especially the ones about aviation I really enjoy them once again Thanks..
Thanks for your comments Robert. I'll certainly consider doing a tutorial on setting up Jaero!
@@FrugalRadio Thanks I surely appreciate it. then I'll be able to use it correctly
Where can I buy the antenna beside the amazon ? Thanks in advanced
You can also purchase the new version direct from RTL-SDR.com store.
What is the application you using on the laptop for plane tracking ? looks like a real ATC TRACON Radar screen.
It's one of the Flight Radar 24 displays available to contributors. When I do the Flight Tracking episodes in the Monitoring Aviation Communications series (ruclips.net/p/PLe5ZKeM2hRBILfL6peRIcETng_DLrm5Kt) you'll get a closer look, and see some even more realistic displays!
@@FrugalRadio Love your channel and I'm hooked and always waiting for new episodes. you got me into SDR ( I'm a Ham and Radio Scanner Enthusiast and have heard about SDR a while back but never got into it until i discovered your channel and caught the SDR bug and since then it has been wonderful. i got my RTL-SDR and Noolec and can't imagine myself without them ... I hope to meet you someday if you come to the US for a visit ..
That's great to hear Lamine. I've been to the US a few times, but not for a while. Hopefully I'll get some more trips in over the next few years.
Thanks, I just order it! 🙂 👍
Awesome. I'm sure you'll have a blast when it arrives!
@@FrugalRadio I do hope so, I found sdr console very good but I can't get the Sdrsharp to work anymore. The community package with all the plug-ins. It starts and a voice saying something about the screen comes.... Then is gone lost. I did tryed on a separate pc and I did installed the runtime package still no effect. If I install the standard version without the plug-ins it works strange enough. Thank you 73! DE1CTL
Great videos man! Just found your channel today, do you think the antenna could be modified for recieving around 1700mhz?
You would have to remove or bypass the filter to receive at 1700 MHz. I would recommending asking over at the RTL-SDR blog if that would be possible.
could you use a direct t v dish to increase gain and senativity
Possibly. Bouncing the signals off the dish will reverse the polarity though, so you'll lose a few dB. Hopefully you gain more with the dish.
@@FrugalRadio i just found a old mentioned dish . just woundered thanks for listening , LOL
I agree pointing the L band antenna into the dish antenna ,dish will change it from RHCP to LHCP resulting in little to no signal, so what about pointing them into another dish double the size as the first and then fiddling with the focus distance for the best signal ,also it would change the now LHCP back to RHCP I think , Rite? Tim
Worth an experiment I'd say!
Hi Rob, I have just purchased a new omnidirectional patch antenna, your video is very helpful in setting up Jaero, one quick question, the logs seemed to be being saved as audio files instead of text files is this correct ? regards Alan
No, logs should be saved as text files as you anticipated.
@@FrugalRadio Thanks Rob
Looks interesting. Is there likely to be anything available using this antenna looking East from Phuket in Thailand. Unfortunately a big hill behind me, so can only look East. Thanks
I would suggest using an app / website like dishpointer. The phone app lets you see the position of the various satellites in orbit, so you'd easily be able to see if the local obstructions would block your view.
Impressive, I do like how my new hobby is relatively inexpensive. As does my wife. ;)
Lol! That's great. Hopefully she doesn't mind your growing collection of radio gear 😃
Leave it to a woman to prioritize money over enjoyment. o_O
She may not be so happy if you start wanting to transmit and begin looking at ham tranceivers lol.
@@omgwtfkthxbai Why bring sexism into this? I'm a woman and I enjoy radio and science too..
@@pmr446 Why? So someone can have a reason to comment, two months later, obviously. :)
Is there a distributor in the UK for this antennae pls?
You can check the list at the RTL-SDR store page regarding distributors. However the antenna has only just been released, so I expect it needs to be direct ordered from China for now.
Too bad it's not rated to go a few dozen MHz higher, else it would also be good for GOES weather satellites. Maybe it would still work, at reduced amplitude? Or do you suppose the frequency response has a relatively sharp cutoff?
Thanks for the review - even though I have the SDR-Kits antenna, I may buy one of these at some point, as I only have a limited view to one of the Inmarsats (house is in the way of a direct view), so my signal levels are low.
Yeah, I don't think it is going to work for GOES at all. A lot more gain would be required for that!
Thanks alot! I have also purchased one after seeing your review.
I can't seem to get Jaero to work on my windows machine however, do you have a link or guide for instructions perhaps?
Appears to be hard to find ;-)
Many thanks in advance!
Are you running a 64 bit version of Windows?
What message do you receive when it doesn't work?
Have you installed a virtual cable to carry sound from your SDR software to JAERO? Are you monitoring in USB mode?
@@FrugalRadio Thanks for your reply!
After thinkering a bit further I actually found the win64 executable on Github, the information on their page is somewhat confusing. Had me worried about compiling all of it myself. So, in short I did get it working. Anyone encountering the same issue I copy the link here: github.com/szpajder/libacars/releases
Now just to find out how to get the Acars/Plane database to work, the database file is not recognized (used the download link in the settings tab of Jaero). Not sure if I still need library files too.
Thanks again for your swift reply.
Could this antenna be used to download LRPT data form NOAA satellites?
No. This antenna is tuned to operate around 1.5-1.65 GHz. It is also directional, and has a built in filter to block frequencies outside this range. This makes it unsuitable for anything other than Inmarsat and Iridium monitoring.
Would this work for transmission as well? I suspect because of the LNA it won't, but am I correct? Is there something like this in this sort of price range, but for both rx/tx? I need it for extending the antenna on an Inmarsat phone, and the only thing I'm finding is marine equipment which is always overpriced.
No, this is a receive only antenna, as you correctly suspected. eBay can't sometimes turn up Inmarsat gear, and might be an avenue to explore.
@@FrugalRadio Thx I'll have a look at that. Btw, any idea how these active antennas for marine that I'm finding works, since they are both rx/tx but only have one SMA connector, and somehow they are able to add gain in both directions (or maybe only on rx, but they are able to have tx on the same line). Promise this will be final question :) thx
I've never used them, so I actually don't know, I'm afraid.
Thank you for the extensive review.
I must ask, do you know/think this is the same or similar L-band active patch antenna of the Outernet/Othernet Dreamcatcher receiver board, circa 2017? I would love to be able to use the one I own + RTL-SDR-V3 for Inmarsat-C messages reception. Thanx, lm
I don't know if the design is based on that. I know that others have successfully used the outernet equipment to monitor L-Band Aero messages though.
While I wait for this antenna, I tried some decoding with the old one, just like yours. Is there a reference somewhere that lists the different transponders for a given satellite? Also, I live in an area that has coverage from two Inmarsat satellites. How can I distinguish who’s is which?
Have a search online for Inmarsat transponder lists. You should find something like www.reddit.com/r/signalidentification/comments/hstjee/inmarsat_list_54w_98w_significant_update/
On that thread there are some frequencies. If you are in Europe, search for Alphasat frequencies, old search by the position : eg Inmarsat 143 for the Pacific bird.
You can tell which satellite you're on by referencing the pmsc frequency.
What is the maximum current required by the patch antenna?
What is the EbNo: shown in Jaero for the 600bps, 1200bps, 10500bps and voice 8400bps?
If the patch antenna is used outside in the sun and it being black, wouldn’t it get hot?
If it did get hot would it be possible that permanent or temporary physical damage due to distortion could occur?
Also would it affect the patch antenna’s performance including the electronics in the preamp?
The EbNo is visible throughout the video as the different channels are explored, so if you look closely you'll see the figures for each in my location.
I'm sure the anternna will get hot, however your questions may be best directed to the RTL-SDR blog guys as I'm sure they have performed testing on various scenarios. Hasn't been warm enough up here for me to give definitive answers.
How do you know what bps to set JAERO to when tuning to the signals in SDR#? Does JAERO automatically detect and decode the data type (voice call versus ACARS transmission, etc.)? Thanks!
No, JAERO doesn't automatically switch.
Easiest way to tell is by the channel width. If the signal is lower than around 600Hz wide, it's 600bps. The 1.2khz channels are the 1200bps, and the 11khz transponders are the 10500bps. The 8400 bps audio ones are generally positioned after the 10500 transponders.
@@FrugalRadio Got it! Okay, so the bps generally follows the bandwidth of the signal/channel, correct? Thanks!
You got it!
Great video Frugal.
This is very similar to what I did when pulling data & audio off of Optus B3 back in the good old Analouge days, then I used a 10.7Ghz LNB with an output of 1.2GHZ.
What is output freq for the patch new antenna. ?
What was the go with the voice that needed to be censored?.
Keep up the great work.🤗
Rgs
Wayne.
The patch antenna doesn't change frequency at all, like your typical LNB, so the output is direct as far as I understand.
The censored bits were callsign components that could have been used to identify sensitive traffic, so I bleeped 'em!
All good @@FrugalRadio I've started the Australian Aviation frequency guide usung Google Maps if that works for you.
Excellent Wayne!
@@FrugalRadio G'day Rob.
I've liked your page on Facebook was looking for a way to communicate direct with you but couldn't msg you through Facebook, how do we hook up more directly would value your opinion on something.
Rgs
Wayne.
Hi Wayne. I keep my email address fairly hidden. If you'd like to post yours in response to this message, then delete it 5 minutes later, I'll use it to email you. I think that the deleted comment will show on my feed, as long as it is during my daytime.
Are you going to run a video tutorial on JCARO? (The software yiu used in this video?)
I may do a Jaero tutorial at some point, if the demand is there. It is fairly intuitive to use. Probably the trickiest part is routing the audio from your SDR to it, but if you've been using virtual audio cables for other things, it's a piece of cake.
I'm a Linux only user. I found Jaero that will run in Linux, but had no idea the setup would require "virtual cable" - I'm afraid my courage to buy the RTL SDR and patch antenna for L band listening just drained away.
I use Linux a lot as well @Paul Moffat. For running Jaero I dual boot into Windows on the Dell shown on the video. That laptop usually runs Linux full time.
I haven't yet found a Linux CPDLC decoder, but the underlying base of Jaero is libacars which is used in several Linux packages for decoding ACARS & VDL2, eg dumpvdl2. So there may well be a way.
I'm Linux you don't need to use a virtual cable, it is possible to pipe your audio directly.
I have a SDR Play RSP DX,
A nice receiver!
thanks for the video Rod. have you ever found 8400 signal on 54 degree sat? i cant seem to find any.
what software are you using for the nuelec smartee?
all the best from NS.
Hi Steve. Yes, I've received 8400 from 54W, but that was when I was in Europe. Haven't tried it from here, although as you will have seen, the 8400 on 98W comes through quite nicely.
Just use the same SDR# for the NooElec dongles.
@@FrugalRadio thanks, for the reply.
What is the Maximum length of Coax you could use to monitor indoors?
Depends on the coax and the frequency. Try a Google search on coax loss chart and you'll see the amount of signal loss that occurs by various distances at multiple frequencies for multiple coax types.
@@FrugalRadio Thanks very much. appreciated.
Be careful with RTL-SDR's Aliexpress site. I bought one of these plus a LNA and they took the money and cancelled the order without notifying me or anybody else. I had to open a dispute to get the money back when I accidentally found out what they had done! Extremely bad business practice and wasted over a month of my time.
Great video though!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you got your money back.
My recommendation is always to purchase through the links in my video descriptions, or at frugalradio.com/rtl-sdr-v3/
This will also ensure you get a genuine product.
You lost me now lol 😂 your a clever ole boy you doing any classes or setting up on teamveiwer ? 😀
Not yet. Hadn't thought of it honestly.
@@FrugalRadio like to download aircraft data but seems very difficult
Hi I have the same RTL L-Band the frequency that you had voice comm on what mode was it on thanks.
The 8400bps voice channels are on USB, just like the regular data channels. You must have the AMBE codec installed to decode them.
@@FrugalRadio
Thank you do you have a link for the AMBE codec have got the RTL L-Band antenna so far havent seen or heard anything on my RSPDuo tried on my other wideband receivers with no success.
If you download the latest, it probably has ambe codec built in - github.com/jontio/JAERO/releases
Hi there I'm pretty new to Sdr..
Can I capture voice frequencies with this Antenna or just data?
Thanks
There are some digital voice frequencies that can be decoded with this antenna, yes.
Man I wanna get one of these now. I have the v1 and it does great on 6 and 1200 but nothing on 10500 or 8400 which is where I'm interested in. Can't find these antennas now though
There will be some new ones available soon from the RTL-SDR store!
@@FrugalRadio just hope I can get the other 2 bps ranges
Understandable. The 10500bps channels are by far the busiest, and there is a good bit of activity on the 8400 transponders. I think you'll enjoy receiving the extra ones.
If you are handy, you can also make your own helical or patch antenna.
@@FrugalRadio yea ive never tried to do anything like that so im not sure if I could do it or not
Same here. I've built some basic dipoles, but the higher gain antennas are a bit more complex.
Here's hoping I win! I had to give up my internet for a year, just to pay for my two RTL-SDR v3 kits...But, I'm back online, now!
Hopefully it was worth it!
@@FrugalRadio after a year offline, going back online, itself, is worth it! 😆
Will the L-band patch antenna also work with the Airspy R2?
It sure will!
Is this antenna capable of receiving all types of bands or just aviation pls?
L band only. So Inmarsat aviation & Marine signals (1.5GHz) along with Iridium signals (1.6GHz).
@@FrugalRadio Ah okay great thanks, I after an antenna that will work across the rtl capabilities, based in Wales. Thanks again.
Yeah, this one is only good for satellite work. Check out the D-777 by Diamond for general aviation monitoring.
I just build one myself today. An L-Band patch antenna I mean.....Not working as I expected it to.
Sorry to hear that Rui. When I looked at making my own, I soon realized it was beyond my capabilities. Hopefully you get yours up and running better.
I also made mine, and indeed the antenna itself is not impressive at all, but I solved it by adding an LNA module from a cheap GPS antenna and to my surprise it works wonderfully.
But you have to get your hands a little dirty and be skilled with the soldering iron, anyway this antenna looks like it works much better and I think it's worth it.
I'm glad the LNA worked well with your patch antenna, and you got it working well. This all in one solution is great for those of us who aren't as handy with a soldering iron 😉
Is RTL SDR without license legal in India?
I honestly have no idea. If you find a definitive answer from a reputable source please let me know.
@@FrugalRadio in the licensing of radio receiving radio apparatus rules
There's no need of a license for a crystal radio
Or one and two band radios
Don't know if rtl sdr fits in here
Well the RTL-SDRs probably would not fit that definition as they mostly cover many bands. If you can find an Amateur Radio society in your area, they may be able to shed more light on the question for you.
@@FrugalRadio laws are for transmission of radio waves
i think anyone would be fine to use a RTL SDR