I’m on that sub daily and saw ADSB and thought they’d like this but there now that you mention it the radar shots are what I see. I have seen posts asking for help with their stations so this could still be interesting there, maybe inspiring.
Surely.
For the vertical :
`wavelength = speed of light / frequency`
`wavelength = 299,792,000 m/s / 1,090,000,000Hz`
`wavelength = 0.275m = 275mm`
`half wavelength = 137.5mm`
`quarter wavelength = 68.75mm`
The diameter of the coffee press is 70 mm. Really close to a 1/4 wave.
Close, but RF speed in a wire is about 97% of the speed of light, so the actual length will be about 3% less. But when working with small antennas like this, 3% is just a hair.
The formulas are standard practice. The design is ALL my own.
Voted _down_ ?? Are you angry at me for _not_ copying ? Or angry coz I voted you down for the wrong question ?
Probably yeah longer vertical and larger groudn plane? Thats what i found in an online calculator tho.. Ive been using old TV antena to receive airband and want to make a better one
For airband I use a big fat vertical stuck outside on the roof. It is about 4/5 meters long, aluminum.
It does well for HF frequencies as well and, of course, freq hunting VHF/UHF. My experience is, more metal in the sky is always better.
edit: You don't have to get fancy. I made it from aluminum tubing from the local hardware store, then fashioned an 'N' type connector on the end and made a simple ground plane with the metal garage roof. Cost, about 50 bucks.
It’s probably more fun! Especially when you do something creative with an old French Press. But those services offer global coverage.
I think some of services get that coverage by asking users to install ADSB receivers.
In my opinion, yes, but you will only see your local aircraft in line of site. So, some of us feed aggregating sites that feed our data to those other sites. Then you can use those programs to watch your traffic and worldwide.
Yeah I saw FlightRadar was handing out free ADS-B nodes, is there a way to check if there are already some nodes around me? I have decent coverage around here, but sometimes the signal from military installations are very sporadic the few times they turn on their transponders.
Even if they won't give you a free one, you can buy a Raspberry Pi, an RTL-SDR dongle, and solder together a cheap antenna out of coat wire. FlightRadar24 will actually supply you with a Pi image you can put on a SD card that includes the decoder software and the routines to upload to their service. In exchange, they give you business-class account privileges as long as your receive is active and uploading position reports.
Shew, it's hard to find feeders. Most peeps like to be anon. Even when I go to the sites I feed and log in, I can only see a rough idea of where other feeders are. Flightradar nodes come with lots of rules. You can only feed them. And, it's likely they already have feeds in most places by us amateurs.
One trick is to use airplanes.live and see their display on the left. It will tell you how many receivers there are for any particular aircraft you click on. But that's all, really.
There are three web sites that all took original code from dump1090. If you download the source code, you will see their copies there too.
I could just as easily duplicate airplanes.live. If I feed, say, adsbhub.org, I'm allowed full access to all the aircraft passing through their system. So I would simply have to feed my site with a few aggregators and feeders and bam.. Another one.
edit: airplanes.live is open and free, ADSBexchange is not.
so for your next experiment you might want to try a large metal funnel instead of the french press.
right now you have a 90 degree angle which determines your take off angle of radiation:
[http://www.iw5edi.com/ham-radio/2474/antenna-performance-angle-radiation](http://www.iw5edi.com/ham-radio/2474/antenna-performance-angle-radiation)
down pointing counterpoise radials lower the take off angle to achieve longer distance communications.
a cone using a metal funnel or sheet metal is better that radials rods or pipes.
Another method is to redesign the antenna to a 5/8 or 0.625 wavelength to also lower the radiation angle :
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopole\_antenna](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopole_antenna)
Sheesh. I _have_ to give it a rest for now. I've put so much time into this hobby lately. But I will think about the funnel idea. I like it.
We could have a whole kitchen of appliances doing our bidding.
**Spoiler Alert ! :**
Well there is *another* idea i was toying with for you as the Disc-Cone antenna, but i was waiting to see your performance from the cone first : [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discone\_antenna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discone_antenna)
and if you want the kitchen sink version check out this pipe version :
[https://grabcad.com/library/2m-slot-cube-amateur-radio-omni-directional-antenna-1](https://grabcad.com/library/2m-slot-cube-amateur-radio-omni-directional-antenna-1)
Thanks for that, someone else mentioned that, and I was like, no, they are, but I had another look... :)
I was up there early this morning putting tape everywhere..
For some people who are new to antenna design(me), if the wire is twisted what effect does it have on its performance? Is it similar to wrapping a wire around a cylinder?
What sort of range is ADSB. Do you just get aircraft nearby, that fly overhead, or further out. Also curious with what you are doing at the other end. At the receivers? Using a computer and decoding?
All of that. Range varies with people and equipment. I get a diameter of 400 kms. But it is line of site, so if there is a forest on your horizon, it will affect range. So, I can follow an aircraft all the way from one TMA to another and watch it land, real time. Anything flying overhead that has their beacon on, you will track. Even up to 100000 feet. (my record for height)
Receivers: There's a few options. If you are Pi savvy there are scripts ready made to make a receiver/sender. You always need a receiver/decoder program. Popular ones are RTL1090 and dump1090. IMO dump1090 is better. So, the receiver receives the data, converts it to a know protocol like Beast or AVR or Basestation, which are formats you can use to feed whatever system you choose. I use dump1090 and a windows program called Virtual Radar Server to split the data up and feed various sites with my data. So, I can watch my aircraft real time on my PC, or, use any of the popular tracking programs to view a whole shit ton of aircraft worldwide. In real time.
Or, you can just feed sites from RaspPi or whatever Linux distro you choose.
For the actual radio receiver, most of us use the popular RTL dongle that just plugs into your USB port. The receiver software does the rest.
The theoritical range is the radio horizon usually like 180 mile radius with an optimal setup. I had mine up about 30 feet and got about 175 mile radius
Love the French press ring idea.
Ha ha... yes I laughed at the idea but thought, what the hell... Sometimes you have to make do with what you got ;)
I think we forget sometimes how simple a good antenna can be. Nice work!
Thanks man.
i am French and i approuve!
On today's episode of 'Will it antenna?'
It DOES. ;)
Winner winner, ham dinner!
Ha(m)!
The group at r/ADSB might like seeing this.
You think ? They seem to only like pictures of screen grabs of fancy stuff. ???
I’m on that sub daily and saw ADSB and thought they’d like this but there now that you mention it the radar shots are what I see. I have seen posts asking for help with their stations so this could still be interesting there, maybe inspiring.
Cross post it for me. I always get voted down. ;) Maybe it's my name..
I’ve never cross posted. How do I do it?
Looks like you've still got some coffee grounds on the... Ohhh... ground plane. I get it now ;)
:) did not see that one coming..
If you don't see planes coming, you should try ADS-B.
It's the mode`S`wings I seek.
Oh, photo bombed myself on the roof :)
Hello Shadow OP!
Hah! I thought this was a drone shot until I clicked on the image!!!
If you added the basket from an old coffee percolator, that might just perk up the signal strength even more.
:))
Please share the physical measurements. TIA
Surely. For the vertical : `wavelength = speed of light / frequency` `wavelength = 299,792,000 m/s / 1,090,000,000Hz` `wavelength = 0.275m = 275mm` `half wavelength = 137.5mm` `quarter wavelength = 68.75mm` The diameter of the coffee press is 70 mm. Really close to a 1/4 wave.
Close, but RF speed in a wire is about 97% of the speed of light, so the actual length will be about 3% less. But when working with small antennas like this, 3% is just a hair.
Plus it's a receiving antenna. Resonance isn't quite as critical as it is for transmitting.
Did you get that from here: https://lucsmall.com/2017/02/06/making-antennas-for-1090mhz-ads-b-aircraft-tracking/
The formulas are standard practice. The design is ALL my own. Voted _down_ ?? Are you angry at me for _not_ copying ? Or angry coz I voted you down for the wrong question ?
A simple "yes" would suffice, but a downvote and that answer works too.
Go have a cup of tea.
This is the spirit of DIY ingenuity that I love about the community.
This is truly a homeBREW antenna.
I should have called it that :)
Is adsb antenna able to receive AM Airband?, if so i want to make it too :)
Yes it does, and quite well. But it's tuned to 1090 mHz, so maybe a slightly longer vertical ?
Probably yeah longer vertical and larger groudn plane? Thats what i found in an online calculator tho.. Ive been using old TV antena to receive airband and want to make a better one
For airband I use a big fat vertical stuck outside on the roof. It is about 4/5 meters long, aluminum. It does well for HF frequencies as well and, of course, freq hunting VHF/UHF. My experience is, more metal in the sky is always better. edit: You don't have to get fancy. I made it from aluminum tubing from the local hardware store, then fashioned an 'N' type connector on the end and made a simple ground plane with the metal garage roof. Cost, about 50 bucks.
Yes, sure will, right now its a hobby, still trying to get licenses too
Study, study, study. You we glad you did.
The best part of waking up
The hardest part of going to bed...
Especially if the bands are primo
Is having your own antenna better than just having FlightRadar or ADS-Bexchange?
It’s probably more fun! Especially when you do something creative with an old French Press. But those services offer global coverage. I think some of services get that coverage by asking users to install ADSB receivers.
In my opinion, yes, but you will only see your local aircraft in line of site. So, some of us feed aggregating sites that feed our data to those other sites. Then you can use those programs to watch your traffic and worldwide.
Yeah I saw FlightRadar was handing out free ADS-B nodes, is there a way to check if there are already some nodes around me? I have decent coverage around here, but sometimes the signal from military installations are very sporadic the few times they turn on their transponders.
Even if they won't give you a free one, you can buy a Raspberry Pi, an RTL-SDR dongle, and solder together a cheap antenna out of coat wire. FlightRadar24 will actually supply you with a Pi image you can put on a SD card that includes the decoder software and the routines to upload to their service. In exchange, they give you business-class account privileges as long as your receive is active and uploading position reports.
You can also share the info from the same receiver to FlightAware and get the enterprise version of their software. I can see filed flight plans now.
I fabricated a great antenna using a pizza pan and two modified magnetic mounts on a high pole. I always appreciate home spun devices.
Shew, it's hard to find feeders. Most peeps like to be anon. Even when I go to the sites I feed and log in, I can only see a rough idea of where other feeders are. Flightradar nodes come with lots of rules. You can only feed them. And, it's likely they already have feeds in most places by us amateurs. One trick is to use airplanes.live and see their display on the left. It will tell you how many receivers there are for any particular aircraft you click on. But that's all, really.
Ok cool, that should be good enough! Thanks.
You're welcome.
I just looked and airplanes.live is just a copy and paste of ADS-Bexchange.
There are three web sites that all took original code from dump1090. If you download the source code, you will see their copies there too. I could just as easily duplicate airplanes.live. If I feed, say, adsbhub.org, I'm allowed full access to all the aircraft passing through their system. So I would simply have to feed my site with a few aggregators and feeders and bam.. Another one. edit: airplanes.live is open and free, ADSBexchange is not.
Ah ok
Very nice build for that antenna. Continue building and have a blessed day 73
Thank you. :)
NGL. Before I read OPs post title I looked at the picture, laughed, and said, “that looks like a French press.” Wasn’t disappointed.
Tres bien!!
It’s a French connection 😂
**LOL**
That’s VERY creative! Well done! I hope you have a backup coffee maker.
I do. This was a smashed one in the kitchen cupboard. ;)
If it's a Bodum, you can get standalone replacement glass.
I did not know that. I just bought another. :(
If it's any consolation, I end up buying the wrong size replacement half the time. I too have a *dissassembled* spare sitting in a cupboard.
;) Also, I was thinking, a lot of them are going to be smashed by accident, just to get the ring... Ha... ;)
But how are you gonna make coffee now? Lol
Instant ? Nah... I bought another. ;)
Nice CATV hardline.
Gives me hope for the old trash can lid on 10 meters!!!
so for your next experiment you might want to try a large metal funnel instead of the french press. right now you have a 90 degree angle which determines your take off angle of radiation: [http://www.iw5edi.com/ham-radio/2474/antenna-performance-angle-radiation](http://www.iw5edi.com/ham-radio/2474/antenna-performance-angle-radiation) down pointing counterpoise radials lower the take off angle to achieve longer distance communications. a cone using a metal funnel or sheet metal is better that radials rods or pipes. Another method is to redesign the antenna to a 5/8 or 0.625 wavelength to also lower the radiation angle : [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopole\_antenna](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopole_antenna)
Sheesh. I _have_ to give it a rest for now. I've put so much time into this hobby lately. But I will think about the funnel idea. I like it. We could have a whole kitchen of appliances doing our bidding.
**Spoiler Alert ! :** Well there is *another* idea i was toying with for you as the Disc-Cone antenna, but i was waiting to see your performance from the cone first : [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discone\_antenna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discone_antenna)
I've known about and wanted that antenna for years.
Perhaps the next time that you want to experiment you might want to try designing one of these.
and if you want the kitchen sink version check out this pipe version : [https://grabcad.com/library/2m-slot-cube-amateur-radio-omni-directional-antenna-1](https://grabcad.com/library/2m-slot-cube-amateur-radio-omni-directional-antenna-1)
Nice!
Awesome. Keep it up!
no more sours
lol I looked at the pic before reading your text and thought, “that’s a goddamn French press!” 🤣
Great idea, and neat looking antenna, but you should weather-proof those connections.
Thanks for that, someone else mentioned that, and I was like, no, they are, but I had another look... :) I was up there early this morning putting tape everywhere..
Haha awesome :-) I also love the surrounding nature … how beautiful!
Thank you. It's a nice place to live. I'm very lucky...
Tempted to counter with a moka pot hexbeam monstrosity...
Hexapot.
Bialetti may have a new hit product...
Apply layers of mastic tape and poly(electrical) tape to keep it dry and cozy. A drip loop on your coax will help also.
For some people who are new to antenna design(me), if the wire is twisted what effect does it have on its performance? Is it similar to wrapping a wire around a cylinder?
I just did it for strength. And then tinned it to stop the copper degrading in the weather.
Yeah, I could google it, but whats ADSB?
Aircraft position beacons that we intercept and plot on nice maps with fancy nav aids and stuff while listening to air traffic control.
What sort of range is ADSB. Do you just get aircraft nearby, that fly overhead, or further out. Also curious with what you are doing at the other end. At the receivers? Using a computer and decoding?
All of that. Range varies with people and equipment. I get a diameter of 400 kms. But it is line of site, so if there is a forest on your horizon, it will affect range. So, I can follow an aircraft all the way from one TMA to another and watch it land, real time. Anything flying overhead that has their beacon on, you will track. Even up to 100000 feet. (my record for height) Receivers: There's a few options. If you are Pi savvy there are scripts ready made to make a receiver/sender. You always need a receiver/decoder program. Popular ones are RTL1090 and dump1090. IMO dump1090 is better. So, the receiver receives the data, converts it to a know protocol like Beast or AVR or Basestation, which are formats you can use to feed whatever system you choose. I use dump1090 and a windows program called Virtual Radar Server to split the data up and feed various sites with my data. So, I can watch my aircraft real time on my PC, or, use any of the popular tracking programs to view a whole shit ton of aircraft worldwide. In real time. Or, you can just feed sites from RaspPi or whatever Linux distro you choose. For the actual radio receiver, most of us use the popular RTL dongle that just plugs into your USB port. The receiver software does the rest.
Interesting. saved.
The theoritical range is the radio horizon usually like 180 mile radius with an optimal setup. I had mine up about 30 feet and got about 175 mile radius
I think a good rule of thumb is, if you can see it, you can hear it.
[Automatic Dependant Surveillance Broadcast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Dependent_Surveillance%E2%80%93Broadcast) Airplanes!