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USB-DVB-T-DAB-FM-RTL-SDR-Realtek-RTL2832U-R820T-Tuner-Receiver-PAL-IEC-Inp

Started by DavePEI, August 18, 2015, 02:41:58 PM

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twocvbloke

I can't do anything 'til the estimated delivery time window elapses (14th Sept. to 1st Oct.), after that it's open season for finding out what's taking them so long...

19and41

When thr letter carrier departs, initiate the action with a letter via ebay and tell them what comes next.  This impedes their ability to conduct further sales.  You will get their attention.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

DavePEI

Just a bit of an update on the SDR and Ham it Up!

Today, I received a 5 foot USA-CA RG316 SO239 UHF FEMALE to SMA MALE cable from WiFi Experts (CoaxRF.com) to connect the Ham it Up! to the antenna directly without using clip leads. Theoretically, it should have improved the match of the antenna to the Ham it Up!, and that it did! Signal strength is much higher.

The bands are full of signals, and I spent as much time as I could listening to broadcast shortwave stations on AM, CHU and WWV, SSB Ham stations, etc. etc. etc.

It is amazing, with the SDR and the Ham it UP!, my computer is now also a general coverage receiver with a bandwidth of a few hundred hertz right up to 2 gigahertz! All for a cost of approximately $100 including the SDR and the Ham it Up unit.

To protect it, I also bought their extruded aluminum case for the Ham it Up! board, which keeps it high and dry, and safe from shorting against anything, and which looks great!

If any of you are interested in general coverage receiving, this is a great way to do it if you don't already have the capability - far less than the cost of dedicated equipment to do the job. I have other receivers and transceivers to do the job, as well, but look forward to using this device.

I found Nooelec's customer service excellent, though perhaps a bit slow responding. When I received the first board with the bad connector, they cheerfully and speedily replaced it. It helped that I was able to photograph the faulty connector with my USB microscope so they could see exactly what was causing the problem.

You do have to play with the setting in SDR# a bit to get everything performing 100%. The major thing is to turn off the  AGC on the dongle, and to adjust the gain by hand through the options in SDR# to obtain a point where only the signals from the Ham it Up! get through.

Then, as I play with it more, I will want to set the offset in my SDR# so it displays the actual frequency, rather than the ~125  Mhz IF frequency plus the frequency of the received station. But it is quite easy to automatically subtract 125 mhz from the reported frequency to get a very close estimate of the actual frequency of the station.

All in all, an excellent experience, and yet another way to use my computer!

Sure hope you get your SDR soon, twocvbloke!

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

19and41

Looks like you will certainly have something to pass the time with when the snow comes!
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

DavePEI

Just a quick photo of the Ham it Up! unit in a case purchased from NooElec and stuck to a fridge magnet to hold it out of the way on the computer case....
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

TelePlay

Quote from: DavePEI on October 01, 2015, 12:23:41 PM
Just a quick photo of the Ham it Up! unit in a case purchased from NooElec and stuck to a fridge magnet to hold it out of the way on the computer case....

That reminds me of a question I've had in the back of my mind for a long time.

How does a magnet affect computer or media? This goes back to strong magnets wiping out floppy disks and magnetic tapes. I've always kept magnets away from anything computer related just to be safe but it seems you are saying a weak magnet, such as one used for mounting display stuff on metal surfaces, won't affect the computer's workings. Even one large enough to hold the Ham it Up! on the computer case. So, help me out here, what is safe and not safe with respect to magnets and computer/computer media.

twocvbloke

Seeing that fridge magnet there reminds me of when I worked at the computer shop, before I started working there, apparently a customer had brought in a computer that wouldn't start up properly or install an OS, and when the tech had a look at it, they found a big, powerful magnet on the back of a fridge magnet stuck to the side of the computer, just like Dave's Ham it up thing, except it was a VERY strong magnet, and it had completely ruined the HDD (wouldn't take a format or anything), so, magnets can still be problematic, especially strong ones... :o

On modern SSDs and flash drives, they have no effect though, but better safe than sorry, keep the magnets away from where the HDDs are located, just to be safe... :)

19and41

I used to keep a mousepad attached to the stde of my bench tower usibg velcro strips with adhesive backs. I then put a area on the bench to stick it to when I needed it flat.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

DavePEI

Hi John:

I doubt that it will affect it at all. It is a weak thin plastic fridge magnet and the case should provide sufficient shielding for it. At any rate, my HDs are far from that area. I didn't want to drill holes on either the Ham it Up! case or in the computer case, so chose this as the best way - it holds sufficiently and allows quick removal. My HDs are located below it behind a grill and case fan  (4 terrabytes) - a considerable distance from where the HDs are located, and I have three external USB drives as well.

At any rate, modern drives are better magnetically shielded than the older types, but I still wouldn't put a magnet directly on them!  :)

However, I do like the suggestion about velcro strips. I may give that a try when I have some.

Dave

Quote from: TelePlay on October 01, 2015, 12:42:41 PM
Quote from: DavePEI on October 01, 2015, 12:23:41 PM
Just a quick photo of the Ham it Up! unit in a case purchased from NooElec and stuck to a fridge magnet to hold it out of the way on the computer case....

That reminds me of a question I've had in the back of my mind for a long time.

How does a magnet affect computer or media? This goes back to strong magnets wiping out floppy disks and magnetic tapes. I've always kept magnets away from anything computer related just to be safe but it seems you are saying a weak magnet, such as one used for mounting display stuff on metal surfaces, won't affect the computer's workings. Even one large enough to hold the Ham it Up! on the computer case. So, help me out here, what is safe and not safe with respect to magnets and computer/computer media.
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

twocvbloke

I've opened a case with the seller of my USB thing, obviously it's either lost, stuck in customs, or they just haven't bothered sending it...

DavePEI




Sorry to hear it was necessary!
Quote from: twocvbloke on October 04, 2015, 11:36:49 AM
I've opened a case with the seller of my USB thing, obviously it's either lost, stuck in customs, or they just haven't bothered sending it...
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

19and41

They should do the right thing.  Their feedbacks should give a good indication of how well they handle such things.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

twocvbloke

Quote from: DavePEI on October 04, 2015, 12:41:23 PMSorry to hear it was necessary!

Well, these things happen, not all sellers on ebay are worth their salt, just hope that I either get the stick or they get a stick across their knuckles...

TelePlay

I've been holding my tongue on since you first started to let us know about the long lost shipment but I just got to say, any chance it was shipped through the black hole known as Opa Locka?   8)

twocvbloke

The tracking number they supplied certainly seems to be a black hole, cos it leads to nothing, anywhere... ???