I want to do a project but don't know what to it's called. Can you help? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: mistercris
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2018, 08:28:46 pm
content: Hi all, I'm fooling around with OA tv antennas and for experimental purposes I wanted to measure/identify the signal from any given location/direction and with various antennas.In my mind, this can't be a unknown or unique idea so I tried to find plans or schematics online but I hit the wall that I don't actually know what I'm looking for might be called.What I'd like to do is set up the antenna and plug it into "my device" and with it be able to ideally identify the stations, the signal streangth and if possible anything else that would allow me to quantify the data as I move the antenna around, try different antenna configurations, etc. Ideally onto an actual screen.Anyone able to suggest what to search for specifically?Thanks!

author: Paul Rose
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2018, 08:46:54 pm
content: You could use a spectrum analyzer like the Rigol DSA-815. Attach the antenna to the input, tune the center frequency and span to the known broadcast frequency, and read the signal strength from the display.A cheaper choice would be a receiver that covers the frequency range that has an RSSI meter ( receive signal strength indicator ), sometimes just called an S-meter.A much cheaper choice would be a cheap USB dongle SDR receiver ( search RTL SDR, or RTL 820 ). There are many software packages that would give you a graphical display of frequency vs signal strength ( like a spectrum analyzer display ).

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2018, 09:30:49 pm
content: What people usually do if the goal is to achieve good TV reception is to find the nearby antenna locations on a map and look up what stations they transmit on what frequencies. Then using a compass, point the antenna in the right direction, tune the receiver to the expected frequencies, and make fine adjustments to the antenna for best reception. If wanting to receive from more than one transmitter, repeat with each transmitter as needed.

author: mikemxyzzy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2018, 11:49:42 pm
content: For the USA this is a great resource:http://www.fccinfo.com/fccinfo_google_earth.php

author: mistercris
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2018, 04:53:09 pm
content: I actually already usedwww.tvfool.comto get the antenna locations -I think I'm lucky in that they all seem to be in a row in line with my house (so basically I should get reception from all the antennas within my range simply pointing in one direction).The reason I'm doing it this way is I want to play around with antenna design as I'd like to make an antenna that doesn't look like an antenna but still functions as one. Don't want to hide it, don't want to stick it inside something else, I want it to be visible and 'artsy' if you get my meaning. But I still want it to work like an antenna. So I thought I'd just try different configurations to see if any of them actually worked and if so how well. I tried to use the actual tv to test but it takes so long for the thing to scan the channels and I want to be able to test changes due to position and location that I want something faster and easier.Quote from: Paul Rose on February 03, 2018, 08:46:54 pmThis sounds like what I might want, any particular app you know of? The spectrum analyzers are way more than I want to actually spend for what I'm doing.

author: Paul Rose
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2018, 09:28:43 pm
content: Quotehttps://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-quick-start-guide/SDR# is the most popular software.