Optiplex GX620 - Dedicated SDR + SAT

[Vipersan]

After several days of trial and error ...having made a suitable pre wireless restore point ..I finally got the wretched Digitazz Wlan dongle to work ..
tested a few drivers/software ...some of which were definately infected web downloads..
Turns out it is a clone Ralink product possibly..??
This device is selling on Amazon ..for a stoopidly high price :-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/300Mbps-WIR...58818099&sr=8-2&keywords=digitazz+wifi+dongle

All this to keep the Keplers TLE data up to speed..

Ok ..on to my next questions ..
I treated myself to a Eurostick antenna ...
I was very tempted by a Discone ...but figured Id enough talking points to annoy the neighbours with ...this looks less in-yer-face ....
EUROSTICK DX 25-2000MHz BASE SCANNER ANTENNA / AERIAL
Id appreciate some feedback on this as it's all new to me ..
Also comments welcomed on suitable switching methods between antennae ...
Obviously Id like to switch betweed my QFH and this new beast at least ...so what do scanner or radio enthusiasts do .. ?
Simple A/B switches (mechanical) or is there an electronic method ..similar to diseqc switching ?

Or _maybe_ it is possible to merge connections from both antennae so both remain connected at the same time...thus no switching needed.

All input on this welcomed.

 

[2cvbloke]

Or _maybe_ it is possible to merge connections from both antennae so both remain connected at the same time...thus no switching needed.

Splitter used as a combiner perhaps? Don't know if it'd end up with other frequencies being rebroadcast inadvertently though, or if the different signals would cancel others out, but it'd combine everything into one cable...

 

[battenfan]

I finally got the wretched Digitazz Wlan dongle to work ..
tested a few drivers/software ...some of which were definately infected web downloads..
Turns out it is a clone Ralink product possibly..??

Maybe I'm too late but a program like usbdeview should reveal what chip is inside, maybe.
View any installed/connected USB device on your system
Ralink sounds familiar, I thought I had drivers for it but I can't find them now. Can't even find the dongle.

 

[battenfan]

Don't know if this is any improvement over kitchen foil:
EMI shielding a RTL-SDR dongle.

 

[Channel Hopper]

No probs Stephen ..Ill leave it up to you and your search ...
If you find one with an internal usb connection of similar height all the better ..
If not at least you have one that will do a temporary job for me..
cheers.

I had another good lokk, a couple more identical low profile ones, still no internal USB connector, but I did find two combined firewire/USB PCI cards with dual internal sockets, but not low profile......

So takes your choice from the images of earlier.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Maybe I'm too late but a program like usbdeview should reveal what chip is inside, maybe.
View any installed/connected USB device on your system
Ralink sounds familiar, I thought I had drivers for it but I can't find them now. Can't even find the dongle.

Ralink became MediaTek a year ago

MediaTek Inc.

If you do find it is the RT5372 (or similar) it has been superceded by the MT7601 which is a far better device.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Ok ..on to my next questions ..
I treated myself to a Eurostick antenna ...
I was very tempted by a Discone ...but figured Id enough talking points to annoy the neighbours with ...this looks less in-yer-face ....
EUROSTICK DX 25-2000MHz BASE SCANNER ANTENNA / AERIAL
Id appreciate some feedback on this as it's all new to me ..
Also comments welcomed on suitable switching methods between antennae ...
Obviously Id like to switch betweed my QFH and this new beast at least ...so what do scanner or radio enthusiasts do .. ?
Simple A/B switches (mechanical) or is there an electronic method ..similar to diseqc switching ?

Or _maybe_ it is possible to merge connections from both antennae so both remain connected at the same time...thus no switching needed.

All input on this welcomed.

That does not look like it would pass 25 - 2GHz signals through it (at least not linear )

Keep the aerials separate with an A/B switch, I can throw a couple in with the PCI board, but you would be the one that has to make the impedance matching circuit and other connections to whatever leads you drag down from the loft space as the connectors are 75 Ohm F plug variety.

Have you got any SWR kit nearby ?

 

[Channel Hopper]

This struck me as being value for money

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CSL-SuperSp..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0PDENJ99QEG9TFDW06XR

 

[battenfan]

Searching http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids for Ralink, they're in several products. We'll need @Vipersan's VendorID and ProductID to guess the right driver. Maybe usbdeview isn't necessary, just look in Windows' Device Manager.

 

[Vipersan]

Not to worry Stephen ..thanks for looking ...
The short height card ..middle one bottom row of the photos you upped yesterday will do once I've modded it ..
Now ...as to the antenna ..R U saying the one I've ordered doesn't meet the spec they advertise it at ?
..Very naughty if so ....they do claim 25mhz to 2000 in the blurb ..
???
Next ..the £6 usb to vga dongle I ordered is a no go ..
I was hoping for backwards compatibility ...and although the drivers installed ok ...and the usb > vga adapter is recognised ...simply plugging in a vga cable ...no monitor attached ..just the D ended cable causes total BSD ..and an endless boot an crash scenario..
My guess fwiw is that the module draws more current than usb 2.0 can provide ..
I did find a similar lump in blue ..
similar price ..and this add clearly states ....Only For USB3.0, CAN NOT support USB2.0

ebay item 321866290288

Still ..it only cost £6 ...but a waste of money nonetheless..
ya live n learn..
;)

 

[battenfan]

Found it. Mine dongle is vendor 148F and product 3070. It's on a Linux box so I probably never had any Windows drivers. No additional drivers needed for Linux.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Not to worry Stephen ..thanks for looking ...
The short height card ..middle one bottom row of the photos you upped yesterday will do once I've modded it ..
Now ...as to the antenna ..R U saying the one I've ordered doesn't meet the spec they advertise it at ?
..Very naughty if so ....they do claim 25mhz to 2000 in the blurb ..
???

;)

Just to confirm you mean the one with the Silicon Image processor. I will throw a couple of A/B switches in the box as well.

Anything can pass 25MHz to 2GHz in blurb, though there may be some 30 + dB attenuation at one end.

 

[Vipersan]

Indeed buddy ...image 20160323 ...
let be know what I owe you..
?
Attenuation I understand ...
I'm just hoping it gives reasonable results ...
Or ..I'll have to reconsider the discone at a later date...
I'd prolly get Digi247 to fit _that_ for me ..
I hate heights ..
lol

 

[Vipersan]

Will I ever learn..
The low profile graphics card I bagged the other day ...arrived this morning so this afternoon I figured I'd get it working with the smaller GX620 for my mum ..
What I didn't know is that it doesn't have a standard dvi connection ..and is the only way to connect a monitor..
Apparently this is a Dell special ...and supports dual vga with a 59 pin Y connector /lead ...
I have loads of standard DVI conversion connectors ..but this is the first time I have encountered this type ..
It is available from China for £3.50 ....or more like £7 over in the UK ..
So perhaps the card wasn't such a bargain afterall ...as I either wait for that slow boat from China ...or pay more than I paid for the card for the Y lead from a UK supplier..
You live n learn ..
DOH!

 

[Channel Hopper]

Will I ever learn..
The low profile graphics card I bagged the other day ...arrived this morning so this afternoon I figured I'd get it working with the smaller GX620 for my mum ..
What I didn't know is that it doesn't have a standard dvi connection ..and is the only way to connect a monitor..
Apparently this is a Dell special ...and supports dual vga with a 59 pin Y connector /lead ...
I have loads of standard DVI conversion connectors ..but this is the first time I have encountered this type ..
It is available from China for £3.50 ....or more like £7 over in the UK ..
So perhaps the card wasn't such a bargain afterall ...as I either wait for that slow boat from China ...or pay more than I paid for the card for the Y lead from a UK supplier..
You live n learn ..
DOH!

Send me an image or two of what arrived. I do have a low profile DVI video card or two which would fit, but I need to find them, and check them out. They are not fancy however.

The last one I bought to use was £3 or £4 from a local exchange shop and has DVI plus Dells own proprietry HDMI rhomboid connector. It had 256MB on the card, so what you might get is not going to be as advanced.

 

[Vipersan]

Send me an image or two of what arrived. I do have a low profile DVI video card or two which would fit, but I need to find them, and check them out. They are not fancy however.

The last one I bought to use was £3 or £4 from a local exchange shop and has DVI plus Dells own proprietry HDMI rhomboid connector. It had 256MB on the card, so what you might get is not going to be as advanced.

Its actually a very nice card I think and will do the job ..
here is a pic orientated to show the connector ..

NVidia NVS285 PCI-E x16 128MB Low Profile Dual-Display Graphics Card
..

 

[Channel Hopper]

This is the one I recntly replced,

 

[Vipersan]

Very similar ..
And that was the sort of DVI connection I thought I was getting ..until it arrived that is..
doh!

 

[Channel Hopper]

Very similar ..
And that was the sort of DVI connection I thought I was getting ..until it arrived that is..
doh!

From the picure of the socket on yours, what you have is a dual header card. You might be able to get a splitter lead to two DVIs that fits.

 

[Vipersan]

From the picure of the socket on yours, what you have is a dual header card. You might be able to get a splitter lead to two DVIs that fits.

Thats what I thought it was ..
I can get one from China for £3.50 ...but will have to wait ..
Not so cheap over here tho'..
double that and add a bit..
lol

..btw ...had a word with Ged ...digi247 and he will fit a discone for me ..
I'm not safe up multi flight ladders any more ..
I've seen the moonraker in stainless steel on offer for 2 days at £44 delivered ..
what d'ya think ?
MOONRAKER ROYAL STAINLESS STEEL DISCONE 2000 !!