[Scan-DC] Use a $15 Dongle for VHF voice, Radar, and ACARS monitoring

[Dewey3]

Yes, been using mine for a little while now.  The SDR (Software Defined
Radio) dongles generally run between $15-$30 dollars.  They will cover
something like 54 MHz all the way up to around 2200 MHz with a small break
in the 1200 MHz area.  Been using two with Trunk88, one for the CC and one
for tuning the analog voice.  They are also very fun to use by themselves
because you can be listening to one frequency, and see activity occurring
on other frequencies 1 MHz up or down.  They are not quite as sensitive as
a scanner, and the included antenna is worthless ...BUT... put them on a
better antenna, and they're a ton of fun for $15-$30.  Google "SDR Radio"
to learn more about them.

Dewey


On Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 12:51 PM, Rick Hansen <Rick.Hansen at apsglobal.com>wrote:

>
> Hi, I found this event in an Amateur Radio group on www.Meetup.com. I plan
> to attend.
>
> The $15 Dongle appears to also be good for VHF FM, so Railfans should be
> able to use it too.
> =========================
>
> Wednesday, October 9, 2013
> 7:30 PM
>
> HacDC
> 1525 Newton St NW, Washington, DC (edit map)
>
> http://www.hacdc.org/
> Aircraft Data Monitoring
>
> With a $15 USB dongle you can receive a variety of data from aircraft.
> Martin KB3UJQ will demonstrate tuning in Mode A/C radar, ADS-B and ACARS
> with a RTL-SDR dongle and conventional VHF radio.
>
> We'll be using our roof mounted antenna to track aircraft flying in our
> area
> and monitor their data communications.
>
> ADS-B is an upgrade for conventional surveillance radar for military,
> commercial and general aviation.  ACARS is used like email between aircraft
> and the ground.  The acronyms will be flying!
>
> See more and join the group at:
> http://www.meetup.com/hac-dc/events/141117982/?a=ea2_grp&rv=ea2
>
>
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