Antenna input socket

Useful information regarding antennas for SDR products.
sdrplay
Posts: 978
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:58 am

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by sdrplay » Wed Jan 07, 2015 12:53 pm

Many thanks to Tracey G5VU for pointing out this very low cost source http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BNC-Female-So ... 0936469562 as an interim solution.

sdrplay
Posts: 978
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:58 am

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by sdrplay » Wed Jan 07, 2015 12:54 pm

Hi to Colin. We''d be very interested in hearing your results.

sdrplay
Posts: 978
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:58 am

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by sdrplay » Wed Jan 07, 2015 12:54 pm

I totally agree with g5vu about the F type connector - Why ?\n\nHowever I have solved the problem fairly quickly by the use of these :-\n\nhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271059272276?_trksid ... 3AIT\n\n73 Jondan

sdrplay
Posts: 978
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:58 am

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by sdrplay » Wed Jan 07, 2015 12:54 pm

Thanks to Jondan - the advantage of your suggestion is you get a nice length of coax as well. We are going to start shipping a BNC adapter with each RSP as an interim solution

sdrplay
Posts: 978
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:58 am

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by sdrplay » Wed Jan 07, 2015 1:06 pm

Just to be awkward, my entire scanning/listening station is done with F-types You can''t please everybody!

sdrplay
Posts: 978
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:58 am

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by sdrplay » Wed Jan 07, 2015 1:07 pm

haha. thanks for that :-)

DaveB
Posts: 142
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2015 6:04 pm

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by DaveB » Sun Feb 01, 2015 6:56 pm

Regarding the comment about it being in a plastic box. I would have preferred a diecast box as the SDRPlay radiates a lot of low level spurii. I tested out how much improvement a metal box would give by wrapping it in two layers of kitchen foil, scrunching it up around the aerial connector and ensuring a good earth to the aerial connector by using a cable tie. Not pretty but it is tucked out of sight anyway - and it makes a big improvement. Whilst the foil is also scrunched round the USB cable the usb metal is not in contact with it. Big fat ferrite chokes on both the USB cable and the aerial cable complete the picture.

DaveB

jon
Posts: 433
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 10:48 am

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by jon » Mon Feb 02, 2015 5:41 pm

The technical team appreciated your comments here. They agonised for a long while on screening and decided that actually a plastic (unscreened) box was better.

The problem is that the biggest source of interference is the USB cable and the USB comms...putting in a screened box can often cause the USB interference to get “trapped” inside and generate more problems than it actually isolates. This very much depends on what PC you are using, desktop (well grounded) or laptop (not well grounded).

Probably good that you didn't connect the foil to the USB connector ground since this could inject USB noise to the front end but a lot of this depends on the frequencies of interest and your overall ground arrangement.

We'd welcome comments from others on this topic.

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Quimquim
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 10:40 pm
Location: Quebec Canada

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by Quimquim » Tue Feb 03, 2015 11:38 am

Regarding noise from USB cable there is some cables wih RF choke.

Maybe this could help, to a certain point, to reduce noise. :idea:

Stay tuned !!! 8-)

Quimquim
Stay tuned !!!! :mrgreen:

Quimquim :P

ToymasterUK
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2015 11:53 am
Location: Leicester, UK

Re: Antenna input socket

Post by ToymasterUK » Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:22 am

sdrplay wrote:All measured data for the RSP (see http://www.sdrplay.com/docs/SDRplay_Tec ... n_r1p1.pdf ) is with the F-connector. The principle reason for the choice of the F-Connector was one of mechanical robustness. SMA connectors can have a nasty habit of working loose. That said, we have taken on-board the various comments regarding the merits or otherwise of different connectors and will review this choice again for future revisions of the product
I'm happy with your choice of connector as quoted. Sound - good performance connector as is the USB connector.

As for the plastic case - metal would look the business but on a performance and value engineering level it may not be the best solution.

Cheers
Adrian

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