Dang - Antennacraft ST2 down - New antenna recs?

[flippinfleck]

Happened to look up at the pole my receiving antennas are on and the ST2 has folded in half. Will get pictures when daylight resumes.

What is the recommended receive-only antenna these days?

 

[ToddDubya]

Can't bend it back?

No personal experience, but discones are popular.

 

[flippinfleck]

Can't bend it back?

No personal experience, but discones are popular.

Doesn't look bent. Seems a piece actually snapped and the top half is flapping in the wind. Up on the roof three stories up so I haven't got a good look at it yet.

I'm hoping to be able to repair it as they don't make this one anymore, I run several broadcastify feeds off of it.

 

[flippinfleck]

Haven't been up on the roof yet but here's what I'm looking at.

Completely missing one of the radials and the whole top section split off at the plastic connector. I wonder if I could use a fiberglass 'marker' to get the top section reconnected? Will know better when I get it down.

 

[flippinfleck]

No gluing this one back together. I added a bamboo stake as a temporary workaround till I can replace it.

My concern is with the bamboo providing an electrical connection when it gets wet. We'll find out tomorrow night, I suppose.

 

[ToddDubya]

No gluing this one back together. I added a bamboo stake as a temporary workaround till I can replace it.

My concern is with the bamboo providing an electrical connection when it gets wet. We'll find out tomorrow night, I suppose.

Bamboo plus zip ties. You've done all you can do for it. It's in God's hands now.

Is it receiving?

 

[flippinfleck]

Is it receiving?

It is. Currently feeding to broadcastify with it.

 

[Coyote33]

It is. Currently feeding to broadcastify with it.

Got a link?

 

[flippinfleck]

Got a link?

Broadcastify - Live Police, Fire, EMS, Aircraft, and Rail Audio Feeds

The world's largest source of public safety, aircraft, rail, and marine radio live audio streams

broadcastify.com

 

[Coyote33]

I meant to the feed you are providing.

 

[flippinfleck]

I provide several. This is Sturbridge, pretty quiet tonight. Sturbridge Police Dispatch Live Audio Feed

Any feeds that I provide I also have a scanner running on a separate antenna that I use for confirmation. I don't tend to listen to the feeds unless there is a problem report or I am away from home.

 

[flippinfleck]

I provide several. This is Sturbridge, pretty quiet tonight. Sturbridge Police Dispatch Live Audio Feed

Any feeds that I provide I also have a scanner running on a separate antenna that I use for confirmation. I don't tend to listen to the feeds unless there is a problem report or I am away from home.

Hmm. Now that I listen to the Sturbridge feed, it seems the SDR may have drifted a bit with the swinging temperature fluctuations. I do Charlton as well. No issues on that one right now. Both fed off the same SDR and antenna.

 

[flippinfleck]

Not so sure it's the SDR dongle at this point. That antenna may have been a bit more damaged than initially thought.

Just not seeing the same performance that I was prior to the snap, monitored all day today in the background.

A discone is within my budget but that 'nominal' 2dBi gain is going to kill me. I'm pretty much right in the center of the towers I monitor and need a bit of gain. Probably going to grab another OmniX and use that for Broadcastify streams. Either that or pick up a multicoupler and move the stream Pis back downstairs as none of my scanners are seeing the same issue.

Hell, may just find someone closer to the towers I monitor and see if they'll host the pi for me as I've got a couple older pi units that can handle a single stream.

*sigh*

 

[JFR2]

I've run a DPD Omni X for 15 years now. It replaced my ST2.

OmniX Scanner Base Antenna

Specs Gain: 3 VHF 4 UHF dBi Pattern: Omni-directional Wavelength: 1/2 Elements: 3 Tuned: 118-137, 148-175 & 225-900 MHz Band: UHF & VHF Connector: N Female Cable: RG8X Cable Length: 16 Inches Height: 45" Width: 30" Weight: 2 lb Features Multi Band-Wide Coverage: The uniquely...

dpdproductions.com

-JR

 

[flippinfleck]

I've run a DPD Omni X for 15 years now. It replaced my ST2.

OmniX Scanner Base Antenna

Specs Gain: 3 VHF 4 UHF dBi Pattern: Omni-directional Wavelength: 1/2 Elements: 3 Tuned: 118-137, 148-175 & 225-900 MHz Band: UHF & VHF Connector: N Female Cable: RG8X Cable Length: 16 Inches Height: 45" Width: 30" Weight: 2 lb Features Multi Band-Wide Coverage: The uniquely...

dpdproductions.com

-JR

Just double checked. I ordered my current OmniX in 2017. Not quite as long as you, but long enough to know it does exactly what I need it to do.

Will most likely just grab one and be done with it. I'll probably have to rub the little lady's feet or back or something so I don't get the stink eye when it shows up in the mail... So, win/win on my part.

 

[flippinfleck]

I already have the mount for a dual-receive setup with transmit as well.

This used to be on the ground in my yard. Flat roof mount with two j-poles (old directv mounts) off to the sides and support for a 10' mast in the center as well. I'll get this up on the roof soon and re-mount everything.

May have to wait till next month for the ST2 replacement. Put a short piece of unistrut across the top to keep everything in line and prevent twisting / shifting.

Looks like this when set up, bunch of cynder blocks sit in the base.

 

[flippinfleck]

Wondering if I've got a couple of counterfeit RTL-SDR sticks. Been running one for a while with rtl_test -p on a spare pi and the numbers are all over the place. Going to let it run another ~15 minutes to see if it settles down. Maybe overnight.

I've got an ADSB specific dongle that should be here Sunday which will free up an older RTL-SDR stick but right now, with the most recent one I received, I'm seeing PPM in the ~50s. Definitely not normal. It seems to bounce way up and way down, won't hold steady.

Still figure I'm going to order a new antenna to replace the ST2.

 

[flippinfleck]

Shipping is outrageous these days.

 

[flippinfleck]

Replacement OmniX showed up today. Screw getting up on the roof in this cold / wind.

Probably a good time to check coax and connectors, make sure everything else is OK before I rebuild. Going to grab some conduit with a 45° angle so I don't have to worry about cable jackets getting abused on the edge of the roof.

Is winter over yet?

 

[Coyote33]

How did you make out?
("After" pictures?)

 

[flippinfleck]

How did you make out?
("After" pictures?)

Haven't been back on the roof, life gets in the way sometimes.