Automated Weather Satellite Ground Station (Mostly Made From Trash)

Summary

In this DIY project, the host tackles the task of relocating and upgrading antennas from his house roof to the garage, amidst a rainy day. The project involves working with a QFH VHF satellite antenna, Raspberry Pi, and various other components. The host experiences technical difficulties with wireless mics and software updates, but persists through trial and error. The video documents the process of setting up a GO satellite system, overcoming challenges with signal interference and power supply issues. The host also discusses the use of unconventional materials like plastic pallets for safe roof access and shares his learnings from the process, which includes a focus on trial and error rather than strict adherence to professional guides. The video concludes with a look at the successfully set up geostationary satellite system and the potential for future projects.

Takeaways

• 🌧️ The video begins with the host working on antennas in rainy weather, highlighting the dedication to the project despite the conditions.
• 🎤 The host is testing wireless microphones, showing an ongoing effort to improve audio quality for the channel.
• 🔧 The project involves moving and updating antennas from the house roof to the garage, indicating a hands-on approach to home-based projects.
• 📡 The QFH VHF satellite antenna and Raspberry Pi setup are being repositioned and updated, demonstrating the host's technical skills and interest in satellite communication.
• 🔄 The host mentions wanting to upgrade software to include additional VHF satellites, showing a desire to enhance the capabilities of the existing setup.
• 🛠️ There are challenges with the Raspberry Pi setup, including issues with power supply and software installation, which the host overcomes through trial and error.
• 🏗️ The host installs a concrete base for the satellite dish, illustrating the importance of a sturdy foundation for antenna stability.
• 🛒 The decision to purchase a new Raspberry Pi for the GO satellite part of the project deviates from the usual practice of reusing old parts, emphasizing the need for reliable equipment.
• 🔌 The host experiments with different cabling solutions, eventually opting for coaxial cable over USB extension for better signal quality.
• 📊 The video script includes a focus on problem-solving and learning from errors, which is a common theme in DIY projects.
• 🌐 The setup includes a variety of antennas for different purposes, such as receiving VHF, UHF, and geostationary satellite signals, showcasing a comprehensive approach to antenna array.

Q & A

What is the main project described in the video?

The main project described in the video is the process of moving and setting up various antennas, including a VHF satellite antenna and a geostationary satellite dish, from the house roof to the garage with some repair and update steps along the way.

What weather conditions did the host choose to work on the antennas?

The host chose to work on the antennas on a rainy day, humorously noting that they picked the best possible weather for the task.

What issues did the host encounter with the non-penetrating roof mount for the qfh antenna?

The host encountered issues with the plywood mount starting to peel up on the edges, even with bricks on top to hold it down. This caused the mount to loosen and the antenna to wiggle and make noise in the wind, which was bothersome as it was directly above the host's office.

What is the purpose of the Raspberry Pi in the setup described in the video?

The Raspberry Pi is used in conjunction with an RTL-SDR dongle, a filter, and the qfh antenna to receive and process signals from satellites such as NOAA 18, 19, and 15. It also powers the antenna over USB to keep everything dry.

What software did the host attempt to install on the Raspberry Pi for the satellite project?

The host attempted to install the 2023-2024 version of Raspberry Noah V2, which is designed to include additional VHF satellites for tracking and imaging.

What was the final solution for the Raspberry Pi's power supply issues?

The final solution for the Raspberry Pi's power supply issues involved using a power injector to provide the necessary power, as the standard USB port on the Raspberry Pi draws more power than most USB supplies can handle.

What steps did the host take to ensure the satellite dish is securely mounted?

The host used a concrete Jackhammer to secure the pole into the ground, driving fence posts in really deep and tying everything into the garage for additional stability. The setup was allowed to set for a week before adding the satellite dish.

What challenges did the host face while trying to receive and decode GOES satellite data?

The host faced challenges with signal interference when using a USB extension cable for the Raspberry Pi, which resulted in a degraded signal and difficulty in decoding data. The host also had issues with the positioning of the feed and the type of cable used.

What changes did the host make to improve the signal strength and quality for the GOES satellite setup?

The host switched from a USB extension cable to a TV cable, placed the RTL-SDR right at the Raspberry Pi, and used a power injector to power the Saber filter, which helped to vastly improve the signal strength and quality.

How does the host plan to make the Raspberry Pi setup for the GOES satellite more hands-off?

The host plans to have both GOES receive and GOES process run automatically at startup on the Raspberry Pi, which would make the system more hands-off and allow for automatic updates as new data comes in.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 Rooftop Antenna Relocation and Repair Project

The script begins with the host introducing a project to relocate and repair antennas from the house roof to the garage. Despite the rainy weather, the host is optimistic and starts by testing a wireless microphone. The primary focus is on the QFH VHF satellite antenna, a Raspberry Pi setup, and an unused digital TV antenna. The host describes the process of safely lowering the antenna setup and expresses dissatisfaction with the existing setup due to its movement and noise caused by wind, intending to improve the mounting and guy wires. The Raspberry Pi, which powers the antenna, is also mentioned as needing a software update to include additional satellites. The host's approach to using old parts and repurposing them is highlighted, emphasizing a DIY and budget-friendly method.

05:01

🛠 Raspberry Pi Software Update Challenges

The host encounters difficulties while attempting to update the Raspberry Pi software to a newer version of Raspberry Noah that includes meteor Russian satellites. After several failed attempts with different images, including one by v3b, the host reverts to a backup of the working installation. Eventually, the host manages to get the Raspberry Pi working again by using Debian Bullseye and following a clean install process with the Raspberry Noah installation script. The host also mentions the power supply issues with Raspberry Pi and the need for a special battery bank or wall adapter due to the high power draw.

10:03

🏗️ Setting Up for the Big Seaband Dish

The script continues with the host preparing to mount a large seaband dish. Using a concrete jackhammer, the host secures a pole for the dish, ensuring it is firmly anchored before attaching the dish. The host decides to wait a week for the cement to set before adding the dish. Additionally, the host purchases a new Raspberry Pi and a large micro SD card for the go satellite part of the project, intending to have a fresh setup for data storage and processing. The host also discusses the process of installing go tools and the steps involved in setting up the new equipment.

15:05

📡 Adjusting and Aiming the Big Dish for GO Satellite Reception

The host describes the process of setting up and adjusting a large dish for receiving signals from a GO satellite. There are challenges with hail damage and missing arms on the dish, but the host proceeds with reattaching the necessary components. The host experiments with different antenna feeds, including a cantenna and a log-periodic dipole, to find the optimal signal. After several adjustments and trials, the host achieves success in receiving and decoding GOES data, despite the aesthetic impact on the neighborhood and the host's property value.

20:05

🔌 Troubleshooting Signal Issues with Cabling and Equipment

The host faces issues with signal quality when using a USB cable to connect the SDR and the filter at the dish to the Raspberry Pi. After trying different power supplies, equipment, and USB ports, the host decides to switch back to using coaxial cable, despite common advice against it. The host also considers placing the Raspberry Pi inside the dish dome but opts against it due to the additional requirements for power and cooling. The script details the iterative process of troubleshooting and adjusting the setup to improve signal strength and quality.

25:08

🌐 Finalizing the Satellite Reception Setup and Future Plans

The host concludes the script by detailing the finalized setup for receiving signals from both geostationary GO satellites and meteor satellites. The host has successfully set up two Raspberry Pis, one for each type of satellite reception, and has automated the process for capturing and processing the data. The host also mentions plans to revisit other satellite dishes and antennas in future videos and thanks the viewers for watching. The script ends with the host's intention to explore additional functionalities and improvements in upcoming projects.

Keywords

💡Antenna

An antenna is a device used in radio communication and broadcasting to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves. In the video's context, various antennas are discussed, such as the QFH VHF satellite antenna and a digital TV antenna, which are crucial for receiving signals from satellites. The script mentions issues with mounting and relocating these antennas, indicating their importance in the setup.

💡Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers used for various computing projects. In the video, a Raspberry Pi is used in conjunction with an antenna setup to receive satellite images. The script describes the process of upgrading the software on the Raspberry Pi to enhance its functionality with the satellite system.

💡Dehumidifier

A dehumidifier is an appliance that reduces humidity levels in the air. In the script, a solid-state dehumidifier is mentioned as being placed inside the Raspberry Pi box to keep the electronic components dry, highlighting the need to maintain the right environmental conditions for optimal performance.

💡SD Card

An SD card, or Secure Digital card, is a type of memory card used in portable devices to store data. The script discusses the process of pulling out the SD card from the Raspberry Pi to reflash a different operating system that includes additional VHF satellites, showing the SD card's role in updating and customizing the system.

💡rtlsdr

The rtlsdr refers to a software-defined radio receiver that uses a Realtek RTL2832U chipset. In the video, an rtlsdr is connected to the satellite antenna system to receive signals, which are then processed by the Raspberry Pi. The script mentions the rtlsdr as part of the setup for receiving satellite images.

💡Meteor M23 and M24

Meteor M23 and M24 refer to specific meteorological satellites used for capturing weather data and images. The script mentions these satellites as sources of imagery that the Raspberry Pi system is set up to receive and process, indicating the diversity of satellite sources being utilized.

💡USB Cable

A USB cable is a universal serial bus cable used to connect devices and transfer data. In the video, the script describes issues with using a USB cable for a long-distance connection between the Raspberry Pi and the SDR at the satellite dish, leading to a switch back to coaxial cable due to signal degradation.

💡Coaxial Cable

A coaxial cable, or coax cable, is a type of electrical cable used for transmitting radio frequency signals. The script discusses switching from a USB extension cable to a coaxial cable to improve signal quality for the satellite dish setup, illustrating the trial-and-error process in optimizing the system.

💡Power Supply

A power supply provides electrical energy to a device. The script mentions the challenges with the Raspberry Pi's power supply, as it requires more power than standard USB supplies can handle, necessitating the use of special battery banks or wall adapters for reliable operation.

💡Tar and Gravel Roof

A tar and gravel roof is a type of roofing material that consists of layers of tar and gravel. The script describes the composition of the garage roof and the precautions taken to avoid damaging it when installing antennas, such as using plastic pallets to distribute weight and prevent leaks.

💡Static Charge

Static charge refers to an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The script mentions the issue of building up a static charge when walking on plastic pallets on the roof, which could potentially damage sensitive electronic components like the Raspberry Pi and antennas.

Highlights

The video documents a project of moving and updating antennas from the house roof to the garage.

Testing wireless microphones with the B unit and adjusting the gain to -42 for better audio quality.

Deciding to remove a digital TV antenna that is not in use.

Issues with the plywood roof mount causing the qfh antenna to wiggle and make noise.

The Raspberry Pi setup for receiving satellite signals includes a rtlsdr, a Noah filter, and a qfh antenna.

Using a solid-state dehumidifier to keep the Raspberry Pi setup dry and functioning properly.

Challenges with upgrading the software on the Raspberry Pi to include additional VHF satellites.

Experimenting with different versions of raspberry NOA V2 software and encountering errors.

Successfully installing the OS and raspberry NOA after several attempts and errors.

Installing a concrete base for mounting the big seaband dish to ensure stability.

Purchasing a new Raspberry Pi for the go satellite experiment due to repeated issues with old ones.

Using plastic pallets to walk on the tar and gravel roof without damaging it.

Acquiring warehouse rolly stairs to simplify access to the garage roof for antenna work.

Struggles with setting up the go satellite dish and signal issues with different feeds.

Experimenting with different cabling solutions to improve signal quality for the go satellite.

Successfully receiving and decoding goes data after adjustments and troubleshooting.

Issues with static charge buildup while working on the roof and measures to ground oneself.

Problems with the USB cable for long-distance signal transmission and a switch back to coaxial cable.

Final setup with the big dish, cantenna, L&B inside the cover, and the signal path to the Raspberry Pi.

Using g tools and Vitality goes web server for decoding and accessing satellite images.

The video concludes with a plan to address further adjustments and other antenna projects in upcoming videos.

Transcripts

hi and welcome back to the save it for

Parts Channel where once again I've

chosen the best possible weather to go

up and work on antennas up on my roof

it's a nice rainy day today so naturally

I decided Well yeah let's go on the roof

and a t-shirt no problems I am also

testing out those wireless mics again so

I've got the B unit here I've got the

gain turned like all the way down to -42

so we're going to see if that sounds any

better than it did the last time anyway

today's project is p p in down some of

the antennas from the house roof and

moving them over to the garage with some

intermediate repair and update steps

along the way we're going to start with

the qfh uh VHF satellite antenna the

Raspberry Pi box that's hooked up to

that and the miscellaneous other stuff

involved there this other box on it is

one of those antop uh digital TV

antennas and I don't ever watch TV so I

don't really use this at all I'm just

going to take it off and I don't know

what I'm going to do with it all right

well well I'm pretty sure it didn't

record me lowering this entire rig off

of the roof onto the back porch so

you'll just have to picture a completely

OSHA approved operation right there

while I'm at it I'm going to take down

the PBS satellite dish I've switched

back to the fuzzy rabbit mic on top of

the camera because I still don't fully

trust that wireless mic anyway here's

what we've got going on with the qfh

antenna this is the actual quadri filler

Helix up here and this is on a piece of

PVC pipe so we can slot it into the top

of this other PVC pipe and I had

everything held down to this

non-penetrating roof mount or piece of

plywood with some parachute cord and

some strings so those were my guy wires

that has had some issues the plywood has

started to peel up on the edges even

with a bunch of bricks sat on it so this

thing is loosened up a little bit it

Wiggles I can hear it rocking up there

on the roof and it kind of annoys me

because it's directly above my office I

can hear it wiggling around in the wind

so there's nothing actually wrong with

the antenna I just don't like it on the

house anymore I want it the garage and I

want to redo some of these things like

the guy wires the plywood so here we've

got the guts of the operation we have a

Raspberry Pi which used to be mounted I

thought I had screws on here but

apparently it was mostly hot glue and

standoffs made from wire nuts which save

it for parts you know um that has kind

of fallen off it still works just fine

but it's just flopping around loose in

the Box here which isn't ideal we have

the rtlsdr running up to the newc sair

plus Noah filter and then that runs out

to the qfh that is powered over USB now

to keep everything dry I've got a solid

state dehumidifier in here I don't

actually know how much RF interference

this causes I haven't really compared

the signal with and without the

dehumidifier here but knock on wood so

far it has been working just fine I've

been getting plenty of satellite images

from Noah 18 19 and 15 however I would

like to upgrade the software on this to

the newer version of raspberry Noah that

you includes some of the meteor Russian

satellites I tried that a little bit

before it didn't really work out very

well so um I'm actually going to pull

out the SD card reflash a different

operating system on here that includes

some of those additional VHF satellites

and then I would also like to make room

in this box for a second Raspberry Pi to

hook up to a bigger satellite dish and

get the go geostationary weather

satellite so we're going to have to

leave some room in there for that I have

a little fan at the bottom so when this

gets too hot in the summer we've got a

temperature switch that turns the fan on

there's window screen on that to keep

bugs out and of course I may not have

mentioned I have foil tape all over it

that is another way of shedding some

heat in the summer so that just makes it

a little bit more reflective keeps it

from heating up in the direct sunlight

because otherwise this is a black

plastic box and it would just cook

everything now I've showed how I built

this thing in a couple prior videos I

don't know if this is going to be really

a step-by-step how-to guide for how to

replicate this because like all of my

projects it's kind of a prototype it's

made out of what ever junk I had lying

around with as few things that I

purchased as possible the dehumidifier I

bought the rtlsdr I bought the saw bird

filter I bought the antenna I made out

of plumbing parts um that's been working

just great and I think the Raspberry Pi

was donated to me by somebody so again I

am as cheap as possible so it's Sav for

parts I try to save old Parts I try to

reuse stuff for things they were never

quite intended for that's why we have an

antenna made out of Plumbing throughout

the course of this video I may or may

not make it easier straightforward to

replicate what I'm doing but I will try

to at least mention what I'm doing and

I'll try to throw any links in the

description down below for any software

that I use things like the rtlsdr and

anything else that might be useful for

you to go out and do this on your own

I'm just making an image of the existing

SD card with win32 dis imager that'll be

my backup in case I really screw up and

I want to go back to where I was so next

we're downloading the 2023 2024 version

of raspberry NOA V2 okay I wanted to use

d03 mla's version of this but I couldn't

get it to work I couldn't find any

documentation on it and the how-to video

was in German so I kind of gave up on

that one and I'm going with this other

Edition uh released by v3b so this one

had some problems too it linked to a

Google Document and then a zip file so

the web page does say down at the bottom

and fine print to use szip to unzip this

because apparently they managed to find

a zip format that's not compatible with

Windows not compatible with windzip not

compatible with win a I didn't know you

could get different zip formats I

thought a zip was a zip file all right

well I've left this sitting for about 20

minutes now and it just refuses to boot

so I guess I have to give up on this uh

Noah V2 image as well it just is not

working on my Hardware okay I gave up

and put my backup of the working install

back on the SD card and that is working

just fine so I don't know what the deal

was with any of those other images they

just would not load so I'm going to try

to up upgrade my existing raspberry Noah

V2 installation oh that's giving me new

and even more colorful errors okay

starting over okay and that one failed

with so many error messages that I have

no idea what to do next here that is

just a sea of red seriously I'm not

actually that good at Linux but this is

a new personal best for the sheer volume

of error messages all right well it

seems to be trying harder to install

we've only had a few fatal errors along

the way this took so long that I had to

dig out another power bank my main

complaint about these raspberry pies has

always been the power supply situation

they put a standard USB port on there

for charging but they made it so it

draws more power than almost any USB

Supply can handle so you need a special

battery bank or special wall adapter all

right well took all week but we finally

I think have a working Raspberry Pi

again when people ask me how I became

such an expert at this stuff I'm not an

expert I do a lot of trial and error

emphasis on the error so yeah I've just

been failing with this all week we

finally have the OS installed we finally

have raspberry NOA installed I finally

have all the custom settings so if

you're following along at home the

process that finally worked was to use

uh Debian Bullseye so that's a slightly

older version the raspberry pios I had

to start with a clean install nothing

else run the install and update script

from raspberry Noah without changing any

settings first then go in and change my

IP address change my settings. yml file

and then run that again and it had a few

fatal erors the final run but it did

finish installing so okay next we need

to mount the pole for The Big seaband

Dish I've got my $90 extreme power us

concrete Jackhammer here as I always say

about these things stupid name great

tool I don't even get sponsored by these

guys but I keep buying them cuz they're

that good

after all that struggling with Linux

this is actually the relaxing part

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

all right well that should be pretty

secure there are 900 lb of concrete in

the ground plus those fence posts driven

in really deep plus we're tied into the

garage um I think that's going to hold

up our satellite dish and I'm actually

going to let that set for a week before

I put any weight on it yes it's tied in

up top but I don't want to put the dish

on there now and have it wiggle around

in the wind and work its way loose so I

want that cement to be nice and firmly

set up up before I put the dish on the

top of the pole I've had so many issues

reusing flaky raspberry pies on this

project that I just went ahead and

bought a brand new one for the go

satellite part of this experiment yes I

know this is not on brand for me to buy

something new but I fig it'd be nice to

have a new piece of equipment for once

and these things aren't terribly

expensive now that they're available

again I also went ahead and bought a

pretty big micr SD card because go

satellites generate a ton of data and I

want to have enough space to store all

that so according to this information

sheet we want to do our taxes pick up

our Raspberry Pi put a cold pack on the

pie in case it has a hangover fondle it

gently and then start pulling parts off

of it at least I think that's what this

is telling me so now I'm installing go

tools and I am following the

step-by-step guide on the US radio guy

website I will throw links to that down

in the description below so I've shown

before how the roof of the garage same

as the house is tar and gravel so how

they do that is it's wood joist plywood

tar paper they pour Hot Tar on there and

then they dump gravel on top I actually

paid to have the garage roof redone

right after I bought the house because

it was old it was worn out it was

leaking there was a big lake in the

middle uh the lake was actually right

about where I have all the antennas now

so I know how much effort it is and how

much cost it is to redo that and you're

not really supposed to walk around on a

tar and gravel roof unfortunately it's

kind of wasted space it's it's a nice

flat area it's extra space we could be

using but walking on it especially in

the hot summer sun tends to drive the

gravel down into the tar it can damage

the tar paper underneath and you end up

with leaks again so to try to fix that

or avoid that I went out and bought a

bunch of used plastic pallets from

someone on Facebook Marketplace so I'm

going to pop these Up on the Roof

that'll give us a nice distributed

weight load we can walk on the plastic

pallets without putting pressure points

directly onto the gravel now I'm getting

tired of dragging a ladder out setting

it up climbing up there every time I

want to work on the antennas up on the

garage R

so I picked up some of these Warehouse

rolly stairs this makes getting up on

the garage way easier plus now I can do

things like this without hearing sir

those are for employees only or please

leave Home Depot and never come back now

I have to admit getting this home was

interesting I bought these stairs at an

online Sur plus auction sight unseen

just from two photos they had online and

I assumed this would unbolt and break

down for transport I could put it in my

car or at least on the roof of the car

it doesn't unbolt it's all welded

together so I still got it on the roof

of the car we got it home this way it

just had to avoid freeways and not drive

very

fast yeah this is great look how much

space we have up here now we've got this

whole roof available I need a few more

pallets but uh yeah we can always get

those later and for right now this is

going to be enough to access our antenna

farm so I'm pretty happy with this now

we've got the Raspberry Pi for the go

dish along with the RTL SDR in here but

it's quite a ways over the other dish I

don't want to put this box and the qfh

antenna any closer to The Big Dish

because then it might get shadowed it

might get blocked by the dish and I

don't necessarily want to run a really

long antenna cable because you get line

lost the longer your antenna cable is so

it's a little bit of a quandry I could

build another enclosure like this for

the Go's system and stick it directly on

The Big Dish but I'm kind of lazy and I

already have all my power and ethernet

and everything right here in this box I

had to pull an old rtlsdr out of storage

and stick it in here the one I was going

to use actually broke so you can tell

this one has been really beat up this is

one I've been using for a long long time

I've kind of upgraded to the version 4

this one's the V3 so these are my two

oldest v3s and they're just going to

live in here per permanently now now the

other thing I could do is to move just

the SDR over the dish and power it from

a really really long USB cable maybe

with a power injector in the USB cable a

little hesitant to do that because these

pies are already so power hungry I don't

know if it would handle the USB power

and the RTL SDR and a b this thing is

not going to like that amount of power

draw but we might have to experiment

with this a little bit more all right

it's been a week and our cement is set

up fully so and it's time to pull the

big dish out of the weeds

here so we've definitely got some dents

and dings we've got hail damage but it

really shouldn't matter for something

this large for the go satellite I don't

think some of this damage is going to

bother it um yeah I don't know what

happened here it's like somebody shot it

and we also need to reattach the arms

and this guy the cover for the

electronics so I've got the original

cband L&B receiver here at the focal

point little rectangle here is the

actual receiver everything else is just

wave guide now this is basically the

same as your old Wi-Fi Canna that you

used to steal the neighbor Wi-Fi with

back in the early 2000s um Center probe

here signal collecting can we've got our

antenna mount and yeah I still need to

figure out how to mount it onto here but

that's just details at the

point just need to get everything

adjusted and aimed

correctly so I've been trying to use the

cantenna as the feed and I've been

having some issues with it I had it

positioned out here and it was getting

no signal I moved it in a little bit

it's getting a signal now but I'm not

able to decode anything in sat dump so I

think it's maybe a little too far

forward so we either have to adjust this

can somewhere in the middle or I'm going

to need to try a different feed I've had

decent luck with this little log

periodic Christmas tree feed things so I

spent another couple hours adjusting

that getting it where it has maximum

signal aiming everything and it's worse

than the cantenna so we're going to pull

that off again put the Canna back on all

right I've been cooling around with this

all day and it seems like we're finally

getting somewhere we've got a pretty

good signal in sat dump and we are

actually starting to receive and decode

some goes data well I think this really

adds to the appeal of my property and

beautifies the neighborhood and the city

must agree because despite my best

efforts my property values keep going up

one other thing I should mention quickly

walking around on plastic pallets on the

roof up there builds up a crazy static

charge every time I touched this

grounded Pole I shocked the heck out of

myself so I'm going to have to try to

remember that when I'm working with

antennas and radios and raspberry pies

up here I don't want to fry them with

static charge so I'm going to have to

keep grounding myself against uh one of

these antenna poles so I'm currently

running into a problem with this setup

this is what the signal looks like on my

laptop I had the laptop directly

connected to the USB cable connected up

to the SDR and the filter at the dish

and that is a pretty good solid go

signal now I have the USB cable

connected to a Raspberry Pi I've remoted

into the Raspberry Pi and I'm running uh

RTL TCP again and this is what the

signal looks like on the p and I've

tried different power supplies I've

tried turning off other equipment in

that same box I've tried different USB

ports I don't know what's going on I

don't know why these lines are there or

how to get rid of them they are really

wrecking the signal and I'm not being

able to decode in uh go tools or Saum

anymore that USB cable is just not

working for the long

distance a mouse just ran in front of

me I guess we're going to get rid of the

USB cable we're going to go back to just

coax cable between the dish and the

Raspberry Pi a bunch of people online

say don't use coax cable you lose signal

but the USB cable is losing signal too

and I thought about putting the pie in

the dome here of the dish I I may have

mentioned that earlier but then I would

need additional power up here I would

need to run more cables up the dish I'd

have to have Cooling in there I think

overall that would just decrease the

signal because I'd have so much other

equipment running right at the focal

point of the dish so I'm probably going

to use just regular old TV cable this is

75 ohm impedance and normally I ignore

impedence when it comes to antenna stuff

again best practice is that you don't

want to mix these a lot of people say 75

is wrong and the SDR wants 50 but other

people say it doesn't matter so we're

just going to go ahead and use some TV

cable I've got some adapters to go to

the SDR connectors and then I've got

this other power injector so we might

try um powering the saber filter with

this guy instead of the raspberry pies

by built-in by St just to eliminate more

power drains along the system we've

changed this around about eight or nine

times now during the course of this

video I have moved the feet in move the

feed out change the feed change the

cabling change the raspberry pies I've

basically changed everything from when I

started almost everything other than the

dish itself um this is kind of why I

don't do step-by-step how-to videos in

general because I don't usually know

what I'm doing when I start one of these

I'm playing it by ear I'm experimenting

I'm doing a lot of trial and error and a

lot of my projects are trial and error

they are not necessarily following any

professional guides and when I do follow

professional guides sometimes I run into

problems like a lot of the professional

respected how-to guys said don't use an

antenna cable use a USB extension cable

that didn't work um the math says that

my Canna should be out further a bunch

of people on satellite forums say my

Canna should be out further it doesn't

work at all when it's out further it

gets zero signal where it is right now

is the only position that gets a signal

at all so I don't know um I hate to say

the math is wrong but it seems like 60%

of antenna theory is math and 40% is

just luck what we have right now now is

The Big Dish the cantenna L&B inside of

that cover is the sawbird goes LNA

filter and then the signal is going from

there down this white cable so this is

again just an old television cable uh

not the right impedance or anything that

is coming over here to the electronics

box we made a couple changes in

here so I got rid of that dehumidifier

it wasn't working anymore and I'm just

too afraid of it causing RF noise so

we've eliminated that the Go's GE

stationary signals coming up the white

wire here this is a power injector so

this is basically an external bias te

feeding 5 volts out to power the sawbird

goes then the signal goes into our old

rtlsdr here into the Raspberry Pi 4 and

then uh that goes out through the

ethernet cable to this switch and then

down into our Network the other

Raspberry Pi here is basically unchanged

I've just jammed more cables in the way

of it that one is receiving VHF signals

from this other rtlsdr which is going

via this saber NOA and that is getting

signals from the qhf egg beater antenna

here we do still have our PBS TV antenna

although that's not currently hooked up

to

anything and then we've got the big

UHF antenna which is just on my scanner

right now listening to some ham

repeaters I'm thinking about moving that

because it's a little close to the dish

now I think the dish might be blocking

signals to this in One Direction

although that tree over there is also

blocking that direction so may or may

not want to move uh the big antenna here

at some point we might just push it up a

little more with another piece of pipe

but that's going to be a project for

another day uh we do still have the

linear actuator motor attached to the

dish and I've basically just been using

it as a fulcrum just as a way to move

the dish around uh until I can tighten

up the bolts there it's not hooked up I

don't think it works um yeah these

cables are pretty bad everything's

pretty Rusty so I've not actually tried

to power that dish pointer this thing is

just locked in pretty much permanently

aimed at go 16 and we have really vastly

improved the signal strength and quality

by going to just TV cable eliminating

that USB extension cable having the

rtlsdr right at the Raspberry Pi I'd

like to thank Derrick SGC and some of

the other folks on his channel for

helping me figure out some of the

cabling issues some of the other issues

I was having now I am having one further

issue with g tools I'm trying to

automatically run uh goes receive and

goes proc uh process and I've changed

these over to the user that I have on

this box and the home directory that I

have on this box when I res start uh

this rc. Lo file will automatically

start uh Go's processor but it won't

automatically start Go's receiver all

right so we finally have both goes

receive and goes process running at

startup automatically running it boot on

the pie this took a little bit of

fiddling around um what I was able to do

to get this working since I apparently

have two modern of a P that is too fast

and has too much RAM rc. loal loads too

quickly and so it was loading goes proc

but not goes receive so I went in here

and threw in a sleep 10 in my ATC rc.

loal file that slows everything down a

little bit allows the P to fully boot up

and then it runs the two processes to

get uh g tools operating okay so I've

got g tools working and I also have this

Vitality goes web server working so that

acts as a front end for ghost tools and

and lets me log into the raspberry pi

over a web browser pull up the images

that I want to look at and we can scroll

back through historic images here get a

little animation I could throw this into

uh or photoshop and get an

animation as well and we can look at the

different channels available we can get

mesoscale imagery so closeups of

particular storm patterns that are

interesting we can get our weatherfax

Maps so things like pressure analysis

wave patterns wind and wave forecasts

all kinds of stuff like that and this is

all the stuff that normally comes down

from the go satellit the Vitality goes

system just gives you a little more of a

userfriendly interface to be able to see

this stuff without just digging through

directories and guessing what photos

you're looking at so I also still have

my other Raspberry Pi running and this

is the a meteor lrpt receiver so this

one is using raspberry Noah and it tells

me when the next satellites are coming

by and then it gives me images of those

captures I've been having a little bit

of trouble with the meteor satellite

again I think something might be messed

up with the antenna or maybe I just

bumped the LNA when I was up there so

I'm not getting quite as good of a

signal but as usual we can get our Noah

imagery we can get all the different

channels from that and then when it was

working right we were getting some

better imagery from meteor M23 and

meteor M24 so that's pretty fun so now

that I've got all this set up it should

be hopefully fairly hands off I can log

into the RAs Noah box see the VHF

downloads and then I can log into the go

box the other Raspberry p and I can pull

up all of the images from the

geostationary go satellite and those

should just update automatically as new

data comes in okay well I'm going to

wrap this video up I was going to do a

couple other things here I was going to

play with the uh TV DISH and I was going

to play with the UHF antenna but those

can be in other videos it's already

running really long because it's taking

me so long to get the geostationary dish

set up and the air quality out here is

terrible because Canada is on fire again

there's like a air quality alert it's

really unhealthy out here so I've been

hiding inside haven't been outside to

play around with this stuff again um

we're going to come back to these dishes

we're going to come back to some other

satellite dishes and other antennas in

the future so stay tuned for those if

you do want to see me mess with the uh

TV DISH and that UHF antenna over there

I do have other videos on that so you

can go back can check my back catalog of

Prior videos and of course you can like

And subscribe so you don't miss my

future stuff thanks for watching and

we'll see you next time