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small size. Right: HamItUp converter from Nooelec.com
P
revious articles have appeared in Monitoring Times, purchase the HamItUp converter from Nooelec because of the
QST, and The Spectrum Monitor regarding use of the extensive documentation provided and their knowledgeable
DVB-T dongle for VHF/UHF monitoring, but with a staff. The heart of the up-converter is a 125 MHz crystal that
small investment the radio hobbyist can expand the recep- up-converts the incoming signal to bring it into the receiving
tion capabilities of the dongle to include long wave, medium range capability of the dongle.
wave and short wave frequencies. The HamItUp module is composed of SMT (Surface
To review; a DVB-T dongle is a device originally Mount Technology) components and has RF-In/RF-Out SMA
designed to receive DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcast – Ter- (Sub-Miniature Version A) female jacks, an Enable/Bypass
restrial) television and DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) radio toggle switch, and a USB-B port for supplying a five-volt
reception in Europe, parts of Africa, and the Middle East. power source. I use a spare five-volt plug-type power supply
Creative individuals in the software industry realized the from an old digital camera; these can be found at Staples or
potential of these diminutive, economically-priced receivers Radio Shack, along with a USB-A to USB-B cable. A green
as broad band SDRs (Software Defined Radios) and crafted LED located near the USB-B port will glow when the unit is
software programs to allow the dongle to function as a multi- powered on. In addition, you’ll need to purchase the addition-
mode software defined receiver when attached to a USB al pigtails and adapters to connect the dongle to the convert-
(Universal Service Bus) port of a computer. A typical dongle er and the converter to an antenna. These are available at
costs about $15.00 USD and is available via the Internet Nooelec, Amazon or EBay. The interconnections are seen in
from several different vendors. the photo on the next page.
An example of dongle is seen above. Most dongles
will receive from 24 – 1700 MHz, depending on the chipset, Antenna, Tuner and SDR Software Considerations
giving the VHF/UHF listener a wide range of spectrum to
navigate. For those who are already hams and SWLs, you’ll prob-
The good news for SWLs (Shortwave Listeners), Ute ably have an HF (High Frequency) ham or shortwave antenna
(Utility) and ham radio aficionados is that with an invest- already in use, so it’s just a matter of connecting it up to the
ment of about $45.00 USD one can purchase an RF (Radio dongle up-converter and you’re ready to go. Just like any oth-
Frequency) up-converter that, when coupled to the dongle, er shortwave/ham receiver, a good antenna will dictate how
will expand the receiving range down to about 150 kHz. One well reception with your dongle will fare, and at this QTH (lo-
such up-converter is the HamItUp converter available from cation) I use an S9 43 foot vertical antenna that’s been in use
Nooelec (www.nooelec.com). [See photo above.] for several years on the 40 to 10m ham bands. A counterpoise
Of course, one can homebrew their own converter, or consisting of about 50 radials for transmitting was installed to
purchase other brands found on Ebay or Amazon. I chose to increase efficiency. See photo on page 14. This antenna works
Resources:
“Cheap and Easy SDR,” R. Nichols, QST, January 2013. Fine example of an old-school Ray Jefferson RDF (Radio Direc-
tion Finding) receiver. Large ferrite antenna on top was rotated to
“Join the FunCube Fun,” S. Nelson, Monitoring Times, get a “fix” on marine radio beacon.
March 2013. “2014 Shortwave Frequency Guide,” (CDROM), Klingen-
fuss, excellent source for utility and SW station frequencies.
“FunCube Dongle Pro+,” Bob Grove, Monitoring Times,
April 2013. Ham Radio Science www.hamradioscience.com Informa-
tional site for RTL-SDR receivers.
“Virtual Radar from a DVB-T Dongle,” R. Nichols, QST,
January 2014.