detecting meteors with SDR Sharp

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Conrad Cardano

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Nov 12, 2025, 3:04:11 PM (6 days ago) Nov 12
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Hello Again,

I have a Discone Antenna, an RTL-SDR dongle, and a laptop running SDRSharp.

Any suggestions for the settings for SDRSharp?

Thank You.

Conrad Cardano
DyeHill Observatory
Rhode Island


Conrad Cardano

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Nov 13, 2025, 6:45:49 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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I forgot to add that I’m going after the Canadian transmitter at 55MHz

Andrew Thornett

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Nov 13, 2025, 8:12:45 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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Why dont you use Spectrum Lab, as allows you to use a conditional action script to record meteors?
Andy

From: sara...@googlegroups.com <sara...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Conrad Cardano <cardan...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2025 11:45:49 AM
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Subject: [SARA] Re: detecting meteors with SDR Sharp
 
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Conrad Cardano

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Nov 13, 2025, 8:26:21 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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Hi

Thank you for your response.

I installed Spectrum Lab, but have not been able to get it running.  I've looked at the error log,  and it always complains about not being able to install FTDI driver.  I've gone to 
the FTDI site and installed all of the drivers.  I still get error messages.

I just installed SDR Console.  I see that it is used on other YouTube videos.

So my problem is now to find the proper setting for SDR Console.

Any suggestions?

Mike Otte

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Nov 13, 2025, 8:44:18 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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Conrad,
Those are three of the elements of a radio meteor station. ( antenna, (tv preamplifier), RTL-SDR dongle, sdr#,  waterfall spectrum analyzer,  (VR cable), Spectrum Lab)

"A discone antenna has an omnidirectional radiation pattern in the horizontal plane and a narrow, low-angle pattern in the vertical plane, with the highest sensitivity towards the horizon. "
A discone antenna is not ideal for meteors.  You are trying to detect reflections off of meteor trails 60 miles above the earth,  not receive a tv station.  The  reflected signal will be weak.  Two ways to increase the signal are some gain in the antenna (yagi) and a tv preamp in the cable coming in.  The TV station will be radiating at a low angle and illuminate  meteor trails above you or at least nearer you.  Too many people read the "glint" article,  it is not entiriely reality.  A wire dipole cut for 55 mhz 3ft ooff of the ground with a single wire reflector laying on the ground will work better than a discone.

The RTL-SDR  is pretty easy to use but it has too many "knobs".   Set the frequency to 55.239.000 , mode USB,  which will give you a ping at 1000 hz for a passing meteor.  In sdr# > setup  raise the gain almost to maximum (49),  if you use the TV preamp your gain should be less( i run 34).    On sdr# it will be hard to see meteors in the waterfall.   So to start  download another waterfall spectrum program called ARGO.  It is a hamradio spectrum for decoding   but it works without the VRcable.  so it will work to see the meteors.

Dipole, rtl-sdr, sdr#, ARGO   this is the minimum system.

Mike w9ys

  

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Conrad Cardano

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Nov 13, 2025, 8:58:25 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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Thank you, Mike.

Any suggestions on a TV preamp?

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sara-list/CA%2BG65tQkwMsidOBVL5SxOE9ae2%3DarVzxxdM%3DiADAdmkOmv67Nw%40mail.gmail.com.

Mike Otte

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Nov 13, 2025, 9:47:19 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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i use a  USB powered  TV preamp bought off of  ebay.   depending on cable length, you don't have to have a antenna mounted preamp.   I have used various preamps over the years.


w9ys

  

 W9YS

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Conrad Cardano

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Nov 13, 2025, 10:11:54 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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What would be better?

The tv preamp. Or a 6meter band dipole?


On Thursday, November 13, 2025, Mike Otte <mike....@gmail.com> wrote:
i use a  USB powered  TV preamp bought off of  ebay.   depending on cable length, you don't have to have a antenna mounted preamp.   I have used various preamps over the years.


w9ys

  

 W9YS

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Mike Otte

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Nov 13, 2025, 11:25:04 AM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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Dipole first because of seeing high angle signals. TV preamp second to increase sensitivity. 

Mike Otte W9YS

On Thu, Nov 13, 2025, 9:11 AM Conrad Cardano <cardan...@gmail.com> wrote:
What would be better?

The tv preamp. Or a 6meter band dipole?

On Thursday, November 13, 2025, Mike Otte <mike....@gmail.com> wrote:
i use a  USB powered  TV preamp bought off of  ebay.   depending on cable length, you don't have to have a antenna mounted preamp.   I have used various preamps over the years.


w9ys

  

 W9YS

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Conrad Cardano

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Nov 13, 2025, 12:20:43 PM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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Thanks!


On Thursday, November 13, 2025, Mike Otte <mike....@gmail.com> wrote:
Dipole first because of seeing high angle signals. TV preamp second to increase sensitivity. 

Mike Otte W9YS

On Thu, Nov 13, 2025, 9:11 AM Conrad Cardano <cardan...@gmail.com> wrote:
What would be better?

The tv preamp. Or a 6meter band dipole?

On Thursday, November 13, 2025, Mike Otte <mike....@gmail.com> wrote:
i use a  USB powered  TV preamp bought off of  ebay.   depending on cable length, you don't have to have a antenna mounted preamp.   I have used various preamps over the years.


w9ys

  

 W9YS

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Mike Otte W9YS

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Andrew Thornett

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Nov 13, 2025, 12:57:53 PM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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Am i right in thinking that RF filters are of little use in VLF range?
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2025 5:20:37 PM
To: sara...@googlegroups.com <sara...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [SARA] detecting meteors with SDR Sharp
 

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Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 13, 2025, 1:06:19 PM (5 days ago) Nov 13
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On 2025-11-13 12:57, 'Andrew Thornett' via Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers wrote:
Am i right in thinking that RF filters are of little use in VLF range?
VLF antennas tend to be aggressively narrow-band, and if you're sampling with a sound-card, they have built in anti-alias filters that are
  pretty sharp as well.


Jim Sky

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Nov 14, 2025, 1:46:23 AM (5 days ago) Nov 14
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You can also use Radio-Sky Spectrograph with either the RTL dongle or any radio via SDR#.  Its free. https://radiosky.com/specdownload.html.
On Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 3:04:11 PM UTC-5 Conrad Cardano wrote:

Conrad Cardano

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Nov 14, 2025, 7:55:32 AM (4 days ago) Nov 14
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Hi

Thank you all for your help.  I appreciate it as a “newbie” to radio astronomy.

I am not a Ham radio operator.  Many of the settings that I see on SDRsharp and SDR console are strange to me.  Many Youtube videos are presented for the people wanting to listen to satellites, aircraft, or FM radio.  I have not seen any documenation for the recommended settings for meteor detection.

What settings are you using?   A screenshot would help.

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