Very Confused about Antennas

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Conrad Cardano

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Nov 3, 2025, 3:59:53 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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Hello and Thank You for reading this,

A week ago, I bought a RTL-SDR dongle in order to learn about radio and TV signals.  

I see where some members of SARA use it for detecting meteors. I've been a member for a month now.

After doing some research, it looks like there is a good Canadian TV analog transmitter
which broadcasts at 55.25 MHz.

I would like to detect  meteors at this frequency; but I need an antenna.

The more I read about antennas, the more confused I get.  There are so many types(Dipole, Yagi, ...), each with different characteristics and costs.  I don't understand many of the terms used.

Is there an inexpensive, off-the-shelf antenna that I could purchase?

Your advice is appreciated.


Conrad Cardano
Dye Hill Observatory
Rhode Island, USA

Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 3, 2025, 5:28:48 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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On 2025-11-03 15:59, Conrad Cardano wrote:
Hello and Thank You for reading this,

A week ago, I bought a RTL-SDR dongle in order to learn about radio and TV signals.  

I see where some members of SARA use it for detecting meteors. I've been a member for a month now.

After doing some research, it looks like there is a good Canadian TV analog transmitter
which broadcasts at 55.25 MHz.

I would like to detect  meteors at this frequency; but I need an antenna.

The more I read about antennas, the more confused I get.  There are so many types(Dipole, Yagi, ...), each with different characteristics and costs.  I don't understand many of the terms used.
Pick up a copy of the ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook.   Any edition from the last 40 years is fine.  The first several chapters are theory, including antennas, etc.

The last time I did this (10 years ago) I used a 6M Ringo Ranger, adjusted for the TV band.

But I'm not aware of any Canadian TV stations still occupying the former VHF part of the band--do you have more information on this?



Is there an inexpensive, off-the-shelf antenna that I could purchase?

Your advice is appreciated.


Conrad Cardano
Dye Hill Observatory
Rhode Island, USA
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Mike Otte

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Nov 3, 2025, 5:41:10 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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Yes, the station is at 55.240.   If you are on USB then offset the freq by the audio freq you want to hear at. ie  for 1000 hz , offset the freq to  55.239.000.  They "tune this frequency every month and it slides up and down  ~100 hz

What part of the country are you in?  I have used a wire element dipole with success at demonstrations.  keep it low 1-2 M in elevation 

For more success, use a TV preamplifier before the SDR. 

Mike   w9ys



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Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 3, 2025, 5:45:04 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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On 2025-11-03 17:40, Mike Otte wrote:
Yes, the station is at 55.240.   If you are on USB then offset the freq by the audio freq you want to hear at. ie  for 1000 hz , offset the freq to  55.239.000.  They "tune this frequency every month and it slides up and down  ~100 hz

What part of the country are you in?  I have used a wire element dipole with success at demonstrations.  keep it low 1-2 M in elevation 

For more success, use a TV preamplifier before the SDR. 

Mike   w9ys
Who is the TX station?  I see NOTHING in the current allocation database for this.


Mike Otte

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Nov 3, 2025, 5:53:45 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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CHBX-TV in Canada.



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Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 3, 2025, 5:58:15 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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On 2025-11-03 17:53, Mike Otte wrote:
CHBX-TV in Canada.
Not any more.   I don't know exactly when they turned off their TV channel 2 signal, but it certainly isn't allocated anymore.


Conrad Cardano

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Nov 3, 2025, 6:54:28 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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Hi

I live in Rhode Island.

It sounds like there are no off-the-shelf antennas available.  Am I right?

I’m 72 years old, and building an antenna does not sound easy.

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Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 3, 2025, 7:02:09 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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On 2025-11-03 18:54, Conrad Cardano wrote:
Hi

I live in Rhode Island.

It sounds like there are no off-the-shelf antennas available.  Am I right?

I’m 72 years old, and building an antenna does not sound easy.
Diamond make a discone antenna that is quite broad-band, and will probably work for the stronger reflections.  But as I've observed, here in North America, the
 Tv industry moved away from the VHF band several years ago.  If CHBX is still broadcasting on TV chan2 , it's not in the online licensing database, which means
  they're doing so illegally.

 

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James H Van Prooyen

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Nov 3, 2025, 7:02:14 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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A simple low band TV antenna can be used.
A good example would be Winegard YA7000C
TV Antenna. 

Regards

Jim Van Prooyen N8PQK  




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Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 3, 2025, 7:07:19 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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On 2025-11-03 19:02, James H Van Prooyen wrote:
A simple low band TV antenna can be used.
A good example would be Winegard YA7000C
TV Antenna. 

Regards

Jim Van Prooyen N8PQK 
Like most of the VHF TV antennas these days, they are designed for *high band* VHF and UHF, because North America moved away from using low-band VHF for
  TV broadcasting, and based on my license database searches, very few other applications are "filling in the gap".

In fact, TV CH2 appears to be unallocated within 1000km of my current location.    I don't know how long that situation might last, but if it's going to last for a long
  time, the 50Mhz area might make for some excellent continuum studies, as well as pulsar studies, since pulsars tend to be much brighter at the lower
  frequencies.  This is a case where a YAGI will make more sense than a dish, at least at "sensible" dish sizes.   Food for thought.




Steve Berl

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Nov 3, 2025, 10:14:29 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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I've found an excellent source of old TV antennas is neighboring houses. Next you see a neighbor getting a new roof, solar panels, or any work where there are people working on top of a house, ask if you can have their old antenna. They are usually happy for you to take it away. The guys doing the work will usually help you get it down. Try not to bend any of the elements. They often are brittle and break when you try to straighten them. Also grab the mast. You probably have to buy the mounting brackets that hold it to the chimney if you're putting it up on your own roof as the old ones are usually rusty.

Steve



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Mike Otte

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Nov 3, 2025, 11:03:00 PM (2 days ago) Nov 3
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There is certainly a signal at 55.240 !    look what others, throughout the world, are using for equipment and frequencies on  www.rmob.org   

Certainly look at 6M ham antennas if you want to buy.   I prefer horizontal polarized near the ground, not up on a tower. You want the reflected signal  from the meteor trail not the "direct" signal from the transmitter.  Yagi's are popular.  



HamSci is doing meteor reflection studies during the meteor showers coming up using MSK144 on 50.260 Mhz. I participated back on the perseids shower for a couple  weeks.

There are ham beacons but they send morse code for identity so the transmit time is a small percentage of the whole time and you could miss meteors. Also they are low power.  





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Lester Veenstra

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Nov 4, 2025, 7:49:00 AM (2 days ago) Nov 4
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There are infinite possibilities but. to start, a simple dipole will work fine , orientated broadside to the Canadian transmitter site. A simple preamp that will accept bias from the dongle would help, particularly with a longer run of low cost coax. Make up with center dipoe coax to wire adapter or with two sections of EMT or other tubing clamped to a board.

https://www.westmountainradio.com/antenna_calculator.php

 

 

Lester B Veenstra  K1YCM  MØYCM  W8YCM   6Y6Y W8YCM/6Y 6Y8LV (Reformed USNSG CTM1)

les...@veenstras.com

 

452 Stable Ln

Keyser WV 26726 USA

 

GPS: 39.336826 N  78.982287 W (Google)

GPS: 39.33682 N  78.9823741 W (GPSDO)

 

 

Telephones:

Home:            +1-304-289-6057

US cell          +1-304-790-9192

Jamaica cell:    +1-876-456-8898

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Lester Veenstra

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Nov 4, 2025, 11:09:24 AM (2 days ago) Nov 4
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Antenna assembly   covers 6m

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806013412844.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.32.47ce2WF72WF7rQ&algo_pvid=b2cee229-016d-4fa9-aac1-c157fe226378&algo_exp_id=b2cee229-016d-4fa9-aac1-c157fe226378-31&pdp_ext_f=%7B"order"%3A"14"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%2C"fromPage"%3A"search"%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21USD%21179.45%2193.31%21%21%211272.69%21661.80%21%402101d9ef17622681513667422e8877%2112000036238491204%21sea%21US%21171628410%21X%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29919%3Bd%3A325dd6f4%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895&curPageLogUid=le6cLEZ7rbB7&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005006199727596%7C_p_origin_prod%3A

 

tripod support

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809682744515.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.4.2370443c4SHk66&aem_p4p_detail=202511040658135108552593094160000153808&algo_pvid=4a814fd6-0a72-400a-9d86-1a62de027803&algo_exp_id=4a814fd6-0a72-400a-9d86-1a62de027803-3&pdp_ext_f=%7B"order"%3A"1"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%2C"fromPage"%3A"search"%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21USD%2181.72%2149.03%21%21%2181.72%2149.03%21%40210311cc17622682936823268ec260%2112000050424060772%21sea%21US%21171628410%21X%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29919%3Bd%3A325dd6f4%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895&curPageLogUid=m8jL648TuNoi&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005009869059267%7C_p_origin_prod%3A&search_p4p_id=202511040658135108552593094160000153808_1

 

Lester B Veenstra  K1YCM  MØYCM  W8YCM   6Y6Y W8YCM/6Y 6Y8LV (Reformed USNSG CTM1)

les...@veenstras.com

 

452 Stable Ln

Keyser WV 26726 USA

 

GPS: 39.336826 N  78.982287 W (Google)

GPS: 39.33682 N  78.9823741 W (GPSDO)

 

 

Telephones:

Home:            +1-304-289-6057

US cell          +1-304-790-9192

Jamaica cell:    +1-876-456-8898

 


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Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 4, 2025, 12:43:17 PM (2 days ago) Nov 4
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On 2025-11-03 23:02, Mike Otte wrote:
There is certainly a signal at 55.240 !    look what others, throughout the world, are using for equipment and frequencies on  www.rmob.org  
Interesting.  I re-did my search today, but limited it to ONLY broadcast licenses, and CHBX-TV shows up, in Sault St. Marie, but with a TX power of only 1uW!  I don't know if
  this is a typo, or the license-holder wants to retain the ability to go back "on air" for reelz at some later date.


Mike Otte

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Nov 5, 2025, 11:19:02 PM (11 hours ago) Nov 5
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Tonite i was detecting aurora with the meteor detection station.   The station carrier is at about 435-450 seen on the audio scale on the right.  The time at the bottom is local CST
capt2511060221.jpg
capt2511060349.jpg
capt2511060351.jpg

Marcus D. Leech

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Nov 5, 2025, 11:36:48 PM (11 hours ago) Nov 5
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On 2025-11-05 23:19, Mike Otte wrote:
Tonite i was detecting aurora with the meteor detection station.   The station carrier is at about 435-450 seen on the audio scale on the right.  The time at the bottom is local CST
Interesting.  Wish I had time to spark up my meteor setup again.   But too many other projects.


On Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 11:43:17 AM UTC-6 Marcus D. Leech wrote:
On 2025-11-03 23:02, Mike Otte wrote:
There is certainly a signal at 55.240 !    look what others, throughout the world, are using for equipment and frequencies on  www.rmob.org  
Interesting.  I re-did my search today, but limited it to ONLY broadcast licenses, and CHBX-TV shows up, in Sault St. Marie, but with a TX power of only 1uW!  I don't know if
  this is a typo, or the license-holder wants to retain the ability to go back "on air" for reelz at some later date.


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