AirNav Systems Forum

I have just acquired a RTL/SDR dongle and I'm using it with my old RadarBox24 account username and password, I'm using version 6.01.001 (is that ok?) I 'm just trying out the supplied antenna and it is on top of a single story building 4 meters high. it has a 240 degree open sky there are aircraft passing between 12/100 miles and altitude 17,000-41,000 feet high. The dongle has got the Zadig drivers installed and the radarbox software is showing that there is hardware connected but there no aircraft are being received, Have I missed something or is it just the crappy antenna?

Does the dongle have an RTL2832U chip inside as if not it will be of no use for ADS-B, what make and model is it. 
I presume that you have ticked Process Hardware flights bottom left of myflights. 
The cable that comes with the dongle antenna is usually quite short, have you extended it and how is it connecting to the dongle, do you have an adaptor,  see attached for ensuring optimum size for antenna http://www.airnavsystems.com/forum/index.php?topic=9131.0

Alan

Hi Alan. The dongle was from Hong Kong and un-named, it does have the RTL2832U chipset. Yes the cable is very short that's why I took a laptop on the roof of the building just to test. The antenna connects by means of a MCX plug and socket,  I have not yet cut the whip to the correct length. I'm just waiting for a couple of pigtail connections to arrive by post before using the mast antenna, a coax collinear. I will have to wait a bit longer. Thanks. Wayne

As it is showing as connected there should be no reason for it not to work. 

Alan

1. Click "My Flights" button in upper part of interface window
2. Place a check mark beside "Process Hardware Flights" at bottom of interface window

Please see setting steps 1 and 2 in screenshot below.

(https://s20.postimg.org/e3jwpybfh/Air_Nav_Radar_Box_6.01.001.png)

To Test Your RTL SDR Dongle

STEP 1 of 3:
Download RelWithDebInfo.zip from here:
Download Link: http://osmocom.org/attachments/download/2242/RelWithDebInfo.zip

Web Page: https://osmocom.org/projects/sdr/wiki/rtl-sdr
(scroll down to bottom of page to find download link)

STEP 2 of 3:
Un-zip RelWithDebInfo.zip.
It will create a folder RelWithDebInfo.
Inside this folder there is another folder rtl-sdr-release which contains several files and 2 folders named x32 and x64.
Copy folder x32 to Desktop, and rename the copy rtl-tools

(https://s20.postimg.org/z1uo1vvjx/RTL-_TOOLS_Step-1.png)


STEP 3 of 3:

First of all EXIT your AirNav RadarBox 6.01 software to make the Dongle free for test.

(1) In Windows, go to search (Windows Logo Key (https://s20.postimg.org/paxcbyf3h/Windows_Logo_Key_23x23.jpg) + S) and type cmd.exe and press Enter key. A command prompt window will open as shown in screenshot below.

(https://s20.postimg.org/5hl8iyz25/RTL-_TOOLS_Step-2.png)


(2) In command prompt, cd (change directory) to folder rtl-tools by following command

#Note: In command below, change abcd by your user name
cd C:\Users\abcd\Desktop\rtl-tools


(3) After the directory change, give following command.

rtl_test -t


If the Dongle is OK, it will give ouput as shown in screenshot below.


(https://s20.postimg.org/3ps9o2nf1/RTL-_TOOLS_Step-3.png)

An Easier Method
To Test Your RTL SDR Dongle

STEP 1 of 2:
Download RelWithDebInfo.zip from here:
Download Link: http://osmocom.org/attachments/download/2242/RelWithDebInfo.zip

Web Page: https://osmocom.org/projects/sdr/wiki/rtl-sdr
(scroll down to bottom of page to find download link)

STEP 2 of 2:

• First EXIT your AirNav RadarBox 6.01 software to make the Dongle free for test.
• Un-zip RelWithDebInfo.zip. It will create a folder RelWithDebInfo.
  Inside this folder there is another folder rtl-sdr-release which contains several files and 2 folders named x32 and x64.
• Go to folder x32. You will find many rtl tools in it as shown in screenshot-1.
• Double-click file rtl_test.exe to run it.
  A command console will open and if Dongle is OK, it will give output as shown in screenshot -2.

SCREENSHOT-1
(https://s20.postimg.org/714incwot/RTL-_TOOLS_Step-1-_Easy.png)


SCREENSHOT-2
(https://s20.postimg.org/714indju5/RTL-_TOOLS_Step-2-_Easy.png)