Hi, just out of interest what is the maximum number of flights users have picked up in Myflights at any one time?
My record is 54.
73
Well I have had 700 on my original RadarBox last year but now don't usually see more than 400-500 airccraft.
There are 327 as I type this...
Regards,
-=Glyn=-
Where do you have to be located to get that many? that is amazing GlynH!
I am located in Banbury, Oxfordshire but have a friend who lives near me who often 'sees' more than I do as he uses a pre-amp and I do not.
Count has risen a little as can be seen from the attached jpeg.
Regards,
-=Glyn=-
that's a great location, you get all the flights in and out of EGLL and those going up the NW corridor too - very lucky.
Glyn, you jammy whatsit, I consider my self lucky to get that sort of number in MyLog - MyFlights 35ish. Just found your address, beer token going in post!
I in one way am very unlucky all the airspace a round me is closed military airspace today I can only see 4 trackable in my flights list
I see no commercial flights within a 12 n miles of my postion
puddy
During the day i usually have 60 to 80 A/C in MyFlights. On busy days somewhere between 80 an 100. During the rush hours in the morning and the evening (when they all are leaving or coming home) i get about 150 flights. On Fridays in the late afternoon and early evening up to 200.
My location is northern Germany 20NM ESE of EDDV(HAJ), which is little bit far away from any big hub like EGGL, LFPG or EDDF.
During a vacation i took my box to EDDF and there i got 300+ (with the original antenna) during the main times.
Quote from: e777 on December 12, 2009, 02:21:01 PM
that's a great location, you get all the flights in and out of EGLL and those going up the NW corridor too - very lucky.
Yeah it's a great location and has served me well over the years for many things RF related especially for things like TV & FM reception and when I dabbled in 27MHz back in the late 70's-early 80's.
Actually my range reaches a bit further than EGLL and the NW corridor ;^)
See attached screenshot showing my Polar Diagram taken just now when there were only 160 aircraft showing in MyFlights.
I'm a little deaf to the West and lose contact with aircraft on the approach to EGLL @ 1000ft but I'm not complaining as I usually see @ 2,500-3000 unique Mode-S aircraft every day!
As people say its all about location, location, location! ;^)
Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-
Quote from: CoastGuardJon on December 12, 2009, 03:12:10 PM
Glyn, you jammy whatsit, I consider my self lucky to get that sort of number in MyLog - MyFlights 35ish. Just found your address, beer token going in post!
Hey Jon,
I'll keep a lookout! ;^)
Fond regards,
-=Glyn=-
You've got most of England covered in realtime then - i'm going green with envy! Do you have a permanent external aerial and are you pretty high up?
Glyn,
Are you also located on top of a small mountain, thats an amazing polar diagram!!
I get up to 150 max (peak hours in summer) from my location just to the south of LGW but am obstructed a little to the NW.
Do you share this fantastic data on the newtwork? If so thanks!!
Dave
Quote from: e777 on December 12, 2009, 07:20:19 PM
You've got most of England covered in realtime then - i'm going green with envy! Do you have a permanent external aerial and are you pretty high up?
Hi e777,
Google maps, Ordnance Survey & my SatNav's put me @ 450 ft asl and I am just about the highest (or second highest) point in Banbury whose town is built in a dip...I am on the outskirts.
I use a Watson 1090MHz (I think it is also called the Radar Extender) on top of a 17 foot pole fixed to the gable end of my house and run @ 7m of Westflex 103 ot the RB which is in the loft well away from any RFI/EMI.
I used to use a Lantronix UBox 2210 USB->Ethernet adaptor but now simply use a 5m active USB cable to my main PC.
I still yearn after a solid ethernet solution though...
Pictures of antenna array attached FYI.
Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-
Quote from: dca on December 12, 2009, 07:22:14 PM
Glyn,
Are you also located on top of a small mountain, thats an amazing polar diagram!!
I get up to 150 max (peak hours in summer) from my location just to the south of LGW but am obstructed a little to the NW.
Do you share this fantastic data on the newtwork? If so thanks!!
Dave
On a mountain? Now that would be nice...:0(
Not sure of the range but I often track aircraft into The Netherlands, well into France etc.
When my box is running (which is usually 24/7 software permitting) I always feed the network although I never use it myself much preferring to track what I can actually 'see' live with my own box.
I did try a Kuhne 1090 pre-amp (not to increase the number of contacts but as protection against the dreaded ESD or whatever it is that kills RadarBoxes) but it actually reduced the amount of aircraft I could see by @50% although it didn't seem to affect the range as I could still see aircraft into The Netherlands, France etc. :-(
Any idea why that would be Airnav?
Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-
Quote from: GlynH on December 12, 2009, 10:34:43 PM
I did try a Kuhne 1090 pre-amp (not to increase the number of contacts but as protection against the dreaded ESD or whatever it is that kills RadarBoxes) but it actually reduced the amount of aircraft I could see by @50% although it didn't seem to affect the range as I could still see aircraft into The Netherlands, France etc. :-(
Any idea why that would be Airnav?
I have what looks like the same antenna system (also fixed to the gable end of my house!!) and a similar problem, with the pre-amp powered I receive far fewer aircraft than when it is turned off (in bypass). I thought it was faulty and bought a second one, but same problem. I'd like to know what's going on with these pre-amp's too!
(http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/4241/20091213123616.jpg) (http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/4241/20091213123616.jpg)
Quote from: pjm on December 13, 2009, 01:39:15 AM
I have what looks like the same antenna system (also fixed to the gable end of my house!!) and a similar problem, with the pre-amp powered I receive far fewer aircraft than when it is turned off (in bypass). I thought it was faulty and bought a second one, but same problem. I'd like to know what's going on with these pre-amp's too!
If I'm not mistaken that is a 6db gain antenna. When the pre-amp is used, strong signals can overload the front end of the RadarBox.
Tom
I agree with Tom, and have referred to this signal saturation in other posts - pre-amps come into their own, when you have a long length of co-ax - to counteract the losses - they won't magically receive more, they can only amplify the signal that's already there. If you've got a good signal to start with and no great co-ax losses to overcome, they won't help and as you have found can actually hinder.
I wonder if you guys that are getting the outstanding RB range and have the RB antenna mounted just about a horizontal TV antenna are benefiting from a bit more ground plane provided by the TV antenna? Or maybe the TV antenna is reflecting more signal to the RB antenna than the RB antenna would have normally received without the TV antenna under it?
Positive on the groundplane effect, did testing myself with original RB antenna and alu foil in my loft, gave better results.
Shouldn't make any difference as long as the groundplane is greater than a quarter wavelength.
J.
Interesting, I've tried it with the standard CD size disc, old Peugeot 405 disc (which doesn't get blown off the roof!), a Cadbury Roses tin lid and also without any ground plane - no difference between them. There is no physical connection to the ground plane, so I'd assumed the magmount base worked as a capacitively coupled device. Having said all that, when I first received Glyn's spare standard antenna, it worked superbly for the first 10 days or so, then started losing performance, on dismantling the centre core was dry-jointed to antenna whip, and the screen lead was an interference fit. Once chemically cleaned and all soldered properly - fantastic performance and fully waterproof, just need the whip to be made from stainless/corrosion-proof material would be better.
Somebody with more knowledge will probably correct me but if the aerial was a quarterwave vertical it would rely on the groundplane (quarterwave) to act as the 'mirror' of the other half of the antenna. It does not need to be physically connected. However, the issued aerial is, from memory. a half wave and like collinear arrays, is not sensitive to requiring an earth system.
J.
No, it's not a half wave, if it were it would need an impedance transformer to match several thousand ohms to 50 ohms. It's a colinear with a phasing coil, so it is a monopole and does need the ground plane.
Hi Brian, is the phasing coil the pig's tail/twiddly bit from about 1/4 to 1/2 the lower length of the whip? I note the overall length of the whip and screw part in the base is 29cm - 1090MHz = 27.5 cm wavelength, upper section 14cms long?
Bottom section is 1/4 wave, top sectopn 1/2 wave. 1090 Mhz is 27 cm.
J.
Hi Jeremy, edit crossed with your reply!