Satdump software & wxsat reception

[s-band]

I wish there was a SatDump forum to post possible bugs in the program,

There is a Matrix server: Matrix - Decentralised and secure communication
I use Element | Secure collaboration and messaging to access it.

 

[Analoguesat]

I wish there was a SatDump forum to post possible bugs in the program, I have some strange noise problems that show up when running satdump, the spikes are only there when using that program, using SDR console or SDR++ they are not there.

For troubleshooting info one of the engineers at Nooelec (one of my SDR dongles) said to try a program called GQRX, it's has a very clean noise floor and is free of the nasty spikes I see in satdump.

I don't think is direct harmonic radiation from the PC as the antenna is 10 meters away from the PC and the coax is double shielded, I have even put the dongles in a double shielded box, no help, I even tried a second source dongle from RTL-SDR, same problem.

I'm stumped, if I can get rid of these spikes I can get good passes on the Meteor satellites.

I think I see these spikes because my noise floor is very low, it's around -75 dBm, so everything shows up, what are some of you guys noise floors at?

Don't know whats going on as I'm not a software guy...

On a decimation setting of 1 & with the Uputronics pre amp installed my noise floor is about -50dBm

 

[pontiend]

I seem to get decent passes in the mornings.This one is from the NNE I have a clear view from that direction.I loose signal when the satellite gets near SSW.I loose signal soon after the position that the satellite is on the satdump screenshot.

 

[Analoguesat]

Has Met M2-4 changed to 137.9? Its just come over & I was watching the spectrum. The signal came up on 137.9 not 137.1.....

 

[Terryl]

Same settings and using the new SAWbird LNA and filter I have a noise floor of -66 dBm using SatDump.

 

[Terryl]

And a noise floor of -100 dBm with SDR console, so something is causing a noise problem using the satdump program.

Here is a comparison.

137.1 MHZ with SDR console.


And what I get with satdump, same settings on both programs.

 

[pontiend]

I do not know if it will make any difference to your system Terryl.You have a better antenna than me.Mine is home made, to get a decent signal I have to have AGC enabled in Device.

 

[Terryl]

Maybe it's because my antenna is very wide band (50 to 3000 MHz) I can maybe fix up the antenna I had when I first started this stuff, a high wind caused some major damage to it,(blew the mast down) that's when I got the discone.

I get great signals on the NOAA satellites, but not on the Meteors, it could be interference from the NOAA's, the other day I setup my laptop with all this stuff and took a drive around the area, I couldn't find anything that would cause this spike problem.

I live out in what we call the boonies, the nearest town is 35 miles from me, the same with any radio stations, there are other homes closer to me but no one has a transmitter even close to the frequency's we are monitoring.

 

[Terryl]

I have even shut down anything that may make an RF signal, (or something like one) I shut down the LAN system/router/modem/computers (except one with satdump running on it) and all my ham gear, I still get those annoying spikes.

 

[Analoguesat]

Yup Met M2-4 is now using 137.9 & 80k

MSU MSR Channel 4 at 15.25utc 26/4/24

(as received apart from cropping off the noise top & bottom)