SDR Console and Tranceiver Setup

AussieLand
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:13 am

SDR Console and Tranceiver Setup

#1

Unread post by AussieLand »

I'm just wondering if any hams on here have a setup with their tranceiver and SDR Console, so they can monitor the ham bands on both SDR and their tranceiver on receive and be able to monitor their own transmissions on the SDR console on transmit (using the same antenna on both)?

If so, I am wondering what extra hardware I need to do this?
John. VK4JRH

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KA1GJU
Posts: 264
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2020 2:16 pm

Re: SDR Console and Tranceiver Setup

#2

Unread post by KA1GJU »

John,
You will need some sort of RXR front end protection if the SDR’s antenna is relatively close to the TX antenna. My 1KW 160m station literally toasted an SDR-iq that was on a nearby 80m wire. If you can find a way to have a relay key only during TX, you can have the relay disconnect the antenna from the SDR and shunt the SDR’s antenna port to ground.

Viewing your own TX signal on a local SDR will appear that you are +100kHz wide on SSB, even on and SDR 1/4 mile away. You may have better luck using one of the hundreds of WebSDR’s at the proper distance away for the band you are operating. There are just not enough SDRC servers with good antennas to choose from unfortunately.

So, to recap… either put a relay on the antenna line feeding your SDR or go with a commercial product such as this, which I use on my servers. The relay would drive remote users nuts as I used my equipment locally as their received signals went from readable to zero with every transmission I made. Unless they are RXing in the same band, they will never know I am TXing.
https://www.arraysolutions.com/as-rxfep

There are cheaper ones on EBay that use simple lightbulbs, but when I have a bank of SDRs and a multi coupler downstream to protect, I’d rather not have the expense of replacing all that gear due to some cheap knock off device.

73 Kriss KA1GJU
Home of the Super Station SDRC Servers in NH, USA
73 Kriss KA1GJU Home of the KA1GJU Super Station SDRC Servers in NH, USA (FN42mw & FN43na)

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