Attaching the Antenna

Explore Software Defined Radio — by Wolfram Donat (9 / 30)

👈 Chapter 2 Your First SDR Reception | TOC | Windows 👉

Once your USB dongle is plugged into your computer and the drivers are installed, you can connect the antenna. Using either the cable that came with your antenna or the extension cable that you got, attach it to the SMA or MCX connector on the dongle, making sure it’s secure. Then run the cable to the antenna, placing the antenna as far from your computer as you can (remember, even for your first experiments, you’re trying to eliminate as much noise as possible, and your laptop or computer is quite noisy, radio-wise). If you can place the antenna near a window, so much the better. I had problems keeping the antenna upright, but a little double-stick tape on the base of the antenna solved that problem quickly.

Once the antenna is attached and secure, go back to your computer and start the software.

Volume versus Gain

In the following sections we’re going to talk a lot about gain and volume. So what exactly is the difference between the two? If you increase the gain on a device that has a knob for it, you probably notice that the sound gets louder, which is exactly what happens when you increase the volume.

In a nutshell, volume adjusts the output level in decibels of your device. Gain, on the other hand, adjusts the input level decibels of whatever channel you have selected. Gain…