HFU HF Underground

General Category => General Radio Discussion => Topic started by: ChrisSmolinski on October 07, 2018, 1436 UTC

Title: MassDrop has the KiwiSDR for $80 off again
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on October 07, 2018, 1436 UTC

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/seeed-kiwisdr-kit

Mine arrived on Friday (after 2 months, hopefully this one is not as delayed)

Here is the URL for mine, which is connected to my famous 670 ft sky loop antenna: http://sdr.hfunderpants.com:8073

Some general notes about the KiwiSDR:

The "kit" from MassDrop is a not something you build, kit means it is the KiwiSDR board plus the BeagleBone CPU board. It comes with all the software installed, you just need to connect your antenna and provide a 5V DC power supply. I used one from a USB hub, a linear supply is best, I will likely change mine out for one, but I am pleasantly surprised that this switching supply does not cause any obvious RFI.

The antenna jack is SMA, so you will want an SMA to UHF/F/BNC/whatever adapter to connect your HF antenna.

You probably want to buy a metal enclosure for it, a cardboard enclosure comes with it (I guess to save money): https://www.seeedstudio.com/KiwiSDR-Enclosure-p-3012.html

It comes with an inexpensive GPS antenna, GPS is used as a frequency reference. As per a tip from Token, it works better if placed over a metal surface. I used a pie tin  ;D

The KiwiSDR works as a web server. You need to connect it to your router via an ethernet cable. This means you do not need to install any special software or drivers on your computer, you use a web browser. And it works well with a tablet also.  If you want to make it public, you will need to open up a port on your router and configure settings, there is documentation on their site for doing this.

Title: Re: MassDrop has the KiwiSDR for $80 off again
Post by: Pigmeat on October 08, 2018, 0010 UTC

Does this unit come with a velvet vernier tuning knob?

Title: Re: MassDrop has the KiwiSDR for $80 off again
Post by: Beerus Maximus on October 08, 2018, 1434 UTC

I ordered a unit. Expected delivery is in November. I was unaware of the special power supply requirement, figured it came with one. For linear 5vdc it looks like the options are what they suggest on their quick start page. However, I also found this USA made 5VDC 1.5A supply:

https://www.acopian.com/store/productdetail.aspx?q=i573

Quite expensive at $150, however, they can be found used/near-new on eBay for significantly less. Search for "Acopian 5EB150" (1.5A version) or "Acopian 5EB200" (2.0A version).

I snagged a 5EB200 advertised as brand new, for $33 shipped (I did have $9 of eBay bucks I applied). These appear to be industrial quality units, and a little cheaper than buying one of the audiophile supplies from China via eBay (probably a lot less of a wait, too).