Very cool! I don't know a whole lot about radios. But could this setup be used to direction find a specific LoRa signal on 915Mhz for example? Or would it pick up all traffic on 915Mhz rather than just the signal I'm looking for?
I used mine on a 2m fox hunt this evening. Im running low prowfile 4" antennas and it wasnt ideal. Wanted antennas that would stay put 24/7. Might use telescopic 1/4 antennas next week. Until I can make a sheetmetal platform to permanently affix the elements (although, this limits my frequency options a bit). Maybe I'll make uhf and vhf layouts, which I could move to, without too much hassle.
I have a question regarding the mmdvm pi based sytem. Can the board be used with only a small list of radios or can it be widely used? Obviously motorola radius icom kenwood etc are supported, but what if a person wanted to use a tyt th9000 for example?
Probably about 75-80% of radios it works on yes that’s including the th9000. just need direct modulator and discriminator connections. Something that uses dsp like a baofeng ht woudlnt work
@@SkylerF thank you so very much for the response! I am very new to the world of raspberry pi & the accessory boards, which is a bit confusing at first glance. I like the idea of using readily available units with easily accessible programming software to build a dual timeslot digital repeater. These little pi units seem like they are really powerful 💪 for the size 🤏. Is there a particular source or guide for a beginner that you would suggest?
Unfortunately I don’t. I built this many years ago and did it mostly just by trial and error when I was picking resistor values etc. I would recommend the hamvoip website with some of their baofeng guides as a starting place
Excellent work! Regarding the comment that someone to drive for you would have been safer, I caught myself being a little bit nervous about that as well. But talking on the radio while driving is a staple for most of us even in a traffic-jammed metroplex. It’s not even hands-free for most mobiles!
Dang buddy, didn't know you had a YT channel going. I got to see AB2SG's Kraken setup on a RFI hunt a week ago. Badass, I want! Good vid on the unit. K0ATV
Very neat video, but one question, wouldn't a single directional antenna be more effective than using an array of omnidirectional antennas? Like, directional antennas are already very good at direction finding so is the Kraken just showing that direction finding can be done with an omnidirectional antenna?
With a directional antenna you would have to manually get outside of the car and aim the antenna by spinning it 360° to find the peak signal strength. Completely doable and usually what I used to do but just takes a lot of time manually getting bearing lines every time you stop the car. Plus most directional antennas have side lobes so you might get a signal even if you aren’t pointed right at the source.
@@SkylerFWell right... but with an omnidirectional you could be picking up that cell tower, or the other one down the street. A directional antenna would be subject to a lot less noise, and really, you only need 3 or more points for triangulation. Rather than driving in a circle letting the system figure out where something is until it actually figures it out.
Have a antenna farm on the roof of my 1 ton van. HF screwdriver, 6 meters, 2 meters, 1.25 meters, 70cm, 33cm, 23cm, GMRS, CB and occasionally install the 5 antennas for a Kraken when I need to do direction finding. If you want to see a real antenna farm look at Andrea K2EV's mobile Rover station. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A1-p3ZKl9NQ.htmlfeature=shared
Very nice demo. A few of us back at SARA have been talking about them since they were first introduced. They are looking like a pretty mature product now. My current plan, with a Kraken or just using signal strength DF with an RTL, is to build some cheap and tiny 434MHz tracking beacons that activate when a cord is pulled. A coworker has had some trouble with Christmas decoration thieves. - bs
@@SkylerF Those look pretty cool, and I do intend to get into LoRa (Let's see if Meshtastic goes anywhere), but I am looking for a super compact solution, like within a heat shrink tube, to be sewn or stapled unnoticed into a seam in an inflatable Frosty the Snowman, etc. The only component I am missing is a ATtiny or somth that keys an id number along with a 45 second or so dash.
Will the kraken work in a fixed configuration to get a directional bearing or do you have to be moving? It would be nice if you could put multiple units at fixed locations
Skyler. I'm I n Denver as well and would like to talk to you about some interference tracking. I monitor colcon and gmrs 600 repeater.. kfoipd WRMG656 . Hopefully you reach out.😊
Skyler. I'm I n Denver as well and would like to talk to you about some interference tracking. I monitor colcon and gmrs 600 repeater.. kfoipd WRMG656 . Hopefully you reach out.😊
We did that years ago for fun. If it's an AM signal, see if you can find a TRC-427, looks like they are pretty cheap on eBay. RF Gain on these is an RF Attenuator circuit. Mount a magnet mount antenna as far back on your vehicle as possible, to make it more directional. I have hunted down a walkie talkie hidden in a hedge with this exact setup. And I have also been able to get a correct direction on a 300 watt linear at less than 1000 feet. $50 or $500, your choice. If you only need it for CB, the $50 sounds better to me.
Most important reason to get the antenna kit: The antennas must be _precisely_ identical down to the atom, give or take, in order to use this for direction finding.
