{"id":32464,"date":"2018-05-29T07:21:09","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T11:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=32464"},"modified":"2018-05-29T07:21:09","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T11:21:09","slug":"thomas-n1spy-how-to-chase-cubesats-with-an-rtl-sdr-dongle-and-some-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/thomas-n1spy-how-to-chase-cubesats-with-an-rtl-sdr-dongle-and-some-wire\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas (N1SPY): How to chase Cubesats with an RTL-SDR dongle and some wire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cubesat-e1527592406144.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-32467\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cubesat-999x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"641\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Many thanks to Ivan (NO2CW) who writes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Thomas, N1SPY used equipment worth $25 to chase mini satellites. Includes instructions for making a simple circularly polarized antenna. Did it work? Check for yourself!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t5pihYcRWPA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/t5pihYcRWPA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here to view on YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Thanks, Ivan, for passing along another excellent project by Thomas (N1SPY). I love how simple this project is to put together and the fact that most <em>SWLing Post<\/em> readers, for example, likely have all of the components already! Great job, Thomas!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/tag\/tommy-cholakov-n1spy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here to check out other projects by N1SPY.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many thanks to Ivan (NO2CW) who writes: Thomas, N1SPY used equipment worth $25 to chase mini satellites. Includes instructions for making a simple circularly polarized antenna. Did it work? Check for yourself! Click here to view on YouTube. Thanks, Ivan, for passing along another excellent project by Thomas (N1SPY). I love how simple this project [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3194,545,627,3,158,304],"tags":[5952,7069,5391,2858,2942,7068,6247],"class_list":["post-32464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-posts","category-ham-radio","category-how-to","category-news","category-software-defined-radio","category-videos","tag-cubesats","tag-how-to-receive-cubesats","tag-ivan-cholakov-no2cw","tag-rtl-sdr","tag-rtl-sdr-dongle","tag-rtl-sdr-dongle-cubesats","tag-tommy-cholakov-n1spy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-8rC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20767,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/ivans-preliminary-review-of-the-new-rtl-sdr-dongle-on-shortwavemediumwave\/","url_meta":{"origin":32464,"position":0},"title":"Ivan&#8217;s preliminary review of the new RTL-SDR dongle on shortwave\/mediumwave","author":"Thomas","date":"August 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW), who shares the following video review of the\u00a0new\u00a0RTL-SDR dongle on the\u00a0shortwave\u00a0and mediumwave bands. Ivan notes: This is daytime reception comparison. Nighttime could be a different picture. [The RTL-SDR dongle] tunes and frequency is 100% on spot. Using SDR Sharp you have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New Products&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/RTL-SDR-RTL2832U-e1471375714199-1-300x243.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39912,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/video-comparing-sdr-power-consumption\/","url_meta":{"origin":32464,"position":1},"title":"Video: Comparing SDR power consumption","author":"Thomas","date":"September 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov, who writes: If you are interested, here's a video where the power consumption of nine different SDRs was compared: https:\/\/youtu.be\/DWAjse4enE8 Click here to view on YouTube. Fascinating!\u00a0 I've always been curious about SDR power consumption because many of my SDRs are rarely\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/SDR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/SDR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/SDR.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/SDR.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26452,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/video-lightbulb-vs-radio-beacon-by-thomas-cholakov-n1spy\/","url_meta":{"origin":32464,"position":2},"title":"Video: Lightbulb vs Radio Beacon by Thomas Cholakov (N1SPY)","author":"Thomas","date":"June 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW), who writes: My 11 year old son Tommy (N1SPY) completed a project where he compared a 1W lightbulb to a .25 W radio beacon that he put together and bet that the radio beacon can be heard around the world. I asked\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Digital Modes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Digital Modes","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/digital-modes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Lightbulb-v-beacon-wspr-kit.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Lightbulb-v-beacon-wspr-kit.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Lightbulb-v-beacon-wspr-kit.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Lightbulb-v-beacon-wspr-kit.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36182,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/video-n1spy-brings-a-ge-seven-band-radio-back-to-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":32464,"position":3},"title":"Video: N1SPY brings a GE seven band radio back to life!","author":"Thomas","date":"February 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov, who writes: Thomas Cholakov (N1SPY) picked up an old General Electric radio from the 2019 Orlando Hamcation and brought it back to life. Unfortunately with all of the radio's 7 bands, it did not have shortwave. https:\/\/youtu.be\/KXRlf9ybXM4 Click here to watch on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;How To&quot;","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GE-7-band-radio-e1550753200377.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GE-7-band-radio-e1550753200377.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/GE-7-band-radio-e1550753200377.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36996,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/thomas-n1spy-explores-the-world-of-non-directional-beacons-ndbs\/","url_meta":{"origin":32464,"position":4},"title":"Thomas (N1SPY) explores the world of non-directional beacons (NDBs)","author":"Thomas","date":"April 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW), who shares the following: Thomas, N1SPY did a follow up video [to this previous post] where he explained a few details about NDBs (Non Directional Beacons). I knew they existed but had no idea about their historical significance. https:\/\/youtu.be\/h_-aFA-DNNU Click here\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Aviation&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Aviation","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/aviation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Aircraft-Jet-Boeing-VOLMET.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Aircraft-Jet-Boeing-VOLMET.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Aircraft-Jet-Boeing-VOLMET.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47899,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/video-thomas-n1spy-takes-a-look-at-a-future-qst-magazine-dated-april-2041\/","url_meta":{"origin":32464,"position":5},"title":"Video: Thomas (N1SPY) takes a look at a &#8220;Future QST&#8221; magazine dated April 2041","author":"Thomas","date":"February 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan Cholakov, who writes: Hello Thomas, Something entertaining - Thomas, N1SPY got his hands on a QST Magazine dated April 2041 if you can believe it! So he shared some of the stories in the magazine in a video and also attached the magazine\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Funny&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Funny","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/funny\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/future-QST.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/future-QST.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/future-QST.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32464\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}