•Mains power is required within 2 metres of the Raspberry Pi for the Raspberry Pi
mains to 5.2v 2.5A power supply.
•The mains power supply to the Raspberry Pi power converter should be via a
switched mechanical timer set to turn the power off during the night.. (Please
choose a random time around 23:00 to 0400) This will ensure a timely daily reboot
of the system. 30 minutes downtime is enough From January 2019, the OGN-R
software includes an automatic check for and download of available new software.
Be aware that if you suffer regular power failures the timing of the mechanical timer
will drift by the time of the power outage so a periodic check on the timers is
advisable.
•An Ethernet cable is required to connect the Raspberry Pi to the router. This can
generally be as long as required. Max 100 metres
•If the installation is a long way from the router or it is not easy to run a direct link
ethernet cable, then the LAN can be extended over the mains using a power line
carrier device such as devolo which has been used successfully on several locations.
https://www.devolo.co.uk
Location for the 2 new antennas (PiotAware Tx Rx and 109MHz Rx)
•The antennas should be positioned vertically and as high as possible avoiding
obstacles that would get in the way of line of sight transmission and reception, such
as walls. The antennas should be a minimum of 30cm apart. Further away the better.
Only the PilotAware antenna is transmitting. (It transmits at 869.5MHz so will not
affect or be affected by local VHF voice antennas)
•Each and every installation will be bespoke. A wide variety of antenna mounts are
commercially available from Screw fix, Tool Station and other suppliers in the UK. A
list of typical mounts is supplied at the end of these instructions.
•The recommended antennas are supplied with Female N-Type connectors.
Making up the Co-Axial Cables
•HDF 400 (double shielded low loss coaxial cable) or equivalent and N-Type
connectors should be used for all antennas for maximum efficiency. Although a
smaller cable like RG8X or LM240 can be used for short reaches.
•HDF400 cable is fairly thick and will require a suitable Crimp tool to make off the
connectors. If you are just doing the one installation, it may be cheaper to have
these cables made up commercially. A crimp tool is about £15.
•One Male and One Female N-Type connector is required for each cable.
•The Male N-type connector on the Co-Axial cable should be offered to the Female N-
Type connector on the antenna and the connectors screwed firmly together. The
joint should be weather-proofed using self-amalgamating tape.
•This should be repeated for the second antenna.
•The Co-Axial cables should then be dressed to the location of the electronics which
should be as close as practically possible. (Take care that you know which cable goes
to which antenna by labelling the loose ends.)
•A suitable short pigtail may be required to connect the N-type connector to the RTL-
SDR dongle. This will either be a male SMA or Mcx connector depending on the
RTLSDR chosen.
