KiwiSDR - ΣSDR CT/MA Border, Northeast USA

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WiFi Access Point RFI

After replacing the home WiFi access point from an older Meraki MR-16 (firmware hacked with Cucumber Tony) to a Ubiquiti AC-PRO I found that both the noise floor below 5 MHz increased quite a bit and there were a large number of HF signals radiating from the unit itself. It appears that online research confirms that other Ubiquiti products have the same issue with HF RFI.

Attempts to quiet it with ferrites and other suppression methods failed. An RF sniffer revealed that it is actually radiating from the device itself.

The Ubiquiti is going back to Amazon and a new TP-Link unit is on the way to replace it. I am hoping that this quiets the HF spectrum RFI that the Ubiquiti device caused.

Examples of the RFI around 1953 and 3906 kHz can be heard.

Listen to the Hurricane Watch Net

Check out the Hurricane Watch Net on the following frequencies. The net is active during hurricanes that affect the US and the region:

Click the links below to listen via this online receiver. The net is usually active on one or both frequencies depending upon time of day.

Receiver #3

I have some funds (some donated and some mine) dedicated toward purchasing a third receiver to accommodate the large and increasing number of users on the two current KiwiSDR receivers. A few more dollars are needed to complete the purchase. If you have the ability to do so, please consider a donation (any size is appreciated!) toward this project.

The KiwiSDR hardware can be difficult to obtain as they are not produced in large numbers and sell out quickly. If I can raise enough funds I could possibly get some of the units being produced in the next few weeks.

Please use the Paypal donate button below. If you prefer to send your donation via the mail, please email me and I will forward my mailing address to you.

Thank you!

New Multicoupler Installed

A new receiver multicoupler has been installed. It replaces CATV splitters that attenuated signals below 2 MHz quite a bit. The new multicoupler has five ports to allow for additional receivers. Thank you to the donors for support and successful funding of this project!

Please consider supporting this online receiver for more enhancements. Thank you!

ΣSDR2 is now online!

Thanks to several very generous donors a second KiwiSDR is now online!

If the first receiver is full, it will automatically transfer you to the second one. There are now eight users slots available on this system.

Help add more user slots...

If you have the means, please consider making a donation toward the purchase of a second receiver. This will open up twice the number of user slots and you'll see fewer "Sorry, the KiwiSDR server is too busy right now" messages. Both receivers will be connected to the same antenna so they will both perform very well.

The second receiver has been funded thanks to several generous donors!

Any size donation ($1, $5, $10...) is sincerely appreciated. Please use the Paypal donate button below. If you prefer to send your donation via the mail, please email me and I will forward my mailing address to you.

Thank you!

FIXED! Antenna Degradation

Having some odd intermittent issues with the antenna. Troubleshooting shows that it might be the balun on the Off Center Fed dipole. Working toward fixing this but it may be an issue that is pushed off toward the nicer weather of the spring.

Had a beautiful sunny day to drop the antenna today. I found both the balun and coax connector were faulty. I believe that all is back to normal again. Thanks for your patience! :)

Courtesy Request

This receiver is very popular and the user slots are often completely filled. If you are not actively listening, please close out to give others a chance to use the receiver. Your courtesy will go a long way toward allowing everyone an opportunity to listen.

Thank you for your support!

KiwiSDR TDoA

This KiwiSDR was used to find experimental stations used for HF trading (see the image):

Chicago "experimental" trading stations @bobvan https://t.co/1NfXlCfsQI
— Experimental Radio Service (@experimradio) September 11, 2019

Hurricane Watch Net

Check out the Hurricane Watch Net on the following frequencies. The net is active during hurricanes that affect the US and the region:

During the summer thunderstorm season the antenna may be disconnected from the SDR to protect it. If the storm occurs late at night it will remain disconnected until the next morning. Check out this lightning map if you want to see what is going on in the area.

Listen up to 32 MHz

This KiwiSDR can receive up to 32 MHz. There are several school bus frequencies in the 29-31 MHz range that offer local activity. During times of good propagation you can often hear other interesting comms in this area.

Amateur radio (voice comms):

28.300-28.500 - SSB activity (SSB can be heard up to 29.000 MHz)
29.000 MHz (+/-) - AM activity
29.600 MHz - 10 meter calling frequency
29.620, 29.640, 29.660, and 29.680 - 10 Meter FM repeaters

Business/commercial:

You can hear some business use in the 29.710 - 29.790 MHz range and much more in the 30-31 MHz range. Almost all activity is FM mode.

There is a squelch setting in FM mode. Go to the Audio tab and slide it up to around 40 (+/-) until the static stops. When a station transmits the squelch will open and you will hear the audio. If you set the squelch too high you will not hear weak signals.

Propagation

Propagation has been up and down lately. There has been a sharp increase in 11 meter (CB Radio) activity in the last week. Very interesting to hear as the upper frequencies have not been overly active.

Temporary RFI

Growing veggies and am using an electronic thermostat to control the seedling heat mat. Some minor RFI is being emitted in the 6-7 MHz range from the thermostat. This should subside before the end of May. Thanks for your patience. :)

UPDATE: The RFI is no longer a problem!