Radio Jove goes SDR

Nowadays "Software Defined Radios" are the state of technology. They are cheap and you can do a lot of things with them.

With a "DVB-T" Receiver that includes a "RTL2832U" - chip combined with the wonderful freeware program "SDR-Sharp" you will own a multimode receiver for a frequency range of about 60 - 1200 MHz (!) with excellent properties.

Shortwave signals must be converted in a higher frequency for reception with the DVB-T - USB Receiver. Such a converter usualy uses the mixer-frequency of 100 MHz. For example: if you receive a signal of 15 MHz (+100 MHz), you will find the signal on your receiver-stick on 115 MHz.

The only disadvantage of the receiver is its poor selectivity of the incoming antenna signal. Therefore I recommend the use of a Bandpass Filter for the frequency range of interest.
The RF2080 C/F Calibrated Noise Source and Bandpass Filter offered by the RADIO JOVE Project will do a great job. It has the additional advantage of a calibrated noise source wich allows you to create defined reference levels.

Let's look at the most important settings:

Turn the AGC off!

After setting the receiver at work properly, connect the audio-output using a (virtual) cable with the input of the great "Radio SkyPipe" - programm:

At least connect the input of the Up-Converter with an appropriate antenna.

An MOXON - antenna for the RADIO JOVE - NASA Project

The Radio JOVE project is a hands-on inquiry-based educational project that allows students, teachers and the general public to learn about radio astronomy by building their own radio telescope from an inexpensive kit and/or using remote radio telescopes through the internet. Participants also collaborate with each other through interactions and sharing of data on the network.

( = citation from the official "Radio Jove"-website: http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html )

The advantage of the "Moxon"-antenna in comparison with the double-dipole-antenna in the description on the Websites of "Radio Jove" consists in its smaller size and only one feed cable instead of two feed-cables and one power splitter. The antenna pattern is almost the same.

The antenna is calculated for the centerfrequency of 20,1 MHz.

On the web you can find more than one calculator for "MOXON" - antennas.
I calculated with the following one: w4.vp9kf.com/moxon_design.htm

The data was obtained from the "MMANA-Gal" - Antenna Simulation Programm for a hight of 7 meters (= 23 feet):