Installation and Setup

Nooelec GOES Weather Satellite RTL-SDR Bundle

By Danny Lloyd
Weather Message Software LLC

January 7, 2021
(3rd Draft 1/14/21)
The Nooelec bundle includes the grid antenna, low noise amplifier, and software
defined receiver to receive the NWS’s HRIT/EMWIN data signal. It does not include
the software needed to demodulate and decode the signal.

The HRIT/EMWIN signal from GOES 16 and 17 contains satellite imagery and text
products. This data stream is capable of sending 400Kbps of data. It is broadcast in the
L-band on 1694.1 Mhz.

This equipment can be purchased from Amazon at https://amzn.to/34UagCK. For

$179.95, it allows weather enthusiasts to easily setup a receive system.

The equipment comes from Amazon in a large box. The contents contain a smaller box
that has the satellite equipment.
In the box you will find these parts.

The bundle includes the 21db gain grid dish antenna, mounting hardware, 10 meters of
low loss coax, the low noise amplifier (Sawbird), USB extension cable, and the RTL-SDR
receiver.

The bundle does not include a pole for mounting the grid dish. I had a two-inch pole
available.
In order to receive the satellite signal, you must have a clear view to the satellite. The
signal cannot be received reliably through trees. I used http://dishpointer.com to
verify my path to the satellite. If you are in the eastern part of the United States, you
will use GOES-16. If you are in the western part, you will use GOES-17.

This website will give you a visual guide and the information needed to align the dish.

You set the elevation by moving the dish up and down. You set the azimuth by moving
the dish left and right. You set the skew by rotating the front of the dish left or right.

When adjusting azimuth, you should use “Azimuth (magn.)” obtained from dish
pointer. Azimuth (true) is not the correct value.

The included mount has fixed skew positions. The ideal solution would be to have a
mount that allows you to easily rotate the dish. In order to receive the strongest signal,
you must be able to adjust the skew.
I started assembly by mounting the bracket on the pole.

I used the information from dishpointer.com to adjust the elevation of the mounting
bracket.
The remaining parts were then assembled.

You will notice that the dish has been rotated to the right about 15 degrees for the
proper skew.

At this point, you can connect the LNA and RTL-SDR at the antenna for final alignment.

So far, we have discussed the antenna setup included in the bundle. To proceed with
alignment, you will need software to demodulate and decode the satellite signal.

There are several options available:

• The Open Satellite Project - https://github.com/opensatelliteproject
• USA Satcom’s Windows based receiver - https://usa-satcom.com/
• GoesTools linux based receiver - https://github.com/pietern/goestools
In the above picture, I used USA Satcom’s software to align the dish. It is very
important that you get the VT or Viterbi as low as possible. That is accomplished by
slight adjustments of the elevation, azimuth and skew. Adjust each one until you get
the strongest signal. The strongest signal will have the lowest VT or Viterbi.

Note: I had some problems with the signal due to my cell phone being very close to the antenna.
I recommend not carrying your cell phone near the dish.

Note: The USA Satcom solution requires a computer that has enough power to run the software
defined receiver and other associated weather software.

After you have completed the alignment, you can disconnect the RTL-SDR and connect
the coax running to your building. The LNA (Sawbird) must be weather proofed! It
will be damaged by rain.

Note: If the coax supplied with the bundle is not long enough, you should purchase low loss 50
ohm cable. Regular RG8 and RG6 have a lot of attenuation at 1.7 GHZ. Contact Weather
Message for recommendations.

I used an extension cord protector to seal the LNA. These can be purchased from Home
Depot or other supply stores.
Using GoesTools
I am using the GoesTools receiver on a Raspberry Pi model 4. This solution allows me
to place the receiver in dedicated low-cost hardware.

In order to make the Linux based receiver easier, I have developed an image with
associated software for sending the data from the Raspberry Pi to Windows.

A Nextion display can be added to the Raspberry Pi to make alignment easier. And
further allows you to monitor the receiver.

The Raspberry Pi, cooling fan, and Nextion display can be mounted in a C4Labs
enclosure.
Here is a picture of the main display.

Pressing the Viterbi number will show a larger screen that can be helpful during
alignment at the dish.

I was able to take the Raspberry Pi to the dish for alignment. I used a portable power
pack to power the CPU and display. This made alignment very easy.

Weather Message includes a new ingest program that communicates with the
Raspberry Pi to receive and process the received products.
Components used to construct the Raspberry Pi receiver.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B/2GB - $35.00

Sources
DigiKey.com (part # 1690-RASPBERRYPI4B/2GB-ND)
PiShop.us

Raspberry Pi USB C Power Supply (3 amp or better) - $8.00

Sources
DigiKey.com (part # 1690-RPIUSB-CPOWERSUPPLYBLACKUS-ND)
PiShop.us

16GB Micro SD Card - $9.28

Sources
DigiKey.com (2648-SC0252D-ND)
Any good quality card will work

Pimoroni Fan – PIM 461 - $10.70

Sources
DigiKey.com (Part # 1778-PIM461-ND)
Mouser.com

Case with 3.5 inch Nextion Display - ZRPi-3.5NSX- $71.99

Source C4Labs.com

Optional Item (When placing the Raspberry Pi on the side - is it still not needed.)
URWOOW Right Angle Type C USB 3.1 Adapter Extension 90 Degree Male to Female
Right & Left Angled Extension - $5.90
Source Amazon.com

Total Cost excluding shipping $129.97.

GoesToolsSender supports the following Nextion displays.

NX4832T-035_11
NX4832K-035_11