My second LNA has now failed. Strange thing is, it's only started happening since i connected them to a discone! They both ran quite happily on custom 150MHz Dipole, 450 MHz 1/4 wave and 1090 MHz 1/4 wave antennas. Any thoughts on what is happening?
My theory is that the the discone is wideband enough pull a lot more static. Is that possible?
Can i repair the LNAs or do i buy 2 more and scrap the discone?
RTL-SDR Wideband LNA
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rtlsdrblog
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Re: RTL-SDR Wideband LNA
Is your Discone grounded?
It's most likely that the SPF5189Z chip died due to ESD. If you can replace that chip it should work again.
It's most likely that the SPF5189Z chip died due to ESD. If you can replace that chip it should work again.
Re: RTL-SDR Wideband LNA
The Discone is grounded to the same earth stake as the other antennas mentioned. I've since pulled it down and packed it away. I think i'm lucky that only the LNA units were damaged and not my more expensive SDRs. Looking at the price of the SPF5189Z chips, it's not worth replacing them. I have no issue buying a couple more LNAs, they have been very good units. Thanks!