Preorder Sale: Active L-Band 1525-1660 Inmarsat and Iridium Patch Back In Stock for $44.95
We have just received stock of our new L-band active patch antenna design. The antenna is designed for receiving RHCP L-band satellites such as Inmarsat, Iridium, GPS and other satellites that transmit between 1525 - 1660 MHz (please note that you cannot use it for weak signals that require a dish like HRPT or GOES). The antenna comes as a set with a large suction cup, 3M RG174 extension cable and bendable tripod to help with mounting. Preorder pricing is US$44.95 including free worldwide shipping to most countries shipped from our warehouse in Shanghai. At the end of this week (extended for one more week!) pricing will rise to the standard cost of US$49.95. Amazon stock will require time, and won't be in for at least 6+ weeks.
Please see our store to order the unit
Like our previous patch design, this is an actively amplified antenna as it contains a built in low noise amplifier which takes power from a 3.3 - 5V bias tee. This power is available from from our RTL-SDR Blog V3 dongles, and other SDRs like the Airspy, HackRF and SDRplay. It also has a built in SAW filter after the LNA to help reduce terrestrial interference.
Compared to the previous design the new patch is larger (175 x 175 mm) with higher gain and wider radiation pattern. This allows for much easier pointing of the antenna and for much stronger signals. The upper frequency range has also been extended to 1660 MHz from 1625 MHz. The included suction cup is also much larger allowing for the patch to point at more angles without being restricted by the window. The patch is enclosed within a new weatherproof plastic enclosure.
The screenshots below show the patch receiving various signals like AERO, STD-C and Iridium
Usage Tips
- The antenna should be used with one meter or more of coax cable. It may perform poorly if the RTL-SDR is placed right at the antenna due to interference. If you want to run very long cable, then low loss coax should be used.
- The patch can be used flat, or angled towards the satellite. Angling it towards the satellite will yield significantly higher gain.
- If you have very strong cell phone interference in your area, try using the patch a bit lower to the ground, and use buildings to block the interfering signal.
- If you want to mount this on a car roof, you can use a standard mag-mount camera adapter.
- When using the suction cup, ensure you wipe down the cup and the window surface before sticking it on. Have a backup plan in case the suction fails.
L-Band antenna –
After being installed for less than six months, the case has warped and no longer seals against the environment, making it useless since it needs to be outside to pickup the satellites. For $60, this should have never happened. If you are planning to use this as anything other than a decoration, I recommend that you look elsewhere, or be prepared to take it apart and provide your own case that is actually designed to be exposed to the elements without warping. This experience has completely changed my opinion of rtl-sdr as a QUALITY minded company.
In six months the unit will still be under the two year warranty. The newer grey cases are made with a better mix of plastic that are less susceptible to warping in direct sun. If yours warped the manufacturer will certainly replace it.
That is very good to hear. Would you know how I go about getting started on a warranty claim?
Yes please check the contact page in the navigation bar, or just email your order details to admin
rtl-sdr.com. Please include a photo of what has happened to the unit.
Thank you very much!
Since its circular polarized, is it possible to use it on a satellite dish -diam 80 cm- I suspect this means a 3dB loss, is it acceptable ? or should the use of a dish be regarded as useless ?
Since its circular polarized, is it possible to use it on a satellite dish -diam 80 cm- I suspect this means a 3dB loss, is it acceptable ? or should the use of a dish be regarded as useless ?
Hi, Can you ship to Hong Kong? Thank you.
Any clue when these will be back in stock? And how well would this do on 8400 and 10500 in eastern North Carolina? I saw some questions on this but I really would like to get 10500 and 8400 from here without a dish or helical antenna.
What’s about LHCP ?
I want to buy an antenna with this polarization.
Hi
I ordered today the Inmarsat antenna Kit and I hope I will get it ASAP.
One question: I will use the SDRPLAY RSP1A , regarding the Tbias supply to the antenna , how I should configure the SdrPlay and the SDRPLAY Software? Thanks for any help on this! Does this antenna set up require an antenna pre-amplifier to improve the weak Inmarsat signal?
Claudio ( Glasgow) UK
In SDRUno there is a simple bias tee toggle button. You don’t need an additional pre-amplifier unless you’re doing a very long coax run. The ‘active’ part of the antenna is a low noise amplifier built in to the product.
When will this be on sale again please?
I bought this patch antenna when it was first announced and I have been just completely amazed at what $45 can pull in from 24,000 miles away. Using JAERO and Scytale-C, I’ve been able to monitor INMARSAT and even do C channel voice reception. Being my first real foray into satellites (after pulling the ISS and UHF Fleet Satcomms off my HDTV antenna) I can say this thing is $45 well spent. I had a little issue with a manufacturing defect in the suction cup (looked like the shot in the cast ball part was defective and it broke off on first use) but after a brief email exchange, I received a new one at no-cost within acceptable shipping time from China. The replacement arrived with no issues. Overall, this is a high quality, high performing antenna and I highly recommend purchasing one!
Do you need a Nooelec to power this
Any SDR with 3.3v-5v bias tee capability will be able to power it. We recommend our RTL-SDR Blog V3 with a software controllable bias tee.
Can the antenna also be used with a Iridium 9575 phone, or it works for receiving only?
NO
It is an active device which means that it has an amplifier in the signal path, which are one way devices.
What is the current draw of this patch antenna, is it less that 50mA as in that provided by the airspy ?
hi i have a NESDR SMArt XTR SDR non bias tee model. so i will not be able to power the antenna. in a review / strip down video by tech minds, he showed a usb connector on the main board. . can this be used to power the device? and or are you bringing one out that can be powered externally.cheers steve UK
You’ll need to purchase/build an external bias tee, or get an RTL-SDR that has bias tee support like the RTL-SDR Blog V3.
You can use the microUSB port, but there is no external port. You’d have to remove the waterproof enclosure. The microUSB is intended for debugging bias tee issues and edge use cases only. The antenna should be powered via bias tee under normal circumstances.
What is the impedance of this antenna: 50 or 75 ohms?
50 Ohms
Hello
I received this antenna kit, but it looks defective.
I have tried both with the original RTL-SDR v.3, and with the SDR RSP2DUO which have the built-in bias tee but the antenna does not receive anything.
There are no waterfall variations between Bias tee on and Bias tee off, so I assume it is faulty and therefore I cannot use it
Hello, please email us screenshots of the spectrum while pointed towards an Inmarsat satellite, and your settings to admin
rtl-sdr.com. If it’s faulty we’ll warranty it.
How long would it take for delivery in the UK if I purchased the new patch antenna from your store?
It’s states on your store the shipping is provided by I think, Fedex Air, is that still the shipping method used at the moment?
How long is shipping via FedEx likely to be in place?
Free delivery is via standard airmail. Deliveries to the UK are generally quite fast, 2-3 weeks usually. Final delivery via Royal Mail. But lockdowns and quarantines can sometimes cause disruption to that time frame. If you need guaranteed delivery within a week or so, Fedex is available, but at a higher cost.
Thank you for the info.
How much would it cost to send the patch antenna by Fedex?
About $25 for Fedex to the UK.
Ordered mine on the 24th, shipped on the 25th, entered the Royal Mail network on the 2nd April (Southwest DC), Warrington MC on the 3rd then to local DO and delivered to my workplace today. 12 days to get mine but might have been a couple of days quicker if it hadn’t sat in the MC/DO over the remainder of the 4 day bank holiday weekend.
Thank you for the info.
How much current does it draw?
15 – 20 mA
Hello. I can not shop. I want this antenna very much, but none of my bank cards are accepted. paypal is not used in our country. I would be glad if you could help. thank you.
We have listed it on Aliexpress today https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000311955837.html which should accept CC’s from certain countries that don’t support PayPal or Stripe. Aliexpress doesn’t like preorders, so we had to wait until stock was shipping, which it is now.
Does the Inmarsat, Iridium foot print cover north America ???????????
It’s a global network
https://www.groundcontrol.com/Iridium_Coverage_Map.htm
I bought the last version of the antenna here and it didnt work so well….
i bought one from SDRKITS and it was way better !!!
burn me once shame on me burn me twice thats not nice…..
What was the problem that you had with the old one? In our tests even our old one was significantly better than the SDRkits one.
I ran both antennas and the sdrkits antenna was significantly better
to corroborate these findings I went over a friends house and ran the same test on his equipment.
On inmarsat std-c the sdrkits antenna was receiving the signals much stronger.
I was very disappointed with the previous version…..
I ordered a second sdrkits antenna and it worked just as good as the first one I ordered so now I have one at home and one for mobile use.
Could you please send some screenshots to admin
rtl-sdr.com and your order ID number? (I can’t find your email address from the comment form in the system) There’s no way the SDRkits one could possibly outperform our old patch unless there was a fault. Happy to warranty that it if need be.
Is it RHCP or linear polarized?
RHCP
Thanks!
What is the maximum current required by the new patch antenna?
What is the EbNo: shown in Jaero for the 600bps, 1200bps, 10500bps and voice 8400bps?
If the patch antenna is used outside in the sun and it being black, wouldn’t it get hot?
If it did get hot would it be possible that permanent or temporary physical damage due to distortion could occur?
Also would it affect the patch antenna’s performance including the electronics in the preamp?
Where are these patch antennas made?
Regardless of where they are purchased do these patch antennas all come from China?
What is the maximum current required by the new patch antenna?
20mA
What is the EbNo: shown in Jaero for the 600bps, 1200bps, 10500bps and voice 8400bps?
That really depends on the satellite’s elevation in your location, and how clear your view of the satellite is. With decent elevation you should get over EbNo: 20dB on 600bps and around 10dB on 10500bps. More than enough to decode the data.
If the patch antenna is used outside in the sun and it being black, wouldn’t it get hot?
The plastic used is fine for use in the sun.
If it did get hot would it be possible that permanent or temporary physical damage due to distortion could occur?
The patch itself is metal, so no damage. The plastic is designed for outdoor all weather use and should not warp.
Also would it affect the patch antenna’s performance including the electronics in the preamp?
The electronics will be fine in the enclosure even in high heat from the sun.
Where are these patch antennas made?
Regardless of where they are purchased do these patch antennas all come from China?
The old patch was made in Taiwan, but this one is made in China. Both come from high quality factories. At the moment they are only shipping from China, but once the sea freighter arrives they’ll be on Amazon USA.
How much would it cost to send the patch antenna v2 by Fedex to the UK?
What type patch inside the box?
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/building-and-testing-an-l-band-patch-antenna-for-inmarsat-c-reception/
Inside the box?
yup
Can we have the information what type of the antenna is inside the housing?
Maybe something like this design 🙂
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/building-and-testing-an-l-band-patch-antenna-for-inmarsat-c-reception/
Yes very similar, but with a built in filtering + amplification circuit.
Any way to combine maybe 6 of these in a 2×3 grid and receive GOES?
Or 4 with a KerberoSDR?
Not tested, but it could be possible to phase them together and electrically steer it.