AirBuddy bidirectional amplifier powered from a USB port of the miner

AirBuddy bidirectional amplifier powered from a USB port of the miner
Link to buy:
a.aliexpress.c...

[@viocaia]

Great idea !

[@heliumminers536]

To the Moon ! Nice job Bro .

[@vincentsmit1337]

Hi Daniel, looks good! Just to be sure, did you experience good improvements with it? Was thinking of buying a FLARM BOOSTER and place it directly under the antenna Outdoor. The ideal setup I guess. Im using a McGill 6 dbi, 6m McGill LMR400 and a Heltec miner where a saw filter will be added.. now, your setup is much easier to make and a lot cheaper but I’m not sure if it still helps. If it is placed between LMR400 cable and saw filter it makes sense, it helps with the compensation of the dbi loss from the saw filter. If it is placed between saw filter and miner, what is the purpose then of the amplifier? Thank you!

[@adaniel69]

Hi. Sensecap has saw filter inside for RX. My amplifier is placed between miner and lmr400 5m cable. So i have 0.6dbi loss for the cable, i have a 5.1dbi Rak antenna. The amplifier will bring higher some weaker signals so that my miner can receive them. And is adding gain for TX. Before this amplifier, i didn't had max witnesses for TX! And after PoCV11, i was receiving signals from max ~10km. A saw filter between amp and cable or antenna is good because this amp doesn't have saw filter inside! So it will amplify anything! You need just lora signals to be amplified! This is why Heltec miners don't perform well and they need a saw filter! Still testing this amplifier with and without saw filter! I will post results, but i need time! Currently, helium network doesn't perform well...

[@phoenicianbird109]

Thank you for the link to buy the amplifier... Is it good? You are satisfied about it?

[@adaniel69]

Hi. According to my location, i'm satisfied! I mean is almost like PocV10! I say "like", because other hotspots don't have same TX power!

[@sikermolum3335]

I have a last question. If i unplug the sensecap to put on the amplifier will i start over with 0 witnesses when turning again sensecap on ? Because now i have 18 witnesses. I Dont want to lose them. when i plug sensecap with amplifier back on will all the witnesses i already had will be there again i mean are they saved?

[@adaniel69]

Witnessed number will reset to zero only if you will modify antenna gain in Helium app or modify the location! If you will shut down or reboot the miner or reset blocks or install the amplifier, will not affect that number!

[@sikermolum3335]

@@adaniel69 thank you very much!!

[@sikermolum3335]

@@adaniel69 will it not reset witness number when i change the old sd card for a new better flash sd card ?

[@adaniel69]

@@sikermolum3335 no. But that number is changing anytime, based on last 5 days, how many hotspots your miner is witnessing!

[@waila8200]

Daniel, are you still happy with this setup ? or you are doing more testing ??

[@adaniel69]

hi. i'm doing more testing! check out the new video!

[@robertVandelanotteonlinemoney]

Top!

[@DerJaeger]

Hi Daniel, cool setup but I'm wondering how it can work as I see a green LED on our AB. Is green the right color or should it be blue? I'm not an expert but I saw other videos saying so and now, I'm confused. Can you bring some light into the darkness, please?

[@adaniel69]

Hi! Green light is normal on, showing that is on RX state. When the amplifier detects a signal when your miner is sending a beacon, green light goes off and blue light comes on. When sending beacon is ready(after 1-2 seconds), blue light goes off and green light is comming back on! And is commuting faster when miner is changing data with iot devices! 👍

[@DerJaeger]

@@adaniel69 Thanks for the very detailed answer!!! Thanks a lot. I guess, it's time to get one..... Daniel, thanks again

[@adaniel69]

@@DerJaeger you're welcome! Is working even with a wifi router! If you have a router with detachable antenna, connect it and you will see how is blinking! 👍👍👍

[@kiDotes]

hi i just got one of these and there is a small white rotator on the out connector side. how to use it? thanks

[@adaniel69]

Hi. You can adjust the TX power. Counterclockwise is MIN(+5db) and clockwise is MAX(+11db) 👍

[@Righttorepair880]

Can u please also test position of the SAW Filter. Near Antenna Maybe better ?

[@adaniel69]

Hi. I don't have the connectors to install it near to antenna. But i have 5 meters of LMR400, loss is 0,6db!

[@sikermolum3335]

So i connect red cable with red cable and black with black right?

[@adaniel69]

Is better to use a multimeter! Some usb cables don't use red and black for +5v and GND... But on amplifier side, red is +5v and black is GND!

[@sikermolum3335]

@@adaniel69 how your sensecap has usb port ? Does mine sensecap has too?

[@DerJaeger]

Hi Daniel, it's me again...... Do you know what will happen if I use that amplifier (+10dbi, if I remember correcty) in combination with a e.g. 12dbi antenna, an antenna with more gain than the amplifier? Is that a combi which works or do you not recommend it.

[@adaniel69]

Hi. The amplifier is adding power, it doesn't matter the antenna gain... Just that if the antenna is omnidirectional, for 12dbi you have a very low vertical angle, so you can overshoot some hotspots... What type of antenna is?

[@DerJaeger]

@@adaniel69 Hi, ah, I see. I'm thinking of buying a 12 dBi Helium Outdoor Antenna (Omnidirectional tranmission, vertically polarized monopole). As per datasheet (can share the link here), it looks promissing but the link includes the shop.....

[@adaniel69]

@@DerJaeger post the link, no problem

[@DerJaeger]

@@adaniel69 Even if I post the link it different writings ;-), somehow the system detects and deletes it. Anyhow, it's the 12 dBi Helium Outdoor Antenna (EU 868) from HeliumHotShop in the Netherlands (eu). Google will point you to it, I can't. There, you wil find the linked DataSheet as a PDF which seems very promissing, good coverage and balanced, at least to my understandings of those things

[@adaniel69]

@@DerJaeger the 137€ one? 12dbi, but it says 10dbi! 25 degree vertical angle is not bad! 1.1meter. My 5.8dbi Rak have 0.8meter...

[@DJ-hu2kc]

Hi Is there a usb cable I could buy that would connect straight to the amplifier? What is it you used here, what’s under the tape?

[@adaniel69]

Hi. You can cut any usb cable and connect. Under the tape is a pair of dc connectors(5.5x2.1mm), male/female. Something like this: encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSBR5JavK6tDNW3k5sQT7yHUz3F0M-G9toUksbq0K1zQO__aiBaE7LOTEA1uBVqo9INNb-tKtw&usqp=CAc

[@kevinBcrypto]

May I ask what's in between the sensecap antenna connector to ur booster . Where can I buy it

[@adaniel69]

Just adapters. Since the amplifier and the miner have different connectors... I've ordered the proper connectors to solder to the amplifier, but they are still in transit... Check the video description for a link to buy the amplifier! The adapters i've ordered from ebay earlier.

[@M_C_shorts_original]

Hi, rf in is the antenna and out goes to the miner….

[@adaniel69]

hi. in the amplifier's manual it says clear that OUT is "connect to antenna" and IN is "connect the upper-level device RF port"!!!

[@M_C_shorts_original]

@@adaniel69 I know but they consider transmitting way…check on youtube 😉

[@adaniel69]

@@M_C_shorts_original trust me, the way i connected is working! I checked the signal levels on my miner! And is also logic! RX amplification is always on! When the amplifier is detecting signal on IN port, is switching to TX and is outputing to antenna! Just think! Also Viorel Caia tested with a VNA and had connected the way you say, and was not working!!!!!

[@M_C_shorts_original]

@@adaniel69 I will test….how is going your test?

[@adaniel69]

@@M_C_shorts_original i'm almost like on PoCV10! But now, the network have issues.... Waiting for HIP55! Hope to solve current problems...

[@fazejack5386]

What connector type for both sides of the amplifier please

[@adaniel69]

If you plan to replace the connectors from amplifier, you need to solder RP-SMA male to IN side and RP-SMA female to OUT side!

[@asthmatic2455]

show pls, how you build it - I mean connectors, wires...

[@adaniel69]

I will try!

[@asthmatic2455]

@@adaniel69 I will wait :)

[@lordred7462]

I bought same amplifier and have strange problem: When I run miner without amp I have around 1-3 witnesses per hour, but when I connect amplifier to miner I got zero activitiy. I connected it just like you, from LMR to RP SMA on sensecap. Had few witnesses and I saw +10db RSSI gain, but also +10db SNR. Should I use it with SAW filter, is it possible that miner amp was saturated (I use Mcgill 9db omni antenna)

[@adaniel69]

Hi. If you have a saw filter available, give it a try. How about the SNR value with/without amp? Last days, the network was not working very well.... McGill 9db is already a good antenna! Waiting for your answer!

[@lordred7462]

@@adaniel69 currently don't have SAW filter, it is in arrival. Had bad luck with amplifier because I got it 4 days ago and installed it during last mayor network outage, not knowing for it at that time so with or without it my miner was flatlined to almost 0. After last SW update I saw that miner had decent activity, start filling up lost beacons and witnesses so I decide to once again give it a try. I'm currently playing a waiting game. Connected amplifier to miner 30 minutes ago and waiting for 1st witness. In your opinion where is better to put SAW filter, before or after amplifier? In teory if I put filter before amp filter will filter out unwanted noise, but I will also loose 2-3db and with that db some potencially weak signal from hotspot that I want to be amplified. But, if I put SAW filter after amplifier it will amplify everything, will SAW filter be effective enough to filter out all amplified noise?

[@adaniel69]

@@lordred7462 i'm using it before amplifier!(between amplifier and cable to antenna) i have a 70km range with amplifier and a 5.8dbi RAK antenna! What type of hotspot do you have(make)?

[@lordred7462]

@@adaniel69 sensecap with Mcgill 9db omni antenna on 6m LMR 400 cable. I'm in town, but around me there is lot of other hotspots also with outdoor antennas and competition for witness is high, so I decided to try to boost signal to try to reach bad hotspots in town with only stock indoor antennas.

[@adaniel69]

@@lordred7462 please compare SNR with and without amp! You have a good antenna, so a little boost is enough(with saw filter). You see my test with and without saw filter.

[@secretboy69]

So how are SNR values without saw filter are they worse?

[@adaniel69]

I can tell you that with saw filter, i can witness from about 70km away. RSSI is a little bit lower with filter. I cannot give you a propper example of signal levels, because even before, the values was always different between transactions, because my antenna is between houses and not on roof(i cannot install it on roof because is not my house). Without filter i was witnessing only from 10-20km away... Maybe because of the noise.....

[@secretboy69]

@@adaniel69 wow so your view is blocked and you can see 70 km with saw filter if i understood correctly?

[@adaniel69]

@@secretboy69 i don't have Line Of Sight!!

[@grzegorzfigiel4787]

Witam jestem nowy ostatnio zakupiłem sensecap i do tego antene 6dbi z mcgill ale nie działa za dobrze zastanawiam sie nad tym wzmacniaczem i filtrem ale nie wiem czy to jest legalne bo podobno nie

[@adaniel69]

Hi. The "illegal" thing is transmitting power! But you can set it to LOW, wich is 5db for TX. For RX remain 10-11db always! If you have long cable, you can cover the losses with this amplifier! This is why i've installed right to the miner, and not right to the antenna! If you are here from Sorin's channel, he's promoting a 17db amplifier(and now same amplifier but with 10db gain), wich is too much! And very expensive! That one is legal(FLARM), because is not amplifying TX! But you are force to lie in the app, to put 15db, because is amplifying too much! This amplifier, if you put a saw filter, you will lose another 2-3db, so is perfect! Is your choice! English please! Thanks

[@secretboy69]

How many new witnesses you got?

[@adaniel69]

You know, explorer shows now how many hotspots you can hear! And not how many can hear you

[@secretboy69]

@@adaniel69 yes this amp has rx side too which is used for witnessing so you should see more beacons

[@hcrazy24]

Where did you get the amp?

[@adaniel69]

Hi. You can find it on eBay, AliBaba and Aliexpress. I give you an example link: a.aliexpress.com/_vM0SLa

[@cryptmo]

Hi. How much dbi do you put in helium app?

[@adaniel69]

Hi. Same as before amp! I'm on 4dbi in app and antenna is 5.1dbi from RAK!

[@cryptmo]

@@adaniel69 thanks. 👍

[@mertozgen5951]

Where can I buy AirBuddy? (AB-868-5v)

[@adaniel69]

Hi. Check description. Link to buy: a.aliexpress.com/_vl49ZV

[@mertozgen5951]

@@adaniel69 Thank you I ordered. How have your earnings changed for helium?

[@adaniel69]

@@mertozgen5951 well, i'm doing something now compared with before the amp! Please check other comments, i cannot answer to each one of you, same story, again and again.... Thanks!