Kraken Radio Direction Finding Unit Setup Tutorial and Demo

[@bentheguru4986]

Finally, a tool to find the CB radio jammers

[@javabeanz8549]

We did that years ago for fun. If it's an AM signal, see if you can find a TRC-427, looks like they are pretty cheap on eBay. RF Gain on these is an RF Attenuator circuit. Mount a magnet mount antenna as far back on your vehicle as possible, to make it more directional. I have hunted down a walkie talkie hidden in a hedge with this exact setup. And I have also been able to get a correct direction on a 300 watt linear at less than 1000 feet. $50 or $500, your choice. If you only need it for CB, the $50 sounds better to me.

[@bentheguru4986]

@@javabeanz8549 Yeah, ours are 477MHz FM but same ideas.

[@davidvanhorn498]

@@javabeanz8549You don't need an AM RX to hunt an am TX

[@davidvanhorn498]

@@javabeanz8549 The Kraken isn't a psudodoppler, and doesn't need an external reciever. The radius of the antenna array might be an issue though.

[@BestSpatula]

Terrific presentation and demonstration of this device! I'd heard of the Kerberos SDR, this appears to be a much improved version.

[@ThomasHart59]

Beats the old days riding around on a bike! 🙂 Plus, there's a lot more ground-plane / mounting surface available. 😁

[@SkylerF]

Still not as fun as bicycle mobile 😁

[@ericgulseth74]

Would love to see some bike mobile videos

[@npsit1]

DF is interesting. I used it while in the military. Usually it was close.

[@jim532]

Will the kraken work in a fixed configuration to get a directional bearing or do you have to be moving? It would be nice if you could put multiple units at fixed locations

[@antoniocaetano6359]

Na página oficial eles falam dessa possibilidade inclusive com uma aplicação em nuvem para gerenciar as unidades remotas

[@Robert-cd5zr]

Can you put it on a paramotor trike?

[@Wolf359HeavyIndustries]

Very nice demo. A few of us back at SARA have been talking about them since they were first introduced. They are looking like a pretty mature product now. My current plan, with a Kraken or just using signal strength DF with an RTL, is to build some cheap and tiny 434MHz tracking beacons that activate when a cord is pulled. A coworker has had some trouble with Christmas decoration thieves. - bs

[@SkylerF]

LoRa trackers might be easier, 900MHz trackers such as the sensecap t1000

[@Wolf359HeavyIndustries]

@@SkylerF Those look pretty cool, and I do intend to get into LoRa (Let's see if Meshtastic goes anywhere), but I am looking for a super compact solution, like within a heat shrink tube, to be sewn or stapled unnoticed into a seam in an inflatable Frosty the Snowman, etc. The only component I am missing is a ATtiny or somth that keys an id number along with a 45 second or so dash.

[@stargazer7644]

Why don't you just put an apple air tag on it? Far simpler.

[@Wolf359HeavyIndustries]

@@stargazer7644 Good question. An AirTag could work for tracking stolen items. From a consumer perspective they would be simpler to operate However, they are much more complicated than a simple tracking beacon. They rely on a participating apple device to be within their Bluetooth range and ultimately rely on cell carrier networks, the internet, and proprietary devices and software. You can absolutely do that if you want, but my project idea is in the spirit of DIY, Amateur Radio, and possibly using the KrakenRDF unit for locating it, which is what this video is about.

[@DV7Dave]

Very cool! I don't know a whole lot about radios. But could this setup be used to direction find a specific LoRa signal on 915Mhz for example? Or would it pick up all traffic on 915Mhz rather than just the signal I'm looking for?

[@SkylerF]

Probably tricky for ism 915, lots of random signals there and can’t really lock down on the one you want , the kraken can’t decode by protocol

[@freedom1307821]

Hi. Nice video. I am looking for version 1.322. They don't have it any more in github. Do you have this image?

[@RobBob555]

That's because GitHub ( Shithub) sucks 🤬

[@kjchaifisch]

Very neat video, but one question, wouldn't a single directional antenna be more effective than using an array of omnidirectional antennas? Like, directional antennas are already very good at direction finding so is the Kraken just showing that direction finding can be done with an omnidirectional antenna?

[@SkylerF]

With a directional antenna you would have to manually get outside of the car and aim the antenna by spinning it 360° to find the peak signal strength. Completely doable and usually what I used to do but just takes a lot of time manually getting bearing lines every time you stop the car. Plus most directional antennas have side lobes so you might get a signal even if you aren’t pointed right at the source.

[@kjchaifisch]

@@SkylerFWell right... but with an omnidirectional you could be picking up that cell tower, or the other one down the street. A directional antenna would be subject to a lot less noise, and really, you only need 3 or more points for triangulation. Rather than driving in a circle letting the system figure out where something is until it actually figures it out.

[@davidvanhorn498]

@@kjchaifisch Been there and done that with various flavors of directional antennas. Actually a cardiod antenna worked best, aiming for the LEAST signal rather than the most. It has a single very narrow notch. But as SkylerF said it's kind of a PITA especially if raining, cold, or no good place to park.

[@thed8229]

Dang buddy, didn't know you had a YT channel going. I got to see AB2SG's Kraken setup on a RFI hunt a week ago. Badass, I want! Good vid on the unit. K0ATV

[@Chrisflyss]

@skylerf have you tried it out with the antennas extended? Mine works very well that way.

[@frankthetank3342]

I used mine on a 2m fox hunt this evening. Im running low prowfile 4" antennas and it wasnt ideal. Wanted antennas that would stay put 24/7. Might use telescopic 1/4 antennas next week. Until I can make a sheetmetal platform to permanently affix the elements (although, this limits my frequency options a bit). Maybe I'll make uhf and vhf layouts, which I could move to, without too much hassle.

[@stargazer7644]

Just use 1/4 wave mag mount whips. I use small black ones. Hard to see.

[@frankthetank3342]

@@stargazer7644 ended up using strong NMO magnet mounts with adapters to 1/8" steel whip material. I need to paint the elements black, tomorrow (bare metal will rust). Rather than exotic (expensive) steel, found Lowes has decent strength steel rod for cheap price.

[@stargazer7644]

@@frankthetank3342 TIG Welding rod is also a good alternative. It comes in a variety of materials.

[@JohnHughes-bq3nb]

That's awesome. Can that find where 7.2 MHZ illegal ham radio operator signals are coming from ?

[@rustledjammies8769]

I wish I had this a decade ago when business radio use was a lot of popular that now where I live!

[@ST31N42]

Very cool, well done

[@Michael-iw3ek]

Is that similar to what they used to find Pablo Escobar?

[@roberttraylor1392]

awesome video enjoyed it

[@onlineuser4506]

I was thinking about getting something like this and mounting it to a large drone. For research purposes of course😅

[@craftsman123456]

Interesting i did not think they were being sold currently.

[@SkylerF]

Yes you can get them on Mouser or Crowdsupply

[@bryanst.martin7134]

The Ford Pickup owners are beside themselves. Aluminum bodies...

[@ericgulseth74]

Yes. Nice not having the body rust out, but now I need to drill holes....

[@stargazer7644]

We knew this when we bought them. But they're hardly the first vehicles with aluminum body panels - I had a car in 1978 that you couldn't put a mag mount on.

[@davidvanhorn498]

The arrow base antenna converts easily to a folding array for mobile use.

[@augurkur]

Most important reason to get the antenna kit: The antennas must be _precisely_ identical down to the atom, give or take, in order to use this for direction finding.

[@stargazer7644]

It isn't quite that critical. The accuracy of the bearings isn't all that precise, so while you do want the antennas and feedlines to be a close to identical as possible, a few fractions of a wavelength isn't going to make it unusable.

[@SteveM45]

Very interesting, but is this allowed? A car with many antennas . I have an idea: put a skiebox on top off the car.😅

[@felixyasnopolski8571]

it is. you can receive as much as you want

[@mikesradiorepair]

Have a antenna farm on the roof of my 1 ton van. HF screwdriver, 6 meters, 2 meters, 1.25 meters, 70cm, 33cm, 23cm, GMRS, CB and occasionally install the 5 antennas for a Kraken when I need to do direction finding. If you want to see a real antenna farm look at Andrea K2EV's mobile Rover station. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2KQoWaQgNFshLMfeature=shared

[@stargazer7644]

Why would it not be allowed?

[@kevinboog9576]

Skyler. I'm I n Denver as well and would like to talk to you about some interference tracking. I monitor colcon and gmrs 600 repeater.. kfoipd WRMG656 . Hopefully you reach out.😊

[@drewlarson65]

All that fiddling to get them 'precise' and you didn't even flatten the template...

[@SkylerF]

Hey I was filming with the other hand lol

[@thed8229]

And no torque wrench on the SMA's! 😂😂😂 Thank you for making the vid.

[@BVN-TEXAS]

Release the Kraken,,, that what your roof says when your going 85 on the highway and the antennas start to pop off. 😂

[@SkylerF]

😅

[@davidvanhorn498]

​@@SkylerFnot with my antenna array. The roof would go with it.

[@SolarGeneral]

So what’s the purpose of this?

[@davidvanhorn498]

Hey there! KC6ETE in broomfield

[@SkylerF]

👋

[@davidvanhorn498]

@@SkylerF I'd like to meet you IRL now that I have my system operational. What hunts do you have coming up?

[@trixter192]

You say the number "five" five times in the first minute.

[@benefactionhindrance]

How’s this useful to anybody? Do you unlock a trophy for finding 100 towers?

[@ch716]

Transmitter direction finding is very useful for hunting down interference. If you’re not a ham, it may not seem too useful.

[@SkylerF]

Finding jammers and illegal transmissions also

[@ericgulseth74]

Sounds like someone running an illegal simplex VHF repeater would ask...😂

[@benefactionhindrance]

@@ch716 ok, you locate the interference. Then what?

[@benefactionhindrance]

@@SkylerF I mean sure, then what? You’re going to knock at their door and ask them to quit it?

[@ArvindKumar-rl7vs]

Checkout Octasic SDR

[@raysoucie489]

KE0DNQ...... 73

[@kevinboog9576]

Skyler. I'm I n Denver as well and would like to talk to you about some interference tracking. I monitor colcon and gmrs 600 repeater.. kfoipd WRMG656 . Hopefully you reach out.😊