Apologies if this is a stupid question but where can I find set up instructions for the hardware and software?
Edit: I have the Lantern plugged in and running but I’m not sure what to expect from the software side. I went to 10.10.10.10 but I have no downloaded files. How do I browse files on Outernet?
Not a stupid question at all. Where are you located and in what direction do you have the receiver pointed? Is it basically at a 45-degree angle?
In the top-right corner, do you see at least one bar and an arrow pointed down?
Can you log into the Dashboard and view the Tuner Settings? Do you see packets being received?
I’m in Canada and don’t really have the receiver pointed in any direction. I tried rotating and tilting it but I’m not sure how to tell if the signal is improving.
In the top right corner I see a grayed-out icon with an x in it.
No packets being received in Tuner Settings. Signal state is 0 and -107dB as the signal strength.
Not a problem. What city in Canada? I can provide the general pointing directions once I know that.
Toronto
I have some precise numbers for you, but you don’t need super precision when pointing.
First, place the stand in the second hole on the back of the enclosure.
Second, point the receiver at a compass bearing of 215-degrees.
What new values do you see under Tuner Settings?
I used Satfinder to get the elevation and bearing of I4F3 (which coincided with your numbers) but my SNR was hovering around 1.7 even without the plastic covering on the Lantern. As of about 30 minutes ago my SNR dropped drastically and hasn’t gone above 0.4.
Is there receiver outside, or is it pointed through a window?
Last night when I was getting 1.7 I was indoors, near a window. Today I tried going outside and still can’t get it higher than 1.
Sorry that this is taking so long to resolve. Do you have anything at all that is obstructing your southern view? If not, then would you mind completely disassembling your receiver? I’ll post a picture on the simplest setup outside of the enclosure. Right now I’m still trying to figure out if the problem is environmental or device-specific.
No worries, I appreciate the help!
Outside there wasn’t anything obstructing the antenna. How important is it to angle the antenna correctly? With the receiver disassembled I have to eyeball 30 degrees and hold it there. I’ll continue testing after work tonight.
Precision pointing is definitely not required. As a matter of fact, I can sometimes get packets in Chicago by just laying the antenna flat (but there is a very high packet loss rate).
I’ll send some pictures of what I’m doing with a naked hardware setup this afternoon.
I should have taken a picture of the amp connected to the radio. Can you show me how you did yours?
I sometimes have my DIY L-Band receiver go to these low SNR settings. I suspect it is a possibly a power issue.
I susspect it is when I have gently knocked one of the long USB cables connecting the RTL Dongle and LNA outside with the powered hub and CHIP Computer inside. THis may have caused the voltage etc to drop a bit and subsequently my rtl dongle is giving low SNR. Rough testing my RTL dongle draws about .14 amp at 5 volt.
If you have a powered hub, Power the CHIP or Raspberry directly then plug in the powered hub to the CHIP or Raspberry and then plug the RTL dongle to the powered hub.
See if this helps.
I took the Lantern apart and used it as is. I angled the antenna and moved it around but nothing I did got the signal stronger.[quote=“Seasalt, post:15, topic:2249”]
I sometimes have my DIY L-Band receiver go to these low SNR settings. I suspect it is a possibly a power issue.
I susspect it is when I have gently knocked one of the long USB cables connecting the RTL Dongle and LNA outside with the powered hub and CHIP Computer inside. THis may have caused the voltage etc to drop a bit and subsequently my rtl dongle is giving low SNR. Rough testing my RTL dongle draws about .14 amp at 5 volt.
If you have a powered hub, Power the CHIP or Raspberry directly then plug in the powered hub to the CHIP or Raspberry and then plug the RTL dongle to the powered hub.
See if this helps.
[/quote]
Not enough power sounds reasonable, although it was almost working at one point. I’ll try to get my hands on a powered USB hub.
I am successfully using a 4 port USB 3 hub. It does have a strange habit of storing electricity for a while once the power is disconnected.
This little bit of stored power may be enough to cause the delay I am having withe the CHIP computer not resetting sometimes. I now disconnect power to the CHIP and the powered hub for 10 seconds when I reboot the CHIP and rtl-4000 dongle.
Well, I have a related stupid question.
What is the panel that has the female usb connector on it for? I thought about it, and I have no idea what it is.
No questions are stupid - - I had trouble determining the sex of my connector too 
Either you plug the solar cell with the male USB into it, or, to keep the Lantern going, you connect a micro-USB cable to a 2 amp wall wart to keep the battery in the Lantern charged and working.
The thing about it is, the supplied battery (even with a solar trickle charge) won’t run the Lantern 24/7. Ken
Hmm, perhaps I should put up pictures.
I have a regular looking solar panel with a barrel connector.
The other panel has the female USB connector on it.
As far as I can tell there are no male USB connectors anywhere. Is this other panel just an odd looking solar panel that can also be plugged into the micro USB port?
If that’s the case, I’ve never seen a USB solar panel before.
