The Antenna That Wouldn't Stop Growing

Description and use

Tuning the dipole antenna and using a quality RTL‑SDR enabled clear images from METEOR‑M weather satellites.

Problem

Unable to receive clear weather satellite images due to poor signal quality from an untuned antenna and inadequate setup.

Outcome

By tuning the dipole antenna to the correct dimensions and using a higher quality RTL‑SDR dongle, the hobbyist successfully captured clear weather images from METEOR‑M satellites, turning a black‑strip failure into usable data.

Workflow

• 1. Purchase RTL‑SDR Blog V3 dongle with bias‑tee and stable oscillator.
• 2. Set up telescopic dipole antenna: extend each arm to 53.4 cm and angle 120°.
• 3. Identify target satellite (METEOR‑M2‑3 or M2‑4) and its 137 MHz downlink frequency via N2YO.
• 4. Use SatDump to point at frequency, record the ~10‑minute pass, and decode.
• 5. Verify signal quality; adjust antenna orientation if image remains poor.
• 6. Repeat for subsequent passes to build a library of images.

Evidence

The satellite came over, right on schedule… I recorded the pass. I ran the decoder. And out came… a black strip.

Source

For the 137 MHz band, the recommendation is very specific: each arm should be 53.4 cm long, with a 120° angle between them.

Source