I’m interested to hear some of the real world uses that people are using the Kraken for, I work for a state agency that provides a statewide radio system on 700 MHz and 800 MHz and I have been using the Kraken frequently all across my state to find interfering bi-directional amplifiers That are wreaking havoc on my system. These amplifiers are either broadcasting all the time when they should not be or they are broadcasting signals, where they should not be, which is normally result of bad programming. In the last few weeks I have located and shut down more than six BDA’s. Three of them in major Corporations. My agency is looking at the idea of buying up to five Kraken sets to spread across the state with our radio programmer team. Ultimately, it would fall on me to make sure that the units are set up and configured properly to be used and likely quarterback the events from my office using the web map system. Is anyone doing this in similar fashion? As it is right now, I am one guy that has many jobs within the agency and if we buy five kraken sets, that will allow me the time to do my other jobs while I can send other people out that have limited knowledge of how the Kraken works and still hunt interference in that manner. Very hear your real world scenarios, please share.
I’d be up for that job!
Presumably you have some sites where you could locate a fixed array?
I designed a similar system using pseudodopplers back in the 90’s with networking over a TNC. It only sold to governments though.
The big thing I would add to the Kraken is a hardware “pickle switch” to tell it when the interference is happening. It assumes that everything you hear is what you’re looking for.
My most fun hunt back in the day was a switching power supply that was being illuminated by our repeater transmit signal. When the SMPS was producing enough energy at 600kHz it would appear on the repeater input and cause a horrific noise. It was very infrequent which made it a real PITA to locate.
Presumably you have some sites where you could locate a fixed array?
Well, sort of. My standard mode of operation thus far has been drinking around areas of interest running the Kraken and finding signal sources that way. I do have the option with an additional mount solution to put a Kraken unit on a trailer mounted 80’ tower. I have yet to do it but I plan to!
The big thing I would add to the Kraken is a hardware “pickle switch” to tell it when the interference is happening. It assumes that everything you hear is what you’re looking for.
Being that I’m operating in public safety section of 700/800 and we are able to disable channels in the system to segregate them, so far, I have not had any trouble with this. The stuff I have been tracking down has been constant tx in nature, making it a little simpler.
What sort of BDAs are you having issues with?
Class A & B, public safety 700/800 BDA/DAS, various installers, various manufacturers.
Did you see my mobile mount solution?
The arrow base antenna mount might work for you on a trailer, but I don’t have that luxury, so I came up with this. My roof is also ridged, so not friendly to arbitrary mag mount positions.
I do remember seeing that post. I myself use the kraken telescopic antennas fully collapsed and set for 800mhz spacing on a pizza pan. The pan is upside down and I found some magnetic feet the same as the kraken antenna with a bilt rather than the SMA. Just drilled three holes, double nutted it and away we go! Slap it on any flat metal surface and start hunting.
This is one of my main areas of interest. Having used the Anritsu SiteMaster on several occasions to chase signals including one major cell jammer that was wreaking havoc on major systems around DFW.
I am working on building an antenna array on a 4 x 4 aluminum ground plane for easy deployment. If my personal gunds were no object, I would have several units deployed around my county covering each of the pu lic safety bands. One goal is to track down every interop repeater that is left turned on. The hetrodyne is ridiculous.
Hello Devan,
Do you have a way to monitoring the uplink noise floor from your sites on each channel?
Your systems is Trunking or Cellular?
I was hunting interference for TELUS in Canada and we are monitoring the uplink noise floor on each channel (and per PRB) on each sector of the tower.
Each morning we get a report of the most noisy site above our threshold and we compare to neighbour site get a area for the hunt. we get also a live spectral signature from e-NodeB of the site set the R&S PR200 on the interfering frequency.
Most of issue in the 600-700-800 MHz were BDA (Isolation between antennas lower the the gain of the booster), Leaking from cable egress (6 MHz QAM), Got also a few jammer and a few Karioki mike in the 700MHz
We don’t have actual spectrum monitoring at all sites, too costly. What we do have is a system that reports illegal carriers and displays the on a dashboard of the top 10 with an adjustable time frame. That’s usually where I get my targets for hunting!
I have been installing Airspy R2 SDR’s attached to a Rpi to the RX multicoupler at my sites, allows a easy, inespensive view into the uplink spectrum at my sites (800MHz P25). Anyone run a Kraken at a site with all the TX energy 45MHz away? I would think it would get compressed in the first amplified stage due to no filtering…
How’s it working for BDA hunting? I’d like the pickle switch idea, and I’d like to see an easy way to set the DOA compass offset so you don’t have to do a translation while parked, and perhaps a function where you could basically beam steer - rotate the array manually and watch the spectrum display. What we do with an Anritsu and a Yagi today.
I have a few other practical uses that I’ll share once we get past some stuff here. Monioring the P25 control channel uplink for specific radio ID’s could be very usefull…
