VDL2 & ACARS Hardware Build Guide

Designed specifically for airfields, home offices, and control towers where roof access is impractical. Stick the mount directly to window glass with zero tools, cradle your local SDR dongle directly at the antenna base for zero coax loss, and run an active USB cable to your host Windows PC.

SolidWorks Assembly · 136.975 MHz Airband Antenna Mount & Integrated RTL-SDR Dongle Cradle

Reverse View · Internal Dongle Housing, Cable Routing & 3M Command Strip Window Interface

• 🪟
  3M Command Strip Window Mount: Attaches securely to the inside pane of any window facing runway traffic or open sky. Easily removable without leaving residue or damaging window tint.
• 🔌
  Zero Coax Loss (Direct Dongle Mount): The RTL-SDR dongle cradles directly beneath the antenna element inside the 3D-printed chassis. RF signal travels less than 1 inch from antenna to receiver, eliminating all coaxial cable attenuation on weak VHF signals.
• 💻
  Active USB Extension: A standard 5m or 10m active USB extension cable carries digital I/Q samples safely down from the window to your Windows PC or Raspberry Pi.
• 📡
  Tuned 136.975 MHz Airband Resonance: A quarter-wave element at 136.975 MHz is ~54.7 cm (compared to 6.9 cm for 1090 MHz ADS-B). The mount accommodates our tuned vertical monopole or PCB dipole element with solid ground decoupling.