Would the raspberry pi 2 work? looks like the same price http://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Complete-Original-Preloaded/dp/B008XVAVAW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1439059141&sr=1-1&keywords=raspberry+pi
Also in your original post, I dont see the antenna listed in the parts list, Can you give some details on the antenna?
Disregard: The thing I linked comes with CanaKit wifi adapted, and I saw the antenna comes with the ADSB stick
I have the 256MB Model B where B=Ethernet, A=None.
In essence all you need is a PI Model B 512MB if you have the other items like SD (Class 10!!) and HDMI. On cases it's your call. It doesnt ship with one so you can go home made if you want. I put mine in a plastic container before buying a case (which is in the bundle linked below)
If you want the whole shebang, look up this one
So, if a Pi kit like this costs ~$60 (yes, they can be bought for less and piecemealed together, but based on "huge noob" statement this is probably more realistic), plus a simple hub like this for ~$7, the total investment to run on a Pi is going to be ~$67 (assuming no need to purchase an ethernet cable). At a cost difference of $8.64/month savings, it will be 7.75 months before investment/savings breaks even.
This is not an argument against a Pi. The energy savings in the long term is great, as is the fact that it doesn't require use of the primary PC so OP can do whatever he/she likes with the PC and just "set and forget" the Pi. Simply pointing out that the savings are not immediate.
I use Amazon frequently. Here are 5 of my favorite purchases from the past few years under $100.00
1. Raspberry Pi with XBMC ... Click Here
2. 6x Monitor Mount ... Click Here
3. Egg and Muffin Toaster ... Click Here