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Topic: Roof mounted voice/data antenna (Read 7 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: Roof mounted voice/data antenna
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 119032
"Anyone try this antenna? dBi gain of 13."

Ed
 Take a look at the 40" antenna whip and you will see two traps (dark wide spots on the whip). I have found similar traps(on CB antennas) to be very weak, when smacked by a tree branch. They just blow apart, destroying the antenna.
A 40" whip sits high enough to be hit often.

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Roof mounted voice/data antenna
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 119033
"Anyone try this antenna? dBi gain of 13."
 I'm a little suspicious of those "dual booster modules." Powered amps (but why two?) or just passive loading coils?
 Here's a related question. Has anybody tried Wilson's new direction cell antenna?

http://tinyurl.com/2csm2k5
 I'm picturing mounting this on the Winegard TV antenna's mast so that it can be aimed at a cell tower. Or does anyone have a better suggestion for a high-gain directional cell phone antenna?

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Roof mounted voice/data antenna
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 119042
Quote
A 40" whip sits high enough to be hit often.
Agreed, Larry.
I'm tinkering with a way to lower the antenna when traveling but without having to climb up the ladder.

Ed
Re: Roof mounted voice/data antenna
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 119058
You might consider mounting it on your crank-up Winegard TV antenna.  I did that with my Wilson Truckers Cell Antenna.  When the TV antenna is stowed for travel, the cell antenna lies almost flat to the roof.  I say "almost" because it's up at a very slight angle that keeps the ground-plane rods from hitting the roof (they are VERY fragile).
 Click here http://www.wxtoad.com/index.asp?page=LD/rbenhance.htm>  and scroll down a bit to find two pictures.

Toad '05 RB @ Ochlockonee River SP, FL
Re: Roof mounted voice/data antenna
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 119078
Andy, do you know the frequency (ies) that you need to work with? (Should be around 1.5 GHz, I think). If you can find the frequency, you can get a directional yagi antenna for that frequency, mount it on the rotating Winegard mast, and use fat coaxial cable to get the signal inside, or run it to an external roof mounted USB modem which has an external antenna connection. This is some trouble and expense; and you need a way to articulate the long antenna so that it folds flat when you lower the mast(like the TV antenna does.)
 I'm doing something similar with wifi customer premises boxes that put all the radios and flat panel antennas in a small box up on the Winegard mast. Power-over-ethernet cable is run up to the CPE box on the roof.
 Some of these CPE vendors used to offer cell phone network modules, but I'm not sure they do any more. Too proprietary, I think, so the USB modem on the roof with an external small flat panel or large yagi antenna seems like the next step in cellular range. If there is a vendor selling external, roof-top style cellular radios with USB or power-over-ethernet connections, I would like to know about it.
 Now, one problem here is that the yagi antenna could exceed legal limits on effective radiated power. The rules don't allow for isolated distant cases where that would not matter, I don't think.

TS
 
Re: Roof mounted voice/data antenna
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 119082
"Andy, do you know the frequency (ies) that you need to work with? (Should be around 1.5 GHz, I think)."

See this page:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies#Frequency_bands_used_in_the_United_States

Depending on the carrier and system, it can be anything between 700 MHz and 2.7 GHz. The Wilson directional antenna (http://tinyurl.com/2csm2k5) that I referred to in an earlier post--which may well be a Yagi under that tapering plastic shroud--claims 700-2500 MHz.
 I may have to get myself one, one of these days, and experiment. :-)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"