0TreeLemur Posted February 9, 2021 Report Share Posted February 9, 2021 My hangar faces an FBO that offers wifi. The FBO is 1000 ft. away and the signal is too weak at my hangar. Looking for suggestions on a CB-approved way to bridge to their xmitter and repeat it within my hangar? I could mount a high gain antenna inside my hangar with line-of-sight, without having to mount anything to the outside of the building, which I don't want to do. I'd like the elusive cheap-n-easy solution. Pulling this off could potentially make me a hero of my hangar complex. Ideas anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nokomis449 Posted February 9, 2021 Report Share Posted February 9, 2021 1,000 ft will most likely require a point-to-point router at each end. Without an outside antenna, it'll be tough getting a signal through a metal hangarif that's what you have. In my case, the FBO allowed me to put a router in their attic with a directional antenna pointed toward my hangar (shingle roof), and so far the airport authority hasn't mentioned the short PVC pipe with two small Yagi antennas connected to the gutter at the hangar. It probably helps that I have it as an open network that other nearby hangars can also use. 5+ years and no complaints yet. I'm using 20 year old Linksys routers flashed with DD-WRT firmware but I'm sure there's better solutions out there. Plan is to replace the setup with modern Ubiquiti point-to-points if the current setup ever fails me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowflyin Posted February 9, 2021 Report Share Posted February 9, 2021 I use Ubiquiti point to point from the FBO to my hangar. Flawless-just like being plugged into the jack. 566' total but we've used there products for distances over 1.5 miles. There stuff just works. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmo Posted February 9, 2021 Report Share Posted February 9, 2021 What @slowflyin wrote. Get one of the Ubiquity directional units, point it at FBO, once that's working, put your own access point / router behind the Ubiquity device. For 1000ft you should be fine with nothing special on the FBO end. A pair of dish Ubiquity devices will do multiple mile links. Just be sure to get a device that works on the WiFi band the FBO works on (2.4GHz or 5GHz). Link 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0TreeLemur Posted February 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2021 34 minutes ago, tmo said: What @slowflyin wrote. Get one of the Ubiquity directional units, point it at FBO, once that's working, put your own access point / router behind the Ubiquity device. For 1000ft you should be fine with nothing special on the FBO end. A pair of dish Ubiquity devices will do multiple mile links. Just be sure to get a device that works on the WiFi band the FBO works on (2.4GHz or 5GHz). Link Thanks- I looked at the link. Which one? My inner CB would like to keep it under 0.1 AMU so I can spend more on airplane repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmo Posted February 9, 2021 Report Share Posted February 9, 2021 Depending on the frequency band in use at the FBO, I'd look at one of the parabolic ones: 5GHz or 2.4GHz You may do well with the Nano series, they are similarly priced but less conspicuous, but since the remote end (FBO) is not exposed, I'd take the extra dBs from the parabolic antenna. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 You could try putting a WiFi range extender (aka repeater) halfway between, but you'd need a place to put it and a way to power it. Otherwise the a couple pringle cantennas can make that distance easily, but you need devices on each end of the link with the cantennas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 1 hour ago, EricJ said: You could try putting a WiFi range extender (aka repeater) halfway between, but you'd need a place to put it and a way to power it. Otherwise the a couple pringle cantennas can make that distance easily, but you need devices on each end of the link with the cantennas. What exactly is the gain/loss through a Pringle’s Cantenna repeater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AerostarDriver Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 Highly recommend Ubiquiti, I use their stuff for everything. Home, Hanger, Work. If you have the FBO's cooperation an airmax bullet radio with even a pretty basic antenna will get you going but it is point to point and requires a access point to re-broadcast. airMAX Bullet AC Dual-Band Radio – Ubiquiti Inc. The method that would be more passive with the FBO would be UniFi Mesh Access point – Ubiquiti Inc. with a directional antenna like 2.4 GHz airMAX 24 dBi RocketDish Antenna – Ubiquiti Inc. but I would recommend using a second unit to actually repeat the signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDPetersen Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 I may need both ends of this equation. They just made cabled internet available to the airport hangars. At my house, about 600’ away, I am on satellite internet. The “good stuff” will come to my house someday, but that’s been promised for years. I’m considering having service activated in my hangar for the only intent to aim WiFi at my house. Trying to determine if this makes any sense. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmo Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 It does make sense to me. Satellite internet sucks rocks through a straw. If you have line-of-sight (do consider that trees might grow leaves and such) then get two of these Ubiquity devices and enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 6 hours ago, BDPetersen said: I may need both ends of this equation. They just made cabled internet available to the airport hangars. At my house, about 600’ away, I am on satellite internet. The “good stuff” will come to my house someday, but that’s been promised for years. I’m considering having service activated in my hangar for the only intent to aim WiFi at my house. Trying to determine if this makes any sense. It does, with a couple high-gain antennas if necessary, and either a Range Extender or a Bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 13 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said: What exactly is the gain/loss through a Pringle’s Cantenna repeater? The antenna gain depends on the dimensions of the can used (coffee can, soup, pringles, whatever), but can be pretty high. There's a simple shotgun-yagi design that is claimed to be 12-15dBi, but even without the yagi reflector inside they do pretty well.https://flylib.com/books/en/2.434.1/hack_85_pringles_can_waveguide.html There's an online calculator to determine the dimensions for whatever can you might choose to use. Pringles are cardboard, so don't hold up well in weather, but coffee cans work really well. Keep the plastic cover on the end.https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/cantenna.phphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantenna I've made them before when I needed something very directional for either isolation or locating something. At Mesa Gateway when somebody's ELT is on a guy just walks around with a handheld radio with an omni on it and tries to figure out where it is just by audible signal strength, which has to be pretty frustrating. I was gonna make them a cantenna to make their life easier, but it never got done. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 (edited) 16 minutes ago, EricJ said: The antenna gain depends on the dimensions of the can used (coffee can, soup, pringles, whatever), but can be pretty high. There's a simple shotgun-yagi design that is claimed to be 12-15dBi, but even without the yagi reflector inside they do pretty well.https://flylib.com/books/en/2.434.1/hack_85_pringles_can_waveguide.html There's an online calculator to determine the dimensions for whatever can you might choose to use. Pringles are cardboard, so don't hold up well in weather, but coffee cans work really well. Keep the plastic cover on the end.https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/cantenna.phphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantenna I've made them before when I needed something very directional for either isolation or locating something. At Mesa Gateway when somebody's ELT is on a guy just walks around with a handheld radio with an omni on it and tries to figure out where it is just by audible signal strength, which has to be pretty frustrating. I was gonna make them a cantenna to make their life easier, but it never got done. Can you put a loaded feed inside the can? Doesn't the can need to be some fraction of a wavelength to work? It will be a pretty big can at 121 Mhz. I think it would be more like an oil drum antenna. I was just playing with the calculator and it starts to work with 4 1/2 foot diameter Pringles can. I think they would be better off with a loop. Edited February 10, 2021 by N201MKTurbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmo Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 The cantennas are usually for WiFi signals, which are around 2.4GHz or 5GHz. I believe WiFi was the context in this thread as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said: Can you put a loaded feed inside the can? Doesn't the can need to be some fraction of a wavelength to work? It will be a pretty big can at 121 Mhz. I think it would be more like an oil drum antenna. I was just playing with the calculator and it starts to work with 4 1/2 foot diameter Pringles can. I think they would be better off with a loop. The only dimension that gets excessively ugly as the frequency goes down is the quarter-wave stub that is the actual sensing element. The rest is just the reflector that makes it directional. For the sensing element you can put a little inductive antenna from a VHF handheld (or something similar) in there in place of the stub and it'll work and will fit in a reasonable size can. For VHF a coffee can or a Country Time Lemonade mix can is large enough to work well and still be manageable. The can design is not optimal for low frequencies, but it does provide decent directivity for location tasks. A yagi is better for VHF, but still too big to be easily handled or transported and a little harder to make. For WiFi frequencies, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz for most applications, pringles cans or similar work very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 27 minutes ago, tmo said: The cantennas are usually for WiFi signals, which are around 2.4GHz or 5GHz. I believe WiFi was the context in this thread as well. Until Eric said he was going to build a cantenna to look for ELT signals.... I didn't start the deviation, I just chased the squirrel when it ran from the tree. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted February 11, 2021 Report Share Posted February 11, 2021 Anyone consider this yet... https://www.starlink.com Hardware and monthly costs probably won’t compete with a couple of cantennas... with somebody else paying for the service... -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmo Posted February 11, 2021 Report Share Posted February 11, 2021 15 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said: I didn't start the deviation, I just chased the squirrel when it ran from the tree. I can't keep up with you smart people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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