Bill and I took similar routes, but I didn't have a radar arch.
So, to your original question, I have what I believe you were asking
for.
The project has been discussed at length both here and in
alt.internet.wireless, with both Bill and my "from" lines, so I'll not
go into details other than to say:
If you have a fixed computer, are willing to get up to speed on the
router or bridge you use, and have a couple of NICs (one to configure
the router or bridge to receive the signals, the other to then take
and address from the AP you use), it's actually pretty simple.
I have a NEMA box (aluminum in my case) atop the mast. It has on it
an 8.5dbi omni antenna, coupled to a lightning arrestor (through the
box), and thence to a 6" pigtail (inside) which connects to the output
on the bridge. In my case, I started with a Senao, but am now using a
LiteStation2 from Ubiquiti, a superior unit. That's powered over an
ethernet cable, using a POE.
Most of the gear if you choose 12V would tolerate a direct feed (e.g.
5-16 volts operating OK), and a correspondent in my Island Packet
mailing list (we considered an IP in our search, and I stayed on the
list) has said that using the two unused data pairs, one each for a
conductor, is plenty to get the voltage up there. However, that
requires you to have the appropriate tool and gear to terminate the
other data pairs on both ends. In my case, I'd used a commercial unit
to inject the power, buying it before hearing about that method. It
avoided the tools issue, too, but the point is that it works.
So, you have a receiving and transmitting unit atop the mast, with a
cable to your computer. In my case, I studied the patterns for a long
time before settling on my antenna. Bill's, while more powerful, has
the downsides he's pointed out. Mine has very rarely failed to pull
in a signal, wherever I've been, with a population nearby. The rocking
of our boat, with its 64' top point, has not caused problems with
reception, presumably due to the fatter donut resulting from the lower
gain.
In our most current trip, I was able to pick up stations a couple of
miles offshore, picking up my mail as we approached the inlet. On the
hook here, we have several to choose from. None are good enough to
use our internet telephone (the same number we've had for 30 years),
but plenty good enough for browsing, web searches and email. However,
we've had adequate broadband for our Vonage router's requirements in
probably half of our locations. Skype and GoogleChat both work at
lower bandwidths so those persist, and nearly always we're able to use
those, giving up the convenience of the standard telephone handset to
do so.
The only times I've not had a connection since we left last July has
been when we're on the hook in a remote location - without cell
service, either, FWIW, which would render those services dead. We're
very happy with our outcomes. Our next step, always having been
pushed back due to the efficacy, if nuisance value, of our current
setup (we have to swap NICs from acquisition to communication steps)
and the other myriad projects of higher importance, will be to do as
Bill did and have another router which will allow seamless
communication with the mast-top gear as well as provide a wifi signal
to the boat and - depending on how you set the power and/or encryption
- any around you who care to share the signal.
And, finally, another correspondent on the Island Packet list uses
something similar to Bill's, and since he's been entirely inter-
coastal, has been able to upload MOVIES while under way, an entirely
acceptable broadband service. However, that card isn't a cell phone,
nor would it allow the use of our internet telephony, either, so, and
especially as we expect to spend the bulk of our cruising lives in the
Caribbean (once we get some obligations stateside finished up), our
setup appears best for us.
YMMV :{))
L8R
Skip
Morgan 461 #2
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