RMD3819 Posted December 7, 2016 Report Posted December 7, 2016 I have a hotspot that has antenna ports for two antennas. We just bought a new rig and am considering having these installed on the roof: http://www.ebay.com/itm/371437895349?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Does anyone have any experience with this type of setup? Will these work on a fiberglass roof? Concerned about the antennas not being grounded to metal.
skunk workz Posted December 7, 2016 Report Posted December 7, 2016 I'm not sure about that one, but I run two of the Wilson / WeBoost stubby antennas with the AC791L, and have been extremely happy with the performance. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NPYON8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This pair of adapters will convert from the antenna port to the AC791L port: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PP0MEBS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They do need to be mounted on a metal ground plane, but it appears that the one you linked does as well.I mounted two pieces of sheet metal to the roof with eternabond tape (no screws through the roof), and stuck the antennas to them.
VallAndMo Posted December 7, 2016 Report Posted December 7, 2016 Hello, I'm no expert in this by any means, but given my limited experience with similar setups, I'd be very surprised if the OP-linked antenna didn't need a metallic ground plane too. IMHO, the fact that it has a magnetic base is a dead give-away... Robert, the sheet metal plus eternabond tape is a good idea (I used a stainless-steel pizza pan plus gorilla tape). You don't mention its format but I'd use something circular (after all the EM field irradiated by the antenna is supposed to be circular-like too) for each antenna separately, and with a radius at least as large as the antenna (seems intuitively right to me). But again, I'm no expert and perhaps a squarish piece of metal of whatever size you can attach would have the same effect... Cheers, -- Vall. Getting ready to join the RV full-time lifestyle in 2017!
skunk workz Posted December 7, 2016 Report Posted December 7, 2016 Robert, the sheet metal plus eternabond tape is a good idea (I used a stainless-steel pizza pan plus gorilla tape). You don't mention its format but I'd use something circular (after all the EM field irradiated by the antenna is supposed to be circular-like too) for each antenna separately, and with a radius at least as large as the antenna (seems intuitively right to me). But again, I'm no expert and perhaps a squarish piece of metal of whatever size you can attach would have the same effect... I used zinc coated steel sheet from Lowes or Home Depot. It's square but I rounded the corners a bit to keep the sharp edge from hitting the rubber roof. They are probably about 12" x 12" (I believe that 8" x 8" is the ideal minimum size for that antenna), The first one I added a couple of years ago for a Wilson / WeBoost booster. When I got the AC791L I added the second plate / antenna so that I could connect them directly. The second antenna is 6 or 8 feet from the first to keep some separation between them (probably way overkill).
RMD3819 Posted December 7, 2016 Author Report Posted December 7, 2016 The metal ground plane-do you guys have this mounted directly on the flat roof part onto the fiberglass or on a little "shelf" L bracket on the edge of the roof?
skunk workz Posted December 7, 2016 Report Posted December 7, 2016 The metal ground plane-do you guys have this mounted directly on the flat roof part onto the fiberglass or on a little "shelf" L bracket on the edge of the roof? Our roof is rubber, but our ground planes are both mounted directly to the roof.
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