On Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:45:27 +0000, Larry wrote:

Bruce wrote in
:


I ended up building two wi-fi parabolic antenna. the first a 300 mm
screen-wire dipper (used for frying bananas) measured 300 mm in
diameter and about 90 mm deep. Later built a second dish using a 430
mm aluminum "wok" about 100 mm deep.

The first antenna gave a better signal then the adapter but the second
antenna gave, using the instruments available to me, approximately 3
times the signal that the bare wi-fi "adapter" had.

As I previously mentioned I do not have a signal strength meter and
used the standard Linux utility "iwconfig" to produce some sort of
data. It gave a reading of 6 for signal strength using the bare
adapter and as high as 23 with the wok I can only assume that whatever
the value of the increments that the ratio is accurate.

As luck would have it, I found an abandoned TV "cable" antenna - as
used here "cable" is received on a 3 foot dia. parabolic antenna and I
will probably try that at some later date.

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)


http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html

http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448

http://binarywolf.com/249/pringles_cantenna.htm

http://www.netscum.com/~clapp/wireless.html

http://www.seattlewireless.net/PringlesCantenna

We get about 1.5 miles range from my 200mw hotspot with a 6db antenna 15
meters up in a tree. The whole hotspot is built into an inverted
plastic bucket. The pringle's can antennas are very directional and
great for point to point work like you're doing.....and can be built and
rebuilt for nothing.


I was going to built a tin can antenna but the devil is in the details
and so far I haven't been able to locate the tiny coax connectors that
connect to the wi-fi adapter and as I had read that at wi-fi
frequencies the loss in the usually available cable is nearly equal to
the gain of the antennas I have been a bit reluctant to try.

I am making a trip down to the "electronic district" tomorrow and,
after having written the above, will undoubtedly discover a source of
not only the connectors but also a coil of low loss cable that I can
get free :-)

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)