Baslinux mailing list

[Lee Forrest <lforrestster AT gmail.com>]

On Thu, Dec 21, 2006 at 04:50:11PM +0000, sindi keesan wrote:

[delete]

> >>On the front porch I got three different signals but no
> >>connection. The early radio fanatics must have felt like
> >>this. When the signal is too weak, instead of signal level
> >>-155 dBm you get 1/48 or 17/48, and raising the computer a
> >>few feet increased the number. If I had a working battery or
> >>a very long extension cord I could walk around figuring out
> >>where the linksys and netgear and apple and 2wire signals
> >>come from. There is also some background noise with SSID ""
> >>and stronger signal levels than the others but of course no
> >>connection.
> >
> >I used to be a ham. You could make an antenna to help with
> >reception/transmission.. I'd guess the frequency range is very
> >high, so a small dish made from steel or copper mesh would
> >work great. Otherwise, a yagi would work.
>
> We have a pringles can.

I only use coke cans. I am a man of principe! :-)

> What size dish?

Depends on frequency. Size of antenna and frequency have an
inverse relationship, although there are ways to 'cheat'.
Be tiny, because the frequency (I assume) is high.

The dish could be a lot larger than the antenna. Probably
would be in this case. The antenna would be suspended at
its focal point. 

You could also insert an amplifying transciever to radically
extend your range, and connect to wlans (?) all over the place.

Bet they are cheap, now. 

> Why mesh?

Custom. Could be aluminum foil, or anything conductive.

> I have several stainless steel strainers of various mesh sizes.
> Do you use these to reflect a signal like you can do with
> low-quality radio signals? Sometimes I pick up a station better
> by standing on the opposite side of the radio from the source.

The dish focusses and reflects the signal to the actual antenna.
Or vice-versa if you are transmitting.
>
> >Both are directional.
> >
> >Get me the frequency range/center frequency and I'll do the
> >math and send you the plans.
>
> All these signals are 2.4GHz, same as newer (newest?) cordless
> phones. iwlist with the airo card (orinoco card does not
> support it) shows the 8 strongest signals. First has address
> FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF - maybe this is a cordless phone? Next is the
> one I briefly picked up in the kitchen, followed by two lines
> of 00:00:etc. which sometimes change so that one or both match
> the second line, and four more lines. I have picked up the
> existence of SSID "" "Netgear" "Apple" "Linksys" and "2Wire".
>
> I think udhcpc can choose the address with -r switch. Will
> experiment. The county-wide signal will hopefully be more
> stable and work without added antenna.
>
> There is nothing to hook an antenna to. 

I was wondering about that. You'd have to dig in there. We'd
need to know the impedance, too, which we should be able to
determine by examining the internal antenna for type and
size.

>I will research using
> the router as antenna (it has two pointable ones)

There you go.

> if it is part of the network, or must it all go through
> 192.168.0.1? One router has a pcmcia wireless card in it and I
> could plug a cable into the back.

Need a length of coax from computer to antenna.

[delete]

Lee