Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Hi Like the Lucent antennas, they are ceramic patch antennas inside a fairly rugged enclosure. They are fine antennas, but they aren't choke ring designs. Bob On Mar 10, 2013, at 12:07 AM, Peter Gottlieb n...@verizon.net wrote: I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Peter ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Yes, the Trimble Bullet is the originally suggested antenna for the TBolt but it is nothing special. Any patch timing antenna can do (Symmetricom 58532, Motorola Timing2000, Panasonic VIC100 and similar). To deviate from the usual patch type antenna, there is the Procom GPS4 quadrifilar helix and, having the money to acquire one, the choke ring type antenna. The top antenna (in my opinion) is the Trimble Zephyr but this antenna is extremely expensive even on the popular auction site. On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 2:33 PM, Bob Camp li...@rtty.us wrote: Hi Like the Lucent antennas, they are ceramic patch antennas inside a fairly rugged enclosure. They are fine antennas, but they aren't choke ring designs. Bob On Mar 10, 2013, at 12:07 AM, Peter Gottlieb n...@verizon.net wrote: I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Peter ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Hi Peter, Why not. The antenna is optimized for that purpose (receiving GPS L1), omnidirectional and tuned to the GPS frequency, snow skids down, birds can't land on it. As N0UU affirms, there's nothing further sensational inside. I don't know, how proficient you are with radio frequency stuff, but a gain of 35dB does not guarantee a good reception. You primarily need gain to compensate (cable) losses. The noise figure (NF), for example, can get much more important. What antenna do you use at the time? If you are using a magnetic car roof antenna a Trimble Bullet surely will be a better choice... There are lots of GPS antennas on ebay for even less than 30 Dollars. I run four different antennas, which I purchased from ebay and none of them has failed so far. Volker Am 10.03.2013 06:07, schrieb Peter Gottlieb: I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Peter ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
The seller had a make offer so I tried $20 and it was set to auto accept. I figure for $25 (with shipping) it's worth a shot for a new unit. The Trimble data sheet says it is good for up to 75 feet of coax, I think I'll end up with about 50 here. The antenna I have been using is a no-name pole mount unit with 25 feet of attached RG-59 coax that came with the TBolt kit I initially got. I'm not a big fan of RG-59. So what coax should I use? Many people say use good RG-6, although the Dranetz power line units with GPS come with a 100 foot piece of 1/4 Heliax, I have to imagine that would be better. Here's some on epay: 360492678643, but with wrong connectors. Expensive, though, here are approx attenuation numbers at the frequency of interest: RG-5910.4 dB/100 ft RG-68.4 dB/100 ft Heliax 7.4 dB/100 ft FSJ1-50A RG-11 5.7 dB/100 ft (Yes, I'm aware of the impedance differences) It seems, just go with quad shield RG-6 and be done with it. I even have part of a spool of that laying around. Maybe more of an issue is how do you properly connect a TNC to that stuff (the antenna has a TNC). Peter On 3/10/2013 11:01 AM, Volker Esper wrote: Hi Peter, Why not. The antenna is optimized for that purpose (receiving GPS L1), omnidirectional and tuned to the GPS frequency, snow skids down, birds can't land on it. As N0UU affirms, there's nothing further sensational inside. I don't know, how proficient you are with radio frequency stuff, but a gain of 35dB does not guarantee a good reception. You primarily need gain to compensate (cable) losses. The noise figure (NF), for example, can get much more important. What antenna do you use at the time? If you are using a magnetic car roof antenna a Trimble Bullet surely will be a better choice... There are lots of GPS antennas on ebay for even less than 30 Dollars. I run four different antennas, which I purchased from ebay and none of them has failed so far. Volker Am 10.03.2013 06:07, schrieb Peter Gottlieb: I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Peter ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2641/5660 - Release Date: 03/09/13 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Hi How long a run of coax will you have? Do you have a power splitter at the receiver end? You probably need 10 db of gain between the antenna and the receiver. If the antenna has 25 db of gain, you have 15 db to waste on cable loss and power splitting. With no power splitter, you could run about 200' of RG-6. You likely will spend less on that amount of cable (plus the F connectors) than you will just on the connectors for the Heliax… As mentioned in an earlier thread, RG-59 may or may not be what the tables say it should be. RG-6 quad shield is made for the same frequency range as GPS. Weather it works broadband or not - who knows. It's pretty likely that it will indeed work at satellite / GPS frequencies. In a receiving application, impedance isn't a big issue. Since the TBolt is designed for 75 ohms, it's probably happier with 75 ohm cable. The antenna - who knows. Either way 50 or 75 ohms - no big deal. Bob On Mar 10, 2013, at 12:04 PM, Peter Gottlieb n...@verizon.net wrote: The seller had a make offer so I tried $20 and it was set to auto accept. I figure for $25 (with shipping) it's worth a shot for a new unit. The Trimble data sheet says it is good for up to 75 feet of coax, I think I'll end up with about 50 here. The antenna I have been using is a no-name pole mount unit with 25 feet of attached RG-59 coax that came with the TBolt kit I initially got. I'm not a big fan of RG-59. So what coax should I use? Many people say use good RG-6, although the Dranetz power line units with GPS come with a 100 foot piece of 1/4 Heliax, I have to imagine that would be better. Here's some on epay: 360492678643, but with wrong connectors. Expensive, though, here are approx attenuation numbers at the frequency of interest: RG-5910.4 dB/100 ft RG-68.4 dB/100 ft Heliax 7.4 dB/100 ft FSJ1-50A RG-11 5.7 dB/100 ft (Yes, I'm aware of the impedance differences) It seems, just go with quad shield RG-6 and be done with it. I even have part of a spool of that laying around. Maybe more of an issue is how do you properly connect a TNC to that stuff (the antenna has a TNC). Peter On 3/10/2013 11:01 AM, Volker Esper wrote: Hi Peter, Why not. The antenna is optimized for that purpose (receiving GPS L1), omnidirectional and tuned to the GPS frequency, snow skids down, birds can't land on it. As N0UU affirms, there's nothing further sensational inside. I don't know, how proficient you are with radio frequency stuff, but a gain of 35dB does not guarantee a good reception. You primarily need gain to compensate (cable) losses. The noise figure (NF), for example, can get much more important. What antenna do you use at the time? If you are using a magnetic car roof antenna a Trimble Bullet surely will be a better choice... There are lots of GPS antennas on ebay for even less than 30 Dollars. I run four different antennas, which I purchased from ebay and none of them has failed so far. Volker Am 10.03.2013 06:07, schrieb Peter Gottlieb: I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Peter ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2641/5660 - Release Date: 03/09/13 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Thank you. The antenna spec is 35 dB gain and I'll end up with 50-75 feet of RG-6. Maybe I'll just put in a TNC-F adapter as there are F connectors made especially for RG-6, and probably no TNC connectors like that! Thanks again. Peter On 3/10/2013 12:35 PM, Bob Camp wrote: Hi How long a run of coax will you have? Do you have a power splitter at the receiver end? You probably need 10 db of gain between the antenna and the receiver. If the antenna has 25 db of gain, you have 15 db to waste on cable loss and power splitting. With no power splitter, you could run about 200' of RG-6. You likely will spend less on that amount of cable (plus the F connectors) than you will just on the connectors for the Heliax… As mentioned in an earlier thread, RG-59 may or may not be what the tables say it should be. RG-6 quad shield is made for the same frequency range as GPS. Weather it works broadband or not - who knows. It's pretty likely that it will indeed work at satellite / GPS frequencies. In a receiving application, impedance isn't a big issue. Since the TBolt is designed for 75 ohms, it's probably happier with 75 ohm cable. The antenna - who knows. Either way 50 or 75 ohms - no big deal. Bob On Mar 10, 2013, at 12:04 PM, Peter Gottlieb n...@verizon.net wrote: The seller had a make offer so I tried $20 and it was set to auto accept. I figure for $25 (with shipping) it's worth a shot for a new unit. The Trimble data sheet says it is good for up to 75 feet of coax, I think I'll end up with about 50 here. The antenna I have been using is a no-name pole mount unit with 25 feet of attached RG-59 coax that came with the TBolt kit I initially got. I'm not a big fan of RG-59. So what coax should I use? Many people say use good RG-6, although the Dranetz power line units with GPS come with a 100 foot piece of 1/4 Heliax, I have to imagine that would be better. Here's some on epay: 360492678643, but with wrong connectors. Expensive, though, here are approx attenuation numbers at the frequency of interest: RG-5910.4 dB/100 ft RG-68.4 dB/100 ft Heliax 7.4 dB/100 ft FSJ1-50A RG-11 5.7 dB/100 ft (Yes, I'm aware of the impedance differences) It seems, just go with quad shield RG-6 and be done with it. I even have part of a spool of that laying around. Maybe more of an issue is how do you properly connect a TNC to that stuff (the antenna has a TNC). Peter On 3/10/2013 11:01 AM, Volker Esper wrote: Hi Peter, Why not. The antenna is optimized for that purpose (receiving GPS L1), omnidirectional and tuned to the GPS frequency, snow skids down, birds can't land on it. As N0UU affirms, there's nothing further sensational inside. I don't know, how proficient you are with radio frequency stuff, but a gain of 35dB does not guarantee a good reception. You primarily need gain to compensate (cable) losses. The noise figure (NF), for example, can get much more important. What antenna do you use at the time? If you are using a magnetic car roof antenna a Trimble Bullet surely will be a better choice... There are lots of GPS antennas on ebay for even less than 30 Dollars. I run four different antennas, which I purchased from ebay and none of them has failed so far. Volker Am 10.03.2013 06:07, schrieb Peter Gottlieb: I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Peter ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2641/5660 - Release Date: 03/09/13 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1430 / Virus Database: 2641/5660 - Release Date: 03/09/13 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Exactly. I'll probably wait until NEARfest up here and pick one up there. You
know, more justification to go.
Peter
On 3/10/2013 12:45 PM, George Dubovsky wrote:
It seems, just go with quad shield RG-6 and be done with it. I even have
part of a spool of that laying around. Maybe more of an issue is how do
you properly connect a TNC to that stuff (the antenna has a TNC).
Peter
Here is one solution:
http://www.showmecables.com/Category/F-Connectors-Adapters.aspx?q=pg=1ps=25fq={attr_display2_sm:TNC%20to%20F}fq={attr_display2_sm:F%20to%20TNC}
http://www.showmecables.com/Category/F-Connectors-Adapters.aspx?q=pg=1ps=25fq=%7Battr_display2_sm:TNC%20to%20F%7Dfq=%7Battr_display2_sm:F%20to%20TNC%7D
73,
geo - n4ua
On 3/10/2013 11:01 AM, Volker Esper wrote:
Hi Peter,
Why not. The antenna is optimized for that purpose (receiving GPS L1),
omnidirectional and tuned to the GPS frequency, snow skids down, birds
can't land on it. As N0UU affirms, there's nothing further sensational
inside.
I don't know, how proficient you are with radio frequency stuff, but a
gain of 35dB does not guarantee a good reception. You primarily need
gain to compensate (cable) losses. The noise figure (NF), for example,
can get much more important.
What antenna do you use at the time? If you are using a magnetic car
roof antenna a Trimble Bullet surely will be a better choice...
There are lots of GPS antennas on ebay for even less than 30 Dollars.
I run four different antennas, which I purchased from ebay and none of
them has failed so far.
Volker
Am 10.03.2013 06:07, schrieb Peter Gottlieb:
I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt.
I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so,
specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain.
Would something like this be a good choice?
Peter
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Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
It seems, just go with quad shield RG-6 and be done with it. I even have
part of a spool of that laying around. Maybe more of an issue is how do
you properly connect a TNC to that stuff (the antenna has a TNC).
Peter
Here is one solution:
http://www.showmecables.com/Category/F-Connectors-Adapters.aspx?q=pg=1ps=25fq={attr_display2_sm:TNC%20to%20F}fq={attr_display2_sm:F%20to%20TNC}http://www.showmecables.com/Category/F-Connectors-Adapters.aspx?q=pg=1ps=25fq=%7Battr_display2_sm:TNC%20to%20F%7Dfq=%7Battr_display2_sm:F%20to%20TNC%7D
73,
geo - n4ua
On 3/10/2013 11:01 AM, Volker Esper wrote:
Hi Peter,
Why not. The antenna is optimized for that purpose (receiving GPS L1),
omnidirectional and tuned to the GPS frequency, snow skids down, birds
can't land on it. As N0UU affirms, there's nothing further sensational
inside.
I don't know, how proficient you are with radio frequency stuff, but a
gain of 35dB does not guarantee a good reception. You primarily need gain
to compensate (cable) losses. The noise figure (NF), for example, can get
much more important.
What antenna do you use at the time? If you are using a magnetic car roof
antenna a Trimble Bullet surely will be a better choice...
There are lots of GPS antennas on ebay for even less than 30 Dollars. I
run four different antennas, which I purchased from ebay and none of them
has failed so far.
Volker
Am 10.03.2013 06:07, schrieb Peter Gottlieb:
I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt.
I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs
look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain.
Would something like this be a good choice?
Peter
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Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
On Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 9:07 PM, Peter Gottlieb n...@verizon.net wrote: I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Yes. They work well and it has more than enough gain as long as the cable leength is reasonable.Use the cable TV type RG6 with waterproof F connectors. Those really are waterproof. Then get a F to whatever adaptor for the cable to antenna. Actually it hardly matters if the connection is water proof because it is make inside the 1 inch pipe. That is the other advantage of this type antenna: It mounts on a pipe. So get the longest pipe you can manage and get the antenna out into free space and far from reflections and so on and with a good view of the horizon.Location is far more importance then the brand of antenna or the type of cable. Put with the abilty to mount on a tall mast you can get a good location. If this antenna works better it will be because of the better location more so then because of the antenna The pipe is not that expensive and doubles as a conduit for the cable. But do remember to ground the pipe. Give lightening an easy and direct path to ground and it will follow that route. Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
On 3/10/2013 12:04 PM, Peter Gottlieb wrote: RG-5910.4 dB/100 ft RG-68.4 dB/100 ft Heliax 7.4 dB/100 ft FSJ1-50A RG-11 5.7 dB/100 ft (Yes, I'm aware of the impedance differences) I used LMR-400. 5.1 dB @1.5 GHz /100 ft, 90 dB shield. And, it's 50 ohms. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Also available from Times Microwave in 75 Ohm. Google LMR400-754.9 dB per 100 ft. @ 1.5 GHz. -- FL --- Den søn 10/3/13 skrev Mike S mi...@flatsurface.com: Fra: Mike S mi...@flatsurface.com Emne: Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna Til: time-nuts@febo.com Dato: søndag 10. marts 2013 11.22 On 3/10/2013 12:04 PM, Peter Gottlieb wrote: RG-59 10.4 dB/100 ft RG-6 8.4 dB/100 ft Heliax 7.4 dB/100 ft FSJ1-50A RG-11 5.7 dB/100 ft (Yes, I'm aware of the impedance differences) I used LMR-400. 5.1 dB @1.5 GHz /100 ft, 90 dB shield. And, it's 50 ohms. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
I bought one of the 40 db gain GPS antennas that were on Ebay some time ago. I had been using a mushroom style antenna with an rg-59 lead that came with one of the Thunderbolts. I have maybe 75 feet of rg-6 lead in. Rg-6 sold for satellite dishes or cable companies should do just fine without requiring a second mortgage on one's house. Try to liberate some from your cable guy or order some from pchcables.com. -- Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX c...@omen.com www.omen.com Developer of Industrial ZMODEM(Tm) for Embedded Applications Omen Technology Inc The High Reliability Software 10255 NW Old Cornelius Pass Portland OR 97231 503-614-0430 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
Hi You do need to be a little careful with gain. Past a certain point, you do no more good for the noise figure of the system , but you do degrade the overload performance. Bob On Mar 10, 2013, at 3:40 PM, Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX N2469R c...@omen.com wrote: I bought one of the 40 db gain GPS antennas that were on Ebay some time ago. I had been using a mushroom style antenna with an rg-59 lead that came with one of the Thunderbolts. I have maybe 75 feet of rg-6 lead in. Rg-6 sold for satellite dishes or cable companies should do just fine without requiring a second mortgage on one's house. Try to liberate some from your cable guy or order some from pchcables.com. -- Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX c...@omen.com www.omen.com Developer of Industrial ZMODEM(Tm) for Embedded Applications Omen Technology Inc The High Reliability Software 10255 NW Old Cornelius Pass Portland OR 97231 503-614-0430 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
To me, that seems to be a much more important issue than suggestions about the right cable. Volker Am 10.03.2013 21:48, schrieb Bob Camp: Hi You do need to be a little careful with gain. Past a certain point, you do no more good for the noise figure of the system , but you do degrade the overload performance. Bob On Mar 10, 2013, at 3:40 PM, Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX N2469Rc...@omen.com wrote: I bought one of the 40 db gain GPS antennas that were on Ebay some time ago. I had been using a mushroom style antenna with an rg-59 lead that came with one of the Thunderbolts. I have maybe 75 feet of rg-6 lead in. Rg-6 sold for satellite dishes or cable companies should do just fine without requiring a second mortgage on one's house. Try to liberate some from your cable guy or order some from pchcables.com. -- Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX c...@omen.com www.omen.com Developer of Industrial ZMODEM(Tm) for Embedded Applications Omen Technology Inc The High Reliability Software 10255 NW Old Cornelius Pass Portland OR 97231 503-614-0430 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna
I'd like to get a better antenna for my Thunderbolt. I see Trimble bullet antennas type 57860-00 on ebay for $30 or so, specs look to be 5 volt 35 dB gain. Would something like this be a good choice? Peter ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
That's a dramatic and impressive difference Mark! Were the other choke-rings similarly better than the ordinary conical, or was this one heads and shoulders better than the rest? I was just wondering if it was the choke-ring concept that gave the major improvement, with this one just being slightly better executed? Regards, Peter Vince (London, England) On 13 March 2010 02:52, Mark Sims hol...@hotmail.com wrote: Yep, it's a standard choke ring antenna. It's optimized for L1 freqs. Leica also rebranded and sold it. I have tested 6 different choke ring and geodetic grade antennas. This one works the best of the bunch (at least for me). With my 48 hour precision survey code, I got results within an inch or so of the true location. VERY impressive. Most of the other geodetic quality antennas were in the 4-6 inch range. Attached are two plots of the fixes produced by each antenna. The first is a Symmeticom conical timing antenna. The other is the choke ring antenna. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
All the choke ring antennas were similar in performance. The Aero/Leica one is optimized for the L1 freq only. All the other choke rings that I tested did L1/L2 which compromises performance a bit which did show up in the data (but at a level that could just have been random luck of the draw). Where the L1 only antenna was getting precision survey offsets in the one inch area, the L1/L2 units were in the 2-3 inch area. Lesser survey grade antennas might be in the 6-12 inch range. Conical timing antennas in the 1-2 foot range (they are just a higher quality patch antenna under a conical radome). Cheap automotive patch antennas in the 3+ foot range. _ Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your inbox. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID27925::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:032010_2 ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
Good information to know, if one is doing survey work. But some NON-Nut needs to ask, SO WHAT? A 3 foot error may cause + - 3ns of additional phase time error, which is well below the short term GPS noise level. If that is averaged over the 500 or so second TC loop or the 48 hrs supper survey time, it's more like an additional 1e-12 to 1e-15 or so freq noise error per day, which is not a problem for the normal NUT. I've compared that antenna to an cheap INDOOR puck antenna on a properly set up Tbolt and the effects are hardly visible on a supper modified, temperature controlled, double oven, externally controlled Tbolt at the 1e-12 range, So for the extreme nut a great antenna is a Must, but for the more Normal nut, they are not going to see any difference. And then there is the non explained point that what causes the most antenna reported time error of the typical overhead satellite is not position error but elevation errors, and the reported height seem to vary by 10 + times what the Lat/Lon does and yet does not have nearly as much effect on the GPSDO. And back to the original question, What I have found is that my $20.00 GPS antenna which looks to be the same as eBay Item number: 390147799311 WITH A PROPER PIE PAN mounted UNDER IT, works Almost as good as the $1000 unit (within a 1 ns) on my Tbolt. Or if you want to save even more money and can stand an addition couple ns of phase noise, just put your cheap puck antenna on a pie pan and place that on the roof with a clear view down to 30 deg. Using the latest Lady Heather signal level plot to see what your antenna's clear view is can help a lot ws * Mark Said: All the choke ring antennas were similar in performance. The Aero/Leica one is optimized for the L1 freq only. All the other choke rings that I tested did L1/L2 which compromises performance a bit which did show up in the data (but at a level that could just have been random luck of the draw). Where the L1 only antenna was getting precision survey offsets in the one inch area, the L1/L2 units were in the 2-3 inch area. Lesser survey grade antennas might be in the 6-12 inch range. Conical timing antennas in the 1-2 foot range (they are just a higher quality patch antenna under a conical radome). Cheap automotive patch antennas in the 3+ foot range. ** Hello, I'm looking for a decent outdoor antenna for my Thunderbolt... I need to graduate beyond the puck-antenna in the window sill. Any recommendations and/or sources (the lower cost, the better of course!)? Thanks, Dave ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
I use one like eBay item 290369619357. I have it attached to the corner of my workshop roof which is under a canopy of trees. It is connected through about 25 feet of Belden 9913F7 and it works like a champ. Relatively inexpensive if it gets taken out by a storm. Joe -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Dave hartzell Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:23 PM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna? Hello, I'm looking for a decent outdoor antenna for my Thunderbolt... I need to graduate beyond the puck-antenna in the window sill. Any recommendations and/or sources (the lower cost, the better of course!)? Thanks, Dave ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
Hi That's quite an antenna. 10 lbs and 14 diameter Bob On Mar 11, 2010, at 11:29 PM, Mark Sims wrote: It doesn't get any better than Ebay item 270262189976... I've tested a couple dozen antennas and nothing comes close to what it does... It's big. It's pricey (but FAR less than the $2000+ original cost). It's good. --- I'm looking for a decent outdoor antenna for my Thunderbolt... I need to graduate beyond the puck-antenna in the window sill. _ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/ ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
Looks like a standard choke ring antenna. Bruce Bob Camp wrote: Hi That's quite an antenna. 10 lbs and 14 diameter Bob On Mar 11, 2010, at 11:29 PM, Mark Sims wrote: It doesn't get any better than Ebay item 270262189976... I've tested a couple dozen antennas and nothing comes close to what it does... It's big. It's pricey (but FAR less than the $2000+ original cost). It's good. --- I'm looking for a decent outdoor antenna for my Thunderbolt... I need to graduate beyond the puck-antenna in the window sill. _ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/ ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
Mark wrote: It doesn't get any better than Ebay item 270262189976... I've tested a couple dozen antennas and nothing comes close to what it does... It's big. It's pricey (but FAR less than the $2000+ original cost). It's good. On Mark's advice, I got one of these a few months ago. It will acquire satellites from its current indoor position, which my other antennas (Garmin marine antenna, Lucent timing antenna) will not do. (I'll move it outdoors when nice weather arrives for real.) It also gives a tighter pattern in the LH 3b 48-hour survey. At 26 dB, the gain of the LNA may be a little low for a TBolt if you're going to use a long run of coax, but the design and construction of the amp is much better than the ones in the quadrafilar and patch antennas I've opened. I'm in a severe VHF/UHF environment, and the AeroAntenna seems to cope better than run-of-the-mill marine and timing antennas. Best regards, Charles ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
Hello, I'm looking for a decent outdoor antenna for my Thunderbolt... I need to graduate beyond the puck-antenna in the window sill. Any recommendations and/or sources (the lower cost, the better of course!)? Thanks, Dave ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Thunderbolt antenna?
It doesn't get any better than Ebay item 270262189976... I've tested a couple dozen antennas and nothing comes close to what it does... It's big. It's pricey (but FAR less than the $2000+ original cost). It's good. --- I'm looking for a decent outdoor antenna for my Thunderbolt... I need to graduate beyond the puck-antenna in the window sill. _ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/ ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
