[MLB-WIRELESS] more success with cantennas

[Drew]

My own tests with my PPG paint hardener cantenna ( 
http://wirelessanarchy.com/images/3.25x7in.cantenna.2.jpg ) turned out 
to be a no go, as my friend couldn't get his dlink AP working... long 
story... hope to try again within a week, and ill post the relative gain.

-D

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [BAWUG] success with beef stew can waveguides
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 10:37:45 -0800
From: Jim Meehan <jmeehan at vpizza.org>
To: wireless at lists.bawug.org



Just wanted to let everyone know of my success using waveguide-style antennas
made out of Nalley's 40 oz. Beef Stew cans.  The idea and dimensions came from
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html  This type of antenna is extremely
simple to construct, and requires little more than the can, a N-type panel
mount connector and a short length of copper wire.  I actually ended up using 
two Safeway brand family-size beef ravioli cans.  They're exactly the same 
size and somewhat cheaper than then Nalley's Beef Stew. 

In the first trial, I connected one can to a WAP11 with 4 ft. of LMR-400 and
placed them on my roof at 26th & Quintara in the Sunset District of San
Francisco.  I aimed the can at the beach and then went down to the beach at
Quintara & Great Highway with the other can connected to the Lucent card in
my laptop.  My GPS said this would be a 1.36 mile link, and I was skeptical
that the cans could make it to say the least.  However, upon aiming the can
back up at my house, the link came right up!  I was able to check my e-mail
pull up a couple of web sites and log on to AIM to report my success to a
couple of friends.

Feeling confident after getting that link working, I decided to push the
limits a little more.  Yesterday, I aimed the can on my roof at the top of
San Bruno mountain and then drove to the entrance of Radio Road with my 
girlfriend.  We hiked up to the top with my laptop and ravioli can.  GPS said
it was 4.66 miles to my house.  We took a seat on the side of the road and
I fired up my laptop while my girlfriend did the aiming, using the seam of
the can and Lincoln High School (which is a block from my house) as a sight.
Sure enough, Netstumbler started picking up the beacon from the WAP11 on my
roof!  I ran the same tests I'd run at the beach, all successfully.  It was a
little difficult to keep the link up by just holding the can, especially with
the wind, but I imagine that this would be a very reliable link if we'd had
something to mount the can to.

I'm very surprised at the efficiency of these antennas.  I have not built a
Pringles can antenna, but I would venture to say that these are quite a bit
more efficient, and much simpler to construct.  This type of antenna could
also be used as a feedhorn with an old Primestar dish for even more gain.

I put some pictures of my ravioli can antennas up at 
http://vpizza.org/~jmeehan/photo/index.cgi?album=antennas&mode=view

-j
 
--
general wireless list, a bawug thing 
[un]subscribe: http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless





--
To unsubscribe, send mail to minordomo at wireless.org.au with a subject of 'unsubscribe melbwireless'  
Archive at: http://www.wireless.org.au/cgi-bin/minorweb.pl?A=LIST&L=melbwireless
IRC at: au.austnet.org #melb-wireless