Any recommendations for foolproof DIY LTE antenna designs for fixed use? My TPlink MR600 V3 with the stock antennas gets best signal on band 7, after that band 3, and then band 28 (Cellcom in Israel). Should I just make dual antennas optimized for band 7?
It would be fun and useful to learn how to make my own microwave antennas. To start, I would like to target LTE band 7 (2600GHz), because that is the only microwave equipment I have right now. Directional, for fixed use, to be mounted on a mast. (My TPlink Archer MR600 V3 with the stock antennas gets good signal on LTE band 7). Would a yagi design be practical? Should I make a mesh reflector dish design (maybe using window screen?)? Cantenna? The wavelength is so short, it should be possible to make them small and inexpensive and to experiment with different designs!

Hi guys, I'm a newbie at antennas and radio, I thought a good idea to approach this world would to build a 2.4GHz cantenna (can-antenna). This video shows that it's possible to make a cantenna by building a simple Yagi disc antenna with some washers, placing it into a Pringles can and placing a USB wifi dongle inside at the right distance from the base of the can. I'd like to keep it simple so I want to build something similar (but possibly better), also like in the video I'd like to not solder anything for now.
Can I just follow the video by getting a bigger diameter can, building the same exact Yagi disc antenna, placing it inside, and keeping the same distance from the base of the can for the USB wifi dongle? Or will this not work at all
Edit: I made this image to show what I'm trying to build, I just need to figure out the 3 dimensions shown. The diameter of each copper disc is 31.25mm, which should be ideal for 2.4GHz from my research, also the length of the can could be anywhere from 15 to 25cm, which seems to be ideal
I'm here to learn, If you could help me understand how to build a better cantenna I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance guys

I'm looking for suggestions on an outdoor long range antenna to connect to one of my routers so I can extend my internet connection to another building with steel siding about 150m (500 ft) away. I am currently connected to my main router from my other router using just omnidirectional antennas, but the wireless router is sitting outside. I want to move the router indoors to make the connection more permanent and hopefully improve the connection speed as well by using an outdoor directional antenna. I've looked into both connecting an antenna to the sma connector on the back or possibly setting up a device like the Ubiquiti airMAX LiteBeam. I also thought about just building a cantenna, but I'm not sure how well it would do outdoors exposed to the elements, especially in the snow during the winter. Does anyone have any suggestions based on their experience? Thanks!

Currently using a cantenna and am looking at cleaning this up a little. My plan is to combine the cantenna and spider and make a metal cone.
My question, set the height of the ground plane "down", straight down? Or set the length of the cone? 69mm down, or 69mm at 45 degrees?

Thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for this universe
Credit for Gil the Venlil goes to u/Upper-Mountain-5575
Reference to u/AlanharTheRiver and their story Insertion!
[First]-[Prev]-[Next]
Memory transcript: Tarlim, Venlil civilian. Date: [Standardized human time] August 23nd, 2136
The herd and myself fell silent and stared at the source of the shout. It was the white Venlil who had been hugging his parents, but now he he stood apart from them and looked quite angry.
“I thought you two had come here to help but…” he shook his head, fighting to keep his teeth from baring. “You do Not get to Say that about Them!!”
The mother stepped forward, her ears flat with worry. “W-we’re just happy you’re back! We thought you would have been eaten by those horrid-“
“SHUT UP!!” The man yelled. “He-he was- don’t ever say that!! He my friend! My Friend!!”
“We know!” The father spoke up, “it’s just-“
The White man interrupted, his tail lashing in fury. “I went out there of my own free will! Nobody forced me into that fighter! No falsehood! They tried to convince me not to go! Do you know what happened out there? Do you!?”
The parents had cringed back. “We-“
“They saved my life!” The White man panted. “Humans saved my life! Twice!! Jing forced me to jettison before he was killed! I could be space dust! Or-or slowly drifting into the void if-if it weren’t for that recovery team! Those ‘Horrible Predators’ did that!”
A grey-brown man moved out of the crowd and waved his tail in a calming manner. “Communication got cut after the attack. Nobody down here has had time to hear of what happened. You can’t blame them for not knowing about the humans valor.”
A black woman spoke up, “Oh, like YOU are one to talk.”
Brown turned towards her. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t act like you’re one of us. I was in the room next to yours! The whole hall heard you screaming ‘she’s going to eat me!’ and all that racket. You were demanding that the guards get you away from ‘that monster’ even as they led you away!”
“Hey!” A light tan man shouted, “none of us knew what to expect! How could we expect those predators to be able to resist eating us? It’s not our fault!”
“Don’t lump me in with you!” A dirty snow woman yelled. “Jorge died fighting for us, and the last he heard from me was me declaring I wished I’d never met him in the first place! I said I hated him, and he still defended us!” She hiccuped a sob. “It should have been me!”
“It was a tragedy!” Tan responded, “it was! But we shouldn’t be fooled by-“
White and Black spoke simultaneously, “Fooled??”
The Grey one with the leg brace came forward. “Shut Up you Speh! You don’t know anything! You don’t deserve to speak of them!”
The crowd descended into shouting with that, splitting between those who had lost their partners, and those who had rejected. For the Lost, Venlil were sobbing about the death of their partner. Some describing being blown out of a fighter and getting rescued alone. Others saying how their human had rushed into a fighter, and they never saw them again. Even those who had formed a small herd of friends only to be separated due to their inability to fight. As a whole, they refused words of comfort from the Rejected or any family who had agreed with the Rejected. They only held each other. As the Lost sobbed, I saw Grey Leg Brace curl up to cry. He was alone, and not the only one. Several of the Lost cried with no herd to comfort them. It wasn’t all, there were several who had herd mates to cry with, but the Lost had a notable number mourning alone.
In the Rejected, the herd had splintered into two groups. One side was basically saying they couldn’t be held at fault for fearing predators in as many variations as they could. The other was shouting about how they should have been better, the humans didn’t deserve hostility, and many laments about how awful they were. I agree. It was in the latter group that that had the most people crying alone and refusing comfort as they stewed in their regret. The Regretful.
I sat in the middle row, watching over all the emotions going through the herd. Everyone was still sticking towards the area closer to the gate. Nobody seemed to take note of me since the landing. It was strange. I wished to go over and talk to someone. Ask if they knew anything of Jacob, but I couldn’t bring myself to stand.
For the lost, it would be diverting their personal tragedy. I it would be rude to intrude on such a raw moment. They should be able to vent their sorrow to those they care for, and who care for them. I was a stranger, so not my place. I pray to the Flow their sorrow may be washed clean with time and care.
The Rejected can just go Brahk themselves. Those tones, expressions, justifications, I’ve dealt with them for over a [human] decade. They ring as hollow as the day I first heard their kind. Anything that would somehow support themselves as the ‘good guys’ in the situation, even if they need to contradict themselves and lie. Mr. Light Tan had already changed his story to saying that he Knows there were specially refrigerated rooms full of dead Venlil on the station, then responded to his detractors that it was obviously a human station made up to look like a Venlil outpost. And yet, a pawful agreed. The lengths some people will go to. I am not about to speak someone else like… The Creature. Pain-sowing idiots, both of them. Talking to them would be less than useless.
The Regretful appear to be the most upset by the comments from the Rejected. The have formed a line separating the Rejected and Lost and have been shouting angrily at the former. Calling the rejected monsters, and themselves horrible for having turned their partners away. It seems having to face down some people who signify the worst traits of themselves has lit a fire within them to never be like that again. While they were the smallest of the groups, a 70-20-10 split between Lost, Rejected, and Regretful, they spoke with some of the most passion. The most vocal was this woman whose black fur had little white spots within, as if she had visited an area with snowfall. She had her fur fully fluffed and tears streaming as she yelled how Light Tan was a bold-faced liar and no tricks were done.
“Oh,” Light Tan spoke sarcastically, “and it was those wonderful Venlil guards and their predator overseers that made you Sooo sure.”
The Snowfall woman bared her teeth. “It was the Blue Spaceman you piece of Predator crap!”
My ears shot right up!
Light Tan lashed their tail in annoyance, “Riiiight, the weirdo who dressed up to say ‘I’m different’, what a reliable source.”
The Snowfall woman spread her hands in shock. “After what he did?”
The White man yelled from the Lost. “He saved my Life!!”
Light Tan covered his eyes with his paws. “By the Protector, how can you All be so dense to not see the obvious trap?”
There’s a lidded garage can over there.
“Trap?” Snowfall asked incredulously, “He was saving drifters!”
“All the better to not lose their meat!” Light Tan laughed. “I bet the raid was even planned! Less humans and more Venlil means more meat for them to keep for themselves! Those…”
Light Tan trailed off. He had noticed that the crowd had fallen silent. His temporary herd had disappeared. The attention wasn’t on him. It was pointed behind him. “What are-”
I put down the can with an audible thonk. Light Tan turned just in time for my paw to grab him by the neck instead of his scruff. He scrambled and scratched at my hand in a desperate panic.
I stood to my full height, letting his feet dangle in the air as he tried to squeak out his protests.
I turned my head so one eye was staring right at him. “You will be silent.”
He froze at my demand as his pupils shrunk with fear. He didn’t try to speak. Away goes the can lid, head-first goes the trash, and back on goes the lid.
I must say, these cans are surprisingly comfortable to sit on. Maybe because they are taller than regular chairs. Only slightly unsteady with sudden the wobbles.
“I apologize for interrupting your discussion,” I spoke to the Snowfall woman, “but I overheard you saying something about a blue spaceman.”
Everyone left was staring at me. The Rejected could be heard attempting to stampede down the branch to the main junction. At least they were the only ones to do so, though that might partly be due to the fact the rest would have to climb over benches to avoid getting near me. That left maybe a couple hundred or so Venlil in front of me. The Regretful were still in the form defense, looking to be mentally fighting whether to keep standing their ground or stampede themselves. At least they are standing.
“what,” Snowfall squeaked as she looked up at me before clearing her throat, “What about them?”
I tried to wave my tail in a calming manner. My voice cracked a bit as I spoke. “Are they alive?”
The woman blinked, still tense, but starting to look me up and down. “He… was when we left.” She swallowed. “So, yes.”
My shoulders sagged. A sense of relief flooded through my veins like the weight of a Mazic had been upon my back before now. “Th-thank you,” I whimpered, “he’s a alive. Thank you.” I felt tears welling into the edges of my eyes I had to brace myself on my knees to keep from falling off the can. Alive. He’s alive! Communication is down, but he’s alive!
“Excuse me.” Snowfall had taken her holopad out of her belt and was glancing between it and me. “Did you… know him?”
“Yes,” I gasped, “he was, huuuuh, he was my partner in the program.”
The White man who had sparked this all off began scrambling to the front. “Wait! Please wait!”
I turned my attention to him as he moved through the herd. The lid beneath my gave a thud as if something kicked it.
“You,” the White man panted, “you were his partner?”
“Yes,” I responded. “I was unable to meet him because… well.” I gestured to my towering self. “Did you know him?”
He seemed to become weak in his legs and almost fell to the ground with a gasp.
​
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
​
Memory Transcript: Ralcen, Venlil Space Corps. Date: [Standardized Human Time] August 22nd, 2136
I am dead. I am dead. I am dead.
Jing had pressed the button. I had launched first. The cockpit turned to dust. Jing didn’t follow. Why? Why did this have to happen?
I was slowly tumbling through the void. I don’t know how long I’ve been out here. Maybe a few hours. My tank is at 60%. A claw more of air.
The signal beacon was in the chair. Debris had torn the straps. I hadn’t been able to hang on. A claw more air.
The chair had faded into the emptiness. Beyond sight and search. A claw more air.
I was still on a trajectory that would bring me close to the station. The shields are up. I will be pushed away once within half a kilometer. A claw more of air.
I had seen there had been lights moving from the station in the direction of the former battle. A few specks of jets shining around the station. They had since reduced in number. None had come by me. A claw more of life.
A claw more alone until my lungs start to burn.
I felt my helmet. It would be so simple. Latches. A twist. The pressure would force it off. I would be unconscious in maybe ten seconds. I wouldn’t feel anything after. I couldn’t cry anymore. My tears had dried. Why did this have to happen? I-
My helmet communicator came to life. “This is Outpost Recovery speaking over Cantenna(?). Return signal if anyone is still alive.”
I jolted. That was a human talking! Was that real? It couldn’t be! Could it? External Communication is shut down during and after a raid. Only short tight-beam is used. They wouldn’t use normal frequencies!
“Repeat. This is Outpost Recovery speaking over Cantenna (?). Return signal if anyone is still alive.”
In utter defiance to the world, it spoke again. I scrambled to turn on my broadcast system.
“Repeat. This is-”
“Yes!” I cried through my communicator, “I’m here! I’m alive! Fighter pilot Ralcen! I’m alive!”
“Holy! Repeat that! You there? Do you hear me?”
“Yes, I’m here! Oh Stars, I’m here!”
“Yes!” My communicator cried with joy. “Sir! Ah’ve got someone! Howdy(?)! It’s good to hear your voice! Okay, we see your distress beacon! It’s weak, but Ah see it! We should get a ship out there and-”
“No! No!” I cried, “I got separated from my flight chair! The belts got damaged in the debris!”
“Copy that! He’s gone Major Tom(?)! Do you at least have Visual on the chair?”
“No I-I don’t!” This is bad oh please.
“Crap. Okay. What is your situation? Are you leaking air? Injuries? Can you see the Station? Can you tell how far it is?”
“I’m-” keep calm, “My suit pressure is holding with 60% air reserves. No tears, no breaks, maybe a mild bruise in my tail from the ejection. The…” I swallowed. “I am slightly tumbling, but I see the station. It looks about the size of my paw at arms length.”
“Good. A Claw… a bit over four hours of air! No Visual on the chair, but otherwise fine!”
“Yes yes! I’m fine!” I gave a short nervous laugh.
“That’s great! We will-” There was a muffled voice. “What?” More muffled voices. “WHAT? No! HELL NO! Ah am NOT telling him that!!”
A shudder went down my spine. “T-Tell me what?”
“Something worthless.” There was rustling. “Look, we’re going to get you. Ah said We Will! You two! Gimme!”
Oh stars. They can’t get me. Without my seat beacon, they won’t be able to find me. I’m dead. Hope in sight and I’m-
“Sir, you still there?”
“Y-yes,” I sobbed.
“What’s your name?”
“R-Ralcen.”
“Howdy Ralcen. My name’s Jacob. So Ralcen, did you go out there alone?”
What is this why does he care? “No, I… I came out here w-w-with Jing. He-he didn’t make it out.”
“Well, ah am sure he proud to know how brave his partner is being.”
“W-what?” My tail curled in confusion. “I said he died!”
“You think that would stop him? I bet he’s already petitioning God to keep death away from you.”
Petition… “w-what?”
“Don’t worry, he’s got death in a proper head-lock. He’s making sure that guy is coming Nowhere near you!”
Is… is he trying to say Jing is protecting me? “A headlock?”
“Absolutely! Ah hear he was skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Did he teach you anything?”
“We, uh, he told told me a bit. Said it was called Judo. They were hoping to show me a bit before…” I swallowed a cry. “Before all this.”
“Well, I’m certain you can find a teacher. Jing would love to hear that you’re able to defend yourself.”
I took a deep breath at the thought. “He… he really would.”
“Yeah. Hey! You two! Rain cloud and Desert! Yes, you two take these cantennas(?) and set them up on the highest and lowest parts of the station that have a clear view of space facing This direction!”
There was the faint sounds of others speaking.
“Just set them to search for this frequency! Three points of reference! That amount will let y’all triangulate his position and trajectory!” More muffled sounds, “Yeah, y’all get it!” Muffled. “What?! But, uerck, YOU’RE ALIENS!! On a SPACE STATION!!! You! Bald-spot! Go find someone who Does know the math! We’re wasting time, Go!!! Set them up!”
My communicator picked up the scramble of feet. “Right then,” Jacob said, “Ralcen! You’re still listening, right?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Good. So the situation is that without a beacon, we won’t be able to just send out a shuttle or have someone just bump you to safety.”
Bump me?
“And yes, that was done.” I heard that bark the translator call a laugh, “the good news is ah know how to make a cantenna(?)! We should be able to point these right at you and triangulate your position relative to the Station! We will have found you!”
Found me. I’m could hardly believe it. I looked at the station. It had gotten a bit larger. I might hit the shield within the hour.
“We are going to need you talking for this to work! Tell me about yourself. Where are you from?”
I had tumbled so the station was out of view. It would take a few minutes for me to see it again. Hopefully they will know where I am by then. “I’m from Twilight Sea Overlook. It’s, uh, it’s a place on the wayward side of Venlil Prime.”
“Sounds nice! What is it like?”
“It’s-it’s very nice. It’s part of the strip that occasionally has the sun slip below the horizon.”
“Really? I had thought Venlil Prime was tidally locked.”
“It has a slight wobble. The horizon strip is just the area that the wobble is most noticeable. The sun just slowly descends behind the waves for five days, and we see the colors dance in the sky and sea. The whole time is set as a market festival for the district.” I felt my voice waver, “I-I had hoped for Jing to be able to join some night. We-we would have been able to dive for Sea Ribbon leaves and collect the Great Pad Blooms. They- The blooms are native to the area. They only open during the , uh, the days of night. They have gotten uncommon, but tenders are trying to induce a come-back. I showed Jing a picture of one. He said that they reminded him of a flower from earth. I-I-I can’t remember their name.” I wanted to cry, but my tears were dry. “We had plans. Oh stars.”
“It’s okay,” Jacob calmed, trying to keep me centered. “I’m guessing that your home makes use of the sea? Did you work on anything related?”
“Yes.” I swallowed. “My first job was in a desalination plant. Cleaned filters, fed algae, clear rust. It was, it was work.”
I was thinking about what to say next when my communicator crackled. “-with this. It’s just a can strapped-”
“”Hello!” I almost shouted, “do you read me? This is Ralcen.”
“Oh Stars!” The masculine voice exclaimed. “This-This Works??”
“Howdy, Rain cloud!” Jacob said, “welcome to the chat! You’ve got a lock on his communicator?”
“Ah-Right!” The voice exclaimed, “This is Gram. Ralcen, do you hear this?”
“Yes,” Jacob said, “we need you to make some noise. Even babbling will do!”
“I hear! I copy!” I responded. Noises! I need noise! Whistling! I began to whistle through the communicator and into the void.
With another crackle came from my communicator. There was a moment of silence before a feminine voice came through. “Who’s whistling Great Venlil Prime? This hunk can’t even-”
“This is Ralcen!” I spoke, surprising myself with my calm. “Do you hear me? Do you copy?”
“Proctector!” She was as shocked as the others. “I copy! This is Trala, and I have your signal! Does everyone else hear?”
“I hear you!” I said.
“I’m in communication!” Gram added.
“Howdy, Trala! I’m here too! Right Ralcen. Just keep on whistling, we will do our thing.”
I obliged and continued my song.
“Just what is it that we’re doing?” Gram asked, “you just shoved these whatever-they-are’s into our arms and said something about triangles.”
“Triangulation,” Trala corrected, “he’s making use of the range-finding setting of these. But why the cans?”
“They act as a waveguide,” Jacob responded, “the normal dish has too large a spread. The cans allow for signals to be sent and received in a straight line for a much longer distance. With the range finders we can find exactly where he is!”
“By the stars!” Glam said with amazement, “you made a tight beam communicator! With cans!”
“Ah don’t know bout that, ah just know it works. Huh? One second. Yeah?”
There was the sounds of movement in the background. My whistling continued to fill the void.
“We’ve got someone who can do the math! Gram, Trala, report your numbers to Dr. Marth! She’s on the line!”
A series of numbers were exchanged over the communication. The translator was working hard to convert the measurements between the alien races. Meters, kilometers, seconds, miles, so many human measurements. And only half the conversation audible to me. I focused on my whistling as the smarter people talked.
“Then that is Perfect!” Jacob’s loud voice spoke. “You hear all that Ralcen?”
I stopped whistling. “I heard, but with all the numbers being translated, I’m not sure I understood.”
“Okay, summarizing.” He cleared his throat. “You are on a trajectory headed towards the station that will take you well within 500 meters with a closest intercept at 310. The smart people haven’t figured out how to integrate this triangulation method to their ships without going through a Lot more math and engineering, so we will be grabbing you manually. The shield will bleed off your velocity, so that will be easy to match with just a thrust pack. You will be in range for retrieval in an hour, which is a little under a Quarter Claw for you guys!”
A plan. They have a plan! “I understand! I look forward to setting my p-“
“AW SPEH!!!”
That was Trala! What happened? Did she lose me?
“Trala, you okay? What happened?” Glam and Jacob simultaneously asked.
“Is everything alright?” I added.
“I was in the access dock,” Trala said, with despair in her voice, “the last fighter snapped the long Suit Tether when it was recovered! The longest Tether we have is only 300 Meters!”

1. Intercept at 310. BRAHK! 10 meters! SPEH! BRAHK SPEH!

There was shouting in the background. Jacob and Glam were saying something, but I didn’t hear. I just felt angry. 10 brahking meters! My best friend is killed, I’m stranded in space, and when Hope of rescue is dangling before me, it just stands far enough that I would only barely MISS! As if to mock me!!
I wanted to scream, but my anger robbed my ability to speak. I thrashed as if I would hit something in the void. The communicator had become silent beyond the light sobs from Glam and Trala and the background arguments.
“10 meters. Ah could do that,” I heard Jacob say. “Ah Could Do That!”
I flinched at the volume. “Do what?”
“Sir! Ah can rescue Ralcen!”
My ears pressed against the top of my helmet. He was talking to someone else. Maybe the doctor or someone else in charge of rescue and recovery.
“Ah can throw him a lasso! A lariat! 10 meters is nothing!”
Mumbles came from the background.
“Mah family owned a ranch! Ah know how to catch a moving animal!”
More mumbling.
“Sir, Ma’am, look at me. Look at my suit, right here. Ah know it’s a stereotype, but this is something ah know!”
The mumbles seem anxious.
“Look, ah’m already wearing my space suit, and ah got training for the thruster pack during the recoveries.”
Even more mumbles.
“That’s still two the other teams didn’t have to worry about! And one had their legs blown off!”
There was a silence.
“Look, there is still an hour until Ralcen is in range, so there is still time for y’all to find a better solution. And Ah pray to God that you do! Till then, though, ah’m going to practice my throw! Ralcen, you still there?”
“I’m here.”
“I want you to know we’re still coming for you. We’ve still got an hour. Do you want anything to pass the time?”
“I, uh, I don’t know. I’m, muh, my mind is kinda reeling from everything.”
“I understand. Okay, I am going to be stepping away, but Glam and Trala will still be listening in if you want to talk. Right guys?”
“Right!” “We’re not going anywhere!” The two Venlil responded.
“Th-Thank you,” I said.
“Right,” Jacob said, “signing off.”
Just an hour more until a risky maneuver. We have smart people. They must find a way.
———————————————————————————
After an hour, I could only conclude those smart people were just faking very skillfully. Despite the time passed, none had been able to come up with a solution that could beat Jacob’s “toss a rope around them” plan. Sure, they had plenty of ideas, but they would either take too long to prepare or required too much risk, even by the humans standards. At least they were finding a way to get a ship to track my communicator signal, so there is hope for a second attempt. I hope.
I had felt the shield decelerating me for the past three minutes. It’s a weird feeling. Like something is holding every part of my suit with actually grabbing me within it, with my stomach sloshing towards whatever direction is closest to the station as I slowly tumble. I almost puked the first round.
“Howdy Ralcen. You still with us?”
“I’m here. Only a few minutes left, right?”
“Just about. Got the trajectory all loaded into the pack. We even have you on visual for anybody still awake to see. Any changes in your status?”
“No changes to report. At least I will be facing the station as this goes down.”
“Copy that. Calling Station operator. I’m stepping onto the edge of the airlock. Trala has attached the tether to the pack, I have 30 meters of rope, we are all set.”
“The Station copies,” the operator spoke. Now that I was so close, my communicator could work with the station short-range relay. “Officer Ralcen, are you ready?”
“I am ready.”
“Mr. Brian, are you ready.”
“Ah want y’all to know if you suddenly hear singing, that’s me. It helps me concentrate. With that, Ah am Ready.”
“Copy. Begin intercept in 3, 2, 1, mark.”
I saw the small sparks of thrusters appear from near the station airlock. The light moved in a slight curve in my direction, letting its source become clear.
That is very Blue. Like a clear sky plopped in empty black. He had his arms resting on the thruster and a brown mass looked to be hanging from the arm rest.
“Ah am at the end of my tether and have visual on Ralcen. Ah’m going cowboy.”
The blue spaceman removed the mass and held it in their hands. It was a rope with a loop on the end. I couldn’t see them with his reflective visor down, but I could feel his eye bore into me. He began to twirl the rope, the thrusters keeping him steady.
My communicator spoke. “La, Fa, So,Do…”
With a flick, the rope flew forward, the loop expanding.
That song came again. “Do, So, La, Fa…”
The loop flew forward into my path, growing larger as it did. I reached for it, desperately trying to grab. Nothing. Please, just a little more! I don’t want to die out here. Please!
Jing, if you’re out there, please help me.
The loop starts to pass over me. It’s too big. I can’t reach! Speh! Please, I-
In a blink, the loop shrinks and snatches me around my waist. I feel my momentum getting arrested by this rope as I am jerked off my original course.
That song again. “La fah so do do so la fah!”
I grab the rope in both my hands and begin wrapping it around myself as best I can. I see myself just barely miss running into the main tether. I pull, loop, tangle, don’t let go of the rope! I see the tether wrapping around the legs of the blue spaceman. Jacob is pulling in the rope as quickly as he can. Closer, closer, closer! I reach out my arm
He sang. “La Fah So Do Do So La Fah.”
With a final tug on the final note, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into his embrace. I held him as tight as I could.
“Ah Got ‘Em!” Jacob yelled, “Ah Got ‘Em! Pull us in!”
—————————————————————
Memory transcript: Tarlim, Venlil civilian. Date: [Standardized human time] August 23nd, 2136
Ralcen looked up at me from where he sat. “I was the last drifter recovered from the battle. He had stayed up scanning for anyone who might have been missed. Long after most had entered their sleep cycle. He’s the only reason I’m still here.”
My gave a shaky breath. The herd had stayed silent to listen to the story. Even the can beneath my hands ceased to shake. The Venlil around him had rested their tails and paws upon him to give what comfort they could.
“They went so far out of their way,” Ralcen quivered, “I could never pay back what they did for me, and hardly anybody even knew. There had been maybe ten people working in that area. That…” he swallowed. “That was not the act of a horrible predator. It could not be.”
I could see Ralcen’s parents at the edge of the herds. Their ears and tails sagged in sorrow and shame.
I slid off the can onto my knees in front of Ralcen. As gently as I could, I pulled him into a hug. “I am sorry about Jing. It must have been an Honor beyond words to know him.”
I felt a sob muffled by my fur. I felt a shorn nuzzle before he began to pull back. I let him go.
“Thank you,” he said, “I hope… I know you and Jacob shall meet.”
I softly wagging my tail in appreciation. “Thank you. May you have safe travels home.”
Ralcen wagged and turned to start down the hall. His parents cautiously trotted up to him with sorrowful expressions. I did not hear what was said, it was not for me to listen, but he allowed them to embrace him before giving them a hug in return. All three began walking to the main junction.
With the moment over, the spell was broken. The herd began to move, talk, and give off emotions of sorrowful joy. Many began making their way down the hall, some sat on the benches with blank expressions, and some came up to me to give a non-verbal bow.
I heard the can rustle. The lid slowly lifted as the man inside peered out. “I…” he stopped at the sight of the glare from those closest, myself included. The lid quickly slammed shut.
“Excuse me,” a woman said. I looked down at the direction of the voice. It was the Snowfall woman holding her holopad. “You’re… Tarlim, right?”
My ears raised in surprise. “Yes. Did you look me up?”
“No. I mean, well,” she turned her pad towards me, “this is you, right?”
It was a picture of me. The fur was smooth and clean instead of the clumping with scattered bits of grass and grain, and the braces were more grey than the blue of my new braces, but it was still me. Holding my pad towards a mirror for the picture. “Where did you get this?” I gasped.
“It wasn’t known when proper communication would be reestablished for non-officials,” she explained, her ears and tail sagging. “Jacob asked me to send a message to you once I reached planet-side.” She sighed. “I don’t know why he chose me, but he did.”
I shuffled my legs so I was sitting on both knees. “What is the message?”
She swallowed. “He wanted to let you know that he is safe, and give some news.” She took a stance to appear more confident. “Due to the raid, there have been talks about having the option of moving planet-side. A high magistrate has already signed their approval for the move, with others starting to follow suit. It will be open to those who wish to take the option and have a place to stay.”
I sat frozen, digesting the news. A place to stay. Something I can do! I can prepare!
I patted my paws against my lap in excitement. “Thank you! What, What is your name?”
She look up with her ears lowered. “Sharnet,” she stated, “My name is Sharnet.”
​
[First]-[Prev]-[[Next]

For the wifi lab build portion, has anyone here tried making a cantenna? How has it gone? My build partner and I have tried making a Yagi-uda but it didn't do well at invitationals and we're looking for new designs. Log-periodic dipoles also seem straightforward but I have found less on building those.

My goal is to (legally) pickup free, distant wifi and wirelessly broadcast it to multiple devices, and I'm pretty sure one of the glinet products can do this…
Here's a simple diagram of my current goal setup for those who like pictures better! https://imgur.com/a/jz4TUmI
I'm imagining having a device that, rather than getting its signal from an ethernet cable provided by internet company, gets its signal from some sort of external antenna.
What I've researched so far (mostly in this sub):

• wifi network adapters (eg alfa) - but they only provide internet connection via usb
• every time I search for "router with external antenna", I find information on how to boost your already existing wifi signal (OUTPUT), rather than a router that can accept an antenna as INPUT
• super expensive (overkill) mesh / outdoor systems that are hundreds of dollars
• I've looked at nanostations, mikrotik, cantennas, as well as gl.inet, etc, but I can't figure out a complete implementation. (most solutions grab wifi from far away and feed it to a single device, rather than a router or something that can repeat / broadcast)

I understand basic signal & electronics, and can configure a router (static IP, etc) if I have to, but prefer not to. I also have some experience (many years ago) with Alfa antennas and Kismac…
I'd like this setup to be "travel friendly" - making use of a power outlet is fine, but I want to keep the wires relatively short, and the entire setup simple and compact. I'm imagining using this as an in-home setup, but can also pack and take to hotels, and even a vehicle. I'm ok with having 2 antennas to accommodate different circumstances (eg 1 omni, 1 directional).
Finally, if the broadcasting device not only received antenna as input, but could also use a SIM card (with local data plan), that would be amazing!
Thank you so much!

Hi guys,
Out of all subs, I'm assuming someone here has to have this figured out…
My goal is to (legally) pickup free, distant wifi and wirelessly broadcast it to multiple devices.
Here's a simple diagram of my current goal setup for those who like pictures better! https://imgur.com/a/jz4TUmI
I'm imagining having a "regular wifi router", but instead of getting its signal from an ethernet cable provided by internet company, it gets its signal from some sort of external antenna.
What I've researched so far:

• wifi network adapters (eg alfa) - but they only provide internet connection via usb
• every time I search for "router with external antenna", I find information on how to boost your already existing wifi signal (OUTPUT), rather than a router that can accept an antenna as INPUT
• super expensive (overkill) mesh / outdoor systems that are hundreds of dollars
• I've looked at nanostations, mikrotik, cantennas, gl.inet, etc, but I can't figure out a complete implementation. (most solutions grab wifi from far away and feed it to a single device, rather than a router or something that can repeat / broadcast)

I understand basic signal & electronics, and can configure a router (static IP, etc) if I have to, but prefer not to. I also have some experience (many years ago) with Alfa antennas and Kismac…
I'd like this setup to be "travel friendly" - making use of a power outlet is fine, but I want to keep the wires relatively short, and the entire setup simple and compact. I'm imagining using this as an in-home setup, but can also pack and take to hotels, and even a vehicle. I'm ok with having 2 antennas to accommodate different circumstances (eg 1 omni, 1 directional).
Finally, if the broadcasting device not only received antenna as input, but could also use a SIM card (with local data plan), that would be amazing!
Thank you so much!

Hey guys, I've read through some posts here but could only find incomplete info…
Out of all subs, I'm assuming someone here has to have this figured out…
My goal is to (legally) pickup free, distant wifi and wirelessly broadcast it to multiple devices.
Here's a simple diagram of my current goal setup for those who like pictures better! https://imgur.com/a/jz4TUmI
I'm imagining having a "regular wifi router", but instead of getting its signal from an ethernet cable provided by internet company, it gets its signal from some sort of external antenna.
What I've researched so far (mostly in this sub):

• wifi network adapters (eg alfa) - but they only provide internet connection via usb
• every time I search for "router with external antenna", I find information on how to boost your already existing wifi signal (OUTPUT), rather than a router that can accept an antenna as INPUT
• super expensive (overkill) mesh / outdoor systems that are hundreds of dollars
• I've looked at nanostations, mikrotik, cantennas, gl.inet, etc, but I can't figure out a complete implementation. (most solutions grab wifi from far away and feed it to a single device, rather than a router or something that can repeat / broadcast)

I understand basic signal & electronics, and can configure a router (static IP, etc) if I have to, but prefer not to. I also have some experience (many years ago) with Alfa antennas and Kismac…
I'd like this setup to be "travel friendly" - making use of a power outlet is fine, but I want to keep the wires relatively short, and the entire setup simple and compact. I'm imagining using this as an in-home setup, but can also pack and take to hotels, and even a vehicle. I'm ok with having 2 antennas to accommodate different circumstances (eg 1 omni, 1 directional).
Finally, if the broadcasting device not only received antenna as input, but could also use a SIM card (with local data plan), that would be amazing!
Thank you so much!

I recently started living in a van (trying to do the digital nomad thing) and I've been learning all about the basics of building an antenna in order to use public networks for my internet. I'm always in the big city and there's cafes and restaurants that have free wifi for their customers.
Anywho, I'm realizing that I still have a lot to learn. I just learned that any wireless technology will have some kind of wireless modem involved, for instance.
I wanted to post my current idea of what my little setup will look like, and have anyone who is more knowledgeable critique my understanding, if that's cool.
So my setup will start with an antenna, either a yagi-uda or a cantenna (can-antenna), that'll have a pigtail (very short) running from it to a wireless modem, where from the modem will run an ethernet cable to my laptop. I'm skimping on a lot of the fine details here, but that's the short of it.
Does this make sense at all? I'm still researching what I need to know, so any pointers would be awesome :)

Hi there, for the past couple years I've been thinking about making my own dish to receive GOES 17 but different factors have led me to hold off. Recently however I have access to a laser cutter through my university (my primary concern with building my own parabolic dish was the high accuracy required) so I'm excited to try using this method instead. Here's a rough idea of what I have planned, I'm definitely a noob so I'd really like to run this by experts and see if anything is weird!

• The dish will be placed on my apartment balcony. I lucked out and got one on the top floor, so I have a nice clear view of the satellite. Would the metal grating and banister at the edge mess with the signal in any way? (If so I can build a taller mount for it but I absolutely want to avoid it falling off the side after a strong gust of wind or something)
  • There are also buildings at my college where I could set up on the roof, but I'd much rather do it at home so I could work on this project without walking all the way to campus
• I'm going to design and laser cut the support arms for the antenna to make sure that they're as close as possible to forming a parabolic dish. I'm planning to build a 0.4 F/D with a 2m diameter prime focus dish
  • This is about as large as I can get - still too small? Alternatively is this overkill? It would be hard to work on it on the balcony at that size, so if it could go smaller that would be better
  • The 0.4 F/D is kind of arbitrary and I'm not sure how that affects the signal in practice, so if there is a better value I'd really like to know
• The dish will be lined with a ~6mm square grid metal wire mesh, zip tied to anchor points I'll cut on the arms and other support structures
  • I've seen people talk about needing to rotate the dish to account for polarization, but only when using those 2.4 GHz vertical reflectors. Is this something I'll still need to worry about if I use a square grid?
• To really go with the DIY aspect I want to use a cantenna for this project. This is one part where I'm kind of stuck - should I just use what this calculator says after plugging 1.69 GHz frequency and the size of my can (planning on using a ~8cm diameter can)? Or are there some other variables I'm not even considering here?
  • Would it actually be a complete waste of time to use a cantenna, and I wouldn't be able to receive anything? Should I just buy an actual receiving element if I want this thing to function?
• My chain would probably be cantenna -> SAWBird Goes+ LNA -> NESDR SMArt -> SDR#, from what I can tell this is pretty standard
  • Would it be necessary to use a Raspberry Pi in there? I see that a lot of people go that route to use better Linux based tools instead of those for Windows but how much more effective is it really?
• I live in a pretty large city (Austin TX) so would that alone cause significant radio interference? Again, top floor apartment, so I would assume it's better than at ground level but I can still see it causing issues

My only other SDR project was receiving from NOAA a few years ago (successfully!) so this seems like a pretty big leap, but again I think it would be a lot of fun to attempt. People in this sub seem super supportive so I'm excited to hear what I can do to make this project work :)

i'm a newbie in this field of antennas, I always face poor network issues and my area is out of reach of ISP's, That's why I decided to make a cantenna to connect to my friends house(1km line of sight) who has better internet connection.
but i'm failing miserably I did my research with cantenna's i used this cantenna calculator online calculator.
as I couldn't be able to find can of right diameter and length I crafted it myself connected it through RP sma connector (from my WiFi antenna) I have panda pau06 wifi adapter wifi adapter
it would be lot of help if you answer my curious questions also refer me if you have any useful material that could help me?

1. do you need to use an exact circular Cylinderical can for cantenna?
2. does connector matters which connect to can?
3. does it need to full coax connection from can to adapter?
4. does it matter if the length of can is bit less like 0.x cm or something?

thanks

i'm a newbie in this field of antennas, I always face poor network issues and my area is out of reach of ISP's, That's why I decided to make a cantenna to connect to my friends house(1km line of sight) who has better internet connection.
but i'm failing miserably I did my research with cantenna's i used this cantenna calculator online calculator.
as I couldn't be able to find can of right diameter and length I crafted it myself connected it through RP sma connector (from my WiFi antenna) I have panda pau06 wifi adapter wifi adapter
it would be lot of help if you answer my curious questions also refer me if you have any useful material that could help me?

1. do you need to use an exact circular Cylinderical can for cantenna?
2. does connector matters which connect to can?
3. does it need to full coax connection from can to adapter?
4. does it matter if the length of can is bit less like 0.x cm or something?

thanks

Hello, so after doing some research on directional antennas, a very popular design called a cantenna kept showing up. However, all of these were designed for 2.4 GHz WIFI signals. However, I'm looking to use my antenna for the 300-400 KHz range. What modifications would I have to make to it? I'm going to assume that the parabola says the same, only the receiver changes. Any help is appreciated. Thank you :)

I have constructed a parabolic reflector with a cantenna feed horn for hydrogen line astronomy. But I’m unclear as to wether or not the shield of the coax connector that holds the pickup monopole (1/4 wavelength) should be electrically connected to the coffee can that is my feed horn. The Information online seems to indicate that it should be. But when I have it electrically connected my signal is much much noisier.
For slightly more context I’ve had the shield electrically isolated for the last month or so without realizing it. Today I realized and removed the insulator so that the coax shield was making contact with the bare metal. My signal then became so noisy that it’s not usable. I reinsulated it and the noise dissapeared.
Should I have it connected? Not connected? Properly soldered?

I'm trying to make a feed for a parabolic radio telescope to listen to the hydrogen line at 1420 MHz using RTL-SDR V3. I designed a cantenna feed using this calculator. Since mounting a cantenna is a little hard, I also designed a biquad feed using this calculator. Are my designs correct? Will a biquad feed receives the 1420 MHz signal as good as a cantenna feed?
Edit: fix cantenna image

I live in Japan. I am looking to improve my connection. Normally I get wifi from my phone (Line mobile data) and then tether my phone to my laptop. Yet that's slow and there are some other public wifi lines nearby, but connection is weak.
I've been researching on wifi guns, cantennas, repeaters, boosters, etc. I went to the store and saw a few things but not sure which is likely to give me the biggest bang for the buck.
I currently have a Macbook from late 2008 on catalina w/ SSD and 8gb ram.
The first 3 stated that they will work with my computer.
Options:

1. TP link T2u usb adapter
2. TP link T3u usb adapter
3. Elecom wdc 433 antenna
4. Elecom wrc 300febk repeater

One of those adapters is supposedly faster but I don't know if it would make any difference for me. Wifi on my mac works but I want to improve it and at least try putting the USB on an extension and in some sort of cantenna.
Or there's the antenna, but the speed listed on the package is slower than the T3u...
And then maybe putting that on an extension and in a cantenna.
Lastly, a wifi repeater.
Researched this one less and not sure if it would affect my Line mobile data wifi or the others for that matter, but maybe it would help pick up other signals.
What do you think?
I don't have money for better options now. Which would you pick ?????
Or is there something else you'd do that's cheaper or free?
COuldn't upload pics.