Next message: Jim Fidler: "Re: T&T: Norcold Recharging"
Well, I suppose I should weigh in on this subject a little.
I must first insert the disclaimer that a division of my company is a
distributor for Digital Antenna for land based applications. We do not
sell into the "marine" market, which Digital addresses through its marine
specialty distributors. We are also a reseller of Signal Reach and Wilson
cellular amplification products and some more esoteric stuff for goverment
and institutional use.
Jeff Bartlett and Greg Han have provided very good information.
The DA wireless repeaters come in 3 flavors: a model for use in cars and
trucks, the "MBR" for spaces up to 1000 sq.ft which would be the most
likely candidate for recreational boats, and the SBR which is for small
buildings up to 5000 sq.ft. or big yachts and perhaps medium sized metal
boats.
As noted, the key to successful installation is to have as much
attenuation as possible between the exterior and interior antennas, via
airspace and other signal blockers such as walls, metal roofs and
vertical distance.
This keeps the two signals from interfering with each other and creating an
oscillation that negates the usefullness and can harm the amplifier.
Thus, a steel or aluminum boat will get better performance than a
fiberglass express cruiser even if the antennas are the same physical
distance apart. Verticality plays a role because of the doughnut shaped
signal field of each antenna, not to mention that the higher the placement
of the outside antenna, the better its ability to see distant towers.
Each model of these repeaters has different separation parameters due to
the amount of space effectively covered by the inside antenna given the
signal fed it by the amplifier circuit. The vehicle version works due to
the use of the car's metal roof acting as a ground plane for the magnetic
mount antenna.
One of the nice things about this set up, as mentioned, is that multiple
devices from multiple carriers can be used at the same time.
It is impossible to make a general prediction about how this will work on a
given boat in a particular area. So if you get one, unpack it very
carefully and experiment before you commit to a full installation.
I am admittedly biased, and certainly one of the reasons I think it is a
cool product is that we sell a bunch of them and get very few returns.
Those returns we get are virtually all due to the user not being able to
achieve a proper installation.
Price aside, I encourage you to buy from a source that sells these into
the marine market and that has a good customer service reputation.
Ron Rogers passed me an e-mail indicating that the MBR is now standard
equipment on the Nordhavn 47, FWIW.
I have few more ideas to add to the subject but that will have to wait for
a Part 2 e-mail later today.
George
___
Sent with SnapperMail
www.snappermail.com
_______________________________________________
http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering
To unsubscribe send email to
with the word
UNSUBSCRIBE and nothing else in the subject or body of the message.
Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World
Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
