Internet Access by Cell Modem and Router

This is one of the various ways of accessing the internet - wi-fi, cellular and satellite. This article is a subset of the cellular route. For more information about cellular access, see the Internet by Data Card and Internet by Cell Phone Yahoo groups. For more information about other access methods, see Internet Access in your RV

While traveling last summer I was using a Cradlepoint MBR 900 router mounted in the rear of the cabinet above the dinette. The LD factory had installed a 12VDC outlet there for this purpose and a vent cover on the roof above the cabinet for through the roof access for an external antenna. I had a Millenicom Novatel U760 air card plugged in the USB port on the router that was in turn attached to a 12" 5db gain magnetic mount antenna placed on the roof of the LD behind the AC. I bought this antenna from the 3G Store online. I had glued a 5" galvanized sheet steel plate to the roof for the magnet attach.

[Notes 1) Kyocera makes a router competitive with the Cradlepoint. 2) 12v wires can accessed by removing the bin panels. 3) The antenna wire can be lead through a roof vent.

Magnet Antenna attached to sheet steel placed in center (side to side) of roof for best ground plane.

Rear of AC @ top of photo

Vent cap to cover wire entry point

I subscribed to the Millenicom "Advanced Plan" ($60/month) system that uses the Verizon digital network for our internet service while traveling extensively in the western states during the Summer/Fall, 2011. We also use Verizon for our cell phones. Since we boondock in remote areas extensively, we didn't always have service. That was OK as these locations were some of the most beautiful. However, we did stay in some places that were quite remote but we did get the internet when the cell phones didn't work. I attribute this to the fact that the cell phone, due to low transmit power, has less range (even standing on the LD roof for elevation) than the Millenicom air card using it's gain antenna/ground plane.

While at the Tampa RV Show I bought an internet/cell system amplifier kit that Wilson Electronics makes from a Florida vendor, CellKicker. Their price at the show was about $400. whereas the 3G online store sells the same kit for $530. The kit consist of the Wilson SOHO 50db amplifier, a Wilson Indoor Directional Antenna, 20' antenna extension wire, and a Trucker 5db gain antenna with a pole mount spring base to attach to the ladder on the LD. Since I already had the 5db mag. mount antenna in place I used it instead of the trucker antenna.

The installation: I mounted the Wilson SOHO amp near the Cradlepoint router and used a 12VDC "Y" adapter for the two power plugs going into the single 12V wall socket. I modified the "Y" adaptor by adding a rocker on/off switch on the output of the adaptor. The switch is on an extension wire below the cabinet above the rear dinette seat for easy access.

I mounted the Wilson Indoor Directional dual band antenna on the wall where the TV bracket is located above and behind the driver's seat.

I routed the antenna wire from the amplifier along the back of the cabinet up to the shelf above. Access holes were already in place for other TV wiring done by LD. It was recommended by Wilson to get as much distance between the indoor and outside antennas as possible to prevent feedback oscillation at the amplifier. Twenty foot spacing is recommended by Wilson, however due to the full metal roof and sides of the LD the 13' spacing I had was adequate to prevent feedback between the antennas. There are two LEDs on the amplifier that glow red if this is occurring or glow green if all is functioning properly. To test this, I turned on the system with the LD parked inside my metal shop which gave me a red indication. I immediately turned the amplifier off. To complete the testing, I moved the coach outside well away from the shop under a lot of big trees and re-activated the system which then gave a green indication. With the system off, my cell phone showed a signal strength of one bar for both the 3G and cell networks as we are located some distance from the Verizon tower. When switching on the amplifier, both network signal strength indicators went to a full four bars. All worked as advertised! All I have left over is the Wilson trucker antenna still in it's package.

Note on another modification shown in above photo: Last summer I replaced the outside TV antenna amplifier with a Winegard digital antenna amplifier that is shown to the left of the White Wilson antenna. The Winegard was very handy in locating local digital TV station towers.

Mike Coachman

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If your Wilson Amp gets hot, here is how to mount it on a heat sink.

First I fabricated a piece of 1/8" aluminum plate (I found in my scrap bin) to mount the amplifier to. The amp was about 6.5" X 4" so I cut the plate to 12" X 7" mainly to fit on the back wall of the cabinet. Using the wire brush on my grinder, I removed the blue paint on the flat aluminum back of the amp housing for better heat transfer. Did the same to the oxidation on the aluminum plate coating both with a thin layer of dielectric grease to prevent future oxidation. I then screwed the amp to the plate and the plate to the wall using some rubber grommets (vibration damping) as stand off for better air circulation around the plate to dissipate the accumulated heat generated by the amplifier. It may be overkill, but it certainly can't hurt anything.

If you really like to be out in the boonies, you might want to consider the installation of a directional yagi antenna on a telescoping mast.

Contributors: Mike Coachman, Larry Wade

Revised: 7 Apr 7

Antenna Raiser

Here is a really clever arrangement to raise and lower a roof-top antenna to prevent damage to it when underway. Ed Daniels came up with this and provided the write-up and pictures for this article.

Materials

One 6” strap hinge. One piece of 4” x 8” heavy gauge sheet metal bent to a 90* angle. A 3/8” diameter hole is drilled near the top, and in the center, of one side of the angle. This side becomes the top. One ¼” to 3/8” pulley. One length of ¼” nylon line. One block of some sort for the antenna to rest on while stored for travel.

Construction

1) The sheet metal, once bent to a 90* angle, is attached to one side of the strap hinge with exterior grade double stick tape, or an adhesive of your choice. I used the tape. The side with the hole drilled goes up. There is a screw hole at the end of the strap hinge. It needs to be left exposed so you can tie the rope to it.

2) The storage/guide block. This can simply be a piece of 2” x 2” wood with a V shaped grove cut in the top and a 3/8” hole drilled through the bottom that serves as a guide for the line. The item pictured in the photos came from my Stuff Box in the garage. Anything that can hold the antenna in place while it’s stored will work. A piece of sheet metal bent & cut will do. 3) The pulley. I secured it to the roof vent cover with a few pieces of heavy twist tie. If you don’t have a roof vent cover available, you can simply fabricate something to fasten the pulley to from a piece of angle iron, etc. Field tests indicate a simple metal ring can be substituted for the more expensive pulley if desired. Just secure the ring then thread the rope through it. 4) Line up the strap hinge, storage block & pulley so the antenna, when stored, misses the ladder frame. On models with the “luggage” rack, you will need to either rearrange the alignment of the pieces, or attach the storage block to the rail of the luggage rack. Once you’re satisfied with the alignment, outline the parts location with a pencil. Using double stick tape, secure the pieces in place. The side of the strap hinge that is facing the rear of the LD gets secured. The other end where the antenna attaches does not.

5) Tie one end of the ¼” nylon line to the exposed screw hole on the strap hinge. Thread it through the pulley, around the framework of the ladder until its about even with the 5th step from the top, then loop it up, thread it through the hole in the support block, through the 3/8” hole drilled through the top of the sheet metal angle then tie it to the same hole where you started. Using a permanent marker, mark the line that needs to be pulled to raise the antenna. Loosely secure the rope to the side rail of the ladder using electric ties. Field trials showed that metal rings secured to the ladder rails with electric ties serve as good guides for the rope.

That’s it. I found that if I added some weight to the sheet metal angle the unit moved more smoothly.

The photos explain it much better than I do.

The recently completed field test showed that if I forgot to lower the antenna before driving off, the slightest obstruction would lower the antenna to its travel position. In addition, the wind generated while driving also lowers the antenna.

Contributor:

Ed Daniels

Rube Goldberg, Consulting Engineer

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Cell Phone Antennas

There are two Wilson cell phone antennas in common use with RV’ers. The 12” magnetic mount and the RV/Trucker. Both have the same max. dBi gain of 6.12. In order to get better reception in the fringe areas where we spend so much time, a higher gain antenna is desirable. Three months ago, I installed the referenced high gain antenna on the roof of my house and another on the Lazy Daze. I have just completed a two month field test of the LD installation with excellent results. However, the antenna is 40” high. That means if it is installed upright, it will almost surely get knocked over by tree branches. To resolve this problem, I designed a folding mount for the antenna that does not require me to scale the ladder. If you think a high gain antenna might help your voice or data reception, a way to lower the antenna for travel is desirable.

Wilson 12” magnetic mount antenna

Info. per the Wilson site:

- Easy to install

- Removable - transfers from one vehicle to another

- Rare earth magnet

- Metal ground plane required (Minimum 3.5 in. Diameter)

- Antenna gain: 5.12 dBi 806-894MHz / 6.12 dBi 1850-1990 MHz

Wilson RV/Trucker roof mount antenna

- 5/8 inch x 7 inch threaded mounting rod spans the distance between RV’s roof and headline

- Angled surface mounting kit included

- 5/8 inch threaded brass rod can be easily cut for various mounting depths

- No ground plane required

- Includes all mounting hardware

- Also available with mirror/rail mounting

- Antenna gain: 5.12 dBi 806-894 MHz / 6.12 dBi 1850-1990 MHz

High Gain Antenna

The Product Description excerpt below is from is from the seller's E-Bay site.

http://cgi.ebay.com/13dBi-External-Antenna-Verizon-Novatel-USB760-USB-Modem-/110437090195?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item19b6904393

- New Premium Magnetic Mount External Booster Antenna w/Adapter Cable.This Rugged Booster Antenna Has Been Approved and Sold by Verizon / Alltel, AT&T / Cingular, Sprint / Nextel, Cricket, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Virgin Mobile, Telus and Other Service Provider Agents Nationwide/Worldwide.

- Advanced 13dBi Gain Dual-Booster Module Multi-Band (AMPS EDGE GSM GPRS UMTS CDMA TDMA - Digital & Analog) Technology Delivers Maximum Reception - Up To 15 Times More Signal (19dBi - 24dBi System Gain) Than Your Wireless Equipment Used Inside Vehicles/Homes/Buildings Without External Antenna.

- HD 40" Hi Gain Dual-Booster Module Mast (1-Piece) Tuned Specifically For Multi-Mode Wireless Equipment (800 ~ 940 MHz / 1800 ~ 1990 MHz) - For Nationwide/Worldwide Use.

Contributor: Ed Daniels

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Roof Antennas

There are a number of different types of antennas to be found on the roofs of RVs. The two standard ones that come with a Lazy Daze are the AM/FM radio antenna and the crank-up Winegard TV antenna. Other antennas include those for CB radios, cell phones, satellite TV dishes and even short-wave radio.

AM/FM Antenna

There's not much to be said about this antenna. It's installed by the factory with a hidden cable terminating behind the dashboard, where it plugs into the radio. It's mounting includes a swivel fitting so the antenna can be laid flat on the roof should you want to put a cover on your LD.

If you should somehow damage or lose this antenna, you can replace it with the mast portion of a Metra Universal Rubber Antenna available at most auto parts stores for about $10. It's a perfect fit down to the retaining screw and diameter of the split-ball swivel base.

TV Antenna

This is the ubiquitous Winegard crank-up antenna found on virtually any RV with a TV. It's controlled by an interior ceiling-mounted crank which is used to crank the antenna from a flat-on-the-roof position for travel to an upright position for TV viewing.

Caution: More than one of these antennas has been damaged or even worse, ripped off the roof, when the driver left camp without ensuring that the antenna was down. It's a great idea to use some sort of reminder such as a clothes pin: when the antenna is stowed for travel, put the clothes pin on the crank handle; when the antenna is up, clip the clothes pin to the gear shift lever.

Some basic preventive maintenance is needed to keep your antenna working. Basically it consists of lubricating the crank mechanism on the roof with some silicone spray. See the owner's guide for complete details.

Should you neglect the lubrication, you may find it difficult, if not impossible to, rotate the antenna. One possible fix is to get some PB Blaster (a penetrant), soak the mechanism really well and wait over night. It should be free the next day.

Crank won't work? Check for broken shear pin. Check for loose set screw and tighten as necessary. Check the worm gear and crank handle. If replacing the handle, be careful when buying it; you can purchase the white handle to fit either the round worm gear pole, or the hexagon pole. The beige only comes with the round. Both will fit, but the round handle will dig into the aluminum hexagon pole after a while and strip it. The handle can be purchased from PPL or other RV suppliers. You can see the two models here: PPL Crank handle

CB Antenna

If your LD came with a factory-installed CB radio, it of course also includes an antenna, with hidden cabling down to the radio.

If you install a CB radio yourself, you'll have to mount an antenna for it. The LD with its aluminum roof creates a situation in which a normal CB antenna that you might mount on your car roof, either with a magnetic base or a permanent mount, will not work, since there is no steel to provide the necessary ground-plane. This can be resolved by using a special non-ground-plane antenna such as those manufactured by Firestik.

To hold the antenna, aluminum brackets can be glued to the roof with the proper epoxies. All surfaces need to be bare and wire brushed or sanded. Use an etching solution on the surfaces to be bonded and then glue. I use West Systems epoxy and aluminum etching solution. Make the brackets large enough to provide plenty of bonding surface area. Paint the area when finished.

For best operation, you'll want to use an SWR meter to "tune" your antenna to your radio. The Firestik antenna has a bolt on its top, under a vinyl cap, that one turns very slight in or out, depending on the readings on the SWR meter.

Having trouble tuning your antenna? Check for poor connections. Here's what one RV'er discovered:

I unbolted the antenna assembly from the roof and hidden within the caulking (sealing putty) was a small connector that the screw that holds the antenna assembly down went through. That connector was nearly completely covered with caulking, so it was not making a good, or any, contact. I scraped all the caulking off the connector, and off the bottom of the plate that holds the antenna to the roof. That connector goes to the metal ground plate that is somewhere under the roof. I then re-screwed the antenna assembly back to the roof and checked the SWR. I could not believe the results. After some very minor adjustments I have 1:5 on channel 1:1 on 19 and 1.6: on 40.

A great source of information on CB radios and antennas can be found at Right Channel Radios.

Cell Phone Antenna

Through-the-glass antennas: Most folks agree that these are of dubious value. While this *could* be an improvement over the little antenna built into the cell phone, it's nothing compared to the improvement to be had with a directly-connected outside antenna. The rooftop is the best place for any antenna, but for a small cell phone antenna that doesn't present much of a wind load, you could also consider putting a hole through a side wall up near the roof line, and using a right-angle side-mount antenna. As long as most of the antenna extends up over the roof line, you shouldn't see much of a directional effect from the LD house. The bed area over the cab would be one possible site, or inside one of the overhead cabinets ifyou wanted to hide the hole on the inside. The same sealing caveats noted in another response would apply to a hole through the side.

Most RV'ers use the Wilson Truckers/RV antenna, which provides a major improvement in cell reception, which can be magnified even more by using a cellular amplifier with the antenna. The antenna can be permanently mounted on the roof in several ways, either in a hole drilled through the roof, or on a bracket or luggage rail.

There is a problem with a permanent vertical mounting, however: near the top of the nearly 3-foot antenna are 6 small ground plane rods. They are VERY fragile, easily broken off by a low-hanging tree branch. Thus it pays to get a little inventive and devise a way to mount the antenna so it can be easily stowed in a lowered position to reduce the chance of damage to the rods.

One method is to use a marine-type railing clamp, mounting it on a luggage rail near the ladder. You can then step partway up the ladder and with a flick of the wrist, you can position the antenna for either use or travel.



Another approach is to mount the cell antenna on the crank-up TV antenna mast. Now you won't even to go outside to stow or raise the antenna. When you lower the TV antenna, the cell antenna also come down to an almost horizontal position, keeping the ground plane rods a few inches above the roof. I've had mine mounted like this for several years and have yet to break a rod.




If you really like to be out in the boonies, you might want to consider the installation of a directional yagi antenna on a telescoping mast.

For any antenna you add to the roof, you'll have to get creative in getting the cables inside the rig. Various entry possibilities include an LD-installed roof cable vent, the bathroom vent stack, or the refrigerator vent. And of course, if you're brave, you can drill holes - just be sure to thoroughly seal them.

Satellite Dish Receiver

This can be a rather complex subject beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say there are several different types, ranging from simple manual crank-up dishes to full in-motion systems.

Contributor: WxToad, Buckeye707, Danny, Larry Wade

Revised: 7 Apr 12

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