Directional or Omni

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Tjorriemorrie

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In which situation is it best to use the directional or omni antenna?

e.g. is it best to use the directional when you have LOS and the omni otherwise?
 
Depending on how many tower signals you receive.

Hi there

My two cents, for what it is worth.

Should you receive many strong signals like in my case, it is best to use a directional antenna to eliminate other strong tower signals and improve the srongest signal.

I’m not in favour of using an omni directional antenna. The only time when I would use it, is when I would want to connect to more than one tower due to either of the towers experiencing problems, therefore you would not have to reposition the antenna.

Hope it helps.
 
I think the directional does suffer from problems if you don't have LOS.

But it is a lot stronger and cheaper than an omni, so if you can get it to work, its generally a much better option.

btw, is the omni that much better than a regular iBurst antenna?
 
If you mean me.. then I was asking if an omni antenna is better than a normal old school white block antenna from iBurst.

I have one of the old white ones, but omni is more expensive, so I'm wondering if it has a better Db gain?
 
Do you mean white block = white flatpanel?

Hi there EHV

The db gain of an omni (6-7) is generally lower than that of a directional antenna (12-18) – don’t use the cost comparison as an indicator on which will deliver better performance, most of these accessories are imported from various parts of the world, therefore there seems to be quite a fluctuation in prices.
 
I used the Omni and I regularly lost signal and speed. During the day when I did manage to connect I only got +- 128 to 150 k.

I then got the Directional, pointed it at my best tower. Now I average 900+k and in 14 days haven't gotten less then 700k without ever losing connection. The Directional is a dream come true!!!
 
Wait, maby I'm confused or you guys don't understand.

I thought the directional antenna from GRES or pheonixnet.co.za is a different, more directional and higher gain antenna that the white block one that iBurst themselves sell.

So leaving the omni out of it there are two white block type antenna's as far as I know.
 
Hi, me also a bit unsure about an ext antenna.
on the dashboard software the signal is generally 80% and more, using uTracestar, it looks like the bestest tower is about 7/10.
Also, seems the load on this tower is bad, 3.
Using the ext antenna will be able to access more towers, but from what I can see, ALL the other towers in the area (Riverclub, Sandton, Bryanston) are all also overloaded, so what good will the ext antenna do to increase speed?
The guy who came out says they are fulltime busy putting up new towers to ease the congestion, but when I contacted Iburst to ask when they think we'll have more towers in the area, she tunes me 'no plans to erect more towers for that area' :eek: maybe they should then hold off on the tv ads to entice more users :D
 
To Omni or not...

Hi there EHV & CB

As for directional antennae there are several to choose from; the planar (Webb Industries iBurst approved – why I’m not sure 10db, Phoenix 18db? – no tech sheet, Stelladoradus 18db) then the Yagi’s, quite a few of them around. I’m using Poynting’s 10db - more directional and easy to install, then the Parabolic’s with far higher gain, grid and solid.

However, the easiest planar to get hold of is Webb’s in Jo’burg at R 300 a piece, directional and easy to install.

All these antennae will improve your signal and theoretically your priority to access services from the base station as the strongest signal should theoretically have preference, but don’t quote me on this. Theory and reality are two very different things in my experience.

So you could get a powerful antenna but it still might not deliver the desirable results, if a tower is overloaded there isn’t much you can do, but improving your signal is never a bad idea, if it is worth the cost, well that decision is up to you.
 
Last edited:
About antennae and monopolies...

Posted elsewhere

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don’t like supporting monopolies. Telkom or any other, therefore what you need to check when purchasing an antenna, omni or directional:

There is a verified technical sheet available (does it work)
Frequency range includes 1787 - 1797MHz
The VSWR is 1.5 or lower for the above.
H Plane and E Plane beamwidth is angled at what you required it to be
Gain (excluding coaxal cable) is 10 dBi or higher
The rated power is 10 Watts
Impedance is 50 Ohms

Other considerations
Material it is made of (durability)
Wind resistance, especially in Cape Town (durability)
Mounting brackets that allow for correctly positioning

PM or MSN me if you want some contact details.
 
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