Optimising signal strength

T

Tassidar

Expert Member
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
1,427
Reaction score
0
Location
Leeds, UK
Hi all,

I am with a volunteer firefighting service which has a mobile operations unit. Currently the unit is equipped with a Globetrotter GT Max 7.2 connected to a Poynting High Gain antenna (elevated to about 3 metres high). However, this is a directional antenna. Since our operations are mobile, the closest tower location varies in direction.

As far as I can see, there are two ways of optimising signal strength:
(1) Knowing the GPS coordinates of the Vodacom towers and getting a bearing from that information and aligning the antenna in that direction
or
(2) Using a signal strength meter to determine where the signal is highest.

Is there any way that I might be able to get hold of the location of the vodacom towers?
or
How does one measure signal strength using the GT Max Data Card? I have looked in vain for signal strength meters, and the inbuilt software seems to be of little help. I have heard that one can use telnet to measure signal strength. How does one do this?

Thanks in advance.
 
Signal strength can be obtained from the modem itself using the [searchforum]AT+CSQ[/searchforum] command.
 
ic said:
Signal strength can be obtained from the modem itself using the [searchforum]AT+CSQ[/searchforum] command.
Click to expand...
Thanks ic. Took me a while to figure how to use hyperterminal, but I the results. Will use it when I am next there.
 
Tassidar said:
Thanks ic. Took me a while to figure how to use hyperterminal, but I the results. Will use it when I am next there.
Click to expand...
:cool:

There are a few forumites that have asked for base-station GPS co-ords in the past, but ultimately GPS co-ords are less useful than actual CSQ measurements in combination with the 3GOnly profile setting that prevents switching between 2G & HSDPA, and it isn't always true that the nearest base-station provides the best quality signal.
 
ic said:
:cool:

There are a few forumites that have asked for base-station GPS co-ords in the past, but ultimately GPS co-ords are less useful than actual CSQ measurements in combination with the 3GOnly profile setting that prevents switching between 2G & HSDPA, and it isn't always true that the nearest base-station provides the best quality signal.
Click to expand...

The thing for us is that we need to be able to set up as quickly as possible. So while CSQ values will be more accurate, pointing the antenna in the direction of the nearest tower will be quicker. Ultimately, we need to spend as much time as possible fighting the fires, and not setting up equipment.
 
Tassidar said:
The thing for us is that we need to be able to set up as quickly as possible. So while CSQ values will be more accurate, pointing the antenna in the direction of the nearest tower will be quicker. Ultimately, we need to spend as much time as possible fighting the fires, and not setting up equipment.
Click to expand...
Vodacom's HSDPA coverage in major cities and beyond, is fairly ubiquitous, you might have more immediate success with the external antenna cable unplugged, and only plug it in and do the CSQ thing if you run into problems, also use the 3GOnly profile setting unless there really isn't HSDPA coverage in a particular area.
 
Get a omni antenna? You get omni's with gain in the vertical direction. So looking at the antenna from the side it has typically 4 to 10 dB of gain depending on the band and type of omni, but looking from above/below it has no (actually negative) gain.

Poyntingdirect has two omni's on their site with different gains and price.
 
ic said:
Vodacom's HSDPA coverage in major cities and beyond, is fairly ubiquitous, you might have more immediate success with the external antenna cable unplugged, and only plug it in and do the CSQ thing if you run into problems, also use the 3GOnly profile setting unless there really isn't HSDPA coverage in a particular area.
Click to expand...

Currently, that's pretty much what I plan to do. I noticed that when the antenna isn't aligned, the signal strength seems to be worse, so it really is only worthwhile using the antenna in areas of low signal and aligning to correctly. We are also looking to invest is some blade antenna's for field work, so perhaps these will be better to use for everyday use.
 
@ic, do you remember that signal strength meter another forumite wrote in the early days. Actually there were 2, biometrics also wrote one. Wonder if it might not work? Can't remember which cards they supported.

@Tassidar, PM me all your contact details and I'll put you in contact with the regional radio guys. They'll know best how you could do this.
 
ginggs's app will do signal strength on that option card (I lent him mine). I am not sure however if he ever released an updated version with support for the option card.
 
vodacom3g said:
@ic, do you remember that signal strength meter another forumite wrote in the early days. Actually there were 2, biometrics also wrote one. Wonder if it might not work? Can't remember which cards they supported.
Click to expand...
Yep, I don't know what data cards were supported, I was under the impression that only vanilla-3G data cards were supported by those apps and that they haven't been updated for all the newer data cards.
morkhans said:
ginggs's app will do signal strength on that option card (I lent him mine). I am not sure however if he ever released an updated version with support for the option card.
Click to expand...
Interesting, didn't know that ginggs was planning to support non-Hauwei modems - although it would make sense to do so if he had the time & access to all the different modems.
 
vodacom3g said:
@ic, do you remember that signal strength meter another forumite wrote in the early days. Actually there were 2, biometrics also wrote one. Wonder if it might not work? Can't remember which cards they supported.

@Tassidar, PM me all your contact details and I'll put you in contact with the regional radio guys. They'll know best how you could do this.
Click to expand...

Thanks V3G, have done so.

I looked for signal strength meters, both on this forum and generally, and wasn't able to find anything useful (I found both biometrics on ginggs's ones, but they don't support the globetrotter). Quite amazing, since I thought that there would be a great deal of interest in one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X