Which current USB 3G dongles have antenna connections that work?

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Terencek

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Can anyone recommend a currently-available USB 3G modem which has an antenna socket that works? I'm in a difficult reception area, and I have a very sophisticated roof antenna system used with my former PC datacard. I have tried an inductive coupler pigtail with a couple of 'normal' USB modems, but without any success.

There is a thread in the Cell C section discussing the E1820 modem with an antenna socket, but it includes mixed opinions on how well it works, or even if it works at all. I also read somewhere that a K4505Z has a socket, and something called a B970b.

Any recommendations and ideas of availability or pricing?
 
Terencek said:
I have tried an inductive coupler pigtail with a couple of 'normal' USB modems, but without any success.
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That's weird. I am in the same situation here in Joburg because the buildings block my reception. My coupler works quite well. I have a piece of velcro on it and on the back of my E220 modem. it bumps the bars up by about three levels.

Anyway, if you can find one of the older Novatell PC Cards... they have antenna sockets. And then just buy a PC Card Adapter card for your desktop computer if you need it... they are quite cheap.
 
Thanks Gary. I tried everything with a brand-new generic coupler from Poynting, and no matter how I placed it on the modem (connected to my roof data antenna) it actually degraded the signal!

One final fling I haven't tried is to use an extra-long USB cable (would a dongle function on the end of a three-metre cable?) and put the modem in the (thatched) roof above my upstairs office. Or would I be wasting my money? I have also tried the trick mentioned elsewhere, of putting the modem where the LNB should be in a satellite dish pointed at the tower, but there was no signal improvement.

Unfortunately what started this whole merry-go-round is that my trusty old Novatel card went 'pffft' and died the other day (at least the 3G section of it, GPRS is all that still works). So either I have to find a USB dongle with a socket, or I have feelers out elsewhere on the forum for an old Novatel card someone may have discarded.
 
Aaaah, yes I saw your other post... I have one of those Novatel cards. I was reluctant to part with it... but you can come get it from me if you are desperate. I have another 3G stick that I can use.

I dunno about the long USB cable... I don't think it will help. It will probably make it worse. But yeah... I also have one of those if you want it.
 
Terencek said:
Can anyone recommend a currently-available USB 3G modem which has an antenna socket that works? I'm in a difficult reception area, and I have a very sophisticated roof antenna system used with my former PC datacard. I have tried an inductive coupler pigtail with a couple of 'normal' USB modems, but without any success.

There is a thread in the Cell C section discussing the E1820 modem with an antenna socket, but it includes mixed opinions on how well it works, or even if it works at all. I also read somewhere that a K4505Z has a socket, and something called a B970b.

Any recommendations and ideas of availability or pricing?
Click to expand...

You mean you tryed the pigtail that plugs in to the socket?
The Poynting inductive coupler that slips over the E1820 definitely works - maybe you got the antenna not pointing the right direction.
Or does the antenna you have cover the 900MHz band?
 
Gary: I would kill for your Novatel card (well, perhaps just something on the level of a small innocent creature or so if I really had to....)! Where are you -- hopefully not anywhere near your 'District 9' given that I'm in the bush near Rustenburg.... If you're serious, could we perhaps PM?

Tun@: No the antenna is in exactly the right place and worked like a charm for years plugged directly into my now-defunct Novatel datacard. I was getting up to 9 or 10 dB gain from it.
When the datacard died I bought a specific pigtail for the antenna from Poynting, with the generic inductive coupler. We don't have the 900 MHz Cell C signal here, only 3G and HSDPA from VC and EDGE from MTN (plus GPRS/EDGE from Cell C piggybacking on the VC tower).

Using the coupler I have tried (and measured) the signal on two separate USB dongles, an E180 and a K3570Z, same result: no improvement in signal at all, no matter how I position the coupler on the dongles. There's even actual slight signal degradation! I then also borrowed an older coupler from a friend, same negative result. Really strange....
 
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Terencek said:
Gary: I would kill for your Novatel card (well, perhaps just something on the level of a small innocent creature or so if I really had to....)! Where are you -- hopefully not anywhere near your 'District 9' given that I'm in the bush near Rustenburg.... If you're serious, could we perhaps PM?

Tun@: No the antenna is in exactly the right place and worked like a charm for years plugged directly into my now-defunct Novatel datacard. I was getting up to 9 or 10 dB gain from it.
When the datacard died I bought a specific pigtail for the antenna from Poynting, with the generic inductive coupler. We don't have the 900 MHz Cell C signal here, only 3G and HSDPA from VC and EDGE from MTN (plus GPRS/EDGE from Cell C piggybacking on the VC tower).

Using the coupler I have tried (and measured) the signal on two separate USB dongles, an E180 and a K3570Z, same result: no improvement in signal at all, no matter how I position the coupler on the dongles. There's even actual slight signal degradation! I then also borrowed an older coupler from a friend, same negative result. Really strange....
Click to expand...

I'm in Brackenhurst, Alberton, Just South of Joburg... on the border of Joburg and Alberton. 2 hours drive from Rustenburg. :p

PM me if you want details.

EDIT: Oops, it's not a Novatel Card. It's only the Huawei E620 PC Card. Let me know if you still want it. It definitely has the antenna port.
It looks like this one....
436769_090806101648_a59e0df868894145.jpg
 
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ponder said:
A few of the Huawei devices have a internal antenna connector on the pcb so to hack it for use with a external antenna is really simple. I would rather do this than buy an older card.

http://www.m0mcx.co.uk/2009/07/23/huawei-e220-external-antenna-modification/
http://eclectronics.org/blog/?p=111
http://www.djinsonic.com/general/external-antenna-for-huawei-e220/

Those external couplers are kuk.
Click to expand...

I have thought about hacking a modem, but unlike the E220 which is a favourite for this type of thing, I'm not sure I would be comfortable cracking open a far smaller and more cramped modem like my E180. Which really brings me back to the original question: which of the current crop of USB dongles do actually have an antenna socket known to work well?
 
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