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Pepwave Antenna

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Gizmo

RVF VIP
Joined
Nov 19, 2019
Messages
484
Location
Kansas
RV Year
2017
RV Make
Newmar
RV Model
Ventana LE
RV Length
40
TOW/TOAD
2020 Jeep Rubicon
Now I need an outside roof mount antenna for my Newmar Ventana and my Pepwave BR1 5G. I have researched several but after climbing on the roof I don't think I can get a straight shot through the roof and into my media cabinet over the driver's seat. I planning on using the same entrance that my dish and over-the-air antenna use to enter the coach so I will probably need 12 plus feet of cabling. The round antenna I don't think will work since the entrance has to be below the antenna and need to run the wires across the roof. Any suggestions?
 
Hi Gizmo, search for Neals posts on Pepwave....I read through them several times before making a purchase, and I know he went back and forth on how and where to install his exterior antennas. I am pretty sure he wound up recommending a particular model as well, but cant recall its name off the top of my head. For what its worth, many dont see a big difference between the paddles and exterior antennas in a lot of installs I assume due to signal loss in the longer cable runs. I have been running with just the paddles and have gotten over all good results.
 
Parsec Husky (cellular only is what I recommend or cellular + gps). WiFi on the roof is a waste. Go to the Parsec web site and you'll see all the options from cable length, types of cables/connectors, etc. Find that model number and google it to find a reseller.
 
For what its worth, many dont see a big difference between the paddles and exterior antennas in a lot of installs I assume due to signal loss in the longer cable runs. I have been running with just the paddles and have gotten over all good results.

Everyone's situation is different of course but I kind of agree. I have a Ponyting 5-1 antenna which I bought as a package with a Pepwave MAX BR1 MK2 from MobileMustHave over two years ago. I mounted it on the roof using the magnetic mounting option to a metal plate which also gives it a ground plane. I agonized for weeks over how and where to drill a hole etc but I think I did a reasonable job in the end.

I haven't notice enough difference to have made it worth the effort. I'm looking signal strength, RSRQ etc, not just speed.

Two years later I have a new router, a Cudy LT18. It has band 71 which is good for T-Mobile so I joined Calyx for three months to give it a try. Now I have a dilemma. The Ponyting doesn't do band 71 and it's only 2x2 MIMO. On the face of it, the perfect antenna for me now would be the Parsec Husky from MobileMustHave with the magnetic mount and 7 foot cable. That would be a drop-in replacement with band 71 and 4x4 MIMO. But ... I really don't want to pay $507 for dubious results.

I've made a decision not to replace the Ponyting on the roof. I'll leave it there for now. I have other options with AT&T where it is still useful but for T-Mobile, the Cudy with the paddle antennas mounted up near the non-metallic roof works pretty good. I'm probably going to get a directional panel antenna on a telescopic pole which we can use when stationary. When I drilled the hole, I put a plastic box over it so I can run more cables without drilling another hole.
 
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I think people think putting an antenna on metal is a ground plane. I've learned from watching airplane construction and ground planes with ELT devices that there is a lot more to ground planes. First off is size, a ground plane needs to be large, for our uses it's probably 4 FEET x 4 FEET. In addition a ground plane must be between the coax connector and coax receiver and work as a ground. I think most people that think they have a ground plane is completely non effective as such. On top of that the antenna manufacturer will tell you if a ground plane is needed or not, most say not, and if you did need one it has to be sized and installed properly to work as an effective ground plane.

I've had great experience with the Peplink antennas and the Parsec Husky has been the best for cellular that I've used. It's important too these days to make sure they are compatible with the networks such as 5G, etc.
 
The size of the ground plane to be effective depends on wavelength. It's the "other half" of a dipole. The lowest frequency for band 71 is 617 MHz so wavelength is slightly less than half a meter. I think for my antenna, Ponyting had a footnote in the specs saying they were tested with a 18in x 18in ground plane. I made mine 20in x 20in. They also had some vague language which I think changed over time saying that you don't really need the ground plane, I assume because the base is metallic inside, so I don't really know if it is doing anything useful or not. I have it more for the physical magnetic mounting than anything else.
 
So torn. I can get the Ponyting 5-4 or whatever it is (4x4 mimo + GPS) that does band 71, but RV Mobile Internet says it's marginal band 71 performance. The plus, drop in replacement and it's adhesive surface mount capable, with cable bundle coming out the side.

Or, go with Husky or Peplink 42g, which are likely better performing antennas, but then I have to figure out how to mount those monstrosities. I looked at the Husky magnetic mount, that also looks like might have screw holes where rather than actually magnetic mounting it, maybe just using the plastic structure that looks like it could be screwed into the roof.

Other than Neil mounting on top of an AC shroud, anyone come up with a good way to mount a Huskey or Peplink?
 
Have been using paddle antennas for 2+years with good results. I have CAT-18 & CAT 20 LTEA Peplink devices. I have fabricated a bracket for the back of the RV so I can keep the external antenna cable short & place the equipment in the overhead above the bed.
 
There are enough comments that the paddle antennas working I think I going not to purchase a roof antenna till I can do some traveling.
 
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There are enough comments that the paddle antennas working I think I going not to purchase a root antenna till I can do some traveling.
Basically it comes down to whether you are in a strong or fringe area. If in a strong area, such as where you would get a good signal from a mifi/hotspot in the coach, then paddles will work fine. If you are in a fringe area where your hotspot or phone struggle, the paddles will struggle as well.

I have a lease at an RV resort about an hour from home. Can't use regular cell in the coach, need wifi calling, and that's using rooftop antennas to get the gain needed to have a solid enough data signal to then use wifi calling.
 

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