Weatherproof Enclosure?

I too have one outside some 30 feet in the air. It has been working just fine for the past 1 1/2 years now and the temperature this winter has so far fallen well below freezing and has stayed that way a few days. It has yet failed to work.

Reply to
David
Loading thread data ...

snipped-for-privacy@panix.com (Al Dykes) hath wroth:

Naw, I goofed. I was running two threads involving spectrum analyzer issues and managed to get them muddled. If you're curious, see:

for the actual question under "Quiz Time".

It will wander around about 6dB without much effort and 10dB if you start to move things around. Ever notice those nifty looking Netstumbler signal strength and SNR graphs? Ever notice that they're NOT flat top lines, but are rather ragged on the top? Those are the variations I'm mumbling about. For example, look at Netstumbler screen at:

Notice the variations over 8 minutes (total) run. If I ignore the total dropouts, my guess from the two parts of the graph are 12dB variation on the left and about 10dB on the right.

Try it. Place a laptop somewhere that it's not going to move, and probe an access point (preferably your own) that also isn't going to move. Start it running and then go away for a while (to avoid having your body affect the readings). As long as you don't cheat and use an ultra strong saturating signal, you'll see variations similar to the above URL. The numbers are real and you'll also see them with a spectrum analyzer, on an antenna range, and in any highly reflective environment. You might not see it in an RF anechoic chamber, but I currently don't have access to one of those to try it.

Hmmmm.... I just fired up Netstumbler and checked the neighbors access point (mine is too close and too strong). I'm seeing over 10dB variations over about 3 minutes if I ignore the dropouts.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Rick Blaine hath wroth:

Speaking of heaters, I used to be in the land mobile VHF/UHF repeater service business.

The repeaters inside the buildings were no problem because the other equipment in the building kept things warm. However, the outdoor pole mounted boxes were a problem. In particular, the large duplexer cavities required some form of heating or water would condense inside and detune the cavities.

So, I went to the local pet supply dealer and bought some doggy blanket heaters. These are miniature electric blankets but sized for a dawg. Wrap the cavity with the blanket and it stays nice and warm. I also tried a 40 watt light bulb and a mercury thermostat plus relay. That also worked but tended to heat the metal box more than cavities and was therefore rather inefficient. The doggy blanket heaters put the heat where it was needed.

A bird bath heater might be cheaper, but I needed something that would evenly heat a surface and the dawg blanket heater was ideal.

I doubt anyone needs as much power as a doggy blanket heater offers for keeping a comparatively small WRT54G router warm. Probably a few power resistors and a bimetallic thermostat will be sufficient to prevent condensation. Whatever you do, do NOT mount the board horizontally where the water can collect and puddle on the board. Mount it vertically where it can drip off. Also, give the water a place to go (details on request).

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

To recap from several of the other posts in here...

I never have had to deal with anything under zero degrees, nevertheless....

AP's get pretty warm at the board level, effectively keeping any water condensing on them.

Waterproof is more problematic than weatherproof -

- Waterproof will keep out and condensing water vapor, but that should not be a problem in a warm enclosure from the heat of the equipment alone.

- A non-vented waterproof enclosure traps too much heat.

- Weatherproofing is as simple as keeping blowing rain out of the enclosure.

- Small rain shield protected vent hole near the top will allow the less dense humid air to vent out.

- A simple sunshade will work wonders keeping the direct sun off the enclosure.

Reply to
decaturtxcowboy

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.