Prior details in the eMails below ... Shortly after the -75dBm report below, I started to see the value drop to a usual range of -77-80dBm, with occasional excursions down to -83dBm. I spent three long sessions (one getting wet) out on the roof, to no avail (I carry an Android tablet logged into the MikroTik radio, to observe the effects of small adjustments). The variations did not seem related to rain, although a wet antenna seems to drop the signal about 2dB. Interestingly, during the night there was little change, but the commute hours seemed to generate the most fluctuations. I think that's because the line-of-sight path runs about 20ft above 132nd St SE, a busy street connecting I-5 and Highway 9 at the north end of Mill Creek. Perhaps the signal is bouncing off of vehicles? I originally thought that perhaps the decrease from the initial -75dBm to -78dBm was perhaps due to foliage growth (this is Spring, after all). However, in the last week I've seen a very slight increase (1-2dB) in the average signal level, so I don't know what to make of that. Perhaps someone has been picking flowers, or Bart has been climbing the SnoCo DEM antenna tower and making adjustments (just joking)? Anyway, the reason for this idle posting is just to record my observations for others to consider. I have thought of raising my antenna a couple feet using a similar gutter mount. I then considered that would probably place the center-of-mass above the gutter, which would make the whole thing unstable in a strong wind without a 3rd attachment point. What appears to be the lower "attachment point" in the images, is in fact just contact bracing, with gravity providing a constant contact. That's nice when the whole thing is stable with regard to pivoting around the gutter axis (as it is now), not so nice otherwise. Yes, I could weight the lower end down to lower the center of mass, but right now the weight is enough to make hanging the thing on the gutter difficult, when standing on a slanted roof ... -- Dean On 2014-03-29 08:09, Dean Gibson AE7Q wrote:
Antenna inside (-89dBm), to test the site:
http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-1.jpg http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-2.jpg
Antenna just outside the window (-84dBm), from inside:
http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-3.jpg http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-4.jpg -- God left a gap in the (many) trees, right in the path to Paine field ...
... and from outside ...
http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-5.jpg -- frontal view http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-6.jpg -- in the line of fire ...
Move the antenna 8 feet east for a 9dB signal strength increase (-75dBm = three green lights (power/Ethernet + two signal "bars") ...
http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-7.jpg -- frontal view http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-8.jpg -- in the line of fire ... http://www.ae7q.com/misc/media/5.9GHz-9.jpg -- side view
The nice thing about the mounting, is that there is NO attachment to the house, which makes adjustment trivial (sliding the mounting hooks in the rain gutter). Even the Ethernet cable goes through pre-existing screening in attic vents. The whole thing can be removed from the house without a trace in 20 minutes (10 minutes, if one is young and agile, which I am neither). It's (reasonably) light-weight (another plus, for the same personal reasons).