Bigpond Wireless

Bigpond Mobile Broadband Installation

I selected a 6dB gain D4260 Cellfinder antenna from Dick Smith mounted on one of the square tubes of the Winegard TV antenna using a stainless steel "L" bracket D4519 and stainless bolts. Mounted it about 20mm from the top so as not to foul the white Winegard bracket that protrudes slightly when folding down. When the TV antenna is retracted the mobile antenna lays flat, parallel with the roof.

The coax cable was run down the outer side of the Winegard strut and attached with cable ties. I also cable tied it to the antenna coax so as to keep it clear when rotating the TV antenna and then over the roof with two screw clips then thru a hole drilled in the roof taking the coax straight into one of the overhead cupboards where the modem was to be mounted. A good quantity of silicon sealant was applied to both the hole thru the roof and under the screws holding the cable clips to prevent any water leaks.

This is what it looks like from the ground, It definitely attracts attention and gives the antenna around 4 metres of elevation above the ground.

The Bigpond Wireless Gateway attached to the side of the cupboard using rigid 3M velcro strips NB not the flexable velcro, this stuff is rigid plastic. Mounting sideways allows better airflow thru the box and has dropped the monitored internal temperature by around 10 degrees C. The external antenna cable is attached to the modem main antenna socket using an FME-SMA adapter. The auxilary antenna has been rotated straight down while the WI-FI antenna is turned up to be vertical.

The modem comes with its own 12v power supply but I have run it from the house battery supply via this car adapter M9889 also from Dick Smith. They do warn that the 12v setting works only from 24v input but I found that it gives a stable 12.18v from the house supply and should at worst protect from the charging voltage and follow the voltage down should it fall below 12v. This is yet to be tested. This has turned out to be a successful modification with a signal gain over the modem's own antennas of better than 15dB+ so should prove its worth in the out of the way places. This way of mounting the antenna was not mine but copied from another caravanner , but the perfect installation is all mine :)