Wireless on s/v Imagine

[Sinclair]

This is absolutely first rate (submitted via SSB email from Mike on "Imagine"). Mike's now in FL heading for the West Coast for a month before returning home to Ontario. He tells me he's missing his broadband connections he had on Abaco. - Sinc

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Wireless on Imagine

On board High Speed Wireless Internet is a reality in the Abacos. Who would have thought that just a few years ago. While we were getting the boat ready to go to the Abacos this year, friends told us about all the hot spots in the area. We have spent many years in the Bahamas and didn't think we would ever able to anchor in places like Hopetown, Fishers Bay or Green Turtle Cay & get WIFI right there at the nav station. As a novice to wireless I had no idea what I needed or how it worked, so I had to pick the brains of people who had a working system as well as online research to find the best products for the application. So many laptops today come with a wireless card built in. This is great if you are sitting in a marina where the Access Point (AP) is close by. However, if you want to be in the fringe areas you need to have a WIFI card with an external antenna jack. There are several to choose from so that's where you have to do the research. I can tell you about the two PCMCIA cards that I am familiar with as well the all antenna & cables to make it all work. There are four components that put it all together & they are:

1. PCMCIA Wireless Card

The PCMCIA Wireless Cards that I am familiar with are the Senoa NL2511CD-EXT2 and the Proxim/Orinoco Gold Card. Both these cards have proved to be very reliable for mobile applications. The Orinoco card has one external antenna jack while the Senao has two. I don't know what the advantage of two antenna jacks would be. The biggest difference between the cards is the transmit power output. The Orinoco transmits at 30mw while the Senao card has 200mw power output. Both these cards can be purchased online. I've checked at the big electronic stores such as Best Buy or Circuit City but they don't carry the more specialized cards. The Senoa can be purchased from www.wirelesszones.net & the Orinoco can be purchased from www.cdw.com.

2. Antenna

The antenna that we use aboard Imagine is a HyperGain ® HG2409U. I have found that it is best not to permanently mount the antenna, at least aboard a sailboat, so that it can be moved around depending on where the AP antenna is. If I have a problem with a poor signal while the antenna is clamped on a starboard shroud, I would move it to a port shroud and get a great signal. Sometimes you just have to find the best antenna location for the best signal strength. I just use a couple of the plastic spring clamps to hold it on the shroud. Once attached I push it up the shroud to get as high as the coax will allow. Tie a string on the antenna to pull it back down so you don't damage the coax by pulling on it. The antenna can be purchased on line from www.sharperconcepts.net

3. Coax Cable

I bought 20 ft of WBC 400 coax cable that connects to the antenna and also the radio pigtail. The length is what ever will work for your situation. The boats I know with a working system do not have more than 25 or 30 feet of cable. Usually these can be purchased online as cable assemblies in different lengths. You have to make sure that the cable ends are compatible with the antenna base & the radio pigtail. Most antennas have "N" type connectors. The cable I purchases has Male "N" connectors on both ends and is available from www.sharperconcepts.net

4. Radio Pigtail

The radio pigtail is the least expensive but most confusing part of the whole system. However, it is the keystone. If this isn't correct you can't connect it all together. The pigtail is basically a short piece of very small wire (wbc100) with connectors, that attach the large antenna cable to the PCMCIA Card. Make sure you know what kind of connector your card needs. There are several different types of these connectors. The one on the Senao card is an MMCX. Usually the web sites for WIFI equipment are pretty good about telling you which connector your need for which card. They can also be purchased from www.sharperconcepts.net.

I hope this helps anyone trying to get an on board system set up. Cheers, Mike