Specifications

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3G connection issues
(con’t)
Move the antenna a foot over. This has fixed many connection problems.
Move the antenna higher. A higher antenna will reach out further. A change in one
foot of height can increase the distance it can travel over a mile. A small move from
the top of the trailer to the top of the AC compressor may do the trick.
If there is more than one radio antenna in the area, move them as far apart as
physically possible. At least 6 feet of separation is good, but 12 feet would be ideal. If
the antennas are too close together, one or both may not operate or be intermittent.
That is because they are screaming into each other’s ears and can not hear the tower.
This includes small laptop 3G antennas and 802.11 (WI-FI) antennas. All cellular
equipment has automatic power reduction systems. If a similar close-by system is
screaming in its ear, it will reduce its own power as much as possible (thinking it is
close to a tower) and will therefore fail to connect to the tower.
Ground Plane: Make sure that the antenna has a good ground plane. This can be any
grounded metal plate that the antenna is connected to. This actually helps in setting
up the standing wave that the antenna generates, and has the effect of boosting the
signal. If the user has a magnetic mount antenna, a 12” x 12” steel plate should be
used; the larger the better. The aluminum rooftops of trailers provide a good ground
plane, but some form of ferrous (iron-containing) material is required to stabilize the
magnetic base. An empty metal wire spool will work wonders. Placing the antenna on
a fiberglass rooftop is not helpful.
Running the antenna out a window is perfectly fine, until the window is
slammed/closed onto the cable. This will crush the outer shield into/through the
dielectric insulation and result in the center conductor shorting out the antenna or
affecting its transmission ability. The antenna cables are thin and cheaply constructed.
The shorting of the coax can burn out a booster amplifier as well, doubling the
problem. A rule of thumb is this “if the antenna cable must be run through a window, it
must be held in place, not forced in place. This coax should be handled and installed
as if it were a glass fiber.
Check for an antenna grounding fault. If the antenna cable goes through the trailer
wall, check for a ground fault. To do this, disconnect the antenna from the Bloodhound
and place an AC voleter between the antenna ground and the Bloodhound antenna
ground. There should be very little voltage difference. If there is any real voltage
difference between the two, a grounding fault exists and must be repaired. Ideally, the
ground of the antenna should be at the same potential as the Bloodhound antenna
ground. Excessive AC voltage will cause damage to the modem and/or the brain
board.
Typically, if the user can talk on a cell phone when looking at the Bloodhound, a
booster will not be required. If equipped with a booster, remove or change out the
booster. This will eliminate the booster as a possible problem.
Add a 3 watt booster in the antenna path. This can stretch the distance to over 25
miles with a good 3db gain omni-directional antenna. A Yagi antenna can improve
transmission and reception greater than 25 miles. A booster should NEVER be
powered up without an antenna connected, otherwise damage will result to the
booster. Replace the antenna and adapter and/or booster.
Open the Bloodhound case. Watch the modem (upper left) for a few minutes in the
Bloodhound. The lights should shut off when the NC timer reaches close to zero. If the
modem does not power down and then back up, it can not reestablish a fresh
connection to the tower. If the modem does not power down and then back up, there
is a physical fault with the brain board, and it needs repair.
On the modem there is a green light. If the light keeps blinking and never goes solid,
then the modem is unable to sync to a tower for communications. You most likely