Skip Gundlach wrote:
Hot Rod spewed twice, yet, on this subject.

Obviously, I'm not communicating well...


As a computer guy I'll tell you to have a look at hawking antenna's BUT I


The antenna part isn't a problem. I have a Hawking antenna, quite
directional, totally unsuited to swinging at anchor, on the hard. It works
just fine, connected via active USB (didn't I already say that???) to my
laptop, and I can talk on the boat with any of several unencrypted
locations. I don't like it because it's connected to my computer. I'm
looking for a wireless solution..


don't think that what you are trying to do is possible. Normally when you
try and do a long distance with high gain antenna's you need a high gain
antenna at both locations, you also get into using omni or unidirectional
antenna's. Even with line of sight and a unidirectional antenna anything
over a few Kms is getting crazy. SORRY


I'm not trying to get over a few klicks. Just from the harbor up the
hillside in the Caribbean will suffice just dandy. If I can "see" it I
should be able to talk to it (23dBm) and hear it (8.5dBi, say, to keep the
donut fat enough). My challenge is to get the signal not only out of the
boat, but down to my laptop, wirelessly. I can do one or the other
brilliantly. So far I haven't done both in one box.

So, as the computer expert, leaving the challenge of antennas to me, what
(12 V input, thank you very much) device does what I need? I'll figure out
how to antenna it and elements-protect it.

Later today you also said:


Don't argue with this but your not going to get access to a WIFI hotspot

at

Star Bucks.... If the idea is to cruise the coast an get signals, "GOOD
LUCK"


I have no intention of trying to find Starbucks on evey little island. It
was a rhetorical example. I don't even like Starbucks, let alone go into
them, but lots do, so I used that example. I digress... But I have reason
to believe that there may be a number of homes running wireless broadband in
an unencrypted mode anywhere I might throw out the hook. Certainly, I and
all of my neighbors' installations are that way. Pop off into the lake
(where I'm waiting to rehab my shoulder, and live when I'm not working on
the boat, or until the optionee takes it out from under me, whichever comes
first), fire up my laptop, and point my Hawking at my house and I get
signals enough to light my way home at night. Turn a bit and see the same
result from my two-doors down neighbor.

Take out the Hawking and just use my internal, and it's lots less. But I
see 15 open connections well enough to surf. Do a google on "warsailing"
and see a guy's site talking about a waterway where he lives. Can't see the
chart for all the circles!

So, in radio terms, I say again: What 12V device will allow (consider it
just out to my dock, with me and my laptop on the adjacent shore if you
can't deal with me seeing further) me to sit, and talk, to my remote (up the
hill about 200 feet from the dock, after all) hotspot (unencrypted broadband
source), with my laptop with its internal wifi card? Disregard that I also
see my neighbors with my internal card at this distance - I want to use the
single device for my communications, let's say, because it's got this cool
interface for determining signal strength, or for allowing me to choose, or
for switching automatically if one gets weak, or any other reason you may
prefer than listening on my internal card, directly.

I await your learned response, having no luck elsewhere, so far.

L8R

Skip, grouchy with pain from many cuts


Skip, packet switching should seek out survivable routes for each
packet.

Late to join, sorry if I just missed some basic to this proposition.

Why not just use an antenna cable about 6 feet up the mast to avoid
long AE run losses at giga frequencies, use two wireless hubs below
decks, with one AE on each side of the mast? Ethernet them together
and let it fly? I wonder if software would handle switching well in
a yawing environment, linked to shore. Seems to me the internet was
designed for multi routing and survivability. On a dock or two
anchors, you could replace the shoreside omni with a steerable beam
if you needed longer reach. (Sorry to rub your shoulder wounds the
wrong way;-)

Might need one wireless router to act as a hub, the other as
gateway. What would happen if you moved a wireless laptop around on
deck while connected? Packet switching is a wonderful tool.

D-links need 5 volts. You can get that from 12 volts. I wonder at
range and antenna directivity effects of the mast reflector element.

It's nice to have multiple redundancy at sea. The nearby fleet could
share any connections all around a mooring. Kids might be happy to
net game on rainy anchorages.

Terry K