Mobile NMO WiFi antennas

[blueangel-eric]

Hey shoot me some wifi antenna links. I think i need a Wifi antenna on my car so when i get a laptop i can try to get some signals to get radar in my car when storm spotting or chasing.
I don't know what you guys use for mobile antennas. I have a NMO mount on my car i can use it on. though i don't know what i would need for a connector on the other end of the coax. but it's a PL259.
thanks

 

[iMONITOR]

2.4 GHz 5 dBi Omni Antenna - NMO Connector

http://www.hyperlinktech.com/item.aspx?id=2288

 

[blueangel-eric]

2.4 GHz 5 dBi Omni Antenna - NMO Connector

http://www.hyperlinktech.com/item.aspx?id=2288

http://www.hyperlinktech.com/item.aspx?ID=2288
for some reason your link didn't work from the email page. hey that's the first one i found. i'm not familiar with that brand. funny that one is the only cheap one on that page. i don't know the difference on their other mobile antennas.

Does maxrad and the like, sell Wifi Antennas?

 

[crayon]

I think i need a Wifi antenna on my car ..

I seriously doubt that you will reliably be able to get 802.11 WiFi signals whilst you are out storm chasing.

Are you thinking about an EVDO type of data access over the cellular network, perhaps?

http://www.evdoforums.com/

 

[blueangel-eric]

I seriously doubt that you will reliably be able to get 802.11 WiFi signals whilst you are out storm chasing.

Are you thinking about an EVDO type of data access over the cellular network, perhaps?

http://www.evdoforums.com/

dont know what EVDO is. But i was told the cheapest way to get the radar to my laptop is to find a Wifi hotspot from one location to the next.

 

[davidmc36]

dont know what EVDO is. But i was told the cheapest way to get the radar to my laptop is to find a Wifi hotspot from one location to the next.

This is the wiki on EVDO

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution-Data_Optimized

If you need to make sure you have good range in case you are not that close to a cell tower I use a couple of products from these guys with a booster and external antenna.

http://jdteck.com/

I bet you would have a hard time keeping connected by jumping from WiFi HotSpot to WiFi HotSpot unless you go ahead of time and set up automatic connecting to different netowrks, and you would have to find free ones or be a good hack. The unsecured ones are probably few and far between.

I use my bluethooth enabled cell phone as a wireless modem and you can get thoses cards that plug right into your laptop that connect to the 3G network. That 3G must be incredibly fast, it is way faster than EVDO and it is quite fast. Mke sure you buy a block of data, if you just use it ad-hoc the per mb rates will kill you.

Here is the wiki on 3G

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G

It is not as widespread as EVDO but is expanding VERY fast. Get a 3G device and I am sure it will be backwards compatible to EVDO just like my phone is compatible with 1X

 

[chrismol1]

i saw the cheapest cellular data card for around $40 or so a month for 5 GB. wifi is a pain unless your in a huge city

 

[davidmc36]

i saw the cheapest cellular data card for around $40 or so a month for 5 GB. wifi is a pain unless your in a huge city

That is a good priced plan. It would get you a lot of data use for the month.

 

[n8emr]

Hey shoot me some wifi antenna links. I think i need a Wifi antenna on my car so when i get a laptop i can try to get some signals to get radar in my car when storm spotting or chasing.

Maybe I missed something but where are you going to get the WIFI signal from? If your talking about a mobile data plan then a wifi antenna isnt going to help since its not the same frequency.

 

[blueangel-eric]

I bet you would have a hard time keeping connected by jumping from WiFi HotSpot to WiFi HotSpot unless you go ahead of time and set up automatic connecting to different netowrks, and you would have to find free ones or be a good hack. The unsecured ones are probably few and far between.

That's what i thought. most storm chasing is out in the middle of nowwhere. what good wifi would be. but someone on this forum says he finds wifi hotspots even from houses in the country. I don't think it's that easy unless his part of the country is more populated. by the time i find a mcdonalds or coffee shop to get wifi i probably already missed the tornado.

 

[blueangel-eric]

i saw the cheapest cellular data card for around $40 or so a month for 5 GB. wifi is a pain unless your in a huge city

where do you get that card? the other day i saw one that's $60 so i gave up on that idea. like i'd pay that much just to storm chase a couple of times. like i can't even afford to buy minutes for my cell phone every month.

 

[chrismol1]

where do you get that card? the other day i saw one that's $60 so i gave up on that idea. like i'd pay that much just to storm chase a couple of times. like i can't even afford to buy minutes for my cell phone every month.

If your going to storm chase a few times, then you would probably find a few spots with wifi. unless you want to spend that much a month. I saw that plan on sprint i think, or the card was sprint. it was with a 2 yr contact. i dont know if they offer it anymore. I saw it a few months ago. you had to have a discount code

 

[Paulsan]

I wonder if you can get radar over APRS.

 

[iMONITOR]

I wonder if you can get radar over APRS.

How about TV?

 

[chrismol1]

How about TV?

I was just thinking the same thing too when I heard that it will be needed out in the country and a cellular data plan might be too much
thats a great idea

 

[blueangel-eric]

I was just thinking the same thing too when I heard that it will be needed out in the country and a cellular data plan might be too much
thats a great idea

that's assuming there's stations close by. but i don't know what TV's would be easy to fit in car. do they still make small LCD's like they used to? i used to have a handheld one back when RS had a lot but the screen is black now. i don't even think it works. Plus would they have the radar on when you need it. what would those cost these days?

 

[davidmc36]

where do you get that card? the other day i saw one that's $60 so i gave up on that idea. like i'd pay that much just to storm chase a couple of times. like i can't even afford to buy minutes for my cell phone every month.

I don't know if they are offering the same type of deals with 3G but most oufits were doing the same type of idea as with cell phones for the EVDO. They would give you the hardware if you signed up for a year or two. Maybe you could find somebody that would give you the EVDO card really cheap (if they still peddle them even) since the new 3G is out now. I guess it is a lot of cash for the data plan if you are only going to use it occasionally. I assumed you were doing it a lot or something.

Do you plan to upgrade your cell phone or do you already have one that is web and bluetooth enabled? If so sign up for their smallest data plan and use it as a wireless modem. Some phones don't need bluetooth to be a wireless modem, they will plug into USB with appropriate dongle.

 

[blueangel-eric]

I don't know if they are offering the same type of deals with 3G but most oufits were doing the same type of idea as with cell phones for the EVDO. They would give you the hardware if you signed up for a year or two. Maybe you could find somebody that would give you the EVDO card really cheap (if they still peddle them even) since the new 3G is out now. I guess it is a lot of cash for the data plan if you are only going to use it occasionally. I assumed you were doing it a lot or something.

Do you plan to upgrade your cell phone or do you already have one that is web and bluetooth enabled? If so sign up for their smallest data plan and use it as a wireless modem. Some phones don't need bluetooth to be a wireless modem, they will plug into USB with appropriate dongle.

I just have a Alltell Prepaid. just a verybasic phone. if i get a plan or something then i won't be able to get a Dish Network. a person has to have something to watch. right now i'm cableless. i'm hopefully getting dish next month.

 

[n8emr]

I see your a ham and if your talking about storm chasing/watching as skywarn activity, Maybe you ask yourself, Why do I need a radar, shouldn't I be paying more attention to the skies around me and reporting in issue instead of trying to be Mr weather. Most weather radar's over the web are often not real time, seldom show enough detail to tell anything important and most lack control to zoom in and control radar angles to get that details you really need to make any difference. If you want to be a "discovery channel" storm chaser then link up with a crew in tornado alley and have fun, If you want to be a storm spotter then spot and leave the radar for the NWS.

 

[blueangel-eric]

I see your a ham and if your talking about storm chasing/watching as skywarn activity, Maybe you ask yourself, Why do I need a radar, shouldn't I be paying more attention to the skies around me and reporting in issue instead of trying to be Mr weather. Most weather radar's over the web are often not real time, seldom show enough detail to tell anything important and most lack control to zoom in and control radar angles to get that details you really need to make any difference. If you want to be a "discovery channel" storm chaser then link up with a crew in tornado alley and have fun, If you want to be a storm spotter then spot and leave the radar for the NWS.

Yes i'd like to be a Discovery Channel type storm chaser. i've been trying to contact Reed from Tornadovideos.net on youtube, but twice i got no reply. i was wanting to chase with them because they're bloody awesome and hilarious and they always get their tornadoes. who else could i contact to link up with?

i've got a feeling this thread is headed for the storm chasing forum. before it does. what other wifi antennas are good. never know when i might use some in town.