Replying to Avatar Dr. Hax

Put up a #meshtastic node on a wooden lightpole today at a local brewery. 6 dbi gain antenna, RAK Wireless board, huge battery pack and a solar panel to keep it charged. The coverage in the area is *much* improved.

Probably got up about 30 feet. Could have easily gone double that if we had a boom lift or bucket truck. But we did the best we could with the extension ladder for now. If we ever get access to better lifts, we can move it up.
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shortwavesurfer2009 6mo ago

Very nice, but you may be losing a little bit of vertical coverage due to the 6 DBI gain. A 3 DBI gain is a bit better at receiving from below the plane of the antenna or above the plane of the antenna.

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Dr. Hax 6mo ago

That seems to more of a theoritical problem thsn a practical onem. I can get strong reception from the bottom of the pole. However, it is why I didn't go with a 10 dbi antenna.

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shortwavesurfer2009 6mo ago

Fair enough. I know there are people who take their nodes on flights and higher gains definitely don't work well with those due to the vertical component being cut off severely.