• Jack Tyler
    34
    I'd welcome comments from Ray and any of the rest of you who mounted an antenna on the top of your RV ladder. Basically, I'm wondering how much of a nuisance it is to live with that antenna location while going up and down the ladder. Does it get the occasional 'Whack! Snag your pants? I've got to mount the Weboost external antenna somewhere (simple). But I make trips regularly these days to sweep the snow off the solar panel while the RV is in storage, and it sure seems so far that it would be a bit obnoxious to live with day in/out. What say you, RV Veterans?

    Jack
  • Ray
    1.3k
    I chose my mount point pretty carefully based on how I go up and down my ladder. For me, it hasn't been a problem. I also kept anything that would snag away from the inner portion of the ladder.

    weBoost-RV-outside-antenna-mounted-on-rear-ladder-e1492873280308.jpg

    weBoost-RV-outside-antenna-installation.jpg
  • Jack Tyler
    34
    Thanks, Ray. And yup, that's just what my antenna install would look like, if that's where I decide it should live. Maybe I wear baggy pants... ;)

    Anyone want to offer some location alternatives you found more appealing? I was going to mount the unit directly to the top, aft side wall of the trailer...but that would interfere with a rain gutter, which I'm pleased to say works very well.

    Jack
  • Greg F
    331
    Our ladder is on the slide and doesn't connect to the roof. There is a luggage rack on the back of the camper but I use it to scramble up onto the roof and decided to just use a piece of aluminum L metal to attach the antenna. The bracket is strong enough to battle the wind but will yield to a branch to save the antenna from damage. It is the antenna on the back.




    d8EGQcIl.jpg
  • Ray
    1.3k
    RV with Tito did a cool mod to mount his antenna.

    :
  • RichardM
    54
    I don’t have an antenna but if you have junction box like Ray has for feeding in the cable, you could mount the antenna to the lid of the j-box. I’m thinking of a cell booster but would probably mount it in a location near the middle of the fifth wheel as I would be feeding the cable down in that area. I have a Ubiquity antenna that I would probably mount in the same area but haven’t done that yet. So far, the Ubiquity (WiFi) antenna works fine sitting on a window valance as the body of the RV is transparent at 2.2GHz. For cellular the additional height is important. BTW, if you opt for using the small mag-mount antenna on some of the cell boosters, note that it needs a ground plane for the antenna to work half-way decently. The ladder clamp-on antennae don’t need a ground plane.
  • Jack Tyler
    34
    Thanks, Richard...and no, we're not using the mag-mount antenna but rather the one that's shown in Brian's pic just above your post. Applause to Ray for mentioning Brian, who does some great video projects (or is that 'project videos'?) In fact, Brian is how I came to be gifted a Weboost antenna. However, I'm trying to get the mounting choice to also satisfy the cable routing challenge. In Brian's case, he just added the Weboost cable to his other umpteen cables, headed for his junction box. I confess: I find Installing this booster system a bit of a challenge. Three components to position, two cables to run, co-location of the booster near 12V (for us) power, an internal antenna location that some advance testing mandates given its attenuation and so limited range...AND a preference not to penetrate the roof. I'm probably over-analyzing!
  • RichardM
    54
    Between the roof vents, the solar panels, and the rack, there are probably upwards of 75 holes in the roof. I have more confidence in myself to seal the holes than any RV manufacture or even many RV techs who don’t have to live with it. But to avoid running a cable through the roof, you are pretty much limited to the refrigerator roof vent. I’ve seen some run cables through the slide seals but to me, that’s just asking for trouble. I’m looking forward to see what you decide to do. We are still trying to decide if we need a cell booster.
  • Ray
    1.3k

    We are using our cell booster less and less each year as the providers roll out more towers for better coverage. These days it's not so much distance from a cell tower than too many oversubscribed cell towers. Which in that case the booster has little to no effect.
    Seems the cell providers have tiered the services, so If you are paying per gigabyte or are an emergency service like police, fire, government, etc you usually get priority access. People on these unlimited plans end up down the totem pole and so many unlimited plans are saturating most towers, especially close to urban areas or places where mass amounts of snowbird RVs suddenly show up for a few months a year.

    Not saying I know anything about it but that's my general impression. :smile:

    Our booster does come in handy in mountainous, hilly areas like along the Oregon coast and around National Parks. Basically, when you need it you need it and its nice to have.
  • Jack Tyler
    34
    Richard, at the moment I'm thinking 'back wall' after a drip curve for the penetration. The cable run, for our Lance 1995, would then come down inside a tall closet, run thru an existing wire chase and the tread for the exterior door, and then to the vicinity of the power center. But the Lance community has a lot of clever chaps posting on the owner's forum, so I'm mining that source first. I'm sure you know the old refrain: "Steal with Pride".
  • Jack Tyler
    34
    That seems to be the general theme among the RV Youtuber community I hear as well, Ray. But...we will mostly be hanging out among the Rocks (MT/WY/ID/UT/SD & BC) where the mountain goats outnumber the people. It's not uncommon in these parts for the highways to have pull-offs with signs announcing a cell connection, as the signal squirts between two distant bluffs. So "a little bit better" is definitely...well, "better". ;)
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