Author Topic: New WS-2902A reception issues  (Read 8340 times)

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Offline WA4OPQ

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #75 on: August 08, 2020, 06:29:11 PM »
I'll be posting a complete report later this week. In the meantime, here's how I did it.
I used RG-174 miniature coax and removed the original antenna. I cleaned the solder from the hole and put the center conductor in and soldered. I scraped the green coating adjacent to form a solder pad for the braid.

Offline hdtvluvr

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #76 on: August 13, 2020, 03:58:44 PM »
I'll be posting a complete report later this week. In the meantime, here's how I did it.
I used RG-174 miniature coax and removed the original antenna. I cleaned the solder from the hole and put the center conductor in and soldered. I scraped the green coating adjacent to form a solder pad for the braid.

Is the report ready?

Offline WA4OPQ

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #77 on: August 14, 2020, 02:21:02 AM »

Offline hdtvluvr

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #78 on: August 14, 2020, 11:45:27 AM »

Offline WA4OPQ

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #79 on: August 14, 2020, 11:50:26 AM »

Offline hdtvluvr

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #80 on: August 25, 2020, 08:18:10 PM »
So which antenna is everyone using?

XHTECH 11dBi 824-960MHz GSM CDMA Yagi Antenna Outdoor
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014CU9JYQ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A27P16HLMP5BKI&psc=1

or

Phonetone 7/9dbi Outdoor Directional Yagi 698-960/1710-2700Mhz GSM Outdoor Antenna
https://www.amazon.com/Phonetone-Outdoor-Directional-1710-2700Mhz-Connector/dp/B00EC804SO/ref=pd_ybh_a_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7TQB73HD0ZDS9TWTNKCE

Seems like the 11bBu would be better especially since it covers a narrower band.


Offline WA4OPQ

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #81 on: August 25, 2020, 09:40:27 PM »
I have bought both, but I like the 11dBi single band antenna better. Adding the 2.4 GHz band does me no good.

Offline KC5JIM

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #82 on: August 25, 2020, 09:52:53 PM »
It could be your 'smart' meter.  Utility companies have incorporated a wireless way to read your electric meter.  It's in the 900Mhz frequency range.  They output a full watt of power.  While working for an electric company, part of my job was testing these things for radiation issues.  I discovered they burned out motion detector lights near them, like within 10' or so.  The company was replacing lights for customers like popcorn until they finally got the meter company to swap them out.

Smart meters typically use either 902MHz or 2.4 GHz and only transmit when they are queried from the neighborhood concentrator, they are not sitting there broadcasting all the time. In fact, they are typically using a mesh network of up to 5 hops through other meters to reach the concentrator because the individual meters are not strong enough to reach it on their own.

Smart meters are part 15 devices and they are NOT burning out motion detector lights near them, nor do they require frequent testing by the power companies.  In the US, smart meters in residential areas are required to meet absolute emissions limits for unintentional emitters and/or carrier-current devices and the transmit power limits for intentional emitters as specified in Part 15 rules. The data from the smart meter is sent out in short transmission bursts, which usually last a maximum 250 milliseconds at a time. In a typical day a smart meter spends about .25 seconds per minute actually transmitting, for a total of 6 minutes transmitting time per day, for a maximum duty cycle of .4%

I'm just a grumpy guy with a PhD in Electrical Engineering, with a specialty in RF engineering, so take my post for what you want, but Smart meters are NOT interfering with your weather stations.
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Offline hdtvluvr

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Re: New WS-2902A reception issues
« Reply #83 on: August 26, 2020, 01:08:54 PM »
It could be your 'smart' meter.  Utility companies have incorporated a wireless way to read your electric meter.  It's in the 900Mhz frequency range.  They output a full watt of power.  While working for an electric company, part of my job was testing these things for radiation issues.  I discovered they burned out motion detector lights near them, like within 10' or so.  The company was replacing lights for customers like popcorn until they finally got the meter company to swap them out.

Smart meters typically use either 902MHz or 2.4 GHz and only transmit when they are queried from the neighborhood concentrator, they are not sitting there broadcasting all the time. In fact, they are typically using a mesh network of up to 5 hops through other meters to reach the concentrator because the individual meters are not strong enough to reach it on their own.

Smart meters are part 15 devices and they are NOT burning out motion detector lights near them, nor do they require frequent testing by the power companies.  In the US, smart meters in residential areas are required to meet absolute emissions limits for unintentional emitters and/or carrier-current devices and the transmit power limits for intentional emitters as specified in Part 15 rules. The data from the smart meter is sent out in short transmission bursts, which usually last a maximum 250 milliseconds at a time. In a typical day a smart meter spends about .25 seconds per minute actually transmitting, for a total of 6 minutes transmitting time per day, for a maximum duty cycle of .4%

I'm just a grumpy guy with a PhD in Electrical Engineering, with a specialty in RF engineering, so take my post for what you want, but Smart meters are NOT interfering with your weather stations.

And here I thought the transmission was back through the power line.   The closest neighbor's meter is 200 yards through trees and if there is hub nearby (out at the street) it would be no less than 175 yards penetrating my house, trees and then to the street.   The neighbor's closest neighbor is over 600 yards south again signal would pass through his house and 100 or so trees to reach the neighbor.   There also isn't an antenna on my meter so that means it would be a small omni-directional one inside the meter if it existed.  If the meter really does transmit data wirelessly at these ranges, it sure seems our weather stations could be made to transmit data better.


EDIT:  From Wikipedia
Communications from the meter to the network may be wireless, or via fixed wired connections such as power line carrier (PLC). Wireless communication options in common use include cellular communications, Wi-Fi (readily available), wireless ad hoc networks over Wi-Fi, wireless mesh networks, low power long-range wireless (LoRa), ZigBee (low power, low data rate wireless), and Wi-SUN (Smart Utility Networks).

 

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