I'm helping a friend with get mesh setup at his house. We have tried the Microtik LHG 5 Ghz XL version for a point to point at it's highest power level and am finding it's just below the SNR needed for a solid connection (averaging 25 SNR, 84% LQ, 2% NLQ). The location is smack dab in the middle of two sector antennas, both of which are pointed about 45 degrees away from his location in Yorba Linda:
KE6BXT-PleasantsPk-M5R-NE
http://ke6bxt-pleasantspk-m5r-ne.local.mesh:8080/
KE6BXT-PleasantsPk-M5R-SW
http://ke6bxt-pleasantspk-m5r-sw.local.mesh:8080/
Due to HOA rules we can't put the antenna up any higher than it is now. The location on the house is as good as it's going to get (we tried other spots). So I'm thinking at this point that the only solution is better hardware. With that in mind, what's the best dish out there? We're willing to try anything that has a return policy.
Also, on a sidenote, would changing his dish from 10 Mhz to 5 Mhz help with this issue?
---mark, KM6ZPO
A Rocket will give you 2dB more TX power, but it can have a larger dish (which also helps RX).
That NLQ sucks.
Going to a narrower bandwidth would help, but the other end also needs to be at 5MHz BW - which is not likely to happen..
We have the largest Microtik dish - the XL. So I guess we need to find a larger dish and match it up with a rocket.
Thank you.
https://sites.google.com/site/orangecountymeshorganization/orange-county-ham-mesh-map/pleasants-peak
Joe AE6XE
Hi, Mark:
An SNR of 25 dB is superb!
A LQ or NLQ below %100 is cause for concern.
I have a pair of RB LHG HP5 XLs with SNR of ~24 dB, %100 LQ/NLQ, ~78 TX Mbps.
A NLQ of 2% indicates that there is an RX issue at the other end.
Accounting for other same-site transmitters, my 'other end' is 1 of 7, 5 GHz AREDN radios.
I hope this helps,
Chuck
---mark, KM6ZPO
Hi, Mark:
Yes.
Chuck
Mark, HOAs can't prevent satellite dishes from being installed. How about a Mikrotik LDF 5 installed at the feedpoint of an old satellite dish? It'll give you 23-25 dBi gain and no one will ever notice it's not pointed at a synchronous satellite
Orv W6BI
I think that it is unlikely to fix the 2% NLQ by making changes at the HOA afflicted end.
A dish has less gain at 3 GHz than it does at 5 GHz.
Chuck
Joe AE6XE
Several have mentioned the 3 Ghz antennas a few times. I thought we were told to stop using 3 Ghz? Can somebody clarify with a backup of the FCC notice?
As of right now, the RBLHG-5HPnD-XL is connected to KE6BXT-PleasantsPk-M5R-SW with 95% LQ, 1% NLC and 0 speed.
We tried the Mikrotik LHG 2 RBLHG-2nD to connect to AE6XE-PleasantsPk-RM2. That barely made a connection - just not enough power.
We have a RBLHG-2nD-XL en route - it will be a couple weeks to get that one. Those are hard to find.
You know, I've never really had good success connecting to the MESH. It's tough to find spots within Orange County that are line of sight, have no buildings or small hills in the way and within range of the mountain top nodes. Here's a few others I have tried that also did not work: TP-Link CPE210, CPE510 and CPE610. I've put a lot of time and money into making this work as a proof of concept for my local RACES org. It's not looking good.
---mark, KM6ZPO
https://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-operation-in-3-45-3-5-ghz-segment-must...
More info here: https://www.arednmesh.org/content/lhgxl-vs-ldf-7-meter-dish
I often run into issues when going down to 5MHz wide channels on MikroTik gear. I would avoid doing that.
-Damon K9CQB
---mark, KM6ZPO