One of our goals with the SWAP project is to use commodity components that can be sourced from multiple manufactures. With the exception of the prism chipset used in the radios, everything has been installed, tested, and is in live use on at least two platforms.
Components listed below are broken apart into interchangable modules. Select various modules to meet your needs.
SWAP requires an x86 PC with:
| Module | Item | Estimated Cost | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Board Computer | Soekris | ||
| P/N 10452131 net 4521-30 Board & Case | $223.00 | Soekris Engineering | |
| MikroTik | |||
| RB/230: RouterBOARD 230 with 266 MHz CPU | $195.00 | RouterBOARD | |
| 64/SDRAM: 64MB SDRAM | $20.00 | RouterBOARD | |
| Power Over Ethernet Injector | |||
| Soekris | |||
| P/N 31954804 Power Supply, 48V, 0.4A | $20.00 | Soekris Engineering | |
| MikroTik | |||
| 48POE: 'RouterBOARD 51' 48v Input POE injector | $20.00 | RouterBOARD | |
| 48POW: 48v 30w Power Adapter + Power plug | $18.00 | RouterBOARD | |
| PC Card Radio (Prism II or greater chipset) | |||
| Senao | |||
| Engenious, NL-2511CD PLUS EXT2 | $75.00 | Netgate | |
| CA-MMNFBCN19, MMCX to N-Female Bulkhead pigtail, 19 inch | $20.00 | HyperLink | |
| SMC | |||
| SMC, SMC2532W-B, EliteConnect 802.11b PC card CDW# 487884 |
$60.00 | CDW | |
| CA-PHCABLE2, RP-MMCX to N-Female pigtail, 19 inch | $25.00 | HyperLink | |
| Compact Flash | |||
| Viking, CF128M, 128 MB CDW# 235735 |
$32.00 | CDW | |
| Kingston Technology, CF/128, 128MB | $35.36 | Memory4less | |
We used Hyperlink 15 dBi omnidirectional antennas at the University of Hawaii installation, both at their marine facility and aboard the R/V Kilo Moana, as both are very stable platforms, and should not be as affected by the narrow vertical radiation pattern of the 15 dBi Omni.
On less stable platforms, it may be advisable to use an antenna with a wider vertical radiation pattern, such as a 12 dBi omni.
All of the omnis we have used and tested have been vertically polarized. It is rumored that horizontally polarized omnis yield further distances over water, but we have yet to test a horizontally polarized antenna, as they are much rarer.
Smaller antennas are useful in a dock setting where you might NOT want to broadcast long distances. Directional antennas are useful in fixed installations.
Choose an antenna for your application.
| Item | Estimated Cost | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| HG2415U-PRO, 15 dBi Omni-directional with an N-type Female Connector | $140.00 | HyperLink |
| HGV-2409U, 8 dBi Omni-directional with an N-type Female Connector | $50.00 | HyperLink |
| HG2414P-NF, 14 dBi Flat Patch, 30 degree beam, directional | $38.00 | HyperLink |
You will probably also need some mounting hardware to attach
your anntenna.
The omnis need a Stationary Mounting Kit.
The directionals need a Tilt-and-Swivel Mounting Kit.
| Item | Estimated Cost | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| HGX-PMT07, Stationary Mounting Kit for mounting to 1-1/4" to 2" dia. masts. Includes U-Bolts, nuts and mast clamp. | $5.00 | HyperLink |
| HGX-PMT06, 60 Degree Tilt-and-Swivel Mounting Kit for mounting to 1-1/4" to 2" dia. masts. Mounting hardware included. | $9.00 | HyperLink |
If you are doing a shore based installation in a lightning prone region, you should probably use a lightning suppessor.
| Item | Estimated Cost | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| AL-NFNFB Lightning Protector, Bulkhead N-Female to N-Female | $22.00 | HyperLink |
It is important to mount the computer and radio card box close to the antenna, as microwave signals have a huge attenuation problem the longer the antenna cable is. However sometimes the signal loss is worth the convenience of accessability. If the electronics are to be mounted close to the antenna, a weathertight enclosure is necessary.
Stahlin J1210HLL fiberglass watertight enclosures were used in Hawaii. Scripps uses Hammond, PD Series enclosures.
| Item | Estimated Cost | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Stahlin, J1210HLL non-metallic boxes (enclosures) | $65.00 | H.D. Campbell Company |
| Stahlin, BP1210AL, aluminium backpanel for J1210 | $9.00 | H.D. Campbell Company |
As a follow up, one year after the initial install at Hawaii I opened the enclosure to upgrade the CF. Although everything was still working I noted a large amount of sweating in the enclosure. As with all enclosures in a marine environment it's probably a good idea to include a dessicant, and to periodically check for water. - Toby
Cabling varies widely per installation. Listed below are some recommended cables for specific purposes.
If you are running antenna cable more than a few inches it is very important to get low loss cable, for the frequency being used. Spending a few extra dollars on good cable can reduce the signal loss in cable by more than half.
LMR600 or WBC600 is recommended.
LMR400 or WBC400 is probably as low as you want to go.
Buying precut, terminated, and tested cables is usually the way to go. However stuffing a big N-type connector through an MCT might not be practical. If you terminate your own antenna cabling, get a good stripping tool!
| Item | Estimated Cost | Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Belden, BC1002-1000-010, Cat-5 Outdoor grade gel-filled | $182/1000ft | Newark |
| LMR600 Cable, 4.33 attenuation / 100 ft at 2.4 GHz | $1.15/ft | RF Linx |
| LMR400 Cable, 6.61 attenuation / 100 ft at 2.4 GHz | $0.60/ft | RF Linx |
| WBC600 Cable, 4.4dB attenuation / 100 ft at 2.5 GHz | $0.79/ft | HyperLink |
| WBC400 Cable, 6.8dB attenuation / 100 ft at 2.5 GHz | $0.46/ft | HyperLink |
| CA6N050, Pre-terminated Cable, N-male to N-male, 50 ft, WBC600 | $100.00 | HyperLink |
There are some handy calculators related to antennas at http://www.rflinx.com/Support/Calculations.htm
N-type connectors are extremely common in RF (Radio Frequency) cabling. Along with the recommendation that all antenna cabling be LMR600 or WBC600, we recommend that all these cables be terminated as N-type male.
Pigtails terminating in N-type females come in standard and bulkhead styles.
If you have multiple brands of radio with different micro-connectors you might want two use an N-type female-female bulkhead connector and terminate your pigtails in N-type male.
Watertight bulkhead RJ-45 connectors can be used to penetrate the enclosure for the two ethernet connections. The same can be used in conjuntion with RJ45-to-DE9 adaptors for the serial connection.
Passing cables directly though the enclosure wall requires something like a cable gland to seal the hole.
| Item | Estimated Cost | Vendor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANM-2602, N-Male Clamp Connector for Cable Types: WBC600, LMR600 | $74.90/10 pack | HyperLink | ||
| AXA-NFNFB, N-Female to N-Female Bulkhead Bullet Adapter | $6.00 | HyperLink | ||
| CA-MMNFBCN19, MMCX to N-Female Bulkhead pigtail, 19 inch | $20.00 | HyperLink | ||
| Woodhead, ENQAM315, harsh duty, RJ45 field attachable connector Newark# 73C1017 |
$11.00 | Newark | ||
| Woodhead, 67-0300, harsh duty, Closure cap for RJ45 Newark# 40C1381 |
$6.50 | Newark | ||
| Woodhead, ENSP1F5, harsh duty, RJ45 passthrough to std female recptacle Newark# 19C0437 |
$27.75 | Newark | ||
| Woodhead, ENSP1F5-C305, RJ45 passthrough 12"cord with RJ-45 Newark# 19C0438 |
$31.00 | Newark | ||
| Unicom, DEM-45F, Convert DE9S-to-RJ45 Newark# 50F9356 |
$2.00 | Newark | ||
| CA-PHCABLE2, RP-MMCX to N-Female pigtail, 19 inch | $25.00 | HyperLink | ||
| Bud, NG-9515, Cable Gland, size 16 (for LMR600) Newark# 83F3336 |
$3.00 | Newark | Bud, NG-9512, Cable Gland, size 9 (for ethernet) Newark# 83F3333 |
$1.54 | Newark |
| An internal installation using an SMC radio and MikroTik computer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Item | Unit Cost | Extended Cost | Vendor |
| 1 | RB/230: RouterBOARD 230 with 266 MHz CPU | $195.00 | $195.00 | RouterBOARD |
| 1 | 64/SDRAM: 64MB SDRAM | $20.00 | $20.00 | RouterBOARD |
| 1 | 48POE: 'RouterBOARD 51' 48v Input POE injector | $20.00 | $20.00 | RouterBOARD |
| 1 | 48POW: 48v 30w Power Adapter + Power plug | $18.00 | $18.00 | RouterBOARD |
| 1 | SMC, SMC2532W-B, EliteConnect 802.11b PC card CDW# 487884 |
$60.00 | $60.00 | CDW |
| 1 | Viking, CF128M, 128 MB CDW# 235735 |
$32.00 | $32.00 | CDW |
| 1 | CA-PHCABLE2, RP-MMCX to N-Female pigtail, 19 inch | $25.00 | $25.00 | HyperLink |
| 1 | HG2415U-PRO, 15 dBi Omni-directional with an N-type Female Connector | $140.00 | $140.00 | HyperLink |
| 1 | HGX-PMT07, Stationary Mounting Kit for mounting to 1-1/4" to 2" dia. masts. Includes U-Bolts, nuts and mast clamp. | $5.00 | $5.00 | HyperLink |
| 1 | CA6N050, Pre-terminated Cable, N-male to N-male, 50 ft, WBC600 | $100.00 | $100.00 | HyperLink |
| Total | $615.00 | - | ||
| An external installation using a Senao radio and Soekris computer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Item | Unit Cost | Extended Cost | Vendor |
| 1 | P/N 10452131 net 4521-30 Board & Case | $223.00 | $223.00 | Soekris Engineering |
| 1 | P/N 31954804 Power Supply, 48V, 0.4A | $20.00 | $20.00 | Soekris Engineering |
| 1 | Engenious, NL-2511CD PLUS EXT2 | $75.00 | $75.00 | Netgate |
| 1 | CA-MMNFBCN19, MMCX to N-Female Bulkhead pigtail, 19 inch | $20.00 | $20.00 | HyperLink |
| 1 | Kingston Technology, CF/128, 128MB | $35.36 | $35.36 | Memory4less |
| 1 | HG2415U-PRO, 15 dBi Omni-directional with an N-type Female Connector | $140.00 | $140.00 | HyperLink |
| 1 | CA6N010, Pre-terminated Cable, N-male to N-male, 10 ft, WBC600 | $52.00 | $52.00 | HyperLink |
| 1 | HGX-PMT07, Stationary Mounting Kit for mounting to 1-1/4" to 2" dia. masts. Includes U-Bolts, nuts and mast clamp. | $5.00 | $5.00 | HyperLink |
| 1 | Stahlin, J1210HLL non-metallic boxes (enclosures) | $65.00 | $65.00 | H.D. Campbell Company |
| 1 | Stahlin, BP1210AL, aluminium backpanel for J1210 | $9.00 | $9.00 | H.D. Campbell Company |
| 1 | Belden, BC1002-1000-010, Cat-5 Outdoor grade gel-filled | $182/1000ft | $182/1000ft | Newark |
| 3 | Woodhead, ENQAM315, harsh duty, RJ45 field attachable
connector Newark# 73C1017 |
$11.00 | $33.00 | Newark |
| 3 | Woodhead, 67-0300, harsh duty, Closure cap for RJ45 Newark# 40C1381 |
$6.50 | $19.50 | Newark |
| 3 | Woodhead, ENSP1F5-C305, RJ45 passthrough 12"cord with RJ-45 Newark# 19C0438 |
$31.00 | $93.00 | Newark |
| 1 | Unicom, DEM-45F, Convert DE9S-to-RJ45 Newark# 50F9356 |
$2.00 | $2.00 | Newark |
| Total | $973.86 | - | ||