Best outdoor antenna for Spark Smart modem 2

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raynz

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#3148849 18-Oct-2023 14:18

U P D A T E: Clearly there is a problem connecting the PT-41 SMA-M connection to a Spark Smart Modem 2. The male probe does not make a good connection in the female receptor.

I bought a 45degree SMA-F/SMA-M connector, fitted the SMA-F of the connector to the SMA-M on the PT-41 cable, then the SMA-M of the connector to the SMA-F on the Spark Smart Modem 2 and bingo - 40dBm improvement on RSRP, 8dB on RSRQ and 20dB on SINR.

PROBLEM SOLVED

PT-41 Cable: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/coax-cables/p-41.html

45degree SMA connector: https://www.quadjunkie.co.nz/product/45-degree-sma-connector/

Wheelbarrow01

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#3386479 23-Jun-2025 22:03

Sorry to revive an old thread - again!!

Following a weekend away at a mate's bach at north Rakaia Huts, I said I'd see if I can help him improve coverage. Mobile reception inside the building (and anywhere on the property in fact) is and always has been virtually non-existent on all networks, however there is a single spot inside the house against the wall where all networks seem to get good signal. For many years now, my friend has had a shelf in this location. This is where he and visitors all place their mobile phones upon arrival to ensure important calls/txts are not missed when at the property. You can make or recieve a call from this spot so long as the phone stays on the shelf on speakerphone. remove it from the shelf and the call drops more or less instantly.

Recently, to improve convenience and drag the bach into the 20th/21st century, my friend purchased a Spark Smart Modem 2 - as the Spark website says basic wireless service should be available. As we all predicted, it only works with the modem set up on the aforementioned shelf - nowhere else in the house. This has at least made WiFi calling and web browsing possible from anywhere within the house which has added some convenience, however the speed is nothing flash. At the weekend, the Speedtest on my phone over the WiFi recorded 6.33Mbps down, 0.40Mbps up. Ping 533 at idle, 3834 down and 4981 up. Jitter between 118 and 298.

I bought him a new SmartVu device at the weekend for his birthday, to replace the abysmal UHF aerial on his TV. The SmartVu worked ok over the WiFi, however there were plenty of times over the weekend where Freeview and other applications buffered - a long drawn out instance just minutes before the end of the Crusaders match was particularly agonising...

A search on GIS Geek shows the property is 6.94kms as the crow flies from the nearest Spark tower in Southbridge running 700 4G LTE and 850 3G UMTS.

My question is whether it's worth trying an external antenna with all of the above factors taken into account? Given it is just his bach, he considers paying over $100 a month for the RBI rural wireless + antenna plan to be out of his price range. For the record, there is an RBI site but it's 8.5kms west of his location - so further than the Spark tower. He is happy with the $50 for 50GB basic plan on offer and accepts the limitations of the location. But if there is a possibility that an external antenna might improve the speed just a fraction, he would consider that capital expenditure to enable bufferless streaming of Freeview, Sky Sport Now etc.

Second question is where to get such an antenna, and what type. Unfortunately the links previously provided in this thread no longer work and they weren't descriptive enough for me to work out the type or spec of antenna required. I found these more recent links:

N-Male to SMA-Male 15 metre 50 Ohm coax pigtail - helpful

45 Degree SMA connector - also helpful (as per previous post)

But can someone link to an appropriately sized & designed antenna taking into account the use case outlined above?

[EDIT: clarified that the speedtest was conducted over WiFi]

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

coffeebaron

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#3386500 23-Jun-2025 22:27

One of these: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/go-wireless-nz/ant-228.html

Two of these: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/go-wireless-nz/p-39.html

Or two of these if you need longer: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/go-wireless-nz/p-41.html

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coffeebaron

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#3386501 23-Jun-2025 22:29

Also to get an idea of potential speed increase, climb up on roof with modem and power pack or extension cord and test modem there.

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farcus

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#3386514 24-Jun-2025 00:56

Wheelbarrow01:

I bought him a new SmartVu device at the weekend for his birthday, to replace the abysmal UHF aerial on his TV. The SmartVu worked ok over the WiFi, however there were plenty of times over the weekend where Freeview and other applications buffered - a long drawn out instance just minutes before the end of the Crusaders match was particularly agonising...

UHF signal strength at Rakaia Huts from Sugarloaf (and possibly even Cave Hill) should be fine for a small UHF aerial

bfginger

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#3386516 24-Jun-2025 06:20

farcus:

Wheelbarrow01:

I bought him a new SmartVu device at the weekend for his birthday, to replace the abysmal UHF aerial on his TV. The SmartVu worked ok over the WiFi, however there were plenty of times over the weekend where Freeview and other applications buffered - a long drawn out instance just minutes before the end of the Crusaders match was particularly agonising...

UHF signal strength at Rakaia Huts from Sugarloaf (and possibly even Cave Hill) should be fine for a small UHF aerial

Freeview Satellite is now also available in MPEG-4 HD. Some Panasonic and Samsung TVs had built in satellite receivers so he might not need an external box for it. It'd be best to call an installer and they can see if UHF is viable through a better aerial, and if not they could install a satellite dish.

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Wheelbarrow01

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#3386875 24-Jun-2025 22:08

coffeebaron:

One of these: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/go-wireless-nz/ant-228.html

Two of these: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/go-wireless-nz/p-39.html

Or two of these if you need longer: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/go-wireless-nz/p-41.html

Thanks mate, exactly the info I was looking for. After I made my post, I came across this antenna and thought it might work - only for the fact that his neighbours either side have an antenna visually identical to that, but I guess looks mean nothing if you don't know what's inside it.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

Wheelbarrow01

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#3386882 24-Jun-2025 22:56

farcus:

UHF signal strength at Rakaia Huts from Sugarloaf (and possibly even Cave Hill) should be fine for a small UHF aerial

I daresay the crap TV reception is less the fault of the service itself and more the result of the rudimentary setup - the bach has been in the family for 50 years and as such, my friend has inherited a sort of UHF box antenna that sits on a mount in the front windowsill. While it works OK for TV1, TV2 and TV3 are pretty grainy and the rest are terrible. It really hasn't bothered him enough to get a proper rooftop antenna or satellite installed as he doesn't go there to watch TV. The place is mostly about quad biking, jet boating, fishing, duck & clay target shooting, mucking around with the dogs & getting away from the crowd.

He likes the off-grid nature of the place - it still only has an outside toilet in the shed and hot water is provided by an ancient Zip on the kitchen wall. The Atlas benchtop oven and hob is from the 1950's at best (the BBQ and air fryer get the most use these days). It's had no major improvements made since his dad bought it in the mid '70's except for some second hand aluminium windows and a recent rewire. It's rustic for sure, but that's its charm.

The recent addition of the wireless broadband is more about safety than anything else - the ability to use WiFi calling to reliably make or receive a call anywhere on the property is the main reason he got it. His dad is now in his 80's and he still occasionally stays there by himself so there's some comfort in knowing he can call for assistance more easily than before if he ever needs to. The ability to watch tv or stream an All Black game with a decent picture from time to time is very much a secondary luxury. I don't think he'd spend the money putting a new UHF or satellite on the roof, however if an external antenna for broadband can deliver faster speeds, better WiFi calling and more reliable streaming, it would kill many birds with one stone.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

coffeebaron

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#3386883 24-Jun-2025 22:58

Yes, 2x of that antenna will work too. Make sure if you do use that type, you mount them on opposing 45 degree angles.

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SATTV

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#3386940 25-Jun-2025 10:57

Why not Starlink on the $79 plan?

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RunningMan

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#3387075 25-Jun-2025 18:24

SATTV:

Why not Starlink on the $79 plan?

Wheelbarrow01:] He is happy with the $50 for 50GB basic plan on offer and accepts the limitations of the location. But if there is a possibility that an external antenna might improve the speed just a fraction, he would consider that capital expenditure to enable bufferless streaming of Freeview,

Because that's a 60% increase per month over what he's happy spending.

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