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Cheers.

Auto band locking never locks on B20, and I've also tried manually selecting B1 & 3 only so it's a SNR / CA / signal level issue, or I'm slowly pondering if it's a mast issue. That I can check with my phone as moving 100meters provides 75Mbs, so when it's next shocking I'll stroll, check if it's trees, foliage, weather/rain etc.

SNR readings are +/-10dB hovering around 0db centrally in-between router webpage refresh.

Below is atypical today, lately it's rare to CA

View attachment 8283

grab 2

View attachment 8284


Sadly the MR500 doesn't show cell ID but my previous router did and it was static. It never chooses B20 when it's not forced.


and a few hours later....
although I spot B1 has dropped out
SNR 14dB and reasonably consistent across web page refreshes
throughput as a few hours ago, 30Mbs down, 3Mbs up
1694447303764.png
 
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Nope, P62 specifically - they've got slightly better 3500Mhz gain and slightly higher gain across the band's compared to the P60 but the P60 are also pretty good.

I mean these are log dipoles afterall so lower bands will have wider beam widths and so will pick up the likes of B28 from nearly any angle, but certainly for higher frequencies is where these perform well.

They're probably about as good as an LPDA can get - physics and all. They're good because the number of reactive elements across the range help direct energy forward from 2nd, 3rd harmonics etc.

Flat panel antennas like the Poynting have their limitations because there's only usually 1 element of whatever shape doing all the hard work with a couple of parasitics to tune the response. I mean fair play to them for trying, it's incredibly difficult to try and design an antenna to capture as many frequencies as what they do into such a small space but they don't tend to perform as well.
 
I think Dazmatic means these https://www.satshop.fi/iskra-p-62-mimo-4g-5g-antenna-set-2-antennas.html , I can't find any p62's for sale in UK only the p-60, my little sister lives in Holland so could get them delivered there and I often drive over and these are cheaper than the xpol 2 so maybe the way to go! Lol my plan may have changed again, damn this forum haha 😂 I see they come with 10 metre cables, can these just be cut shorter to the length needed and just reattach the sma sockets?
 
@LeaUK: thanks for the screenshots. The last one showing 14 dB SNR is encouraging. RSRP is not fantastic, but at least you get decent download speed. RSRP gives some sort of indication of the path attenuation between your modem and the base station, since this affects both downlink and uplink more or less equally, you are seeing really low uplink speeds, so a directional antenna (like Iskra) would improve that since the relatively high gain will increase the radiated power from your modem.
Comparing your three screenshots, then the ratio between RSRP and SNR is linear for the first two: RSRP down by 4dB, SNR down by 4dB.
Comparing screenshot 1 and 3, we see that RSRP goes from -113dBm to -109dBm, i.e. up 4dB, but the SNR goes from 4 to 14db, up by 10dB.
That suggests to me that improvement is predominantly due to less interference. Again, a directional antenna would help to reduce co-channel interference from other base stations.
Since your router does not tell you the cell ID, you might want to check with your phone (on EE network). There are plenty of apps like Cellmapper, Netmonster etc. which will tell you the CellId/eNBId that your phone has locked onto plus loads of other useful info.
 
@LeaUK: thanks for the screenshots. The last one showing 14 dB SNR is encouraging. RSRP is not fantastic, but at least you get decent download speed. RSRP gives some sort of indication of the path attenuation between your modem and the base station, since this affects both downlink and uplink more or less equally, you are seeing really low uplink speeds, so a directional antenna (like Iskra) would improve that since the relatively high gain will increase the radiated power from your modem.
Comparing your three screenshots, then the ratio between RSRP and SNR is linear for the first two: RSRP down by 4dB, SNR down by 4dB.
Comparing screenshot 1 and 3, we see that RSRP goes from -113dBm to -109dBm, i.e. up 4dB, but the SNR goes from 4 to 14db, up by 10dB.
That suggests to me that improvement is predominantly due to less interference. Again, a directional antenna would help to reduce co-channel interference from other base stations.
Since your router does not tell you the cell ID, you might want to check with your phone (on EE network). There are plenty of apps like Cellmapper, Netmonster etc. which will tell you the CellId/eNBId that your phone has locked onto plus loads of other useful info.
Many thanks, what confuses me is the significant changes between readings within a minute or so, are they a true reflection, and if so, the SNR changing +/- 10dB really must be about interference or my local trees/weather playing havoc, so yes directional (using LDPAs) is certainly my next route.

Cheers again
 
I think Dazmatic means these https://www.satshop.fi/iskra-p-62-mimo-4g-5g-antenna-set-2-antennas.html , I can't find any p62's for sale in UK only the p-60, my little sister lives in Holland so could get them delivered there and I often drive over and these are cheaper than the xpol 2 so maybe the way to go! Lol my plan may have changed again, damn this forum haha 😂 I see they come with 10 metre cables, can these just be cut shorter to the length needed and just reattach the sma sockets?
can't see why you can't cut them shorter, just make sure you have good kit for refitting the sma's, that's something I don't at present so I'm reluctant to carry out the same surgery on my Omni!
 
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Many thanks, what confuses me is the significant changes between readings within a minute or so, are they a true reflection, and if so, the SNR changing +/- 10dB really must be about interference or my local trees/weather playing havoc, so yes directional (using LDPAs) is certainly my next route.

Cheers again
In an environment which is not too dynamic (e.g. not in a moving vehicle), RSRP as a measure of the carrier signal should not be changing too much, and things such as blowing leaves should not explain such changes. Below you see the orange RSRP pretty steady at -88 dBm over three minutes.

With fluctuating RSRP, I would already be looking into a new position. With the combination of fluctuating RSRP and SINR, I might feel the position is bad unless they fluctuate in all locations and then I would start doubting the device or antenna.

A router which does not display Cell ID or eNB or give a way to determine the connected cell is not great for optimizing antenna positioning or orientation as you cannot easily distinguish parameter changes from reconnections. From memory, 4 dB is over a factor of two, and 10 dB is over a factor of 8 so such wild swings are not really good for optimizing anything. It feels to me that things are bad and occasionally misreporting as good, rather than the other way around.


1694511559968.webp
 
Weather's miserable, trees are sodden after plenty of rainfall, 50Mbs down, 4Mbs up, SNR fluctuating around 0dB, RSRP -117dB and RSRQ -13dB, 4G+ (CA) B3,B1. Yet on another similar signal days less than 2Mbs and no CA.

RF!!!

1694515670875.webp


What on earth correlates??!
 
In an environment which is not too dynamic (e.g. not in a moving vehicle), RSRP as a measure of the carrier signal should not be changing too much, and things such as blowing leaves should not explain such changes. Below you see the orange RSRP pretty steady at -88 dBm over three minutes.

With fluctuating RSRP, I would already be looking into a new position. With the combination of fluctuating RSRP and SINR, I might feel the position is bad unless they fluctuate in all locations and then I would start doubting the device or antenna.

A router which does not display Cell ID or eNB or give a way to determine the connected cell is not great for optimizing antenna positioning or orientation as you cannot easily distinguish parameter changes from reconnections. From memory, 4 dB is over a factor of two, and 10 dB is over a factor of 8 so such wild swings are not really good for optimizing anything. It feels to me that things are bad and occasionally misreporting as good, rather than the other way around.


View attachment 8309
Agreed, my retail MR500 is OK for retail but has significant limitations, I'll probably invest in something more commercial shortly, but for £100 its got me more than going. My antenna I also inherited (Ting Tong copy), so again a path of exploration, all the time I'm learning too. If it all functioned well there's no fun and no education right!

I need these real-time graphs in my antenna positioning and selection life!
 
Last edited:
OK I made the investment as my LPDAs have 'mysteriously' got lost from Ting Tong, I've grabbed one of these instead (thanks to the encouragement of a fellow member here), this should be serious fun with a serious LTE6 router. https://mikrotik.com/product/lhgg_lte6_kit

Having set up Mikrotik routers in the past, I'm aware they're somewhat of a learning curve but that's up my street, can't wait!!!

Real time analytics by their phone app too - heaven for mapping the best spot!
 
They've arrived! N-type connectors, up to 3.8GHz (on the box) Had I not bought a Mikrotik LHG I would have been all over them.

1694620719486.webp


1694620758702.webp
 
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1694620851352.png

Ready to mount on the ceiling anyone LMAO


Looking through one of the mounting holes above:

1694620905391.png

angle bracket allowing various mounting angles supplied too, not shown, found it at the bottom of the crushed box, no idea how they survived the China trip.

Recommendations are to replace with your own quality coax, strengthen the rear mounting area or the mounting holes rip out in winds and ensure a good seal all round.
 
Update for me is today I ordered the iskra P62's from Finland https://www.satshop.fi/iskra-p-62-mimo-4g-5g-antenna-set-2-antennas.html £94 delivered I believe that includes taxes hopefully anyway! Got them with the 30cm cable, so will have to buy some lmr400 cable(where do you guys buy your lmr cables from?) Will get some ts9 swa fliy leads and then will just have to solve the mounting of it. We have a neighbour who is a has a building company and is currently extending his house so may cheekily ask if he has any extra long ladders or even if he has one of his employees who wants to earn a few bucks fitting the thing!.
I chose the p62's because I've found I can get 50-90 mb speeds by band locking to bands 1 and 3. Also I choose band 32 even though it never connects to it for some unknown reason it gives me better download speeds choosing it with bands 1 and 3. Also just choosing 4g as opposed to the 5g band boosts speeds also. Upload goes down to virtually nothing but very rarely use upload so that doesn't matter to me at the moment. But I still definitely need an external antenna as my rsrp is abysmal at -120 - -110 on all bands I'm right on the cell edge according to cellmapper for my nearest mast so even though I have better speeds at 50 - 90 down it isn't very stable.
Hopefully the p62's will sort this and I'll scout around see if I can find 5g anywhere also! Lol
 
I love little adventures like this - be sure to keep us updated.
Lol thanks 👍 will update on the situation soon when I have them setup, I got them a few days ago £94 delivered from Finland that was with taxes included👍 Be aware if you want to order from sat fi in Finland, on the shipping if you just put your country as United Kingdom without filling in your address it will tell you quotes not available, as at first I thought they weren't delivering to UK but once I inputted my address a quote came up 👍
I am going to try them in the loft first as still need to get hold of a long enough ladder and buy the mounting bits and cables before I can mount them outside above the roof. Incidentally can someone recommend a place where I can get quality preassembled lmr400 cable? Need probably x2 5m of sma male to sma female lmr400 cable.
Another question is I understand after having read other threads that 5g won't work with the antennas as I have them in the 4g sockets port 1 and 3 is this true? As I have found a 5g mast 3.5 miles away from me but if the p62's won't pick it up in those ports I won't bother trying to find a 5g signal for now. And if this is indeed correct I take it I need another 2x2 mimo antenna to go in the other ports. But for example say I get another pair of p62's do I just put them in ports 2 and 4 for 5g and 4x4 mimo benefits or do I plug the 2 2x2 mimo antenna in a different way. Hope they made sense it confused me writing it lol! Thanks in advance 👍
 
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