Helium - 02 External Antenna & Lightning Arrestor Setup 

Get that HNT! Welcome to the #PeoplesNetwork 🍺

Aren't you supposed to have a small piece of coax between the antenna and lightning arrestor?

You're absolutely right! I've replied to another user somewhere below noting that I wasn't really properly accounting for the static buildup (with respect the actual lmr400 cable itself) on the portion after the arrestor to my window. I initially had it immediately outside my window, but oddly 2 of my neighbors asked me "what is that shiny device on your window" instead of asking about the antenna itself 🤷. I've relocated it to diffuse further attention. If I live higher up in the mountains I'd definitely account for every possible segments :)

this is also in accordance with NEC

I've just upgraded mine to double my witnesses :) Hopefully I'll find some time to post the video maybe this week.

you seem to be making claims without much explanation. Don't think the Radio community would agree.

That's a great question! Frankly, I've never used an antenna that is readily equipped with a DC ground path so I really don't know - sorry! Many manufacturers have touted the positive advantages having a direct DC path across the terminals but I don't have personal experience to experiment with it, though I do know that lightning is more of an impulse comprising both DC and AC elements. But for a direct answer, I highly recommend reaching out to McGillMicrowave on discord/technical support since they do manufacture the tuned Helium antennas with built-in DC ground. Try to give them a quick ping - they're pretty responsive. Best of luck!

Good catch :) I've updated it and asserted it under item "3C". As noted in the description, be sure to pay meticulous attention to the N-type gender compatibility. I once bought an N-type female to N-type female arrestor from Amazon to hook up in-between my 8dBi RAK (N-type Male) and N-type Female LMR400 cable, only to find out that I can't really connect an N-Type female with another N-Type female (what gives, I thought all Helium manufacturers have standardized the connector types and genders!). Thank god for the easy Amazon returns :)

Antenna is mostly copper/brass

solid better

I ran it through (not spliced) the ground block and terminated at my main service panel located on the side of my house where the actual bonding takes place. The ground block in my video, isn't really doing anything other than acting as an 'pass-thru', in case there are more general wiring nearby this area in the future. I can easily tap to that ground block to establish a solid ground for the new equipment. Hope this helps :)

@@youngmaverick542 thanks anlot for replying sir!!! Really helpful

It's a pretty viable solution if you find that option workable. You'd be able to cut down the cable length to possibly just 1 meter. The overall surface area of the enclosure is much larger compared to the antenna. Personally, I just don't feel too settled having it up there because we get INSANE winds here. Also, I was hesitant on the PoE and the splitter since my router is far far away from the hotspot. Arguably, there's Wi-Fi-to-Ethernet outlet available, but I just don't see the need (for me), to doing all this when I can just do a simple install. If you can work through these, kudos to you man 👍

I go as high as I possibly can without putting myself in danger. Whilst the dBi gain is important, I try to not overlook two other important factors that can influence the overall signal strength: 1) antenna placement, 2) mounting height for a better line-of-sight

Hey, good to have you stop by, I appreciate it bud 🙏 I'm not sure if the following constitutes as 'the best', but it works well for me at least: 1) Charge cycle: smart plug on/off at intervals of 28 hours, assuming the item below is used. 2) LG Journey Trac Phone - $30 Android. Dim screen, use the charger it comes with, don't need fast charger. I hook mine up to the smart plug. Screen dimmed. May need to update sheriff l Android versions multiple time until it becomes super robust (I e 23.04 PLANETS for type 4 consistently). Note 1: use the stock adapter for charging the sensor. Note 2: new type 4 sensor was just approved, but still pending to be added to the Blockchain before rewards can be earned (October ish). The cool thing with this is, it may not require a burner phone :) Hope this helps.

@@youngmaverick542Thanks for getting back to me 🤙 I've ordered three type 3s at present. The charge cycle of 28hours? How long are you charging the Atmotube Pro for? Just checked their website it's supposed to last a week on one full charge, if we use the PM sensor 10 times a day, mine arrive next Tuesday so the PM sensor element is new to me, until I see the app in action. Appreciate your time, thanks.

Hey! Yes, it still mines with or without the lightning arrestor and ground. Sorry, wasn't trying to convey a different message. In fact, a good number of hotspots owners install them without it (check out the helium subreddit, it's a cool community to stay connected ) - I am one of those. In one of my hotspot locations, the homeowner does not feel comfortable allowing a ground to be run to the antenna (due to overall home aesthetics) so I had installed it without the arrestor and ground - it's been working as great 👌. Hope this helps, and a warm welcome to the #PeoplesNetwork. Best of luck!

@@youngmaverick542 great content! If it’s safer I’ll ground it. Thx

@@youngmaverick542 AFAIK, it's not just about fying the miner....but also to prevent a charge from getting inside the home. If anything is coming into the home, the protections need put in place. I'm going thru this right now, even my PoE will need protection since it's the one cord coming from inside to ouside. I inserted an 8ft grounding rod below the point where my antenna will be on my roof. I thought running 8 gauge to it from the arrestor(and mast) would be sufficent but I guess I need to bond the rod with 6 gauge to my home's ground wire (already exists)...

I've seen people put it immediately outside their window right before the lmr400 enters their home. This was my initial approach where I had it 'hanging' by my window but it was attracting attention of my neighbors due where it was positioned. I ended up buying another one with different connectors moving it closer towards to antenna. In any case, you probably don't want to put it right next to the miner if it's located in your room/busy area, unless maybe it's up somewhere hidden in the attic and a ground readily available? Another way to put it, if there's hazardous/abnormal voltage ⚡ I wouldn't want it to be anywhere near me or the hotspot

@@youngmaverick542 i just finished completing my setup which is about 13.5ft above my roof. (Total of approximate 36ft in the air) My the pole is grounded professionally. However, I don't have a ladder to get back up there to connect it to the antenna. Is it okay if it maybe a foot away from the miner outside? I have a flat coax cable I was thinking of separating between that and my miner. Otherwise I'd have to call someone to set it up to the antenna again; i just want the safest option tbh.

I'm really glad you put safety first before jumping the gun. Unfortunately, I'm not a professional nor am I qualified to give any advice. But what I do know is that when you place the arrestor right outside your window and have proper grounding, it offers an superior protection than what I have on my setup. On my video,since I've added the arrestor and the ground where the antenna is, I'm not properly accounting for the static buildup (with respect the actual lmr400 cable itself) on the portion after the arrestor to my window. So if my lmr400 insulation gets all charged up from a series of wild nearby lightning strikes, it may not be good for me. You'll have a high chance compared to mine if the arrestor is placed outside your window, as long as you ground it properly to discharge the charges. Hope this helps :)

@@youngmaverick542 Great thank you so much for the informative video and answering my questions!

The gas tube is intended for several uses, just like a circuit breaker in contrast to a one-time blown fuse. But when in doubt, such as noticing an abrupt lost of all your witnesses or PoC challenges (under the 'Activities' tab on the helium app) , I'd probably power off the miner and remove the gas tube to inspect for physical damages. Good thing is that these are fairly cheap. I bought a bunch of spares, just in case. Though if there's a direct lightning strike, I'd probably have bigger problems to worry about 😱

@@youngmaverick542 Very true. Thank you very much for responding.

Pull out the power and antenna cable!

Great eye! You're right that the link takes you to the default female-female. You'll just have to toggle it on the buy options to look for the n-male to n-female :) If you do decide you buy the female-female on the arrestor end, you'll just need to get the corresponding cable, which would be the n-male to rp-sma-male. There's so many permutations available on the antenna, arrestor, and cable, you go wild to find one that suits you best but at the end whatever it is we just have to remember that n-type female only mates with n-type male 🍺

@@youngmaverick542 I’ve been trying to set my outdoor miner up and been trying to find all the correct connectors for it . I’m a noob looks like I’ll be returning most it because I proceeded to buy the wrong connectors. This is so confusing

@@xpresso1470 No worries, I've did the same mistake in my early days. What's your antenna, surge arrestor, and miner brand and type? Let's try to break it all down. Most antennas come with an n type male, with the exception of the Rokland 8dBi where it's actually an n-type female (but their 3 and 5 dBi are the normal n-type male).

@@youngmaverick542 i have a bobcat miner . I got the outdoor enclosed for it for rak . I also got the 8 dbi antenna for rak also . The antenna i think is a n type male . Do you have an email . I can send you a picture or two

@@youngmaverick542 sorry for the misspellings I’m feeding my son while I’m typing this . Dad problems

Hey, thanks for the feedback! My fault, this was the first time where I've used an ms paint style as a whiteboard. Rookie mistakes. After the upload, I realized it was near borderline impossible to read. At the very least, I've learned & adapted by increasing the font size moving forward. It should be a bit more legible from hereon 👍

Ok, no problem, great video, is there a way you can edit it, and or re do that piece. Keep up the great work

Pretty much, with just a slit opening as the weather isn't too bad here. If it becomes a nuisance I can probably resort to the flat cable option that would allow opening/closing of the window, but frankly, it hasn't been too bad :)

really?

@@doomslayerforever2858 Yes, in case the lightning comes in through the window!!! ;-P

Wonder why these hotspot manufacturer instruction manuals says otherwise. Furthermore, I'd check the rating of those pins and wouldn't bet my money that they'll withstand 10000+ Volts. Also, are you grounding that pin to your house outlet ground? 🥶 Signal strength attenuation of 0.1dB is miniscule but more 'power' to you for keeping tabs 📑 on the whole install 💪

@@youngmaverick542 🤦🏻

so the entire RF world is a lie? Literally every comm's device is grounded to ensure static charge can find ground, aka less noise.