pda's for installers and monitoring spectrum analysis

Products PMP
1

Wondering what PDA’s you all are using - if you are using any - for customer installations or logging spectrum analysis results etc.

I would like to buy a couple and would like to have some feed back on which ones would be best.

THANKS

2

Don’t do it. The PDA’s are a PITA and suck more time than they are worth.

Use the tone aiming functionality to aim the radios and then use laptops to view the radio configs and make changes as needed.

I suggest refurbished machines as they will take a beating. The HP thinkpads and Dells seem to hold up the best.

3

Agreed with Jerry.


My installer carries a Dell laptop. I am working on getting him a tone alignment tool too.



For SA’s, I pack a BumbleBee. Its a PDA with a device connected to it that does the SA functions.


I have used it once and it has paid for itself already.

4

You can make your own toner. All you need is an 1/8" solder jack.

Connect an RJ11 pins 5 and 6 to the jack, shrink-wrap or tape it up. Plug in any set of headphones or small MP3 player speakers and you are good to go.

5

Yep…

I’m actually using the guide you posted some time back, to make it.

6

We have had great success with the HP ipaq 4700hx (not sure if they are still in production but they should be on ebay.) they have a card flash slot for the ethernet port and there are really nice ruggedized cases you can get. We don’t use the “pda.html” page of the sm we just use the regular pages you’d view with a computer.

It’s a lot easier to hang from a ladder with a pda than a laptop!


8)

7

thanks for the input guys. we already have dell laptops and have made earphones for the tones but the tones only get you so far and laptops are cumbersome sometimes. just thot that a pda would be handy on a steep roof or ladder etc.

thanks again for suggestions

8

Best solution I’ve found is use a pre-made 100’ CATV cable and run up on the roof to possible locations. Have a second tech on the ground (we use Vans with inverters). Power up the test SM, the guy on the roof searches for the AP and peaks to best tone. The guy on the ground uses the laptop to verify signal level and run link tests. If what I see is -82 or less and 90-100% we do the install. I have also done several installs by myself and I use a tripod to hold the equipment on the roof while I run back done and verify performance on my Motorola ML900 laptop.

9

MMMMMMM…
ML900… Only the best!






I do what you do. Put the gear on a tripod, and go back down to the truck. I have been also known to connect the CPE to a wifi router that is in the truck and then use my laptop on the roof to connect to it. Less crap to get tangled in.


I need to get with our car installer guys and have them install a DLB2500 in the truck for this purpose. It’d make life much easier, seeing that I already have the 2.4GHz antenna on the rooftop of my truck and all…

10

UX Series Micro PC by Sony there micro notebooks, very costy but works and is very small

11
Best solution I've found is use a pre-made 100' CATV cable and run up on the roof to possible locations. Have a second tech on the ground (we use Vans with inverters). Power up the test SM, the guy on the roof searches for the AP and peaks to best tone. The guy on the ground uses the laptop to verify signal level and run link tests. If what I see is -82 or less and 90-100% we do the install.


We do the same, down to a "T".

Canopy SM --> 100' Premade Cable on a reel --> Power Inverter in the Motorola Van.

I then communicate with the tech up top by either Nextel if he's on a tower, or if he's around the other side of the home - I just set up a wireless router in the van and use my laptop next to him so we can talk.
12

Check it out:
http://event.asus.com/eeepc/

Supposed be available 4th Quarter.

I’ll take 4 please…

13

Two guys eh?


How many here have installers that go out in pairs?

14

One installer, 2 hours.

Exceptions are extensions, large commercial buildings, non standard installs.

15

We use two per install as well. We can be in and out in right about an hour, barring problems. I think our average is about an hour and 10 minutes at this point.

This is more efficient for us, because we’re the owners, site surveyors, and installers. Oh, yeah and the occasional problem fixers, too. (although there’s been a lot less of that since we switched to Canopy!)

So we’re not paying us twice for each installation like those of you who pay per install. The more we get done, the more we make.