How can I improve the communication range? |
#1. Use the best antennas you can afford. A good quality mobile antenna
has about 4-5 dBi gain. This effectively increases the radio's
transmitted signal to 15 watts.
#2. Position the
antennas as high as possible. If there is a base-station or repeater in
the system, get it's antenna up high and use very low-loss cable to
connect it to the radio. To reduce coax cable loss, locate the M7 GX on the tower instead of running coax cable down the tower to it.
#3. Use 4800 baud instead of 9600 or 19200 baud for the over-the-air
rate. The "energy-per-bit" is so much greater with 4800 baud that the
range will almost double.
#4. Use more frequent updates. If you have the M7 GX
transmit every 10 seconds instead of every minute, there is a much
higher probability that the message will get through in the fringe
areas.
#5. If your vehicle has a very noisy ignition/electrical system, install a noise-filter in-line with the DC to the M7 GX. This may help a little.
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