Building my first cantenna

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This is a fun do-it-yourself project I've always wanted to try. Basically, a cantenna is an extremely simple to make directional waveguide antenna (made out of a can, hence CANtenna) which is used to significantly increase the range of your wireless network.

Below is a list of the materials I used followed by step-by-step instructions corresponding with the included pictures.

Primary Checklist:

Tools / Additional Materials:
Step 1: Remove the labels from both cans, as well as the tops to empty the contents, enjoy contents, and then rinse out the cans. Remove the bottom from only one of the cans.

Step 2: The bulkhead should be positioned towards the back, at 1/4th of the total can length. Since I'm using two cans, create a hole using a hammer and nail half way into the side of the can with the bottom. Widen the hole using needle nose pliers, just big enough for the bulkhead to fit, and then flatten the protruding sharp edges on the inside. Create four additional holes using the hammer and nail which will be used to secure the bulkhead in place, and this time lengthen the holes slightly using a swiss army knife so that they're just big enough for some small zip ties to slip through.

Step 3: Solder the 1 1/2 inch length 12-guage copper wire to the bulkhead.

Step 4: Secure the bulkhead in the can using zip ties, with the copper wire pointing inside. You could optionally use nuts and bolts, but try to avoid anything permanent so that you can reuse the bulkhead should the can not work out so well.

Step 5: Very lightly coat the edge of one can with glue, and attach the other can making sure you have a smooth seal. Once the glue is dry, further strengthen the bond with some duct tape.

Step 6: Bend a metal bracket so that it can easily be attached to or removed from a tripod (or any other fixture), and secure the bracket in place with some more duct tape.

Step 7: Attach the pigtail to both the cantenna and USB, aim the cantenna, and connect away.

Step 8: Optionally paint / decorate cantenna.

As you can see in the last two pictures, on my first test using this cantenna indoors and without a specific target in mind I was able to more than double my available networks. The range should be even better outdoors; the less obstructions the better. I am quite pleased.

May 13 2012, 6:22 pm
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Shaved head


May 11 2012, 11:43 pm
Misc : Comments (0)

Space

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I've been on a space kick lately... Ever since I was in my teens I wanted to go to space camp but my parents couldn't afford it. My father shares the fascination, and every time we get on the topic he reminds of the time he once bought a ticket for the first civilian flight to the moon but doesn't know what happened to it. He was equally thrilled when I got him an acre of moon land in the Sea Of Tranquillity for his birthday, lol.

I grew up on Star Trek and the X-Files, I love watching NOVA and listening to people like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and Alan Alda. I'm mezmorized watching the latest images of the sun. More recently, I've impulsively spent probably more than I should have on a few grown up toys:

It's funny, I had no idea until the models arrived that the space shuttle was so small in comparison to the Saturn V. It's a shame the program has been retired. I had to assemble and paint the sputnik model which was a first for me, but it was fun.

March 15 2012, 6:35 pm
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Mark,

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I recently went up to visit you in Pueblo Colorado for the first time. Unfortunately, I don't know if you'll remember me being there. I'm writing this while the details are fresh in my mind on the off chance you might find any of it useful in the future.

Thursday, February 23rd, you went to a local health center complaining about a headache and blurry vision. According to your Facebook updates you had been having neck pains all month. We found out later that you saw an eye doctor that morning who couldn't find any problems. You mentioned cracking your own neck to the nurse, and how it didn't feel right. When she asked you to lean back you said you were dizzy and then went into a seizure and started vomiting. They called an ambulance and had you transported to the Parkview hospital where you had a stroke, followed by another seizure.

We got the call on Friday, and mom was on the first flight out from Alabama; dad and Terri booked a flight out of St Louis for Saturday despite his recent heart surgery, but the doctor gave him the okay. Matt and I drove them to the airport and then continued driving throughout the night to Pueblo. Dad's plane hit a flock of geese on its way out and their flight was delayed, but with Jodi's help they managed to find a later flight the same day. Matt and I arrived after mom, and we picked up dad and Terri from the Pueblo airport later that night.

By this time you had a section of your skull about the size of an apple removed, as well as 20% of your cerebellum due to swelling. For all we knew you were possibly brain dead, and even as I'm writing this nobody knows what caused the seizures or stroke. You surprised us all on Monday when you opened your eyes, you seemed to be able to recognize us and whisper our names, and in response to the nurse telling you "you're doing great!" you spoke a full sentence "you're full of shit." While this gave us hope that a full recovery was possible, the doctors informed us that you still had a very long road ahead of you and nobody could know what is around the corner. You were estimated to be hospitalized anywhere from 2 months to a year, after which you would need some type of assisted living closer to family. You were fighting strong, kicking your legs, using sign language, removing your oxygen mask, shaking your head "no" when the nurse wanted to give you morphine, but she insisted that your best chances to recover were with lots of rest and less excitement.

Matt and I packed up your apartment on Tuesday, and we headed back to Illinois with a U-Haul for safe keeping. Dad and Terri planned to stay the rest of the week, and mom until mid-March when Matt can return to get your car during his Spring break. After that, dad planned to return in April and from that point on is still up in the air.

We accomplished a lot in a very short time, we found your car with the help of the police dept (mom got some air time while attempting to re-learn stick and didn't see a dip in the road), mom was granted medical power of attorney so we got your phone and the keys to your apartment (we didn't find anything embarrassing; I'm a little disappointed), with the help of Shannon finding your Colorado friends Annie and Madeline on Facebook we were able to find your last employer. Mom decided to stay in your apartment and use your car while she's up there, as will Matt, since it was decided that would be cheaper than a hotel so dad covered an extra month of rent. Dad covered a lot of the expenses, more than $3000 I think in less than a week. The Bakers, moms husband Wade and Matt chipped in as well. You were considered indigent so the hospital agreed to cover pretty much all of your medical expenses. When I left, they still needed to figure out your utilities, your car needed an oil change and new tires, the paperwork in your apartment that we left behind needed sorted through. Bank accounts, tax returns, etc.

During all of this the one thought that stuck in my mind was your last message to me indicating that you thought it was B.S. you had lived up there for 5 years and still hadn't been able to go skiing. The thought that you might never get to fulfill that dream just infuriated me. I don't know at this time whether or not you will make a full recovery, but I know you're in the best hands and that a lot of people are supporting you. I can only hope for the best. Pueblo is a beautiful city, I loved seeing the mountains on the horizon and the stars were a lot brighter. I hope you're able to stay there, because I know that is where you want to be.

By the way, I took these pictures because I thought you'd like to have them.

March 1 2012, 12:44 pm
Travel : Comments (12)

Building a Linux PC (Part 2)

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I ended up buying all of the aforementioned parts from newegg, because I didn't appreciate tigerdirect's hidden tax on top of shipping. I was able to upgrade the harddrive to 750 GB at a lower price thanks to newegg's promotion codes, and I also found a discount for the slim dvd drive. At the recommendation of a friend, I also picked up an extra motherboard "just in case". The grand total with shipping ended up being: $907.64.

Upon assembling the PC, I discovered that the slim dvd drive was mini-SATA and it didn't come with an adapter so I had to boot from USB. I picked up an adaptor locally a few days later for about $6 so not a huge deal. I decided to install Linux Mint since Ubuntu seems to be pushing Unity which I tried to get used to but, meh. Everything was working great; networked the old PC and backed up my files, left the screensaver running and went to sleep, and then I woke up to my first real problem. No picture, just bright distorted flickering colors, not even a boot menu on reset. After tinkering around, I ended up having to remove the video card for it to recognize the onboard video. Bad card? I don't know... I'll have to see about returning or replacing it. Very frustrating.

Anyway I'm back up and running now. Tonight I will leave it on again and hopefully not wake up to anymore problems. I am loving how compact it is, and the silence is almost disturbing.

February 16 2012, 8:34 pm
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