When the bookmobile from the Sterling Municipal Library in Baytown, Texas hits the road, they go with Wi-Fi - and bring their connection with them. A 58-foot telescoping pneumatic mast mounted on the back of the bookmobile, topped by a 12dbi directional antenna and one-watt amplifier, provide the link. A second antenna atop Baytown’s six-story San Jacinto Methodist Hospital relays signals to the library. An Avaya Ethernet converter and wireless hub round out the system.
Each of the 35 stops along a five-mile bookmobile route can use the connection which eliminates recurring service charges associated with cellular or satellite service. Trees presented a challenge for the design team, as did the low, three-story profile of the library itself. To send and receive a signal above the leafy tree tops and other city obstructions, a 58-foot telescoping pneumatic mast was mounted on the back of the bookmobile.
The project was funded through Project Gear Up, a Department of Education and Baytown’s Lee College and engineered by Nsync, an engineering company.
Personal Telco’s Satellite Truck didn’t require any grant money. Individuals bought an old television ENG van - on the cheap - and outfitted it with Wi-Fi gear themselves.
Your local library board may be years away on their million dollar grant proposal. But you can make one yourself. Put matching ORiNOCO OR-500 remote outdoor routers in the van and a tower. Or substitute a 500mW Demarc AP. Then add an 9 dB gain omni on the church steeple and a 12-18 dB gain panel on the van. Keep the levels within FCC regulations (Tim Pozar’s explaination) and you’re good to go.
Handy for sports events and airshows, too.
.gif)
