Using a mast head pre amplifier - is it worth it?

[Dean]

I currently have an external antenna for Radarbox at about 8 metres height. It works fine but I am surrounded by hills in most directions so only tend to pick up nearby flights or those further afield when say above 20,000 feet.

I know the signal is line of sight but was wondering if I may benefit by fitting the WiMo external mast head amp.

I am already using Aerocell 10 as my down link so the pre amp would be just to squeeze that last bit of signal from the ether. Anyone any experience adding a pre amp.

Dean

[Fenris]

I currently have an external antenna for Radarbox at about 8 metres height. It works fine but I am surrounded by hills in most directions so only tend to pick up nearby flights or those further afield when say above 20,000 feet.

I know the signal is line of sight but was wondering if I may benefit by fitting the WiMo external mast head amp.

I am already using Aerocell 10 as my down link so the pre amp would be just to squeeze that last bit of signal from the ether. Anyone any experience adding a pre amp.

Dean

If you are terrain limited then all the system noise figure reduction in the world is not going to help much, if the signal is attenuated to below the noise floor then you cannot recover it.

[Deadcalm]

A mast-head pre-amp works well for me, but I am at 450 metres amsl, so I had a good signal to start with.

DC

[EMA]

I always feel you cannot increase what is not there in the first place and my use of masthead preamps has seen poor results.

[flightchecker]

I always feel you cannot increase what is not there in the first place.....

Nothing, but NOTHING to be added to this comment anymore. That's it about masthead preamps,  EMA !!!


Karl