CF-29 Antenna Connector Question

First post so please be gentle. I tried searching and wasn't able to find exactly what I am looking for and I think this is the most appropriate section....please move if I'm wrong.

I have been given a CF-29 temporarily to have in my patrol car until the new CF-30's arrive. Both the CF-29 and 30 (when it arrives) are docked in a LEDCO 29X dock with a single high-gain antenna pass through. When I received the computer I was told that the antenna pass through on the dock would allow the computer's internal wireless to use the roof mounted antenna for increased WiFI hotspot reception.

First off, is this even possible? If it is, how do you configure the computer so that it knows to use the antenna pass-through? If it isn't possible, is it possible on the CF-30's? We aren't using any type of add on wireless card - just what comes built in on the computer.

Thanks for any help - this site looks like it is going to become my new best friend!

 

There is no software configuration for that, it's if the computer and dock are properly equipped that it'll work or not.

Near the dock connector, you'll see a little antenna connector (Brass coloured probably), and that'll pass through another connector in the dock itself.

However there are multiple kinds of wireless cards, and if it'll work with 802.11x wifi spots depends if it's the proper card (our local PD uses CDMA wireless only, so it's all cellular based).

However, I would like to ask you a question. Can you find out how and where they get rid of the old computers? I'm dying to get my paws on a CF-29, but can't afford to pay the price people want on eBay

 

I double what Modly said.... Word for word!

It depends on how the CF-29 was set up in the first place. I know that it CAN be set up that way... You'll just have to try it out to see.

 

So it sounds like when I dock the computer either the second antenna is going to work or it isn't...... Hopefully they got the new 30's setup right so everything will work correctly.

Modly, the CF-29's are going to be passed down to other agencies who do not currently have computers in their cruisers. I don't foresee any 29's being sold to the general public in the near future but if and when they do sell any it looks like this may be the place to come.

 

You can order them with dual passthrough so that you can use one external antenna for the Wifi and another for your aircard WAN or cellular internet. Of course your docks would have to equipped with the dual pass through mating connectors.

 

We don't have any need for a second pass through so both the 29's and the docks have just a single pass through. Do the pass throughs need to be ordered specifically for what they are being used for? (WiFi or aircard?)

Just seems odd that if both the dock and the computer have the single pass through that I don't see any improved reception with the WiFi.

 

You will need to make sure your external antenna is the proper type for WI-FI otherwise your reception will suck.

 

Hey Guys,

I'm wondering how to find out what the antenna/single passthrough on my cf 29 is hooked too? I believe this model came with a edvo card in it but it has been striped out before I got the lappy. Any help would be great

Thanks,
Tyler

 

If you look up your model number here.... You will usually find out what it has. (Or what it originally had.)

http://www.config.toughbook.com/pcsc/config/tgconfigure.nsf?open&selected=discontinued-all

Type in your model number on the right and see what comes up.

Hope this helps. If not we'll get more technical.

 

Ok, after looking up my model number (CF-29ETKCLKM) It says I should have an at&t gprs card. How would I verify that this is still installed? If it is can the passthough be switched to the wireless(802.11b+g) card?

Could the At&t card be swaped for an alltel card? At&t dosent have good service here at all

Thanks,
Tyler

 

As I know all cf-29 has a single builtin pass through connector (standard). If your unit has no WWLAN, the pass trough connector is connected to Wi-fi and if you have both the WWLAN and the Wi-fi the passthrough connector is connected WWLAN.


Ohlip

 

Tyler,

Welcome to the forum! You can tell if you want to either look into the BIOS. (Press F2 upon boot) You may be able to see it in there. Or you can take out the batery and remove the sled that is slid in above the battery. (Be careful!) There are two screws... One on either side of the sled end. You can carefully slide it out to see if it is in there. Most likely it is. You have a choice between AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. No Alltel. I have a few Verizon or Sprint (I haven't checked them yet) if you are opn to a trade. I'd rather offer AT&T in my area as they have better service here.

Check it out and see!

 

The Alltel would need a Rev. A sled but it could be done.

 

ok, I pulled out the sled and this is what I found -



The WWAN cards are new to me so tell me what I'm looking at if you can

 

May I please add to this thread with a question instead of starting a new one?????????

I have the TB-30, Verizon Card, TB is mounted in a Gamber/Johnson Mag Dock with a single Pass Thru RF connector. I already have an external antenna I was using for my USB Verizon Air Card mounted on my van's roof. Are these different type antenna connectors or what? I have not seen any info anywhere in regards to the external, vehicle mounted antennas?

 

TBR.. you will need to CAREFULLY remove the black plastic bump out (should just be one screw left in the middle of it) and then you would have to remove the little silver screws holding down the sled bracket. Once those screws are out, carefully rotate the pcboard around its vertice (ie. open it like a book using the right side in your picture as if it were a binding.. so lifting up from the left of the picture and going to the right.. hope that isn't as confusing as it seems to write! hahahaha ) to see what is below the gold foil (you may have to peel up the gold foil to see if you have an aircard, and if so, what kind.. a picture would be great; also, be careful when rotating the pcboard up as there is a small thin ribbon cable connecting it that can tear easily.) For mine, protected by the "white tape" is the PCboard; the goild foil was over the Verizon card; and under the PCboard was the factory GPS unit. But I had to remove/lift the PCboard to see the GPS and Verizon card. So, in my opinion, you have one, but need to dig a little deeper to see what kind. If you do take a picture of it, TBTech Im sure can ID it for you!

 

Doobi - The copper foil is the bottom (underside) of the sled showing through. nothing else there at all. only the one pcb board shown

 

That sled only houses your GPS, on your unit I believe the WWAN is in one of the PCMCIA slots should be a flush mounted PC card with a mmcx pigtail on it. Does your unit have the retractable antenna?

 

Mine was mounted in the sled with the GPS and I had the retractable antenna. Ohlip can verify this for me as I sent that sled to him. Maybe I'm crazy, but that's what I remember. Also, my PCB was as big as the sled, and the verizon card kinda attached on the underside thereby making you remove the PCB to see it. I guess I am just assuming that the sled was/is used for all GPS/WWAN peripherals. When my verizon card stopped working, I tried to get it reactivated by Verizon and was told they don't support them anymore so I sent the whole sled with it to Ohlip when he was doing his GPS install tests. I then used the pull-up antenna location to mount my JG Geohelix antenna for the aftermarket GPS install. Right now, I am running w/o a sled at all and just have the EM408 in it's place. SOOOO, in short, if I steered you wrong... ITS MNEM's FAULT!!!! (don't know why... hehe)

 

Doobi-

This is a different configuration than what you had. His uses a Siemens PC card for ATT with a sim slot. Panasonic mounts those in one of the PC slots.

Also if you look closely at his picture you see that there is no WWAN docking connector on the sled, this is because he has no wireless module configured on the sled.

 

Roger that. So he would not see on at all in the sled then, if I understand you correctly.

 

hmm... So I'm back to square one here How do i verify that this card is still installed?

I do have the pull up antenna on this one but also dont see a sim slot in the pcmcia bay:

 

Ok now I dug in deep with my screwdriver to get to the bottom of this and found . . . .
It wasn't connected to anything!

It was run to the sled but the sled didn't have a wwan card in it. I think maybe the leasing company that I bought my toughbook from might have swaped sleds with mine to make some $ on the side.


My next question is does anyone have a dual pass through pcb (for inside the lappy) that they dont want or will trade for a single? My toughbook is a single pass but the dock in my work truck is a dual pass. The truck has ext antennas for both so wwan and wlan so I'd like to put them both to use

 

You'll also need the cables to connect up a second source.