HSDPA modem in CF-18

Hi Gurus,

I have an old huawei PC-card umts modem that works good for me but would like to replace it with a modern HSDPA modem like e800 that is USB and has a connection for external antenna.
My idea is to take the PC.card slot and put the USB dongle in there and put and antenna outside somewhere.
Question is: should I take the PC-slot out and use that connection. Would be nice to have two USB connections in there.
What else can I do?
Searched the forum and got some idea about CN-xx on the main board.

Comments?
Oh,, I have a CF-18KHHZBLS

Lady

 

There are some HSDPA cards around but I haven't tried any as yet. My USB 3G modem (e169) has an external antenna port and when I'm at home (no fixed-line ADSL yet) I have it connected to an external 13 Dbi antenna that I have mounted above the TV antenna on the roof of the house.

There are some good two-port PCMCIA USB cards around like the AKE ones, and that would give you some more ports. My CF18 (a mk2) has two USB ports near the rear of the left hand side. Not sure if all CF18's are so-equipped.

Craig.

 

Yes there is two usb on the side but I would like an internal.

Anyone know what a WWAN card that I can fit in my CF-18?

 

U can try to build such an USB-solution (or better , like u can found here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=299193. Instead of using a bluetooth-stick u can use ur HSDPA-stick. Mechanical is enough room for the stick on the left rear side if u don't have an GPS inside.

 

a Sierra Wireless 850 will fit inside the machine, but then you have to find a way of mounting the antenna

its an older HSDPA card so will max out at 1.8mpbs, but for me thats pleny fast enough

 

I was looking at that bluetooth thing earlier, til I found out there was already bluetooth inside. Thanks for reminding me. Will take a closer look.

The Aircard looks nice and the speed is probably enough. It´s about 5 times the speed I have on the old one. I made a search on the bay and there are plenty. It´s tempting to drill a hole in the lid on the side.

 

for just browsing the speedis plenty fast enough and if you get one, it doesnt matter if it is simlocked, they are easy to unlock for 10euro using an unlock application (i used this on mine)

 

Mattpayne,

Can you take a measure of how long the thing is, and how far in from the corner the antenna connection is. I want to see if I can close the lid.

The price is right in uk.

 

where are you based?? are you in the uk??

the card is a standard PCMCIA card so doesnt stick out past the eject knob when that is extended, so the covers will close with the antenna disconnected, but to use it you needto have the door open

I may be seling my unlocked O2 branded card, plus the High gain lollypop antenna in the next few weeks

http://www.easydevices.co.uk/pp/GSM...ERRA_5_BAND_BLADE_ANTENNA_SSMB_CONNECTOR.html

 

Sweden has alot of snow.

I want to have the door closed and put the antenna somewere on the side. perhaps use the antenna cf-18 already have. that should be possible if there is a little space between the card and the lid.

 

Buy an Pigtail, place directly to the PCB and connect to Aircards SSMB Nano, than u can close the cover. Works great.

 

sweeden is nice, I have a cute very sweedish friend from stockholm, I keep trying to invite myself away with her when she goes home!

the door will not close with the aerial connectedin my CF-29 so im guessing the CF-18 will be the same...

but on my CF-29 there is a rightangle connector attatched to the original cell antenna that does allow the door to close... if you can get the correct cable I guess the same could be done with yours

 

Sounds good. I´m getting closer to a solution. This looks easier than soldering in an usb. How do I get a pigtail with the right connections and where do I connect it inside. I guess it´s the brown one on the Ant PCB.

Hmm, It says GPRS cn2 on the Wiring connection diagram.

 

Look at the thread from skytop. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=453148
It works on CF-29, but the Pigtail ist also works on other models.

 

I don't know if it's the same in other countries, but here in Australia there are a number of different wireless broadband offerings ranging from internet on mobile phones using GSM/GPRS or UMTS/HSPDA right through to full-blown wireless broadband for laptop/notebook computers utilising UMTS/HSDPA (on 2.1 GHz) or other systems delivered over 3.5 GHz (such as 'Unwired' here in Oz).

The standard '3G' style is delivered over wireless CDMA in most areas (basically utilising bandwidth recovered from the now shut down 2.1 GHz mobile phone networks), however many (though not all) of the modems fall back to standard Australian 900 MHz GSM to use the GPRS mode when UMTS/HSDPA is not available or not reliable enough.

Telstra delivers 3G over 850 Mhz in areas where WCDMA hardware doesn't exist - same as UMTS on 2.1 GHz but I think the protocols are slightly different. Optus/Singtel and Vodafone apparently delivery UMTS over 900 Mhz where there is no 2.1 GHz hardware coverage, though I am not sure how this interacts with 900 MHz GSM. Perhaps the two can co-exist.

Anyway, I was wondering if there are any PCMCIA HSDPA cards supporting UMTS/HSDPA on 2.1 GHz WCDMA which also have the same sort of ability like the Huwaei e169 USB 3G modems, etc. of dropping back to using GSM over 900 Mhz (or 850 though that's irrelevant in Australia) for GPRS? Is that offered with PCMCIA HSDPA cards? Does anyone have experience with such a card as has been discussed in this thread which does support fallback to GSM networks?

Craig.

 

the sierra 850 fits perfectly.

i have one.

you need to buy a right angle antenna connector, and a pigtail, and connect it to the built in antenna.

i will dig up the thread if you want...

 

If you have the pigtail, you can connect it to CN2 on the antenna pcb. This board is very small, and it should have four u.fl connectors with three already occupied, the open one is CN2. With the pigtail, one end go to the pcmcia card, the other end connect to this CN2. In order to get the pigtail to the antenna pcb, I peeled off the very thin right angle plastic cover at the bottom in the pcmcia slot, and you can see a gap that run along the edge. run your u.fl end through that gap. I accidently discovered that the bottom edge of the pcmcia card slot is covered with the thin right angle plastic piece, when I used the flash light try to see what I was doing, and I saw a faintly light shined through along the bottom egde of the pcmcia slot.

 

Thanks Matt for the tip, got the my aircard yesterday from fleebay, (a bargain but slow delivery)

Thanks Skytop for the pigtail, got it wednesday.

Installation next after snowshowelling.

 

Lady in red, hw did yu get n with this? I'm in the same position, I already have the aircard, but need the pigtail.
Does the door close?
If it's all good , where did you get the pigtail from?
Ta,
Fraser

 

Any chance of a few pics showing how the installation ended up? If I could dispense with using my Huawei USB e169 HSDPA modem and go with something internal, that would be great.

One challenge is that I make extensive use of the e169's external antenna port to give decent signal reception with I take my CF18 away on freight train jobs (often up to 5 days at a time), so ideally I'd like to have a way to use an internal card but still retain a way to use an external antenna.

The antenna connector on the e169 is pathetic though and definitely no good for a rugged connection.

Do the Sierra aircards support 2.1 ghz umts/hsdpa or are they only good for 850 and/or 900 Mhz services?

Another possibility could be a mini-PCI card? I just came across a Dell card that apparently supports UMTS/HSDPA but it doesn't specify what bands. Might be only 850 and/or 900 Mhz but not 2.1 GHz. Something that might suit for an internal card could be this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Sierra-Wirel...opAccessories_PCMCIACards&hash=item5191221c28

Ah I found the Sierra wireless MC (mini card) series of cards documented here:

http://www.sierrawireless.com/productsandservices/AirPrime/Embedded_Modules/MC_Series.aspx

The 8775, 8780 and 8781 are legacy products now.

Craig.

 

Good card; unless you want to sign on to Verizon or Sprint.

 

The cards from the provided links are mini PCI-E not mini PCI. The sierra 850 with the ssmb female right angle pigtail for antenna will fit inside the pcmcia slot with the door close. This card is for 3G but will auto backward to GSM quad band when there is no 3G.

 

The unlock card will work with at&t and Tmobile.

 

For service with simply use the AirCard 860.

 

If you want to speak with/need info from Lady In Red I would suggest email or PM... She is not a frequent visitor....

 

Done! Told her she might want to check back on the progress of her Topic. Will be watching for her replies.

 

Don't mean to waste your time. Just try to help. I did this sierra 850 on 3 of my cf-29 and one cf-18. I gave Lady In Red the pigtail so he/she can complete the project. Just read this thread completely you will see.

 

Skytop, where did you get the pigtail from?
I have both the aircard 850 and 860, as unfortunatly here in Australia our biggest carrier uses both 850Mhz in the city areas, and 2100Mhz in outback areas (both HSDPA), so I needed both cards (I also have an 880 - but that sticks out the side) Between the 2 cards I should have what I want!
I have tried a couple of places in Australia and they couldn't make the pigtail for me!
It's for a CF-18.
Panasonic here want $850 for an internal HSPDA setup!!

Cheers,
Fraser

 

maninblack, I got the pigtail from chinaqualitygoods from ebay. Email Mary, she is very helpful. I paid 30 dollars for 5 of them but don't quote me on that. It has been a few months since I bought them.

 

It looks like there are no curent production PCMCIA HSDPA cards that support 900 Mhz and 2100 Mhz which are also made without a big 'dongle' for an antenna, unless someone knows of one that will do the job.

I can't use 850 Mhz since my service provider (reseller of Australia's 2nd-largest network) uses 900 and 2100 Mhz equipment.

Craig.

 

Follow this address and read the desc./spec. it may help:

NEW Sierra Wireless AirCard 850 HSDPA,UMTS,EDGE,GPRS - eBay (item 310082237592 end time Jun-01-10 00:38:24 PDT)

 

From the description: "The AirCard 850 is backwards compatible to EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks on all four frequency bands (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz), for worldwide use in areas where a WCDMA (UMTS) network is not available".

Unfortuantely for maninblack_30 the frequency in the Aussie Outback is 2100MHz.

 

This is what it said:
1pc NEW GENUINE/original Sierra Wireless AirCard 850
Fully functional on HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS networks, the AirCard 850 utilizes the 2100 MHz frequency band for European and Asian customers. The AirCard 850 is backwards compatible to EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks on all four frequency bands (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz), for worldwide use in areas where a WCDMA (UMTS) network is not available.* Global roaming gives users access to information, anytime, anywhere!

 

You are correct, of course. My Bad!

Thought I had read that better than that.

However, all that notwithstanding:

GBP 198.00
Approximately US $285.89

 

I would not pay more than 50 dollars per unlock card. I just try to pass the information about the card.

 

Sorry,

haven´t been here for a while. my cf-18 crashed an I haven´t had the time to fix it. The aircard was working fine and the installation is easy. just cut away some plastic in the corner and put the pigtail thru. The software was another thing. my card is a branded O2 that I unlocked with dc-unlocker. it works fine but it say that it is roaming but I think its not.

now my toughbook say: can´t start windows because the following file is missing or corrupt.
System32\drivers\pci.sys

I´m thinking of getting w..7 and do a new installation, will that fix it? You think?

regards

 

I understand that, but it's the only AirCard 850 that showed up on ebaY™ Search when I looked today.

 

check out ebay.co.uk

there is two for nothing but ship to UK.

 

And me. My primary carrier (Singtel/Optus) uses 900 Mhz (backboning on GSM) and 2100 MHz (WCDMA) for 3G broadband.

Sierra's website lists the aircard 850 in the 'no longer supported' section of the legacy products page in the GSM category. It's not in the CDMA category. Might still be interesting to try one here and see how well it works with the Optus WCDMA service, but not at a price of almost A$300.

There are a few places selling aircard 860's on Ebay but I haven't seen any refer to 2100 Mhz as a supported band.

Craig.

 

That's why I have an 860 too!!
But I was led to believe that Telstra is all 850Mhz.
But I have the 860 to be sure.
In town the 860 "roams" onto the 2100Mhz "3" network, but is heaps slower that the 850 on telstras 850Mhz nextG network.
I got both cards for less than $90 total Australian (one from the UK (O2 branded, but unlocked)and one from the USofA (Cingular branded but unlocked)

Fraser

 

If I was going to look at using an internally mounted (not PCMCIA) card (perhaps not super-ideal as then the machine needs to be disassembled to put the SIM in another device), what would the best option for a card supporting 900 and 2100 MHz utilising pigtails to hook up to both an internal antenna and a socket for an external one?

How many 'slots' or other locations (not including the PCMCIA ones) can accept internal cards? Under the two PCMCIA slots there seems to be a space that is empty but it's hidden behind a piece of folded plastic sheet.

Craig.

 

Craig, I think that might be where the SD card reader can go?

Fraser

 

Hi all,

I need a pigtail for my Cf-18 but "chinaqualitygoods" is no more on Ebay.
If someone still have a spare one, i would be happy to buy it.

 

Hi,
I found this for you:
ssmb to u.fl items - Get great deals on Business Industrial items on eBay.com!
This should help you out. Good luck

 

Thank you very much.
The only problem is he will not send them to Belgium

I have send hem a mail, you never know

 

IPX/U.fl to SSMB female right angle with cable 1.13

"Shipping to: Worldwide
Excludes: Africa, Central America and Caribbean, Middle East, North America, South America, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Western Samoa, Russian Federation, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan Republic, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Georgia, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, South, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan "

Wonder what he considers "Worldwide" to be?

However, I believe this is what you are actually looking for:

SMA female straight to U.fl/IPX Pigtail cable

 

No, what Skytop was suggesting was wright.

I send a mail to the "worldwide " seller, but i didn't get answer yet