u.FL to SMA bulkheads through the back panel, shielded (Funcron)
Drill two holes in the back panel for SMA bulkheads, run LTE-band whips that also help Wi-Fi, and line the inside with aluminium and kapton tape.
What it takes
- Disassembly
- Drilling / permanent
- Purchase required
Difficulty 3 of 3 — advanced.
Details
Funcron converted the u.FL leads to SMA bulkheads mounted through holes drilled in the back panel, placed to land in the gap between the batteries and the mainboard so nothing fouls; both antennas are LTE-band whips that unscrew for the bag. Aluminium tape with a kapton layer over it shields the RF runs and ties grounds. On his A-06 he reports 70 % Wi-Fi signal from a router 25 ft away through two walls and roughly double the cellular signal.
The same post adds 3 × 8 × 80 mm heat pipes glued to the case over the A-06 for a 5–8 °C drop. oikos's caveat: SMA connectors are not rated for many mating cycles, so do not unscrew them daily.
Links
Open at Forum threadRelated mods
A screw-mount SMA bulkhead passed through the case's existing cable slit and nutted from inside — an external antenna with no drilling and no printing.
The SMA mounting board that bolts to the console and carries up to seven antennas, and the matching pack of SDR, LoRa, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas.
A printed expansion-slot cover with a bulkhead for an SMA pigtail, so an external antenna comes out where the blank plate was — not usable with the 4G card.
A thicker printed side panel for the HackerGadgets AIO board whose SMA mount does not strip, with the connector angled to suit the SDR antenna.
A printed rear panel with SMA bulkheads for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, LTE and GNSS, housing a WisBlock LoRa radio, its own LiPo and later a small solar panel.
An external antenna rail made from aluminium L-profile that carries five SMA antennas, shown in photos and a short video rather than a write-up.