Chapter 4 — Antenna Hacks 85

FIGURE 4-20: Holding the wire in place at the top

Helix pitch 4.75 centimeters	Helix wire - 16 gauge
	8 turns in all

Ground plane to first turn	Ground plane 19
distance is 2.3 centimeters	centimeters diameter
FIGURE 4-21: Finished antenna

Summary

This chapter examined external antennas and how to use them. You looked at antennas that you can attach directly to a GPS via a connector, and reradiating antennas that take a signal and pipe it to a location that can’t receive it.

86 Part I — Hardware Hacks

You also learned how you can make a large and effective quad-helix antenna for your GPS out of plastic pipe, some sheet metal, wire, and a few connectors!

Hopefully, this chapter has you thinking carefully about GPS antennas — without a good antenna that has a clear view of the sky, you can forget about getting accurate information from your GPS. Believe me, a good antenna can make all the difference!