[time-nuts] Active antennas for a Thunderbolt...

[Chuck Harris]

Ok, I'm getting a little puzzled.  I have a TB that came from one of
the early groups sold by John Ackermann and TVB as part of the TAPR buy.
It works nicely, but like all TB's, it is deaf as a post, and needs a
high gain antenna.... When I first got the TB, I tried it with a Motorola
hockey puck antenna, with about 17db gain, and if it is outside in the
clear, it works nicely... but LH shows the satellites signals are all
down in the mud.

...So...

I bought the active antenna that the TB data sheet said belonged with
the TB, a 24045-10 bullet antenna, and *NO* satellites are visible..
the antenna is dead.

I'm no stranger to getting cheated on things I buy, so I chalked it up
to bad luck, and put my Motorola hockey puck antenna back on my TB.

...Then....

A couple of days ago another active antenna became available, a
Micro Pulse 1934NW/C 50db antenna from a DATUM INC GPSDO.  I checked
its data sheet, and it powers off of +5V @ 38ma, so I bought it,
hooked it up to my TB, and again *NO* satellites are visible... the
antenna is dead.

I put a "T" in the line, and the voltage heading up to the antenna is
around +4.5V... The spec sheet says it will work down to +3V.

Am I doing something wrong here?  Or am I just unlucky?

-Chuck Harris