Albireo Observatory

This wireless bridge is replacing the CAT 5-E cable that runs between the observatory and garage, where there is a network switch installed. The cable worked well for about three years, but after a bad thunderstorm this summer it died. Not the equipment, but the cable itself. Trenching in a new cable turned out to be about 5X more expensive than installing the WIFI 6 bridge, so I’m going with the bridge. It’s an AdaLov CPE882 WIFI 6 Dual-Band Gigabit Outdoor Wireless Bridge, with 24 or 48V POE, and an IP65 housing for weather protection. The distance between units is only about 250 feet, with no obstructions, so I expect it to work well. We’ll see.

An 8-ft tall pipe was installed about 10-ft from the observatory to mount the unit, and I buried a conduit to bring the cable to the building. The dome’s drop down door extends over 4-ft when open, so I kept a comfortable distance away from it. And I placed the pipe on the downhill side of the obs, so nothing will stick up in front of the open shutter.

The conduit at the pipe end, and my Australian Shepherd named Shadow, because he is, and follows me literally everywhere, when he’s not chasing deer. His official job is grounds security.

The pipe is 1-1/2″ in diameter and galvanized. I managed to get it two feet in the ground so it will be a sturdy, secure support for the antenna. But I’m not standing next to it in a thunderstorm.

The building end of the conduit is a couple of feet left of the door. I’ll drill through the mortar joint and run the cable in under the floor. From there it will go up through the wall just as the old cable did. I’m also not standing in a metal observatory during a thunderstorm either.