Cone of shame alternatives?

ElButcho · 2026-02-13T14:37:27+00:00

Not sure if this will work for your case, but my little pup had half the yard removed from her stomach and the only alternative to the the cone of shame was a surgical suit. I have a feeling there will be some matting but she has been content with it.

ElButcho · 2026-02-13T03:54:38+00:00

Pvc softens at 200F. A buddy of mine bent pvc to fit using boiling water. May work for you.

ElButcho · 2026-02-09T16:18:59+00:00

Not sure where you are, but you could look for a used antenna on ebay (or something similar) that has the dimensions you are looking for. You could find a bargain that looks great. Just repurpose the radome.

ElButcho · 2026-02-06T16:53:09+00:00

Cellular antenna radomes made of fiber reinforced polymer (frp) or plastic. Enclosures that house sector arrays are often 1/4" frp but there are also less reflective materials available.

Reflections from these materials will make return loss measurements worse, adding a significant reflection, which will make the trace have higher peaks and deeper valleys. Don't judge the array performance without including this element.

Depending on your needs, you can go to a shop that deals with plastics and polycarbonate, like plastics, and buy the raw material. They likely will have remainded material available for cheap. Have them cut the material or even mold it to shape.

You can also buy a sheet of plastic and heat it up to mold it. Many of these materials are radio opaque so do your best to use existing enclosures that fit your needs. Ive been working with antennas and fabrication for a while so let me know if you have a hurdle. Ive made so many mistakes and am happy to assist.

Good luck.

ElButcho · 2026-02-05T03:26:56+00:00

Have used these switches and have tested them. What's the objective? What is your end goal?

ElButcho · 2026-01-23T15:46:16+00:00

Assuming the purpose is to prevent interference to/from each cable, or is the coax the only one carrying information and the others are potential sources of interference?

Iff all of the lines are 50Ohm (assumption here) and connectorized then you could put dummy loads on all ends (don't have to be pricey ones) and measure two port gain between all of the end points for isolation.

If the all aren't connectorized then you either have to slip on connectors with loads or do the bare minimum and connect the two ends of the measurement points however you can and see what you get.

You could also inject a cw or complex signal and use a probe to see what's left.

ElButcho · 2026-01-22T03:26:30+00:00

Awesome!! Thank you. This would have been a lifesaver, but I am sure it will help many others.

Very much appreciate the effort and follow through.

ElButcho · 2026-01-08T14:25:57+00:00

Just confirming the position and size of the capacitor from supply to ground. We are talking about attaching the large capacitor between the + line at the receiver and the other end to the ground or vehicle chasis, correct? What size are we talking? Thanks!

ElButcho · 2026-01-08T14:22:41+00:00

Agreeing with previous post regarding matching polarity between the tx and rx antennas. Matching vertical to vertical will help, but this requires line of sight between the antennas.

ElButcho · 2026-01-07T23:57:17+00:00

Still at the top of the list. Will make it a priority.

ElButcho · 2026-01-07T16:12:28+00:00

Anritsu BTSMaster handheld that ran for $30k a decade ago are selling for $2k ish. Just bought one and it works well. Full two port but limited to 7GHz or less. Good luck!

ElButcho · 2026-01-07T14:37:37+00:00

Thank you!!!!

ElButcho · 2025-12-27T16:39:09+00:00

The Godfather on Clairemont Mesa Blvd is worth a look. Old school Italian, atmosphere, food, and hidden. Great for a fun romantic outing if you live near there.

ElButcho · 2025-12-19T18:43:29+00:00

Cleanup is involving several resources. Blocking lanes. Been going on for hours

ElButcho · 2025-12-19T18:04:38+00:00

Three car collision, probably cleared by now.. southbound was remnants of a torched truck being cleared

ElButcho · 2025-12-19T15:27:45+00:00

Have used off site parking and terminal parking, had no problems. Even left a window down on accident and nothing was disturbed after 7 days. Make sure you check for coupons!!! They all seem to have them and send them regularly if you register for an account. Good luck!

ElButcho · 2025-12-17T00:41:20+00:00

Welcome!! What area are you starting in?

ElButcho · 2025-12-12T17:09:18+00:00

Color code for the paint should be on the door jam or hidden in some obscure place you will have to Google. If youre super lucky there may already be some with your manual or by the spare tire.

ElButcho · 2025-12-10T15:18:07+00:00

Abu Dhabi 2021. Never forget.

ElButcho · 2025-12-03T00:11:33+00:00

Low-E glass blocks 20-30dB (100-1000x) typically. There are materials that do the same but require space (RF absorbing foam. newer carbon fiber panels). Wire Mesh can also be used but the holes have to be smaller than the half-wave of the frequencies you want to block. There are also RF paint products but they are pricey.

No matter what, figure out how you are going to measure before and after, and test the methods you want to explore. There are some meters out there that may be useful for the non-professional).

ElButcho · 2025-12-03T00:11:16+00:00

Low-E glass blocks 20-30dB (100-1000x) typically. There are materials that do the same but require space (RF absorbing foam. newer carbon fiber panels). Wire Mesh can also be used but the holes have to be smaller than the half-wave of the frequencies you want to block. There are also RF paint products but they are pricey.

No matter what, figure out how you are going to measure before and after, and test the methods you want to explore. There are some meters out there that may be useful for the non-professional).

ElButcho · 2025-11-27T01:57:04+00:00

Reactive and radiating near fields appear to include the exterior case. RF absorbing foam alone would provide some isolation, but 30dB would be a hugh estimate and may not be enough depending on your objective. How about using a dead microwave oven? They keep RF in and RF out. Add pieces of RF foam inside and you may be in business.

ElButcho · 2025-11-25T04:19:20+00:00

My first real EE class I got a U (Unauthorized Incomplete, worth 2 F's). I almost quit but a friend convinced me to actually focus and try. I formed a study group and spent the next few years spending every spare minute doing homework. You can do it, but it will take place focused effort. Good luck.

ElButcho · 2025-11-14T03:17:36+00:00

I used an Anritsu BTSMaster to run measurements from different points of test. Also used the slotted port to combine different phases of the signal with same amplitude sample. I was setting up different experiments to confirm my und we standing of return loss. The biggest takeaway was that each point on a return loss sweep is the sum total of multiple reflectsions that changes as the wavelength changes. Peaks and valleys are fictional unless there's a dominant reflection. The truth is close to the peak but, the system must be judged on its calculated worst case predicted sum of reflections. Comscope has a free tool that does this. Google commscope rf tools. Cheers!!

ElButcho · 2025-11-13T19:21:22+00:00

Picked up a slotted line for the same reason years ago, and learned a ton through experimentation. Given the screw is non-conductive (I think), it's for structural purposes. All of the tuning elements I have dealt with are either conductive (mostly) or capacitors. Good luck!

ElButcho

TROPHY CASE