Triumph-LS custom mods

John Thompson

Well-Known Member
I have made a few modifications to my Triumph-LS+ that I have found useful. I wanted to present them here in hope that someone else might benefit from them and also that they would be further improved by this ingenious group.

My Triumph-LS+ came with this orange GSM antenna and this quarter-wave UHF antenna with right-angle SMA connector.
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I happened to have this GSM antenna on hand, so I compared it with the orange one and found it gives about 10dB more signal. It costs only $5. I figure dB's don't come much cheaper than 50 cents apiece, so I'll take all I can get at that price. It fits tighter to the LS - less likely to hook on something- and seems a little more sturdy. With the UHF antenna also installed, it fits at an angle, but that doesn't seem to affect the performance.
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I have expressed elsewhere my preference for a BNC or TNC connector for the UHF antenna port. SMA connectors require a wrench to torque them properly both when they are installed and when they get loosened by being bumped. I also wanted to see if I could get better UHF range with this half-wave antenna with BNC connector.

I did see some improvement in UHF received signal strength and I like the ability to quickly connect and disconnect the BNC antenna, but compared to the stock UHF antenna it's more of a hazard. The adapters and larger antenna form a bigger lever that can snag on things and endanger the antenna connector on the LS.
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Both antennas need some strain relief and protection from bumps and snags. Taking some inspiration from others that have made antenna guards (here, here, and here), my son designed and 3D printed a guard that looks like this.
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It attaches with a pin through the ear on the LS and with the feet screws. The antennas are pretty well protected and the SMA connectors secured from movement. This design accommodates either the stock UHF antenna or the BNC half wave antenna. I found that the half-wave antenna is much floppier than the stock quarter-wave antenna. When the LS is mounted on my ATV riding over rough terrain the antenna flops around wildly. I think this antenna bracket does not allow that movement to transfer to the connectors, but it is more movement than I liked, so I tried this quarter-wave antenna with a BNC connector. I really like this antenna. It has a bit better performance than the stock SMA quarter-wave antenna, perhaps because it is better tuned or maybe it's just mounted further from the LS case. It feels pretty sturdy and I like that I can connect and disconnect it quickly without tools.

We decided that incorporating a handle would not only provide added protection, but would be very useful since it's sometimes difficult to pick up the LS+ without pushing buttons. The latest iteration looks like this. It will accommodate any of the UHF antennas in my now extensive collection.
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He also printed a handle for the other side. I like it so well I wish I had printed one years ago.
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My son plans to publish these designs on Thingiverse if you would like to print one for yourself. He designed them with Fusion 360 and he will include the CAD file so you can modify them if you are so inclined.

This design leaves the charging connector accessible but it blocks both USB ports. I don't use the USB ports much since the cloud drive access is so handy. About all I use the USB port for is full backups. It would be nice if J-Field had the ability to do full backup directly to the cloud drive. Until then, I'll use the microSD card or just backup projects to the cloud drive individually.
 

Jim Campi

Active Member
John, this is very clever. I am having a problem with my uhf antenna port loosening up. Based on what you have done here it sounds like the port can easily be tightened up with a wrench.
 

John Thompson

Well-Known Member
John, this is very clever. I am having a problem with my uhf antenna port loosening up. Based on what you have done here it sounds like the port can easily be tightened up with a wrench.
It's less likely to loosen with the guard, and yes, it can be tightened with a wrench with the guard in place.
 

Tyler

Member
Great idea! Do you have a recommended material to use for printing that you've tested in the field?
 
What increase does the half wave antenna provide? Distance or signal strength? I use the 1 watt T1m as a base for a LS+. Would it be worth having in your pocket for the occasional marginal received signal areas? The BNC would allow quick switch over.
 

John Thompson

Well-Known Member
The theoretical difference in gain between a half-wave dipole and a quarter-wave dipole is pretty slight, about 1dB. That's about what I saw in practice, though it's hard to tell using only the RSSI displayed on the T-LS. Probably the tuning of the individual antennas or how it is mounted relative to the T-LS case makes more of a difference. I've been happiest with the quarter-wave antenna with the BNC connector. It attaches and detaches quickly and the bracket prevents the SMA connector from coming loose. The half-wave antenna might give a little better signal, but it's pretty floppy on the rover.
 
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