On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 13:27:45 -0500, Albert wrote:

I'd like to increase the range without spending much money-so I want
something quick and dirty::

Hi Albert,

Hmm, more range? You should be able to fry that puppy within a
country mile if you do that.

Perhaps you should describe your goal instead of your intended method.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Hi Richard,

We live in the country, and have all kinds of room for the dog to run.
Despite the fact that we are 700 feet from the road, the dog insists
on going to the road and chasing cars. We are worried for the dogs
safety, hence we purchased the 'wireless fence'.

The design has quite a few safeguards in it and it is very well
thought out.

BUT, it has a 90 foot maximum range. I'd like to extend the range out
to 300 or 400 feet without spending alot of time and money. The
solution offered by the manufacturer is to purchase an additional
transmitter and run them both at the same time. This is a very
expensive remedy and it only gives a modest increase in the range.

My 'goal' is to have an increased range so the beagle can have a
little more area to run in while keeping her away from the road.

Can you offer any suggestions that don't cost alot or require alot of
time to implement?

A



On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 10:48:22 -0800, Richard Clark
wrote:

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 13:27:45 -0500, Albert wrote:

I'd like to increase the range without spending much money-so I want
something quick and dirty::

Hi Albert,

Hmm, more range? You should be able to fry that puppy within a
country mile if you do that.

Perhaps you should describe your goal instead of your intended method.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 14:04:03 -0500, Albert wrote:

Can you offer any suggestions that don't cost alot or require alot of
time to implement?

Hi Albert,

I presume by this "range" that the beagle moves unhindered WITHIN the
range of the antenna, and outside of this range she gets a shock (or
some form of behavior modification).

If that is accurate, then boosting range would accomplish your goal.
The problem I had was presuming that the antenna was at the perimeter,
and if your dog penetrated towards it, entering its field, that this
would "modify" her behavior. I am more familiar with antenna
perimeter fences were a collared pooch approaching such a fence would
be -um- stimulated.

Anyway, as you have already noted the design of the transmitter and
the antenna both, then you have options with both. Using the same
antenna, you could feed your transmitter into an unused stereo (or
monaural) amplifier and use that to drive the antenna with more power
(say 1 to 5 Watts). Then you could adjust the range with the volume
control. If this worked, you could then go out an buy a dedicated
audio amp kit ($10-$20) that fits this power range.

Another method is to replace the antenna with conductive stakes driven
into the ground. At this frequency, ground conduction has a fair
range. It was one method of communication that was used with trench
warfare during WWI. The further apart the stakes are, the better. I
would add that this comes with some shock hazard and is certainly not
within the warrantee of the product (but nothing suggested here will
be). As this a strictly an experimental long shot, try the simpler
suggestions above.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:44:33 -0800, Richard Clark
wrote:
l.

Hi Richard and Alex,

Both of you thought the wireless fence involved a buried loop, which
is NOT the case.

The transmitter is NOT connected to a buried loop, the antenna is in
fact contained within the plastic case of the housing. The antennas
are 8 or 9 inch air would coils with MANY MANY turns of small gauge
wire.

My question is.....

If I disconnect the internal coils, can I replace them with much
larger coils of similar inductance that would probably be in the
basement (out of the way)??

Thanks,

A


The problem I had was presuming that the antenna was at the perimeter,
and if your dog penetrated towards it, entering its field, that this
would "modify" her behavior. I

Putting a ferrite core in the windings of the antenna would extend its
range, wouldn't it ?
- or are you working on a way to shock the neighbor's puppy ?
:-)

On 2005-03-28, Albert wrote:
On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:44:33 -0800, Richard Clark
wrote:
l.

Hi Richard and Alex,

Both of you thought the wireless fence involved a buried loop, which
is NOT the case.

The transmitter is NOT connected to a buried loop, the antenna is in
fact contained within the plastic case of the housing. The antennas
are 8 or 9 inch air would coils with MANY MANY turns of small gauge
wire.

OK, then this is very different from other "invisible" fences that I have
seen. It would appear that this device is designed to keep the dog close to
the transmitter, and then shock her when she strayed too far - when the
receiver on the collar lost the input signal.

I think that device would not give you all that much control as to what kind
of coverage area you can have. Also what would happen if the collar lost
the xmitter signal due to other reasons (dog goes behind a trash can/metal
shed/other large metal object)? Personally, I would return it, and get the
type that used a buried wire -- or just train the dog not to stray too close
to the road by other means.

That being said, it might still be easier to increase the sensitivity of the
receiver. What type of antenna is on the dogs collar? Also - what is the
brand and model of this unit? It might make tracking down the soultion a bit
easier.

--
Alex / AB2RC
Linux is user friendly, however it is not idiot friendly

Modification of the receiver is not an option for several
reasons.........

-

The Earth and solar system make alot of noise on these frequencies. I
suspect the receiver is designed to be somewhat insensitive in order
to avoid problems with noises generated by Mother Nature.

-

The schamatic of the dog collar is not available, the manufacturer
chose to make type acceptance documents 'private'. There is a record
of the receiver, but all details are unavailable to the public.

-

The receiver assembly is in an enclosure that can't be opened,
probably to insure operation if the collar gets dunked in water (some
dogs enjoy swimming). It also appears to be potted, the black epoxy is
visible in the port provided for adjusting the correction level).


-

A



That being said, it might still be easier to increase the sensitivity of the
receiver. What type of antenna is on the dogs collar? Also - what is the
brand and model of this unit? It might make tracking down the soultion a bit
easier.

I Hope I misunderstood or you have thought about it:

If the collar shocks the dogs when it stops receiving the transmitter's
signal... What is going to happen to the dog when the transmitter
eventually stops working (exhausted batteries, mains cut or simple
malfunction)?

Toni

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 13:02:28 GMT, AB2RC
wrote:

Also what would happen if the collar lost
the xmitter signal due to other reasons (dog goes behind a trash can/metal
shed/other large metal object)?

Hi Alex,

At 17KHz this is virtually impossible. It would be like trying to
hide behind a house in Aceh when the wave came in.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

On 2005-03-29, Richard Clark wrote:
On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 13:02:28 GMT, AB2RC
wrote:

Also what would happen if the collar lost
the xmitter signal due to other reasons (dog goes behind a trash can/metal
shed/other large metal object)?

Hi Alex,

At 17KHz this is virtually impossible. It would be like trying to
hide behind a house in Aceh when the wave came in.

Forgot about the frequency there for a minute ... 17khz is a very long wave

Either way, the whole concept of this specific device seems sort of
backwards for it's intended purpose.

--
Alex / AB2RC
Linux is user friendly, however it is not idiot friendly