Helium External Antenna Placement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"Helium](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/external-helium-antenna-house.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnyone can purchase a helium miner and install it in the window of their single or double-story house. To get an increase in helium rewards from proof of coverage (POC) you will need an external antenna and lots of extra height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Double-story houses are great as they give you that extra height without not having to have an extra-long external antenna with long guide wires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use a standard TV antenna mount<\/a> on double-story houses for ease of installation or you can make your own mast. I went with a DIY custom 3\/4 water pipe mast due to having some spare galvanized pipe sitting around. Plus I like to save money where I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTake a minute to think about where you will be placing your Helium hotspot. Is it inside the house, in the attic, or externally in an enclosure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heat tends to kill electrical devices over time so I like to mount the helium miner inside the house as close to the external antenna as I can get it. Between 2-10m is where I like to be away from the antenna and remember to take into account the height of the antenna mast when ordering an LMR400 cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be aware that you will most likely need a few feet\/meters of LMR400 cable to get between the attic space and the run-up of your antenna mast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attic vs Roof antenna<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"helium](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/helium-attic-antenna.jpg\")
External antenna with mob gripper as a sturdy DIY mount.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAn external helium roof antenna will always outperform an attic antenna. I do see people installing their antennas in the attic alongside their miners. This is fine and will outperform a stock window hotspot but I still want my helium miners out of the heat of the ceiling space. Especially in the summer times when the average temperature can get up to 40 deg Celsius plus outside, 104 Fahrenheit for you American folks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just think of how hot it will get in your attic space with limited insulation and ventilation. Your poor helium miner will be roasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you do need to install the antenna in the attic mop grippers<\/a> work well to hold the antenna in place on the wooden cross beams. It is a great DIY option if you don’t have access to a U-bolt or saddles for the antenna mast. Most fiberglass antennas have a diameter of 18 to 24mm. So a 20mm or 25mm conduit saddle works well as another support option.<\/p>\n\n\n\nChimney Mount with Galvanized Steel Straps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Chimney](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/chimney-mount-helium-miner-antenna.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChimney mounts<\/a> are designed to support a 1-1.25 inch mast to your brick chimney using metal straps. This makes for a fast installation and spreads out the load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- DESIGNED TO MOUNT 1″ – 1.25″ ANTENNA MAST TO YOUR CHIMNEY. 4″ STAND OFF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 2 LENGTHS OF 12′ GALVANIZED STEEL TRAPS TO WRAP AROUND CHIMNEY & INSTALLATION HARDWARE<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Antenna Tripod<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"External](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/external-helium-minter-antenna-2-story-1024x656.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPeople with metal colorbond sheet and thin tile roofs tend to go with a tripod antenna base. They are perfect for the angle of the roof pitch. These will stabilize the antenna mast to three points on the roof space. They are good where no other mounting options are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An advantage of Tripod mounts is that you can mount them almost anywhere. From the peak of a rooftop to a flat platform, this tripod can handle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure to fully screw it down through the tiles into wood stud batten beams. We don’t want the antenna flying away in a storm. Use silicone on all bolt and cable entry points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roof Cable Entry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are lots of ways to get an antenna cable into the roof or wall space. For a metal roof, the easiest way is to use a conduit entry gland. It has an aluminum base that can be formed to suit your roof profile. They can be used for roof tiles as well but you will need to drill a hole in the roof tile using a diamond hole saw<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Roof](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/roof-cable-entry.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you don’t want to use flexible conduit you can use these double cable entry glands<\/a>. Perfect for antenna cables and POE ethernet. They are a waterproof cable glands used for all cable types from 2mm\u00b2 to 6mm\u00b2 in diameter. Widely used in the solar industry when routing cables. So perfect for us in the helium mining industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCable Routing inside your house<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Running cables in a new house build is easy as you can just drill holes in the stud wood beams wherever you want to go. With a completed house you have to think where the best place to run your electrical cables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Cable](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/internal-stud-wall.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt is easy to run cables on all external walls of your house rather than the internal walls due to the stud beams shown above. As the drywall and insulation cover the wall without any gaps it is hard to run cables between internal walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For internal walls, I like to install my helium miners in closet space and come down from the attic. See the picture below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Helium](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/helium-miner-lmr400-1024x675.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis keeps the helium miner cool and I can have easy access to check the status lights and reboot it if required. In fact, lately, I am rebooting the helium miner every four weeks due to a full SD card issue. You can read more about my helium miner troubleshooting guide here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nRunning cables through cavity in external walls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Cavity](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/cavity-wall-cable.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThere will often be a gap between the outside brick wall and the internal plasterboard walls. This is called a cavity wall and is standard in most houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There will be insulation usually in the form of glass fiber and it will only partially fill the gap between the brick wall and the internal wall. Fiberglass insulation is one of the most frequently used insulation materials in your home. It is made of recycled glass fragments and pure sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I use an electrical fish tape<\/a> to feed through the cables I need to get to a lower level. They are great for pushing through the insulation that may be in the cavity wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are a few different types of electrical snakes also known as fiberglass cable wire running rods on the market. But I prefer the ones that screw in together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is often easier to use gravity to help your feed cables down from a higher level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cut a hole in the plasterboard and install an ethernet wall outlet to feed the cat6 cable into the lower level. Do the same close to where you will install the helium miner. This makes for a clean installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"External](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wall-gap-insulation.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFeeding a cable fish tape through the wall gap is easy on all external walls. A double story wall is harder due to the length and height but it can be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LMR400 antenna cable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"LMR400](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LMR400-coaxial-cable-shield-1024x282.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis is where we decide how to run the LMR400 cable from the antenna to the helium miner. LRM400 cable is better than RG213<\/a> so use the best. As I like to keep my cable runs as short as possible I will usually drill into the tiles or sheet metal directly under the antenna. This isn’t ideal as it will now provide a path for water ingress.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen running the antenna cable keep it away from power cables to reduce interference. If you have to pass over a power cable then do it at right angles – 90 deg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cables glands, drip loops, and lots of UV silicone are required to stop water from getting into your house. Do not skimp on waterproofing your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If drilling through tiles use a diamond tip drill bit or hole saw. This will make drilling fast and prevent cracking of the tile. Use plenty of water to keep the diamond hole saw cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ethernet Data Cable POE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cat6 ethernet cable will be fine if you are running a POE setup to your helium miner or as a data cable from your hotspot to the router.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I prefer to use ethernet for all of my helium hotspots as WiFi can be slow and drop out sometimes depending on the distance of the miner from the internet router.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When running the cat6 ethernet cable it is good practice to keep it away from other power-carrying cables such as lights and wall outlets. This is good to prevent electrical interference and also for safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, I ran cat6 cable to every room in my house which is great for plugging in TVs, computers, smart home devices, Philips Hue hubs<\/a>, and Helium Hotspots.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCheck out the following video on how to run a cat6 cable and install it in an ethernet jack.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnyone can purchase a helium miner and install it in the window of their single or double-story house. To get an increase in helium rewards from proof of coverage (POC) you will need an external antenna and lots of extra height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Double-story houses are great as they give you that extra height without not having to have an extra-long external antenna with long guide wires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use a standard TV antenna mount<\/a> on double-story houses for ease of installation or you can make your own mast. I went with a DIY custom 3\/4 water pipe mast due to having some spare galvanized pipe sitting around. Plus I like to save money where I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a minute to think about where you will be placing your Helium hotspot. Is it inside the house, in the attic, or externally in an enclosure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heat tends to kill electrical devices over time so I like to mount the helium miner inside the house as close to the external antenna as I can get it. Between 2-10m is where I like to be away from the antenna and remember to take into account the height of the antenna mast when ordering an LMR400 cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be aware that you will most likely need a few feet\/meters of LMR400 cable to get between the attic space and the run-up of your antenna mast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An external helium roof antenna will always outperform an attic antenna. I do see people installing their antennas in the attic alongside their miners. This is fine and will outperform a stock window hotspot but I still want my helium miners out of the heat of the ceiling space. Especially in the summer times when the average temperature can get up to 40 deg Celsius plus outside, 104 Fahrenheit for you American folks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just think of how hot it will get in your attic space with limited insulation and ventilation. Your poor helium miner will be roasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you do need to install the antenna in the attic mop grippers<\/a> work well to hold the antenna in place on the wooden cross beams. It is a great DIY option if you don’t have access to a U-bolt or saddles for the antenna mast. Most fiberglass antennas have a diameter of 18 to 24mm. So a 20mm or 25mm conduit saddle works well as another support option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chimney mounts<\/a> are designed to support a 1-1.25 inch mast to your brick chimney using metal straps. This makes for a fast installation and spreads out the load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People with metal colorbond sheet and thin tile roofs tend to go with a tripod antenna base. They are perfect for the angle of the roof pitch. These will stabilize the antenna mast to three points on the roof space. They are good where no other mounting options are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An advantage of Tripod mounts is that you can mount them almost anywhere. From the peak of a rooftop to a flat platform, this tripod can handle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure to fully screw it down through the tiles into wood stud batten beams. We don’t want the antenna flying away in a storm. Use silicone on all bolt and cable entry points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are lots of ways to get an antenna cable into the roof or wall space. For a metal roof, the easiest way is to use a conduit entry gland. It has an aluminum base that can be formed to suit your roof profile. They can be used for roof tiles as well but you will need to drill a hole in the roof tile using a diamond hole saw<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don’t want to use flexible conduit you can use these double cable entry glands<\/a>. Perfect for antenna cables and POE ethernet. They are a waterproof cable glands used for all cable types from 2mm\u00b2 to 6mm\u00b2 in diameter. Widely used in the solar industry when routing cables. So perfect for us in the helium mining industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Running cables in a new house build is easy as you can just drill holes in the stud wood beams wherever you want to go. With a completed house you have to think where the best place to run your electrical cables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is easy to run cables on all external walls of your house rather than the internal walls due to the stud beams shown above. As the drywall and insulation cover the wall without any gaps it is hard to run cables between internal walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For internal walls, I like to install my helium miners in closet space and come down from the attic. See the picture below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This keeps the helium miner cool and I can have easy access to check the status lights and reboot it if required. In fact, lately, I am rebooting the helium miner every four weeks due to a full SD card issue. You can read more about my helium miner troubleshooting guide here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n There will often be a gap between the outside brick wall and the internal plasterboard walls. This is called a cavity wall and is standard in most houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There will be insulation usually in the form of glass fiber and it will only partially fill the gap between the brick wall and the internal wall. Fiberglass insulation is one of the most frequently used insulation materials in your home. It is made of recycled glass fragments and pure sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I use an electrical fish tape<\/a> to feed through the cables I need to get to a lower level. They are great for pushing through the insulation that may be in the cavity wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few different types of electrical snakes also known as fiberglass cable wire running rods on the market. But I prefer the ones that screw in together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is often easier to use gravity to help your feed cables down from a higher level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cut a hole in the plasterboard and install an ethernet wall outlet to feed the cat6 cable into the lower level. Do the same close to where you will install the helium miner. This makes for a clean installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeding a cable fish tape through the wall gap is easy on all external walls. A double story wall is harder due to the length and height but it can be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where we decide how to run the LMR400 cable from the antenna to the helium miner. LRM400 cable is better than RG213<\/a> so use the best. As I like to keep my cable runs as short as possible I will usually drill into the tiles or sheet metal directly under the antenna. This isn’t ideal as it will now provide a path for water ingress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When running the antenna cable keep it away from power cables to reduce interference. If you have to pass over a power cable then do it at right angles – 90 deg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cables glands, drip loops, and lots of UV silicone are required to stop water from getting into your house. Do not skimp on waterproofing your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If drilling through tiles use a diamond tip drill bit or hole saw. This will make drilling fast and prevent cracking of the tile. Use plenty of water to keep the diamond hole saw cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat6 ethernet cable will be fine if you are running a POE setup to your helium miner or as a data cable from your hotspot to the router.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I prefer to use ethernet for all of my helium hotspots as WiFi can be slow and drop out sometimes depending on the distance of the miner from the internet router.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When running the cat6 ethernet cable it is good practice to keep it away from other power-carrying cables such as lights and wall outlets. This is good to prevent electrical interference and also for safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, I ran cat6 cable to every room in my house which is great for plugging in TVs, computers, smart home devices, Philips Hue hubs<\/a>, and Helium Hotspots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the following video on how to run a cat6 cable and install it in an ethernet jack.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAttic vs Roof antenna<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Chimney Mount with Galvanized Steel Straps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Antenna Tripod<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRoof Cable Entry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCable Routing inside your house<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRunning cables through cavity in external walls<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLMR400 antenna cable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nEthernet Data Cable POE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n