Thought you might enjoy this.  I dive regularly and locations I go, I get hardly any cell coverage.  I needed an antenna with decent gain and with the ability to use external antenna.  Needed to be removable too.  Check my Q1U out.  It was a bit of a hack but it works great.  I get full signal stregnth everywhere.  If I remove it, I get 2 - 3 bars.

Nice one there, I was almost going to try that myself

Additional info.  Yesterday I ran a test using the USB720 in USB mode in my macbook pro.  Was getting 300kbps up and down to a San jose server.


Today I tested with my Q1U using the modified antenna and with the modem inside the Q1u via M-Pci-express slot with the RP-SMA connector on a rubber antenna.

First test:  Wifi over DSL

1306 kbps down from LA and 314kbps up to LA

Verizon broadband
1155 kbps down and 221kbps up to same servers.

All test are done using speedtest.net

Not sure why I was getting such bad performance using the USB.. Oh well these aren't the most scientific test.  So take them with a grain of salt.

That is absolutely insane.  Awesome!!!  Those are really some impressive speeds on Verizon.  That's maxing out.  Nice.  So what did you do?  Simply wire a connector from the antenna lead on the EvDO card to your RP-SMA connector?  That's it? 

Out of curiosity, what made you go with that antenna as opposed to something that would collapse into the Q1U?

Really gotta hand it to you, that's a great mod!

The idea is that with a RP-SMA connector, I can use diff length antenna's OR vehicle mounted antennas.  I needed something that woud provide a good gain for signal.  Seems like all other types of antenna that are either inside the unit or OEM type just wouldn't give me that gain I'm looking for (maybe 1 - 2 db for oem type).   Plus I had the stuff laying round from my RC helicopter stuff.  Everything I used above are 2.4ghz rubber duck.  The connector is an ipax to rp-sma.  The cables and antenna are 50ohm impedence so shouldn't tooo bad (and from my test, they aren't!)  I just stuck a pin between the two female ipax wires (used the oem wire from the usb720 on one side, and bought an ipax - rp-sma on the other side, a little grounding wire to ensure both cables are grounded to each other, and electrical tape and thats it.  )   I know theres probably some signal reflection due to this setup but hey it works.  I just bought me a 1900ghz antenna just to be safe.

I'll take a picture next time i take it apart to upgrade to 2 gigs of memory.  ITs really a no brainer ugly cheap hack that works.

Andyman,

I plan to do the same mod as you with a Verizon 720.  One question for you: Was there enough room for the inside portion of the RP-SMA connector in the case?  I took my Q1 apart to look and at seems a bit tight although I have not ordered the parts yet.  Did you use a standard RP-SMA and just bore out the stock antenna hole a bit?

Any advice you have would be appreciated!
Thanks

By the way, Nearson makes some nice tri-band rubber duck antennas as well as an internal quad band pc strip that I am going to try.