bjs555 <aaa@bbb.com> wrote:
> cantenna works best when it's receiving a signal from another radio
> that also has a directional antenna attached. I say that because I see

Polarity comes to mind. The can is three dimensional. You may have been
rotating the aziumth and elevation, but the orientation of the antenna
probe itself is also important. Try rotating the antenna on the long axis,
so that the probe is vertical, horizontal, and other points in between.
Especially if your small room is full of reflections, the optimum angle for
the probe may not be obvious.

> a lot better signal from the cantenna when I put a windsurfer
> reflector (www.freeantennas.com) on my ap. That is, without changing

I like the Windsurfer. I have made several. I keep forgetting to leave
enough "tab", so it takes me a while to assemble.
http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/EZ12-windsurfer.jpg

> cantenna. Maybe the exposed center conductor was feeding enough energy
> into the radio.

Once upon a time From Don Widders:

You can just make an antenna out of the end of the LMR195. Remove about 3
inches of the plastic outer 'jacket' of the coax. Then pull the copper
braid back over the remaining jacket. Get a piece of brass tubing at a
hobby shop that will just slide over the braid and cut a piece of the
tubing to 32 mm. Trim away any excess braid. Cut the center conductor so
that it extends exactly 32 mm from where it exits from the braid.

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Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5