Improve your Helium hotspot miner with these McGill accessories

One of the benefits for people who participate in the expansion of the Helium Network is that they get to earn the HNT cryptocurrency. Each Helium hotspot is a HNT miner and gets rewarded depending on its performance.

So, if you want to increase your earnings, you have to take good care of your equipment. This includes not only proper placement for the hotspot, but also using quality accessories to make sure everything will work for a long time. McGill Microwave Systems is one of the companies which specialize in Helium equipment. It offers a wide range of accessories which you can use to improve your Helium hotspot miner and thus increase your HNT earnings in the long run.

So, let’s check out a few Helium hotspot accessories from McGill which you can definitely add to your miner. Let’s begin!

The GK-S600TT Ground Kit

One of the biggest dangers for any equipment is lightning strikes. It’s no exception for Helium hotspots and their delicate antennas and RF systems. Luckily, you can minimize the risk and protect them with some additional accessories. Like the KG-S600TT Ground kit.

This one is made for the LMR-600 cables that McGill also offers. It features a 1/4″ crimp lug (2holes) and is RoHS Compliant. You can also use it with the Times-Protect accessories, but more on them in a little bit.

The GK-S600TT kit will direct a lightning strike away from the shield of the cable and it will route it to ground. As such, the risk of damage to your Helium equipment is pretty much eliminated.

The Times-Protect LP-GTV-SFM series

These are small, but very important appliances which you should add to your Helium hotspot setup. They employ an exclusive broadband direct current (DC) design made for lightning protection. It allows DC power to pass through from the receiver to the electronic source.

In short, you can enjoy top RF performance with high surge protection. It is possible to use this accessory for a broad range of devices for up to 150W of RF power. What’s more they have an IP67 rating and as such are suitable for both indoor and outdoor installation.

The Times-Protect LP-GTV-SFM series feature a white bronze coating for endurance and encompass the entire frequency range from DC to 7000MHz. There are several versions with different connectors and are bidirectional for maximum versatility.

The McGill 10 DBI Tuned Directional Antenna

Having a proper antenna for your Helium hotspot miner is key to increase HNT earnings. The better the service you offer, the higher chance for bigger rewards. So, sometimes this might mean you have to opt for a directional antenna instead of an omnidirectional.

Like the 10 DBI Tuned Directional Antenna from McGill. It has the practical feature of being able to move and tilt to the Azimuth angle. The antenna features a flat panel, but thanks to the tilting feature, you can direct all the RF energy into a long and wide strip. It means it is capable of absorbing all of the emitted energy and focus it forward.

This makes it an ideal solution for hard-to-reach places and you can beam signal to the specific area. No more “blind” spots with no coverage. It’s also ideal for high balconies, tall buildings and places where you don’t need an antenna rear. Offered in both EU 868 and US 915 tuned and optimized versions.

The McGill Ultra Low Loss Military Grade Helium Hotspot Resonant Cavity RF Filter

This item has quite the long name, but it’s worth it. The device offers ultra high performance with much lower losses than the alternative SAW technology filters. They typical have Insertion Losses of between 2.2 and 4 dB’s which reduces signals levels in excess of 50%. As such, there’s reduced witnessing/beacons results and lower HNT earnings.

The Military Grade Filter though offers a Resonant Cavity technology which lowers the Insertion Loss to just a typical 0.5 dB’s. As such, received power levels at the hotspot are increased up to 50% compared to SAW Filters.

The result is a much higher number of witnessed beacons and an improvement of HNT generation. All you have to do is install the filter directly connected to the hotspot antenna outdoors. Don’t worry, it is IP67 rated and offers both N Type Female and Male connectors. Thus, you don’t need to use additional adaptors which increase the losses. Available in both EU 868 and US 915 versions with identical performance specs.

The McGill 7.5 DBI Tuned Antenna

Want to improve your HNT earnings but you need a more discrete antenna? How about this 7.5 DBI Tuned Antenna made specifically for Helium hotspots. It has a special tune for better overall performance within regulations. As a result, it is a better choice than universal antennas, as they often offer non-optimized performance for all frequencies.

This antenna is tuned for specific ranges, with 7.5 dBi gain and 0 degrees tilt. It promises over 7% improvement in transmitted power compared to VSWR antennas. The antenna is rated for wind speeds of up to 126 km/h and has a maximum power of 50W, thus you can use it with the previously mentioned lightning protection accessories.

The McGill LMR-400/600 N Male right angle – RP SMA Male Cable Assembly

Another product with a long name, but a simple and practical function. It’s a Cable assembly which you can use to significantly boost the RF signal range and coverage of your Helium Hotspot from various manufacturers as long as they use RP-SMA Connectors.

The cable covers the new regulatory changes to reduce the allowable output power and thus every dB of signal loss is critical. The cable assembly makes sure you get the most out of your power output. For example, the LMR-400 Loss over 10 Meters at EU 868 MHz Frequency is 1.4dB (Much higher coverage, 74.8% efficiency). The LMR-600 Loss over 10 Meters at EU 868 MHz Frequency is 0.9dB (Much higher coverage, 83.1% efficiency)./

You can get the cable assemblies in various lengths, from 1 to 10 meters. This makes them an ideal solution for any Helium hotspot setup.