GDO range of operation
 

As I'm doing my last EOC on the way home, I'd like to coast all the way into the garage. If I'm lucky (and with a new battery), sometimes my GDO will activate far enough away that I can slip under the door as it's still going up. But it's too close for comfort.

Anyone know how to extend the range of a GDO?

Extending the antenna to the outside would probably help, but I think I'd have to use shielded coax. I don't want to change the effective length of the antenna wire, right?

I need about 350 feet of range.
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...ScreenShot.jpg

anyone?
anyone?
:)

Have you taken apart either the transmitter, or the receiver to see what sort of antenna is on either end?

If you are lucky the receive end will be an F connector with a stubby antenna attached, then you could extend that out . . . ..


Edit: if you always approach from the same direction you could consider a reflector behind the unit, sort of a low tech dish arrangement . . . .. .

I'm pretty sure the receiver antenna is just a wire hanging out, but I'll take a closer look tonight.
The reflector idea would be easy to try. What would work, aluminum tinfoil?

Tinfoil would be easiest, at least temporarily . . . .

Do we know what the operating frequency of the system is?

This is the receiver mounted on the ceiling of the garage.
It says 'freq. 390' on the side of it.
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...lie/gdo002.jpg

this is the guts of one of the tx's. The white cylinder with the wire wrapped around it is the antenna, right?
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...lie/gdo003.jpg

I made a quick 'n dirty reflector with tinfoil stuck to part of a cardboard box.

http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n...GDObooster.jpg

I walked outside with the opener to test for range. It stopped working when I got about halfway along the divisional island at the entrance of the subdivision. That's about half of what I'd really like. So it's showing promise.