WAVEFORM Griddy Grid Parabolic Antenna Instructions
- June 3, 2024
- WAVEFORM
Table of Contents
WAVEFORM Griddy Grid Parabolic Antenna
If you have any trouble during installation, call 1-800-761-3041, or email help@waveform.com. We’ll connect you to a dedicated Waveform Signal Specialist who can help
In the Box
- 2x halves of the Grid Reflector
- 1x Feedhorn
- 1x Reinforced Rotational L-Bracket
- Assorted bolts, washers, and clamps
- Optional parts included with kit only:
- 1x 30 ft RS400 coaxial cable
- 1x TS9, 1x SMA & 1x U.FL pigtail adapter
Assembling Griddy
Assembling Griddy should only take a couple minutes. All you need is a 10mm
wrench or pliers. Follow the step by step guide below, and reach out to us if
you’re unsure about anything.
- Bring the two halves together with the tabs overlapping.
- Check tab alignment. Excess pressure indicates they are incorrectly aligned.
- With the tabs aligned, secure the two halves with bolts in the four outer holes. The heads of the bolts should face inward.
- Slide the feedhorn’s pigtail through the center hole of the grid, and insert 4 bolts through the feedhorn and grid
- Place the rotational L-bracket over the bolts and pigtail. Tighten the feedhorn, grid and bracket together with 4 nuts.
- Loosely attach the U-bolt & toothed bracket to the L-bracket as shown.
- Slide the assembled antenna, bracket and U-bolt over your mast, and tighten the U-bolts fi rmly.
- If you need to cross-polarize the antenna, loosen the screw on the rotational mount. Tighten again afterwards
Pro Tips
- Make sure the feedhorn is aligned vertically, with the indicator arrow pointing upwards.
- Make sure to ground your antenna and the mast it’s mounted to in case of lightning storm.
- Line of sight to the signal source is crucial. If there is a tree line, try to get above it where possible. Use cellmapper.net to fi nd your nearest tower for reference.
- If you need help or aren’t getting the results you expect, please reach out to us. We love solving tricky signal situations!
Well done! Your Griddy should now be assembled! See the other side of this page for directions on aiming.
Griddy’s Feedhorn Depth Selection
Need a few extra dB of gain at a specifi c frequency? Griddy’s adjustable
feedhorn allows you to select from one of four positions to optimize
performance on a specifi c band. Just slide the inner tube out until the
relevant hole (labeled 1 – 4 below) aligns with the pin hole on the outer
tube
- Use a flat tool to remove the pins on both sides.
- Slide the feedhorn’s pinhole to the position required and reinsert the pins
Aiming Griddy at Cell Towers
Griddy has a very narrow beamwidth. That means it works best when it’s aimed exactly in the direction of the signal source. Being off by just a few degrees can have a dramatic impact on your signal.
- Start by using a lower gain directional antenna (like our Log Periodic Antenna) to scan for the general direction with the best signal strength (RSRP) and quality (SINR) as measured by your hotspot or booster.
- Once you’ve found the approximate direction, fi ne-tune with Griddy by adjusting a couple degrees at a time. Even a 1°- 2° difference in direction can make a huge difference to signal strength and quality, so aim accurately!
Aiming Griddy accurately can take patience, but it’s worth the effort to get it right. Reach out to us if you need help!
Using two or four Griddys for MIMO
- If you’re using two Griddys for 2×2 MIMO, loosen the screw on the rotational bracket and pivot the antennas 45 degrees from vertical in opposite directions to “cross-polarize” them, like in the diagram on the right.
- You can space the antennas horizontally or vertically with a few inches between the grids – whichever is easiest for your installation.
- If you’re creating a 4×4 MIMO setup with four Griddys, space two pairs of cross-polarized Griddys a few feet apart
Aiming Griddy for Point-to-Point WiFi
Griddy works great as a WiFi point-to-point antenna! Again, we only recommend using Griddy if you have clear line of-sight between the two points. If you can see the target antenna, then allign them fi rst by eye, before moving on to fi ne-tuning. Even a 1°- 2° variance can make a huge difference, so aim accurately.
We get super excited to see photos of Griddy in action.
Email pictures of your install to help@waveform.com and brighten our day
Questions? Need help? Call
1-800-761-3041, or email
help@waveform.com
Griddy is designed, sold, and supported by Waveform and our team of Signal
Specialists. We’ve installed hundreds of these antennas ourselves, and can
help fi ne-tune your installation for the best results.
We love helping solve tricky install problems, so please reach out!
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>