Range Webasto T70/T90

Hi!
I'm currently in the process of finally installing my FFB for my portable heater. Currently, everything is only being tested in a trial setup to test the range. And so far, I'm quite disappointed. The vehicle is parked in a normal residential area with single-family homes, and yet I'm only achieving just under 75m in a straight line (while I was also using the transmitter outdoors!!!). That's a bit low, I think. 600m in an open field is specified. What could be the cause? I've tried the antenna in all sorts of locations...no change. The battery voltage of the transmitter in standby is always 11.8V, and during transmission it's about 10V. But does that make such a big difference? What are your ranges?

Dirk

Hello Dirk,

I unfortunately do not have any practical experience with the Webasto FFB.

But the specified radio range is twice as long as that of standard DECT phones (300m), at 600m. In reality, most radio phones fail at around 30m. Therefore, with 75m, you are already more than double the stated range. It is unlikely that it will increase much further. The stated 600m applies under optimal conditions, i.e. even in good weather and with a clear line of sight between the transmitting and receiving antenna, without any glass, metal, or obstructions in between. Probably even without reflections from nearby houses, hills, etc. Therefore, they are not actually achievable in reality.

What you can do to increase range, if the receiver's design allows: Place the antenna as straight as possible and as "externally" as possible, i.e., without any shielding plates around it. Either use a truly external antenna (Optics? No thanks), or place it in the upper area of the vehicle, where there is less metal, such as the engine block, that will shield the radio waves. (e.g., on the upper part of the windshield, horizontally?). Then, touch the transmitter in such a way that you don't shield the transmitting antenna with your hands. But I don't expect more than a doubling of the range from these measures. And does that actually benefit you?

My suggestion: install an old mobile phone with a prepaid SIM card in the vehicle, utilize the vibration alarm, and use a timer to activate the STH (presumably a tracking device). This works perfectly over hundreds of kilometers. Just make sure nobody gives out the STH mobile phone number . If the card could be recharged, it would be perfect. However, some mobile phone contracts offer free partner cards with their own phone numbers . That's how I do it. So far, I've only had about one caller every two years, who dialed the number (I can see it in the call log). Then the STH will just happen once every two years, but I can live with that.

Greetings
Guste

Hi, I completely agree with Guste, it works perfectly for me too.
I took an old Siemens S10, because you can activate a filter there, which only allows phone numbers stored on your mobile phone to be activated.

This also prevents anyone from accidentally turning on your STH.

http://www.skyynet.de/remote.php

http://www.bmw-syndikat.de/bmw-syndikat/archiv/fernbedienung/

http://www.sgaf.de/viewtopic.php?t=26680&highlight=handysteuerung

I used this PCB as a starting point and simply soldered an LED to the "bell sound generator" of the phone.


It's just great when you're rummaging around in the H&M section with the pearl jewelry, and you can see the end of your shopping spree is near, and the car is already warming up at the parking lot, which is 4km away .

I installed a thermostat instead of the summer/winter switch. This automatically switches between summer and winter operation.

If the temperature inside the vehicle is above 25 °C, only ventilation is activated. If the temperature is below 25 °C, heating is activated....


Greetings

Sven

I have a T91 and I'm very satisfied with its range.
I haven't conducted the test yet to see how far I can go.
But there have already been a few hundred meters within the city.
The antenna is horizontally attached to the lower left corner of the windshield.

I have built a hands-free control system with DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) decoding.
That works quite well.
It is built using a C-Control, a DTMF decoder module, and an old Nokia 2210.
One should still be able to program some basic concepts.

Sg, Maxx

If the T91 battery is weak, it can be re-paired with the heater as follows:

/viewtopic.php?t=31914