Not specific to Entegra, but a few suggestions:
-Choose an interior cabinet that you can use, or use part of, as a Communication Command Cabinet (CCC). Factor the need of separation for the roof top and then interior antenna (attenuation) for the cellular amp, when choosing the location. (Read the specs of the unit you're considering, as this distance vertical and horizontal can vary between amps.). Also when choosing the CCC, factor how easy it is to feed 12V and possibly 115V power to the area, as well as cable feeds from the antenna.
On our CC, we have a bedroom cabinet just behind the wall to the bathroom, it's ~8 from the rear of the coach. Had 12V handy and was a short feed to the AC ducts (Commonly used to feed antenna cables runs for the interior repeater antenna of a cellular amp.).
-Roof penetration. Choose a location with either a straight shot down to the CCC. Or, to a location within the coach that you can then fish the cables thru interior cabinets to reach the CCC. One important tip, is to think future proofing, by making a 'conduit' feed larger then you need. Technology is always changing, and I think within the last 7 years, I've run or changed out at least 6 cable feeds from the roof to the CCC as technology dictated updates to equipment and or antenna. (MIMO antenna feed was my latest one.). We use a Solar Panel Combiner Box, with I believe it is a 1 1/4" conduit feeding out of the bottom into the rear of the coach. Mounted just over the rear corner of the closet, and is used as the conduit path for communication related cables, as well as a second combiner box is used for our solar panel cabling feed. Drilled 1" holes thru the bottom back portions between three or for cabinets, to fish the cables as well as power bar 115V over to the CCC area.
Pricey, but the AM Solar combiner box is a good quality product. Sealing around the box with RTV Sealant before placement, provides water proofing. 6-7 years now, without any leakage problems. And, I did add a parameter seal of sealant around the front edges where the combiner box meets the roof. Probably not needed, as I had enough RTV Sealant on the roof before squishing the combiner box down snug, so much, that it worked it's way out on multiple locations. Used that with my finger, and added more, to put a bead around the outside parameter.
-For roof top. If you're choose antenna requires a ground plane. Look at Home Depot or Lowes. I found 8" x 10" pieces of galvanized sheeting in the roofing section. I painted these white with Rustoleum spray, to match our white roof. And used dabs of RTV Sealant to attach them to the roof. For a 16" X 20" ground plane.
-On the inside repeater antenna, we fished over to the AC ducting (Again my CCC was also chosen because its as within 12-14" of one of the ducting registers. Remove the register, and it helps when your fishing over to the CCC. Then a straight shot thru the ducting to the front of the coach. Choose a location again by a front register, near a kitchen cabinet, about mid ship (And with enough separation to the rear outside antenna.). Again removed the register, and fished over to the cabinet and then mounted the interior antenna on the outside of this cabinet.
Note: This is with a cellular amp that has a pretty good range of coverage inside the coach. Those amps, say WeBoost with the 'Candy Bar' repeater antenna that are designed to be within close proximity to the device, takes a different strategy. For those, I like the CCC being located far enough from the rear roof top antenna, to allow usage of either internal antenna amp approach. (Using a in coach WiFi repeater, like WiFiRanger or Pepwave, for in the coach component usage.) The down side, is if you are needing to use the cellular amp to make a phone call, or send a text, in a marginal coverage area - you may have to go stand near the CCC and pull the candy bar internal antenna out and hold it the phone for the call
!
A good resource on the establishment of a CCC approach, is the RVMOBILEINTERNET site.
Best of luck to you,
Smitty
Linear Mode
