The newly crafted clear plastic Alpha Lantern cover has eliminated the signal attenuation problem the old ABS cover had.
Although not water resistance (still needs a cover in foul weather), packaging makes it very convenient to carry about and run on the fly with its built-in battery.
A future mode to be made needs to address the small black plastic push button on the back which turns the unit off. Currently it is too short to work. I glued several cardboard hole punches to the button to make it long enough to reach the CHIP reset button. Ken
I’ve thought about putting a rubber gasket between the layers of the case and encapsulating the USB power plug on the back in silicon, but the unit needs ventilation/cooling as the CHIP and SDR run warm/hot. Sealing the USB plug would make it very difficult to open the Lantern to perform maintenance. Putting a kitchen utility container over the whole assembly gives me the weather proofing I need at home without reducing signal levels with the new clear cover. It allows the Lantern to be mobile. Ken
