Jeff wrote:
Maybe I am missing something here, but if you put a wireless router at the
top of the tower why do you need anything else other than power up the mast?
You can can talk to the router locally over the air without the need for a
cable connection.
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In that case you need 2 routers ,R-1 in top of the mast with a
(sensitive) internal or external antenna having one of its ethernet
ports connected to an ethernet port of the second wireless router R-2
serving as a wireless bridge and fitted lower on the mast ,having a not
so sensitive antenna but sufficient for communication with any wireless
router or adapter inside the house/shack.
R-2 should be set to communicate on an 'extremity' channel say channel
13 ,which will hopefully not be needed by R-1. This to avoid that the 2
routers 'bite' each other .

A (wireless) router is a bi-directional input-output device .
When the wireless side is receiving it passes the information on to the
ethernet port serving as output and vice versa.

Hope the above makes sense


Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH