Installing AIrport Extreme card (which one? and WHERE?) in Dual 1.8 G5

I'm having an incredibly frustrating time trying to check out this (used) G5 which I thought, up until yesterday, might replace my G4 MDD. (Never mind that any topic I run a search for on the support.apple website returns NO results. Is it my antediluvian 10.3.9 and Safari 1.x--newest possible for that OS? But I digress...)

I keep running in a circle of Google search results that keep bringing me to a .pdf showing an AE card installation on a single processor G5. While not vividly clear in the illustration, the architecture seems to be different. I don't see the same "landmark" components here as in my G5. My Apple Support search difficulties have frustrated a search for a manual for this model.

Also I'm just now learning of the necessity of the Rube Goldberg-ian additional antenna that seems to be required. (As it sits, the G5 is about 3 feet away from the base station, but I guess I'll have to play along anyway and get one.) Having used an Airport card on a pre-Cambrian white iBook G3 >>>without any bloody antenna<<<, I find this too depressing to be laughable. ("...strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." --NASHVILLE, 1975; Robert Altman, dir.)

I'm under the assumption that this beast came BEFORE the late 2005 makeover that necessitates the Airport and Bluetooth combination card. Please correct if I'm wrong about this.

The card I bought on eBay is Model A1026 EMC No. 1951 (thinking an Airport Extreme Card is an Airport Extreme Card is an Airport Extreme Card...ain't that rich!)

Computer is YM425(XXXXXX) 1.8 GHz DP/256MB 400 80GB/SD/G5200/56K

I did the installation of the Airport (after having uninformedly bought an AE card first) card on the iBook, but I can't begin to see where one goes on the G5 desktop. I don't even see the connector cable that goes in the back of the card.

I feel like my good intentions have landed me at Alice's tea table while hardly being on the cutting edge of anything. I'm a sheet of paper's width (see below) from just jettisoning this thing back to Craigslist whence I fetched it.

(Although I've long waved the banner of "Think Different" superiority, I'm beginning there's not a sheet of paper's width of difference between the respective byzantine frustrations of Planet Jobs and Planet Gates. At least I didn't make the pricey leap all the way into the MacPro rabbit hole...)

To sum up: which AE card, where does it go, what else isn't Apple telling me and are there any specific links?

G4 MDD, G5-2x1.8 (...maybe some day), ibookG3, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on Apr 4, 2008 12:58 PM

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1 reply

Apr 4, 2008 1:28 PM in response to notwoz

Hi, and a Warm Welcome to Apple Discussions and the Power Mac G5 Forum!

From the details you have given, your G5 requires the Airport Extreme! card

http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore?productLearnMore=M8881

The installation instructions are here

http://www.info.apple.com/usen/cip/pdf/g5/apec_c.pdf

The antenna cables and connectors are pre-installed in G5s. The Airport Extreme! antenna connector, with the brass tip, is shown clearly if you click on photo #4 here

http://tersus.no/bluetooth/

(They are the Bluetooth instructions - the photo is for identification only)

You will need an antenna

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86413

which should have been in the G5 packaging (originally) - but can usually be picked up on eBay - or here

http://www.mac-pro.com/Airport-Extreme-External-Antenna-for-Power-Mac-G5-Tower?s c=2&category=7286

if not.

There is a G5 manual here

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PowerMacG5_UserGuide.pdf

Please post again if you have any questions. Good Luck.

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Installing AIrport Extreme card (which one? and WHERE?) in Dual 1.8 G5

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