Batboard

I know this isn't radio related, but I figured I'd ask...

Work recently issued me a Motorola ML900 laptop... Real nice laptop with DVD burner, backlit keyboard, touchscreen, fingerprint reader, all that.

Anyhow, it didn't have WiFi in it, so I added an Intel Mini-PCI internal WiFi card. I plugged the gray antenna cable into the "Main" antenna port of the WiFi card, loaded drivers, it works!

The WiFi signal strength on this thing is atrocious, which leads me to believe there might not be anything on the other end of the antenna cable. I know the DataTAC antenna is the pull-up one on the lid of the computer, but I've disassembled the display housing and both side bezels and I can't find any antennas in there...

I heard a rumor the handle is an antenna, any truth? Anyone have any information on these things that might save me the trouble of tearing the entire thing down to pieces to find out what the deal with the WiFi antenna is?

TIA.

Compared to most laptops the ML900 is a walk in the park to take apart. Yes there is a cable in there that acts as the antenna but I can't for the life of me remember how it's routed other than around the chasis. It could be possible that it's pinched somewhere inside the chasis causing poor signal quality.
I'd certainly take the unit apart and try to determine the exact nature of the problem before really worrying about it.
When taking the ML900 apart keep in mind there are hidden screws under all the removable covers. After that the whole unit comes up and is easily put back. (unlike a sony vaio with a tone of different screws and insertion points bah!!!)

Wow OK... I just used a Wifi antenna out of a thinkpad and tied it down to the chassis, seems to work good enough now.

The WI-FI antenna is built into the handle, I have seen one in there, on one of our units that got the handle tore off of it.