WiGLE.net

Stictly a fixed base operation here, certainly not mobile:
I bought a used Airport Extreme Base station (with ext. antenna port) and a 2.4 GHz 19dbi reflector antenna rated at 50 ohms. I also ordered the mcx plug/N-male pigtail needed to hook the two up. I am running an iMac G4 1Ghz with Tiger and will connect to the base station via LAN port. I am running KisMac. There is a free internet open network AP in my neighborhood that i think i can connect to about 1/4 mile from my house. I do not have a WAN connection in my home.

None of the equipment has arrived yet. Does this set up look good? The base station is WDS capable.

I live in a white collar middle class neighborhood of about 200 homes in a 1/2 mi radius, zip code 50211

Suggestions, tweaks, etc welcome!

Your setup would be good for a high-gain wardriving setup if you could get it running in a vehicle. We cannot advise you to steal your neighbors' bandwidth at home. That would be illegal.

If broadband connections are unavailable to you, you might contact your neighbor and offer to chip in on his monthly bill. That could violate his ISP's terms of service, so he may easily not want to do so.

:edit, re-reading, you said there was a free internet AP in your neighborhood? If it is intended for public use, that would be fine.