Cell Phone Amps

[Yrdawg]

I am looking at several cell phone amplifiers that use an external antenna, an inside xmitter and receiver...they claim to super boost send and receive for cell phones within short distance of amp...couple hundred yd range it seems like

Any body using these things and how do they work ??

It's for my house , I live in a near death on cell service area....

 

[honestlou]

I have not personally used one, but I have heard good reports. At least one of my vendors sell them, so if you want to PM me, I can check onnit Monday.

 

[themcfarland]

some things to consider, make sure it is compatible, gsm, evdo, tdma. stuff..

are you digital around your area? you have to get a digital capable amp. some of the cheaper ones are for analog in the 800's ..

I used to set up a few for data and did 2 for voice , all worked well but were around 300 bucks or so..

for the voice we used amps that were BI directional and had an antenna inside to cover the house as oppposed to the ones that have to be connected to the phone.. they worked better..

 

[Yrdawg]

some things to consider, make sure it is compatible, gsm, evdo, tdma. stuff..

are you digital around your area? you have to get a digital capable amp. some of the cheaper ones are for analog in the 800's ..

I used to set up a few for data and did 2 for voice , all worked well but were around 300 bucks or so..

for the voice we used amps that were BI directional and had an antenna inside to cover the house as oppposed to the ones that have to be connected to the phone.. they worked better..

Sprint / Nextel...I did see that 300 was about the norm for what looked to be middle road to upper grade of these animals

It's a bunch, but I have Hughes net for interweb and if I can drop a 60 dollar a month land line it will really help pay the 90 dollar hughes bill

As for the gizmo stuff, I guess maybe I better look localy so I can be sure to get the right unit 1st time.

 

[El Rubio]

These do indeed work if properly installed. You must keep the antennas away from each other. Typical install would be inside a house or building and the donor antenna ( the one that retransmits your boosted signal to the tower) must be outside. These devices when improperly installed cause problems for the carrier. The antennas, if too close together, will cause the device to oscillate or try to amplify and its own signal. This causes major interference for other users of the cell system in the area. I have seen where someone would try to cover a work yard and have both antennas mounted two feet from each other.
If installed properly, they do work. There is one at the courthouse annex in Amite where the parish council meets and in the EOC office that work pretty good.

Depending on how far away you are from the nearest tower will make a difference too. If you can use your phone outside but not inside, it will be most helpful. If not, you may still not get a clear signal. There are drastic measures that can be taken such as putting a high gain directional antenna on something like a TV antenna pole. The height and gain required will depend on how far you are out in the "death on cell service area" or if there are obstructions like house, trees, etc.

 

[103M 95G]

http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/cell-phone-antennas/wilson-trucker-cellular-antenna.aspx

 

[Bearco]

http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/cell-phone-antennas/wilson-trucker-cellular-antenna.aspx

That is a very good antenna. I have one mounted in my attic, with the cable dropped down.

 

[Yrdawg]

http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/cell-phone-antennas/wilson-trucker-cellular-antenna.aspx

Looks like that has a hardwire connect to phone...in vehicle good, on mower not so good

My phone will work marginaly from inside and better but not great outside

 

[El Rubio]

http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/cell-phone-antennas/wilson-trucker-cellular-antenna.aspx

Any external antenna made for the frequency band will far outperform the built in antennas. I'm sure this works but there are some that claim to be re-directors. There was one that was a typical glass mount style such as old mobile phones used but it had another whip inside the glass that was supposed to redirect the signals from outside. As long as it has a cable that connects directly to an external antenna port, it will be an improvement. It's a lot cheaper at Amazon too.

 

[George]

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/3gmicrocell/

 

[Reese917]

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/3gmicrocell/

He has Sprint so...

http://shop.sprint.com/NASApp/onlinestore/en/Action/DisplayPhones?phoneSKU=SPDSC26UCS

I have one in my appartment and it works well. Plus, if u call and complain that you don't have service in your home and you may have to cancel service they will give it to you for free. But you do still have to pay $4.99 per month to use it.

-Reese