cell phone amplifier
Normally when I am cruising in Alaska I am out of range of cell phone
towers. Can anyone lead me to a cell phone amplifier/booster that they have
found to be effective?
Richard
I've had a cypher amp on my boat with an 8 foot Digital (brand) antenna
for almost 5 years. It's 3G and connects to a USB aircard plugged into a
cradlepoint router. It creates a wifi hotspot on the boat that any
number of devices can connect to. Reception goes from 0 or 1 bar to 3
or 4 bars when the amp is in use.
I bought a different brand amp with an internal and an external antenna
(up on the roof peak) at our home to improve cell reception in the
house. It didn't help. Haven't figured out yet if it is location or
some other issue with the system.
Go to the 3Gstore.com
this is what I have at the house.
http://3gstore.com/product/5004_surecall-flexpro-omni-dome.html
On 2/9/2016 6:16 PM, Richard P via Trawlers-and-Trawlering wrote:
Normally when I am cruising in Alaska I am out of range of cell phone
towers. Can anyone lead me to a cell phone amplifier/booster that they have
found to be effective?
Richard,
I've been using a Sleek 4g amp coupled with a remote Wilson marine
antenna
https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/marine-antenna-kit-w-mount-20ft-cable-sma-male-318430/.
The system works exceptionally well, providing signal boost for cell, 3G
and 4G - with the caveat that the Sleek amp can only serve one device at
a time. That can make using the phone a bit cumbersome, however easily
remedied with a bluetooth headset device or speakerphone. The Sleek 4G
has been discontinued, replaced with a newer model, the weBoost
https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/weboost-drive-4g-s-cell-phone-signal-booster-kit-470107/.
I have learned that the Sleek will also provide a significant boost for
the iPad. We use an iPad in the Bahamas, and the amp makes the
difference between service and none. For cell service, the same applies;
we can run offshore and maintain cell service even when we're not in
sight of land.
There are amps on the market that utilize a longer-range interior
antenna, a repeater, if you will. The general consensus has been that
these systems work OK in a vehicle where there's a metal cage isolating
the inside and outside antennas, but on a boat, there's not enough
isolation of the two, so a feedback loop is created, disrupting the
signal. There may have been improvement since I did my research, but the
theory remains the same.
One note on installation- if the cable from the antenna to the amp is
going to be longer than 15 or 20 ft, you'll see a pretty dramatic
dropoff in signal unless the cable is bumped up to LMR-400, an ultra-low
loss cable. The high frequencies of cell service are particularly
susceptible to cable loss, so the cabling and connectors are critical.
If you're planning to DIY, you'll need to be or get proficient at
attaching terminations, they must be perfect. If the antenna cable is <
20', you can buy the cable with terminations, making installation a
whole lot easier.
Hope that's helpful!
On 2/9/2016 6:16 PM, Richard P via Trawlers-and-Trawlering wrote:
Normally when I am cruising in Alaska I am out of range of cell phone
towers. Can anyone lead me to a cell phone amplifier/booster that they have
This has been discussed several times in the past on T&T. We installed a
Wilson 4G cell booster system on our boat several years ago. The crucial key
is the antenna system. We ordered a two foot Shakespeare cell antenna from
Solid Signal and then mounted that on a two foot extension mast above our
hardtop. The antenna has six horizontal ground plane spikes around its base
which creates a virtual ground plane. This is CRITICAL because the virtual
ground plane thus provides signal isolation between the external antenna and
the internal one below. (Cell booster antennas on a car utilize the metal
roof which accomplishes the same thing.) Unless there is about 40 feet of
separation between the external and internal antennas, OR unless there is
ground plane isolation, there will be runaway feedback oscillation in the
amplifier which will burn it out. (Recall the shrill feedback on a PA system
when the mike is too close to a speaker.) Unfortunately, I cannot locate the
antenna model number on Shakespeare's website and my boat is all wrapped up
for the winter with 15 inches of snow on top. But I got the antenna from
Solid Signal and I think they could provide the model number. The antenna
comes with a ten foot attached coax which is just about how far the antenna
is above the booster amp below on our boat. As someone else noted, a longer
run than that will see significant coax signal loss.
Anyway, the system works well. We can get good phone or data use 18 miles
off shore. However, we also have learned that if there is any land mass such
as an island or peninsula between the boat and the the cell tower on the
mainland that it won't work. There must be line of sight between the antenna
on the boat and the cell tower.
David Sorenson
Duluth, MN (10 below this morning and plenty of hard water)