Boosting cellphone signals January 22, 2015, 10:42:17 am Yahoo Message Number: 150470I've read all the messages posted regarding Wilson Electronic cellphone boosters, antennas, etc. posted here and still have a couple questions for you "experts!" First, how important do you consider it to have 4G as opposed to only 3G? I currently use a simple flip phone, but if I upgrade to a smart phone would my 3G equipment be obsolete? Secondly, I have a fiberglass body motorhome and can't find a simple solution (i.e. a truckers' antenna) that seems practical for an antenna. Most likely I'd be attaching my truckers' antenna to my roof ladder, but that's on the rear of the vehicle and would be the farthest point from where I use the phone in the front cab or near there. Routing the antenna cable doesn't appear to be a simple matter either. How much would I be sacrificing for signal boost if I used the interior antenna that attaches by a suction cup to a window? I realize the answer to that question depends heavily on my location, but each location is unique, so do you have a general idea of the answer to that? I should also add that I do have a Five Spot for Internet access and I realize the Sleek 4G is a single-use device so I would not be able to be on-line and make/receive a call at the same time. I think I can live with that.Any help would be appreciated.Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #1 – January 22, 2015, 11:29:44 am Yahoo Message Number: 150472"First, how important do you consider it to have 4G as opposed to only 3G? I currently use a simple flip phone, but if I upgrade to a smart phone would my 3G equipment be obsolete? "GlennUnless you are only going to use your phone as a phone, you need 4G, it is so much faster than the obsolete 3G. Verizon is busy adding more and more 4G towers, take advantage of it.You need the best antenna possible, one that sticks on the window is near worthless. A Wilson Trucker, mounted on a ladder will work OK, it doesn't need a metal roof since it has its own built-in ground plane. The best results will come from an rotating Yagi antenna that is aimed at the cell tower. http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Band-Directional-Antenna-700-2700/dp/B002DV4JTM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421947100&sr=8-2&keywords=wilson+directional+antenna https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157629379463822/showInstead of a 4G Sleek, a Wilson repeater amplifier might be better. The amp is located as close to the roof antenna as possible and second, small antenna is located inside the MH that connects wirelessly to device. Mount the interior antenna as far away from the exterior antenna as possible. http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/store/display/245/38/mobile-4gWith most smart phones, you can use the phone as a WiFi hot spot, while still making calls.Larry As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #2 – January 22, 2015, 11:56:01 am Yahoo Message Number: 150473Another poster recommended against a directional antenna saying it can take far too long to find the strongest signal. What are your feelings on that?Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #3 – January 22, 2015, 01:14:27 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150478"Another poster recommended against a directional antenna saying it can take far too long to find the strongest signal. What are your feelings on that?"GlennIt depends on if you want to make a connection or not. Aiming the antenna does take a few minutes to find the strongest signal, if available at all but that's the price of admission. How important is it to you to have a connection?If in a weak signal area, aiming the Yagi antenna is what it takes to get a usable signal. The Wilson Trucker is an omnidirectional antenna, it receives signals from all directions and produces less gain than a Yagi. A Yagi concentrates its aiming power (higher gain) at one small spot, enabling reception when an omnidirectional antenna will not.Having the choice to switch between an omnidirectional antenna and Yagi gives the best of both worlds. If you only camp in areas with stronger signals, the Wilson Trucker will be fine and hassle free but if your preferences are for remote campsites, you might want to invest in a Yagi, a telescoping pole and low-loss coax. I now use the Yag all the time, in weak or strongr signals areas. In a stronger signal area, just raising the Yagi above roof level is enough to get a signal without aiming. Having both a 4G Sleek and a Wilson 460108 repeater, both provide similar strength signals. The Wilson 460108 is wireless and allows multiple device to connect. We use it with an iPhone to provide a WiFi hotspot inside the rig. The 4G Sleek is often carried in the Jeep for remote calls.Larry
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #4 – January 22, 2015, 01:18:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150479"Another poster recommended against a directional antenna saying it can take far too long to find the strongest signal."I have both a Wilson directional antenna (installed by Larry) and the standard Wilson one-foot "whip" antenna. While the directional antenna is useful in extreme fringe situations, it is a chore to aim, and 90% of the time the whip or rubber-duck antenna that's included with the Wilson boosters works fine. That's what I recommend for most folks.Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #5 – January 22, 2015, 01:58:47 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150483Andy, Is that "standard one-foot whip antenna" wireless? Is it a magnetic mount? What's the model number?Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #6 – January 22, 2015, 02:51:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150488I endorse what Larry and Andy had to say. I have a Wilson booster. I usually do not need it, as I can usually get a decent signal. Once my signal drops too low to work, I first try my booster using a 4" mini-mag antenna optimized for 4G. My second choice is a 12" whip optimized for 3G. I have a directional antenna as well but I have only found one location in the past year where the directional antenna gave me service and the omnidirectional ones would not. Bear this in mind - you are using a flip phone, just like I do, for voice. A Wilson booster re-broadcasts signals using a small inside antenna. For best results, your phone should be quite close to that internal antenna. That means you probably will want to have a broadband headset to allow you to leave the phone in place as you move around. As to attaching an antenna, you can use a magnetic mount omnidirectional antenna if you wish. Go to a hardware or electrical supply store and get a galvanized 4" cover plate. Using a polyurethane caulk, glue the plate to the roof in the desired location. The antennas need at least a 3" diameter metal surface when mounted to provide an effective ground plane effect. The plate provides that as well as providing a surface that the magnet will lock onto. Think carefully about your antenna locations, both inside and outside, especially if you have a fiberglass roof. If the two antennas do not have adequate separation, you might get crosstalk, making them not work for you. If the outside antenna is placed next to something that blocks signals, such as the AC unit, a wide area of signal reception might be blocked. For data use, the way of the future is 4G. When setting up your system, why plan it to be obsolete?Ken F in NM
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #7 – January 22, 2015, 03:39:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150489Glenn, I use a Wilson trucker antenna for which I made a square stand to which I attach the antenna and then put it on the roof of the LD by the driver's door. I run the cable into the coach through the door and shut the door on it. The rubber door gasket absorbs the width of the cable and there is no damage to the cable or gasket. We have a 30' IB with pullout dinette, so the cable from the antenna winds up there and is put into the antenna port of my Verizon 4620 LE Jetpack when we want to boost the Verizon signal for better Internet access on my computer. Altho my iPhone doesn't have an antenna port, it can pick up the boosted WiFi signal from the Jetpack if I select that Jetpack WiFi signal on my phone. As long as there is some signal, the Wilson trucker antenna will definitely improve the signal by 2-3 bars/dots. In many years of use, the antenna on the roof has never blown off or over. I also have a small Wilson (12"?) magnetic antenna which I put on an inverted metal pie pan and use in the LD if I want a moderate signal boost. It has a long cable and I simply move it around in the LD to where it boosts the signal the most.Chris
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #8 – January 22, 2015, 06:19:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150491If using a "repeater" type cellular booster, the kind that uses an indoor antenna to re-broadcast the cell signal inside and receive the outgoing signal from your cellular device, then isolation between the indoor and outdoor antenna is important. Vertical separation (having the outdoor antenna high) is the best kind of separation, horizontal distance is less efficient (though the LD's aluminum skin and roof go a long way in this regard - a fiberglass exterior is essentially worthless as it's RF transparent).Many such boosters have AGC (automatic gain control) of one type or another. If the two antennas do not have adequate separation, the booster will simply turn the gain down to avoid feedback which could damage the amplifier. Bottom line, without proper isolation between antennas, the amp doesn't work as well.An outdoor directional antenna provides better isolation between the two antennas (assuming one doesn't have the outdoor antenna pointing back towards the indoor one (grin).Yonder has both, a coax switch chooses between an omni or the yaggi (on a telescoping pole).bumper
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #9 – January 22, 2015, 09:55:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150494"Is that 'standard one-foot whip antenna' wireless?"As much as any antenna is. I mean, all antennas are wireless, since they transmit and/or receive radio waves. And all antennas are wired... to a transmitter and/or receiver. The Wilson antennas are no different."Is it a magnetic mount?"Yes. If you have a fiberglass roof, then you'd want to either provide a ground plane such as a steel pizza pan, or buy one of the antennas that provides its own ground plane (recognizable by the three or four horizontal "whiskers" near its base)."What's the model number?"See this Eureka article for details and model numbers.Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #10 – January 22, 2015, 09:59:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150495"For data use, the way of the future is 4G."For any use. Verizon will shut down its 3G networks over the next few years. My advice: don't buy 3G-only equipment.Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #11 – January 27, 2015, 03:45:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150597How does a person secure the cable from the rooftop antenna against the surface of the fiberglass motor home to the entry door? I may finally be agreeable to using a magnetic mount via the junction box piece glued to the roof.Thanks for all the suggestions.Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #12 – January 27, 2015, 03:53:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150598Fiberglass in a Lazy Daze? ? ? ? ?Bob
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #13 – January 27, 2015, 04:07:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150599Not a Lazy Daze.
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #14 – January 27, 2015, 04:10:10 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150600Use the correct fitting. http://www.westmarine.com/buy/blue-sea-systemsgs--P003_094_003_008Larry
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #15 – January 27, 2015, 04:13:00 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150601I don't want to drill a hole in the roof; I just want to attach the cable to the roof as it is routed to a cab entry door.Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #16 – January 27, 2015, 04:51:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150602Glenn, unless you are permanently mounting the antenna on the roof, why would you want to attach the cable to the roof? Are you saying that you would always have antenna cable running from the roof through the cab door? I only do this when I'm parked. That said, you could secure the antenna to the roof using dabs of sealant every foot or so. But then you would have a flapping cable from the edge of the roof to where it enters the cab door while you were driving. Perhaps you can clear this up for us.Chris
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #17 – January 27, 2015, 04:56:00 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150603Yes, I want to permanently attached a cellphone booster antenna to the roof of my fiberglass motor home. The cable from that antenna would be routed under the gasket around the cab door where it will then be attached permanently to a booster that in turn is attached to an interior antenna allowing me to receive stronger cell tower signals for use with all my devices (i.e. cellphone, hot spot, and tablet). I think that covers it.Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #18 – January 27, 2015, 05:01:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150604Glenn, this may be what you are looking for.http://www.amazon.com/Startech-HC102-Adhesive-Cable-Mounts/dp/B00008VFBE/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1422399446&sr=1-4&keywords=cable+anchorA few notes - I have used a lot of these or similar cable tie mounts. Some worked very well and have lasted for years. Some popped off almost right away. You apply them by first cleaning the surface they are mounting to with something like alcohol. Get it REALLY clean. Then, when dry, peel off the backing and press the mount in place. Use a wire tie to attach the cable to the mount.Ken F in NM As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #19 – January 27, 2015, 05:12:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150605Ken, sounds good, but the site you listed says they are not for use in exposed weather conditions and will give way. Add that to the wind force added to them and I wouldn't feel confident they would hold on.Thanks for your suggetion.Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #20 – January 27, 2015, 05:52:15 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150606Glenn, below are some comments from a Google search:The simplest thing is blobs of caulk and push the cables in.We use those little 1" square blocks for wire-ties. But we remove the white adhesive and use 3M Red Tape.If you want a real bond, use 3M VHB (Very High Bond), the stuff auto trim is held on by. You can find small strips on eBay. The normal sales unit is 1000' rolls.The easiest and best way to secure wire is what Mark said in his first sentence - pools of caulk. This works on either rubber, vinyl, fiberglass or metal roofs.Use an APPROPRIATE caulk. I always use Dicor because it works on everything. Silicon will not hold on a rubber or vinyl roof. Put a "small" pool on the roof and set the cables in it. Tape the cables to the roof (outside of the caulk pool) to keep them in the pool until it sets up. Then come back and cover the cable and pool with another small pool of caulk. Every 4' works fine. I wire tie all the wires together where appropriate, but I spread them flat for the pool.VHB tape works fine used with tiedowns like Mark described. I've also done that. But the pools alone work great and are cheaper. I've probably done thousands of these pools....and they work reliably.lay the cables down flat where you want them and then put the eternabond tape over them. Protects the cables from UV damage also and no holes in the roof or gunky junk.
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #21 – January 27, 2015, 07:38:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150608Whenever possible, don't drill additional holes in the roof - unless you have to, of course. In my case I drilled a hole in the side wall just above the awning case, and ran the wire into the wardrobe (mid-bath). From there you can go either forward or aft with ease, hiding the wiring along the way.bumper
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #22 – January 27, 2015, 08:22:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 150609Thanks for all the ideas. I'll give it some thought since I have some time before I have to make a decision now that I know Radio Shack sells the booster kit I want.Glenn
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #23 – January 28, 2015, 08:47:39 am Yahoo Message Number: 150611Glenn, you are right about the squares I flagged being marginal for outdoor use but use that as a starting point. You can find them for outdoor use. I have had quite a few on my roof since November, 2008. While dabs of caulk will work, if you ever want to remove the wire, it would be hard to do so without damaging the wire. With the squares, you just clip the cable tie holding the wire to the anchor. While several discouraged putting a hole in the roof, it CAN be done safely, using Blue Sea CableClam fittings. Before going that route, you must be very sure about what you are doing and where you are placing the hole, lest you make a hole that comes out behind a wall and is useless. When I did so, I measured several times, then used a very small jobbers drill (long) to make a hole from inside, then went up on the roof to make the final hole at the required size. So far, since early 2009, that roof penetration has not leaked a drop. A final thought - remember that you must place your devices near the inside antenna to obtain any benefit. For example, if your internal antenna is placed on the doghouse and you are in the back with your cell phone, you are getting no help from the booster.Ken F in NM
Re: Boosting cellphone signals Reply #24 – January 28, 2015, 09:19:48 am Yahoo Message Number: 150612"Whenever possible, don't drill additional holes in the roof - unless you have to, of course.Many believe that drill a hole in the roof will destroy or badly damage their LD. Those people obviously have not spent much time on the roof since it has dozens, if not a hundred or more holes from the various hatches, A/C unit, antennas, vents and all the screws used secure them. Holes or penetrations of the roof can be safely done with the right hardware, sealant and preparation, nothing magical about it, no matter if it is a metal or fiberglass.For a temporally installation of an antenna, snaking the thin cable through the weather stripping is OK as long as the cable does not get pinched.. If using the high-efficiency, low-loss coax (LM-400 ), it is very thick and should not be crushed, instead entering through a marine fitting, as shown in the previous posting.Larry
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Topic: Boosting cellphone signals (Read 26 times)
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