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WIFI & Cell phones


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#11 JaSAn

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Posted 29 September 2020 - 01:18 AM

Thanks Vic.

 

I was curious because my weBoost Drive 4G-M works intermittently: sometimes it gives great amplification and sometimes I see no improvement.  And I have the same problem with the inside antenna - very short range.

I was thinking about getting a better outside antenna; I currently use the supplied 3" stick mounted on the camper roof.

 

I only use my phone for personal stuff - I'm retired, but would like a little more consistency for getting weather radar, looking at google earth, and personal calls.  I use inReach for communicating my status with my family.

 

jim


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#12 rando

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Posted 29 September 2020 - 03:14 AM

One note of caution, the inside antenna is very low gain for a reason - if it were higher gain you would get feedback from the outside amplified antenna, end up in an infinite loop and the booster will shut down. 

 

I also have the Weboost Drive and find that it works well with the phone within about a meter of the inside antenna.  Like others, I just use the phone as a Wifi hotspot to tether an iPad or laptop.    The only way I can think of to get better service would be to use a directional antenna on the booster, but it would be a pain to set up as you would need to figure out which cell site you are taking too, and point the antenna at it. 


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#13 JaSAn

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Posted 29 September 2020 - 02:26 PM

One note of caution, the inside antenna is very low gain for a reason - if it were higher gain you would get feedback from the outside amplified antenna, end up in an infinite loop and the booster will shut down . . . 

 

Would not the metal camper roof and steel ground plane shield against that?

 

I'm relieved that it is not just me experiencing the short range of the inside antenna - thanks.


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#14 rando

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Posted 29 September 2020 - 04:03 PM

You are right about the roof providing shielding - that is how these are able to work at all.  But it is a tight balance between getting enough gain and not ending up with feedback.   I have had mine shutdown due to feedback (there are some red lights that light up on the box to tell you this) when I moved the inside antenna close to an open door on the truck to try and use the phone outside. 


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#15 Vic Harder

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Posted 29 September 2020 - 05:23 PM

Vertical height difference between the two antennas seems to help too, reducing the interference.
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#16 Jack

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Posted 01 October 2020 - 10:55 PM

The apps Network Cell Info Lite and LTE Discovery are very helpful to find out which way to point a directional antenna. LTE Discovery also lists neighboring cells. Carriers play a number of games with cell towers. When load is high, they drop calls or don't connect to more distant cell phones. They may also connect you to a tower with a weaker signal if it has more capacity. My experience is that once you connect to a tower it will leave you with it. One of the apps will power cycle your radio which gives you a chance to connect to the stronger tower.

 

I have an omni-directional antenna mounted on the back corner of our Fleet and a directional antenna mounted on a extensible pole attached to the left rear jack bracket. I simply swap coax connections to the Wilson Amp (WeBoost) when the omni-directional antenna is insufficient. With line of sight I have connected to a T-Mobile tower about 40 mi away. I have read that some carriers/towers may have a range of only about 20 miles.

 

I have been watching Starlink with great interest. With VOIP, which we have, internet and phone service anywhere.


Edited by Jack, 01 October 2020 - 11:12 PM.

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#17 JaSAn

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Posted 02 October 2020 - 03:35 AM

Is there a better omni-directional antenna than the supplied 3" stick?


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#18 rando

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Posted 02 October 2020 - 04:27 AM

If your ground plane isn't great, then the 'trucker' antenna may be better as it does not require a ground plane:

https://www.weboost....products/304415

 

I wasn't sure how well the camper roof was really grounded, particularly when up, so I am using the trucker antenna. 


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#19 PaulT

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Posted 02 October 2020 - 05:12 AM

If your ground plane isn't great, then the 'trucker' antenna may be better as it does not require a ground plane:

https://www.weboost....products/304415

 

I wasn't sure how well the camper roof was really grounded, particularly when up, so I am using the trucker antenna. 

The antenna doesn’t need an electrical ground. It needs an RF ground which is provided by the antenna and coax shield. Depending on the antenna mount, the ground side will be coupled electrically or capacitively to the roof as a ground plane. It’s all magic. Just follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

 

Perhaps, one of the other hams can explain it better. I don’t claim to be an RF engineer, just an amateur.  :P

 

Paul


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#20 Jack

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Posted 03 October 2020 - 06:04 PM

We have the Wilson / WeBoost 4G omni-directional antenna and it has worked quite well. $51

https://www.amazon.c...e?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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