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Larry Larry is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 5,275
Default Anyone using a Digital cell phone Antenna?

Gerald wrote in
:

From what you say, it is doing everything analog, do you think this
could significantly increase the useful range of my cell phone?



It does mine. The DA4000 is a very nicely made unit with microwave
modules (duplexers, amps, preamps, etc.). I paid $400 for mine a long
time ago and use it out in the boonies with a V60i, which also does
analog.

I have an 11-element Decibel Products end-mounted beam antenna. 50 miles
at sea on Alltel's 800 Mhz system, you can haul the little beam (about as
long as a yardstick and 4" element lengths) up the mast on two halyards.
Moving the halyards up and down the deck, you can point the beam "ashore
somewhere" and find service with the DA4000's 3W 800 Mhz or 2W 1900 Mhz
amplified output. The antenna's gain, in the direction it points, gives
you about 24 watts effective radiated power on the 800 Mhz band. I don't
have a 1900 Mhz panel as it's all 800 Mhz here on Alltel. 24 watts from
50' up has a really nice signal "out there", offshore.

Your mileage may vary. The DA4000 has no mechanical parts to tell you
when it's actually transmitting what the cell sends it, only a power LED.
Unfortunate it doesn't have some kind of RF output indicator, which would
blink away on a digital phone's pulsed output...but it doesn't.

It's a bargain at such a cheap price, now. I'm jealous...(c;

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