On 27 Oct 2003 15:39:00 -0800, (Parallax) wrote
(with possible editing):

My posts havent been gittin through fer some reason so I'm gonna
repost this one.

For ppl who really want to stay connected while afloat ( I dunno why
but they do). Useless Idea #3734

Put a T in the output of your VHF so your cellphone can be connected
to your VHF antenna waaaaaaaaay up thar on your mast. Since your 900
Mhz cellphone is even more line-of-sight than vhf, this will give you
more more coverage when you are a few miles out. In this case, I
expect coverage will then be limited by cellphone power instead of by
not being able to see a tower. I would expect to be able to get
coverage from 15 miles out. I once experimented, while standing on my
cabin top, I was able to use my cell phone while being 6 miles
offshore. Would a cell phone booster be illegal?

NO! Don't do it!

1. VHF radio WILL destroy cell phone receiver.
2. Cell phone transmitter WILL NOT match the VHF antenna resulting in
mostly reflected power. That could damage the cellular phone.
3. If you COULD use the same antenna (which you can't), the only safe
way would be to switch it to the transceiver in use while applying a
dummy load to the unused transceiver.
4. Some cellular phones are analog which uses the 800 mhz band, and
others are digital which uses the 1900 mhz band. Still others work on
both bands.

Also, don't use marine radar antenna. Radar operates at different
frequency than cell phones. They are not harmonically related.

You CAN legally use a booster amplifier (they are manufactured
typically for installation in a car. That can boost the 0.10 - 0.15
or so watts from the typical cell phone to 3 watts. Mount the antenna
as high up as you can, but do not extend the feedline from what is
supplied with the kit. The reason is twofold: 1) the amp is based on
effective radiated power which includes the loss on a feedline, and 2)
unless you get very good cable, you will lose more in feedline loss
than you gain from height, particularly on the 1900 mhz band. You
could use a directional antenna, but, so far as I know, they are not
legal for that type use. That's worth a check, though, as I believe
they are considered legal for use in security systems and it's been a
while since I looked at those regulations. http://www.fcc.gov
--

Larry W1HJF
Email to rapp at lmr dot com