Hi,

I am considering purchasing and installing a digital cell phone
antenna and amp to give a better range when near cell towers.

Anyone out there use one and have results to report?

Thanks,
Geraldo

In article , Geraldo wrote:
Hi,

I am considering purchasing and installing a digital cell phone
antenna and amp to give a better range when near cell towers.

Anyone out there use one and have results to report?

I suppose you mean when you are in distance.
I'm sure that would help out in the range department.

I find it hard to keep out of the Canadian towers over 50 miles away
when I'm up at Lake Erie. I'm sure the time of day matters.

greg

Geraldo wrote in
:

I am considering purchasing and installing a digital cell phone
antenna and amp to give a better range when near cell towers.

Anyone out there use one and have results to report?



Nope, sorry....all my cellphone antennas and power amps are analog...

Oh, wait, ALL cellphone antennas and power amps are analog!

There's nothing "Digital" about Radio Frequency (RF) on the air....

Ok, that makes sense.

Here is the setup that I am considering: a DA4000 Cellular Amplifier

http://www.digitalantenna.com/cellamp_DA4000.html

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

Thanks!
Gerald

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 20:58:11 -0400, Larry wrote:

Geraldo wrote in
:

I am considering purchasing and installing a digital cell phone
antenna and amp to give a better range when near cell towers.

Anyone out there use one and have results to report?



Nope, sorry....all my cellphone antennas and power amps are analog...

Oh, wait, ALL cellphone antennas and power amps are analog!

There's nothing "Digital" about Radio Frequency (RF) on the air....

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:45:14 +0200, Geraldo wrote:

Hi,

I am considering purchasing and installing a digital cell phone
antenna and amp to give a better range when near cell towers.

Anyone out there use one and have results to report?

Thanks,
Geraldo

Yes, I use GSM - Cellular One which is "digital". The amp and antenna
seems to extend the range, at least as compared with wearing the cell phone
on my belt. The marine antenna is made by Antenna Specialists (I think)
and this particular amp has no manufacturer's name on it. "Digital", btw,
refers to the modulation technique. Be certain, however, that the amp is
compatible with PCS or Digital as the frequency band is different - 1900
Mhz as opposed to 800 Mhz used by conventional cellular (CDMA, TDMA also
modulation techniques)
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com
10/7/2006 11:11:42 AM

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;

--
There's amazing intelligence in the Universe.
You can tell because none of them ever called Earth.

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?



Instead of the DA4000, on a sailboat or large yacht, I'd think a home
repeater like this one, sold at also a great price, would be very
appropriate:
http://www.cellantenna.com/repeater/cae50_gemini.htm
Install it, turn it on and leave it run. It has a very low standby current
drain and at full power only draws less than 1/2 amp. Mount the dual-band
outside antenna as high up on top of the mast as you can get it without the
wind vane banging into it and the unit inside the boat as close to the base
of the mast as you can get it with 12V power from the house batteries.

This repeater will energize everyone's cellphone in the boat and give it
the range of the 7.5dbi antenna at masthead height, far better than
standing on the deck with the crappy hidden antenna in the phone.....



--
There's amazing intelligence in the Universe.
You can tell because none of them ever called Earth.