Cellular power amplifiers and external antennas

[wa4bmg]

Has anyone had any experience with using a power booster amplifier and external antenna. Preferrably with Nextel. We are spending more time at Salt Springs fl which is noted for being a cellular dead zone. Some signal can be recieved in certain parts of the park. I am considering something like th Smooth Talker Amp system with an external antenna mounted on the the ladder of the Big Sky 3295 RK. Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks
John

[NJ Hillbilly]

I saw that in Trailer Life (or was it Motorhome?). It looks like a good idea since the old permanent mount or bag type portable phones were 3 watts instead of the now 0.6 watts. It's a little pricey but technology always seems to be.

If You do get one let us know how it works out,

John

[OntMont]

I bought an antenna at Flying J, If there is any signal available, it will improve the signal strength by 1 or 2 bars on its own. I would like to try the amplifyer, but that is a more costly undertaking. You need the right ant. & amp for the type of service you are using. There is quite a bit of information on the internet if you search for it.

If anyone has actual experience with these, I too would be interested.

Thanks,

[Montana_593]

I have the external antenna and power booster on my truck. It cost about $400 for everything. I orderded on internet and installed myself. It does boost the signal, but I still find dead zones when just too far away from the towers. I use t-mobile service, service isn't that great but the girl is cute. I think nextel and cingular have more towers so coverage area should be better. I do get a lot of questions about the antenna, it looks a little different than most so I guess it is a good ice breaker.

It would be pretty easy to install in trailers. Get a mirror mount for the antenna, run cable inside unit and plug into 12v booster. You would need a 12v plug or converter to power the booster.

If you are considering this equipment be sure you order the correct antenna, adapter and booster for your system. Apparently there are differences and they don't work with just any service.

[wa4bmg]

I ordered the equipment today for installing in the Montana. I have a guantee that if it does not work out I can return everything for full credit. I am getting a Wilson system with the Antenna they call the trucker antenna and I am going to mount it up on about a 10 foot pole on the ladder of the 3295RK. I will let folks know how this works out. Thanks for your comments.
John Furlow-wa4bmg

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by Silverbait

I use t-mobile service, service isn't that great but the girl is cute.

We don't use t-mobile but, otherwise, it sounds like we think alike. I pick my favorite local news tv station based on ....

[8.1al]

We have the Wilson trucker cellular antenna mounted on the top of the ladder. It will add a couple bars to the signal and allows us to use our phone just about anywhere there's a signal.

[Montana_31]

wa4bmg,
We have that antenna on our truck now. If you have any bars showing signal strength it helps in not dropping a call, but it does not boost the signal. If you want to boost the signal, you'll probably have to bite the bullet and get the "Smooth Talker". I think that's what we are going to do to the tune of $349 for everything but installation. It shouldn't be that difficult to do.

[Montana_1753]

I have the SmoothTalker w/magnetic antenna. The antenna helps from dropping calls when used by itself. When hooked to the amplifier, it pulls in signals that were 0 bars on the phone by itself. The only thing you have to watch is if you are near a tower, you might overload the towers receiver. If this happens, you cannot just turn the amp off. You must disconnet it from the phone completely!! There is not an internal relay in the amp for bypass when amp is off!! The information you get with the SmoothTalker explains this as a cost saving measure. My phone is a Motorola T720, and my provider is Cingular.

[H. John Kohl]

wa4bmg,
Suggest you look at the 16 or 20 foot crappie pole. It collapes down to a 4' tube. I use them to extend my vhf and also support wind socks. Good luck.

Depart for Australia in the morning. Trailer all stored up state NY.
John

[sreigle]

John, I have one of those poles but a different use for it. I marked off the height of our Montana after being in one park with a very low hanging electrical wire. Now I can extend that pole to make sure we'll clear. I've only used it that once but just having it at hand brings me a lot of peace of mind.