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Old 03-27-2008, 05:13 PM   #1
stiles watson
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Verizon with repeater on the road

Tonight I am in Beaumont, TX near I10. The UM150 Verizon wireless modem is bursting with signal bars. Unlike my home site in Marquez, a marginal service area, the bars don't flick. They are just steady on. The cell phones are popping 8 bars of signal strength in the same room as the repeater. With that kind of signal on the modem, the net is very responsive and quick.

Set up was plugging the Montana into 30/50 amp service. I think I an going to like this Verizon Air Card and Wilson repeater on the road.
 
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Old 03-27-2008, 10:52 PM   #2
H. John Kohl
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Stiles,
Thanks for the report. When I got home I found I had cell phone coverage at our PA house. We did not when we left last December. I hooked up the Verizon Air Card and got a -99 dBm signal by itself. I attached the Wilson external antenna and the signal improved to -85 dBm. The antenna is just propped up in the corner of the room. I have not hooked up the Amp to see what it would do. Fifteen dBm of signal improvement is the signal strength being doubled five times. As you stated the external antenna with either set up does well in my book.

Cheers,

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Old 04-19-2008, 02:59 AM   #3
ehmcfarl
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Hey Stiles, what model of Wilson Amp and Antenna do you have?

Buddy
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Old 04-19-2008, 03:58 AM   #4
stiles watson
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I have a Wilson Dual Band Trucker Antenna and a Wilson SOHO DualBand
Bi-Directional Cellular Amplifier / Repeater. I can't seem to find any numbers to give you. If you go to wilsonelectronics.com, will see the material there. Better yet, email Alex at 3gstore.com. He is very helpful, but not pushy.
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Old 04-19-2008, 08:55 AM   #5
HamRad
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I guess I just don't get out to the hinterlands far enough. I've yet to find a spot out here in the southwest where I haven't had some cell service plus internet. That includes Quartzsite and currently sitting at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

I'm sure an amplifier would help but so far haven't found the need. And they sound a bit expensive.

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Old 04-19-2008, 10:02 AM   #6
dsprik
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I am looking very closely at the Wilson repeater and bi-directional antenna for use with my Alltel service here in FL.
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Old 04-20-2008, 02:06 AM   #7
ehmcfarl
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Thanks for the info Stiles. I'll take a look at them.

Buddy
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Old 04-20-2008, 01:05 PM   #8
sreigle
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Verizon has broadband service in many areas and regular service elsewhere. They're supposedly rapidly expanding broadband areas.

We've found that when in a broadband service area we have excellent speed even when the signal strength is marginal. And slower speed, but still decent, when in a regular service area even when the signal is full strength. We do have a 3-watt booster that really seems to help. In Connecticut we had a usable signal even thought the router reported a signal strength of 1 out of 31. One of these days we'll add a Wilson external antenna.

Here at Goulding's Campground in Monument Valley, AZ, however, we have zero verizon signal even though our cingular phone works fine. We're in a hole, though, so that's probably the culprit.

Our campground, courtesy Google Earth..

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Old 05-28-2008, 04:41 PM   #9
Alex Sian
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by stiles watson
...the cell phones are popping 8 bars of signal strength in the same room as the repeater.
stiles... an RVer in another forum asked me how far away in feet, do you affectively see signal gain from the indoor antenna? my guess was you are seeing gain all the way at front of RV... about 30ft.... is that right?

do you notice much loss in signal amplification as you walk forward, away from indoor antenna? if so, about how far away do you need to be before it is noticeable, if at all?

one of these days... i gots to get me a real RV so i can do some real world "RV Lab Testing"

-- alex
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Old 05-28-2008, 05:19 PM   #10
stiles watson
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There is various levels of gain as you move around the RV, but some gain is experienced everywhere inside. I have not gaged any exact distances.
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