[OT] Re: [Elecraft] Cell Phone Antenna Enhancement?

[Bill W5WVO]

Here's the best place to start, IMO:

http://www.digitalantenna.com

They make several models of cell phone boosters, both wired and wireless. They 
also make a large line of gain antennas for cell phones in remote areas.

Generally speaking (and you will read this on their website), the cell phone 
"booster" needs to have as good a signal coming into it as you want to have 
available inside the house. So if the signal you want is very weak even 
outdoors, you will need to boost it using a gain antenna.

Also bear in mind that these systems are basically in-band transponders, and 
need to have a certain isolation (minimum separation) between the "outside" 
and "inside" antennas. The systems depend in part for this isolation upon the 
loss incurred going through walls. Anyway, it's a great site, and hopefully 
you will be able to tell after reading through it whether this kind of system 
might provide a solution for you.

Bill / W5WVO

Sandy wrote:
> Ron,
>    Any links as to where to start looking?  I'm in  a REAL fringy area
> here!
>
> 73,
> Sandy W5TVW
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <rondec at easystreet.com>
> To: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 10:49 AM
> Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Cell Phone Antenna Enhancement?
>
>
>> Yep, cellular (and GSM) phone repeaters are readily-available that
>> have an outside antenna and one that goes in the house. Where I'm
>> moving in a couple
>> of weeks over on the Oregon Coast the cellular/GSM service is spotty
>> and I'm
>> ordering such a unit today.
>>
>> I'll send you some links privately. Some offer highly-directional
>> antennas to avoid connecting to a tower you don't want to use.
>>
>> It is possible to rig a "passive repeater" - two antennas; one up in
>> the clear and one near where you are with the phone. Indeed, if you
>> aren't wandering all over the place with the phone in your hand you
>> can simply rig
>> an outdoor antenna with coax to your phone. Most phones have a
>> connector for
>> that purpose. I've not done that with a phone, but we did it in some
>> land mobile installations using 900 MHz some years back when a
>> customer's facility was behind a ridge line or other obstruction.
>>
>> Ron AC7AC
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> I know this is way off target - but I figure there
>> may be cell phone RF antenna experts lurking in this
>> forum.....
>>
>> I'm wondering if one couldn't make up some sort
>> of antenna-enhancer on our cell phone, to beef
>> up the cell signal that the phone hears?  There is
>> no external antenna jack on our Sony Erikson cell
>> phone - but it does have a 1 inch handle type
>> shape on top of the phone, where I suspect the
>> cell phone's antenna is.
>>
>> 73, de Fred, N3CSY, US/CA border
>>
>>
>>
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