Cell phones and yagis and boosters

[craigepo]

Ok, I need some cell phone/echo help:

My cell phone reception at the farm is sketchy at best. I have Verizon service. I Presently have a square, directional antenna hooked up to a zboost booster, which isn't accomplishing anything.

I'm thinking about getting a Yagi antenna, and pairing it with some type of dual-band booster. I'm curious if the Yagi will work with the full range of cell freqs. Also, is there any type of field-expedient antenna that I can set up for cell stuff?

Thanks for the help

[Peregrino]

Check out http://wa5vjb.com/. He might have what you're looking for.

[SF_BHT]

I use These for work and personal gear from Wilson electronics. I use their mobile solution in a few trucks and have eliminated the dropped calls and data ot getting through.

http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/

The mobile one I use does all technologies out right now CDMA and GSM. 2G/3G/4G and LTE. you get a 50db gain on send and receive ....
http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/store/display/245/38/mobile-4g

I also use for work the following for a building that has a lot of dead space due to it beaning on the extreme edges of all cell towers.

http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/store/display/242/47/ag-pro-4g-formerly-ag-pro-quint

Check out some of their other gear and you might find a good fit for your situation.

I have a mobile solution in my house. All I needed was a grower supply to replace the car supply. Just leave the phone near it and answer when it rings.

Hope this helps.

Just getting an antenna does not fix the db problem and you still need an amp.

[craigepo]

I'm in. Did you get one of their yagi antennas, or go with the white omnidirectional deals?

Those boosters look like the heat.

[SF_BHT]

I'm in. Did you get one of their yagi antennas, or go with the white omnidirectional deals?

Those boosters look like the heat.

I have omni usually depending on how far the towers are. I have one setup with a yagi for when we go up in the mountains and it bennifits a lot. Check your telecom providers tower locations and if you are out in the papua patch with only one near use a Yagi. It will all depend on if you are only using a single provider or multiple in your household.

[craigepo]

Thanks a bunch for the help. I wound up purchasing the Wilson system you discussed, after checking signal strength around the house/roof with a free app. They sent me the antenna, which is actually a directional yagi in a plastic cover. That hooked to a booster, which hooks to an antenna inside the house. My reception went from 11% inside the house (not nearly enough to make a call) to a max of 85% (darn fast internet on the smartphone).

Now if I can just figure out a way to use my grandfathered-in unlimited data plan from our phones for Wi-Fi, I'll be in business. However, this is becoming quite an ordeal. Verizon is not very proud of their old unlimited plans.

[PSM]

I'm not sure about your total situation, but living totally off-grid here, we have a high speed internet and phone service through a company called Wi-Power. They put a parabolic dish, like sat TV, that's aimed at their dedicated cell tower about 10 miles away. We have unlimited internet access that is much faster than our DSL in L.A., a land line-like phone, plus our own wifi hotspot.

Our DISH TV and Verizon DSL/phone bills, combined, were more than twice what we are paying for this service . I'm not sure if they serve your area, but there are companies like this popping up to serve those of us that live in more rural areas.

Pat

[Ret10Echo]

Not 100% clear on your details, but there were some work-arounds out there for hotspot access... Look up ubuntu-linux.....