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Old 05-12-2011, 12:58 PM   #1
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2007 25' Safari FB SE
St. Hedwig , Texas
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Cell Booster?

I purchased a ZBoost SOHO YX545 from Radio Shack. Outside the Airstream it works great. Since it needs at least 15' between the signal antenna and the base unit is it possible to make a connection similar to the outside TV connection but for the cell phone booster unit. Seems that it would be very difficult to run an antenna cable between the roof and inside ceiling the length of the trailer. If I could place the signal antenna at the front of the trailer and run the coaxial cable under the trailer and screw in into outside connection just like the TV connection.

Would this work?
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Old 05-12-2011, 01:02 PM   #2
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South of the river , Minnesota
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Gayle the distance won't help much. I have a zboost and in reality you need to have vertical separation for it to work well. 25' horizontally just won't make much difference. I've planned out a telescoping mast for the front of the trailer and all kinds of things and ultimately decided it wasn't worth it.

You might also consider a dish antenna for it. They're available from many sources and while a nuisance to set up also help with the separation.
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Old 05-13-2011, 07:35 AM   #3
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Although I do not have the vertical distance I get a very strong signal. Before I did not have anything. Can I put a TV type connection on my Airstream where I would screw the outside cable on to it and then from the inside screw a short cable to my base unit? I'm talking about drilling a hole through the body of the Airstream. To me this would be better than having the cable running through the door.

When we are outside a lot I can take the base unit outside on the patio. That's what I like about it.
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Old 05-14-2011, 07:31 PM   #4
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It has been my experience that cell phone boosters are a "crap shoot." First, new cell phones operate at 2.4 GHz mostly but it varies by geography and the cell service provider. Older systems in rural areas may still be 900 MHz. So, depending on where you're located and the cellular provider you are using, you might need different antennas. Remember, antenna length is proportional to the radio frequency used by the phone. I tried using a Wilson booster and external antenna while on a caravan in the west and northwest last year with unsatisfactory results. The booster really needs to connect to the cell phone at the antenna jack or port. Most newer phones don't have this as the antenna is built in. The coupling pad that was supposed to work when no direct connection was unreliable at best. If you have a smart phone you may have some options over a dumb phone but still, it's a crap shoot.
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Old 05-14-2011, 09:34 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwgreen View Post
It has been my experience that cell phone boosters are a "crap shoot." First, new cell phones operate at 2.4 GHz mostly but it varies by geography and the cell service provider. Older systems in rural areas may still be 900 MHz. So, depending on where you're located and the cellular provider you are using, you might need different antennas. Remember, antenna length is proportional to the radio frequency used by the phone. I tried using a Wilson booster and external antenna while on a caravan in the west and northwest last year with unsatisfactory results. The booster really needs to connect to the cell phone at the antenna jack or port. Most newer phones don't have this as the antenna is built in. The coupling pad that was supposed to work when no direct connection was unreliable at best. If you have a smart phone you may have some options over a dumb phone but still, it's a crap shoot.
Cell phones are not on 2.4 GHz Some home wireless phones are. 2.4 is a group of around a dozen channels that were originally allocated for hospital use.
An omni antenna transmits a pattern that looks like similar to the shape of a football in a 360 degree pattern. If you can change antennas you can get a flat plane 180 degree and probably solve the problem. I had a side business as a wireless Internet Service Provider covering over 300 square miles. I could set at the base of a 120' tower and a 150' tower and pick up a signal from a 9 db antenna. It is important to have large coax and then pigtail down to a smaller one close to the equipment. You can't run 2.4 GHz on TV type cables. Here is a sample of an antenna that will transmit a signal over 20 miles line of sight. It will also go through some tree foliage. In reality you can transmit a 2.4 GHz signal line of sight over 40 miles with a yogi type narrow width signal.
Premiertek ANT-OMNI-10DBI Outdoor 2.4GHz 10 dBi Antenna
Here is a sight that deals specifically with a antenna and its actual coverage pattern if you are interested on the antenna pattern.
http://www.allendale-stores.co.uk/wi..._datasheet.pdf

Here are a lot of different types of antenna for those interested in improving their performance.
WiFi Antennas || RadioLabs
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Old 05-14-2011, 10:10 PM   #6
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I just did a big spill on the 802.11 networks you can do a search on the frequencies you need to find a higher db antenna. The same principals apply but some frequencies penetrate buildings better than others.
Here is a multi-frequency cell phone 9 db antenna. The antenna is what does most of the boost. There are federal power restrictions on the transmitters.
Digital Antenna 897-CW 8 Foot 9 dB Dual Band Marine Antenna (897-CW) - Digital Antenna - 897-CW -
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