Is a directional cellular antenna worth it?

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

]
The reason I chose the wide band is that Verizon operates on a few low and high bands, and their new AWS is all in the 1900 spectrum I believe.

We use T-Mobile. Would this set up work for us? T Mobile is the only carrier that works in my home location.

[bigfoot390]

You use 50 ohm low loss cable and I don't see why you can't use both. Antennas switched with again a 50 ohm switch would work. Just remember every connection in the system will cost you about 1 db of signal strength. Like putting reducers in your water system restricts flow.

I like the idea of the antenna on the tv mast. Easy to rotate. But the higher up you can go the better off you would be. Maybe some kind of trailer tongue mast mount you can raise up with a crank and rotate. Hmmm may have to look into that.

[hhendrix]

This thread is quite interesting as I too work on the road and need a reliable decent data speeds and access. I'm currently using a Wilson Cradle Amplifier with a Verizon MiFi card that works reasonable well. Lately it seems to working less well but I don't know if it's the card or the network. At least now I know why I don't get data or do get slow speeds even with 3-5 bars signal strength.
I've been reading a lot of information on this forum and have been talking to company called Singlepoint with equipment called a MoovBox. Many transit companies use this equipment for access on buses, trains, etc. This is also a member here who uses it for both his AS and his large boat in the Washington and Canadian waters. Is anyone here familiar with the MoovBox. Here is their website:
http://www.yoursinglepoint.com/hardware.html

[BoldAdventure]

Originally Posted by hhendrix

This thread is quite interesting as I too work on the road and need a reliable decent data speeds and access. I'm currently using a Wilson Cradle Amplifier with a Verizon MiFi card that works reasonable well. Lately it seems to working less well but I don't know if it's the card or the network.

Of note to you; same deal here. When I started on the road full-time we used a Wilson Cradle with our older Mifi. Back in Oct we started experiencing a slow down with ours too. Friends camping next to us were getting better speeds. The Cradle first caused our battery in the mifi to expand and burned up the mifi from overheating. Even though it was in a well ventilated area.

So we replaced the mifi. I have the WeBoost Drive 4G-M in my truck, and observed that I has getting close to 10mbps down greater speeds in the truck than in the booster. So I ordered the Drive 4G-X for our Airstream. Immediate improvements.

I'm convinced that the nonstop use of the cradle shortens the lifespan. Heat is the enemy of electronics.

[DaKs]

Great thread and lots of info. What is don't know is. Do any of the booster become a wifi hotspot or do you just use your phone?

DaK

[tvoneicken]

A booster just amplifies the RF, it doesn't do anything with the "contents" of the transmission. So think of as if you were attaching an outdoor antenna to you phone or mifi with an invisible cable.

[KYAirstream]

Originally Posted by bigfoot390

You use 50 ohm low loss cable and I don't see why you can't use both. Antennas switched with again a 50 ohm switch would work. Just remember every connection in the system will cost you about 1 db of signal strength. Like putting reducers in your water system restricts flow.



I like the idea of the antenna on the tv mast. Easy to rotate. But the higher up you can go the better off you would be. Maybe some kind of trailer tongue mast mount you can raise up with a crank and rotate. Hmmm may have to look into that.

I used conduit cut into 3 short lengths for storage in the closet. One length stays attached to the tongue jack with u-clamps and the other lengths attach with compression fittings. I ran the coax through the floor above the spare tire and terminated it below the trailer tongue for an easy connection that stays dry. Simple and easy to put up and take down. Angle of pic makes the conduit appear slanted, but it's vertical.

[Zybane]

Originally Posted by ghaynes755

Lumatic

From the WeBoost website
4G-X - $480
Trucker Omni - $51
Yagi Directional - $72

Web prices might save some. And add cabling/connectors to your particular setup.

Would you guys say this is the best setup to go with? I have Verizon and want to use LTE only.

Any tips for mounting these antennas on the roof? How do you aim the Yagi on the roof? Get out the ladder every time? And how to get the cables through the roof without any leaks?

[ghaynes755]

Most of the booster companies are multi band. For roof mounting if you have a crank up style TV antenna you can sometimes mount it to that and use the crackup for pointing. If you don't have a crank up then the tongue mount or similar works. Or buy a crackup antenna and install just the mast part of it.

[tvoneicken]

I mounted the trucker omni by drilling a hole through the roof :-). It ends up in the overhead cab that has the radio. I removed one of the lights in the cabinet in order to inspect the roof interior. One of the issues I hit was that the rubber boot didn't allow for the roof angle where I mounted it, so I had to do some adjustments.

I have not mounted a directional, but if I do it will go on the TV antenna mast (I've already removed the TV antenna).

[Zybane]

Found this electric motor rotator:

http://dennysantennaservice.com/1078741.html

It would be awesome if I could find a mast that lays flat on the roof, then raised up electrically, and then you can use an electronic control box like posted above to rotate for signal. That would be pretty sweet.

[rmkrum]

Search for "lift and lay antenna mount". It's a Ham radio gadget from Tarheel products.

Don't hyperventilate at the price. It's all stainless steel and remote operated. Sturdy enough to handle big antennas and other items.


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[Zybane]

I like it. It's worth the price if it can last decades. So I could get that lifting mechanism, and then the rotation device I linked on top. Then I would be able to control the yagi directional all electronic through a small hole in the roof. Maybe even re-use the TV antenna or the AM/FM hole/spot on my 16 Classic.

That omni-directional, TV antenna doesn't seem to work to well anyway.

[rmkrum]

Tarheel makes very sturdy products. They have a very good reputation for solid, well-made hardware.


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[Zybane]

Just to confirm, the 4G-X is the one everyone likes?

https://store.weboost.com/products/connect-4gx

Is 70dB enough? There is also a 72 dB model for about another 500 bucks, but I also want to make sure I don't run into any signal issues between the indoor antenna and the outdoor.

On my 16 Classic, the best place for level mounting is right next to the skylight in front of the bathroom. In the raised position, the yagi would be about 6 to 7 feet vertical separation and about 8 feet horizontal separation from the down firing internal antenna pointed down at the dinette table mounted underneath the overhead cabinet. I understand you want it facing direct to your LTE device like Jetpack.

Another question, could the signal be too strong in urban areas with close towers? Do I need an omni-directional at all?

[Zybane]

Seems Weboost wants a LOT of distance between antennas in their user manuals:

Installation Details
As you plan your installation, keep the
following guidelines in mind to maximize
your signal strength:
1. Maintain a vertical distance of at least
20 feet or a horizontal distance of at
least 50 feet between the Outside
Antenna to the Inside Antenna.
2. If possible, place the Inside Antenna
directly beneath the placement of
the Outside Antenna location. This
creates a maximized signal zone
within the room where the Inside
Antenna is located.


3. Be sure the Inside Antenna is NOT
facing toward the Outside Antenna.
This creates potential oscillation
or feedback and reduces the
effectiveness of the Connect 4G.


I guess I can try and get a taller mast for the Tarheel. Keeping the distances as recommended is going to be quite hard in an Airstream. I wonder how much the aluminum roof affects the propensity for oscillation, and if going too strong of a booster can be as bad as going with too weak...

It does appear that with a rotating mount, if the signal is too strong you can slightly rotate the yagi so that as the angle increases between the yagi and the cell tower, the signal will get weaker but still communicate within a certain strength.

Have you guys found that to be true?

[WheelnStones]

Hi Mike,

For this setup how did you run the cables inside the airstream and where did you run them to and to confirm it sounds like the the Mifi jetpack sits next to the internal Weboost antenna?

Thanks,
Mike

[alumdreams]

Check out the Drive-4gx instead of the Connect-4g. The Connect is for installation in homes where that separation is easy to do, the drive-4gx is much more reasonable for an trailer install.

Originally Posted by Zybane

Seems Weboost wants a LOT of distance between antennas in their user manuals:

Installation Details
As you plan your installation, keep the
following guidelines in mind to maximize
your signal strength:
1. Maintain a vertical distance of at least
20 feet or a horizontal distance of at
least 50 feet between the Outside
Antenna to the Inside Antenna.
2. If possible, place the Inside Antenna
directly beneath the placement of
the Outside Antenna location. This
creates a maximized signal zone
within the room where the Inside
Antenna is located.


3. Be sure the Inside Antenna is NOT
facing toward the Outside Antenna.
This creates potential oscillation
or feedback and reduces the
effectiveness of the Connect 4G.


I guess I can try and get a taller mast for the Tarheel. Keeping the distances as recommended is going to be quite hard in an Airstream. I wonder how much the aluminum roof affects the propensity for oscillation, and if going too strong of a booster can be as bad as going with too weak...

It does appear that with a rotating mount, if the signal is too strong you can slightly rotate the yagi so that as the angle increases between the yagi and the cell tower, the signal will get weaker but still communicate within a certain strength.

Have you guys found that to be true?

[Zybane]

I thought maybe one of you cell phone internet gurus would know the answer to the following question:

Can you plug a LTE booster directly into the antenna port on a Jetpack and not have to deal with signal interference between the outdoor antenna and the indoor antenna? Will the boosted signal not overwhelm the Jetpack? I do understand that I would be limiting voice cell phone coverage by not using a traditional internal antenna and connecting the Jetpack directly to both the LTE booster on one end and the Go2 router on the other end.

[ghaynes755]

You can do that direct connection but not all boosters have the capability to support it. I don't think models like the WeBoost 4G or 4G-X can handle direct connect. Also fewer and fewer MiFi devices have the antenna ports.