Anyone ever buy one of these to keep in cell phone range while out in the middle of nowhere?? Any advise / experience is appreciated!!
JT4SC,
There is a thread a while back about this very subject.
We looked at Cell signal boosters and repeaters, but at $200 - $400 was outside our means.
Thanks to JJrbus (Jim and Josephine Robinson), he gave us a heads up on antennae. We looked around at different stores and on line and didn't see anything that really tripped our collective trigger... UNTIL.... We were at the Flying J truck stop in Latta, SC for dinner and coffee. I checked out their anntena selection and along with the normal magnet mount antennae, they offered a Wilson Truckers antenna that mounts using a normal CB mirror mount. It has 3 radial ground planes on it and doesn't require a fixed ground plane to work.
We were stayin out at Little PeeDee State Park and were on the outer fringes of any cell service at all. Normally we couldn't get any signal or maybe one bar.
Once we hooked up the antenna we regularly get 3 - 4 bars and went from -107Db to -83Db. This allowed us to use the cell phone for our internet and even share the connection.
Cost of antenna: $60
Cost of coax adapter for our phone: $10
Peace and quiet from not hearing me cuss and swear about not having internet and checking the board: PRICELESS!
Give it a shot!
Dallas
GREAT!!! Will do, thanks Dallas!! :)
Dallas, does that device have to be hooked to the bus? Do you have the manufacturer's name and or website? It's not too convenient for us to get up to SC right now.
I am interested because we live in the fringes of Naples and our cell service is a one bar affair always, and I have been looking for something to help. I don't care about internet (we have broadband) but we only have our cell phone for all of our phone service (no land line) an I would like the reliability of more than a one bar connection factor.
Dave Siegel
Dave,
I have to apologise.
I listed the antenna as made by Wilson Antenna. WilsonAntenna actually makes only CB stuff.
The antenna I bought is made by Wilson Electronics Model #301101
http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/ViewProductB.php?ID=1 (http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/ViewProductB.php?ID=1)
Their main site is http://www.wilsonelectronics.com (http://www.wilsonelectronics.com)
They make boosters, antennae and repeaters.
The antenna mounts just like a regular CB antenna, but they do make magnet mount or glass mount antennae also.
We really like ours, it has outdone what the mfg listed as its capabilities.
I hope this helps.
Dallas
GO BUSSING!
Thanks Dallas I will check them out.
Dave
If you don't want to order from their website, go to most any truckstop. That is about the only place you can find them in stock. Cell phone companies and Radio Shack do not carry them. It has been so nice since Dallas and I bought ours. We can actually make and receive phone calls inside the bus, even at the campground where I never had any signal at all. Also.....much less foul languge being uttered. Cat