Cell phone reception - antennas, boosters, etc?

Has anyone here used those passive repeater antennas on their cars to improve cell phone reception in fringe areas? Also, what about those battery stickers that go on the back of the phone? I am in outside sales and am just wondering what I can do to improve reception in the remote areas. Thanks!

Some outside antennas do work. Do you have a connection on your phone? Some don't. Nokias are known for better reception (Not all models). Go to www.howardforums.com for more than you ever wanted to know about cell phones.

outdoor BDA's (Bi-directional Ampliflers) work very well but cost mucho $$$$



Those stickers are useless... don't even bother.

I think the sticker is a passive induction coil and only works on analog phones.

In my experience, seems longer the antenna the better. I try to aim for a phone with a 6 inch antenna when I get one. Mainly the tracfone ones.

I once ordered some parts for my old Nokia phone and one of those "antenna booster" stickers was included free with my order. Well, the sticker was a complete scam. The gold-colored ink is not conductive in the least.

I've heard from some friends that use the passive antenna thing for the car and say that it does sometimes help, but it's not a miracle. The wired antennas for the car that go directly to the phone do work much better, but require a lot of work to install and you have to have a compatible phone. The stickers are a complete joke. They were selling them surplus at one of the online electronic places I visit once in a while for $.25 for a pack when they originally sold for $50. A complete and total ripoff. As LightBen already noticed they weren't even made of a metallic foil but were printed with gold paint :lolsign: Even if they were it still wouldn't do anything as the RF comes out the antenna and not from behind the battery anyway. Same with those gold screens they sell you to put over the earpiece, a total scam as no Rf comes out of the ear piece, it all comes out a few inches away from the antenna. Jeers to people that play on public fears to scam us and make a ton of money.

Do they still make 3W car cell phones anymore? They used to blow away the portables but that was back in the analog days.

Many spammers send thsoe antenna booster emails to help pay the bills between jobs sending 10-15 million spam emails. Those stickers are dirt cheap and they can easily get 10 bucks for them. THey will send out 10 million emails in half a day and would be bubbling over with joy to get a .2% return.

Some of my relatives live in areas that have poor reception. I needed to be available since I was on call 24/7

My solution was to buy an external antenna from radio shack that plugs into the antenna jack on my phone. It went from 1 bar (or none) up to 3, making it usable in fringe areas. The antenna can be mounted or just set in a stand on the table. At my mom's house I had to set it on the cabinet to get a signal, but it did work.

The passive repeaters work IF the signal is strong enough already, but blocked by the metal walls of a van, for instance.

Daniel

Daniel

if you're willing to shell out $300 you can get an active booster amp, depending on the kind of phone you've got, like this:

http://www.smarthome.com/9625.html

pretty cool actually, they also make them that have a separate outside antenna so that you could use your cellphone inside a stucco house, or in an underground type thing or something, but they are mucho bucks. It looks to me like that model could be used mobil but I dont know if it would work or not.

I live in a fringe area. About 1/4 mile from my house I can get a signal with just my phone. About 150 yards from my house I can almost always get a signal if the phone is on speaker phone and I hold it over my head, sometimes standing on something is needed . I can do the same with a magmount antenna, held over my head. I have tried pole mount Yagis and a booster but can't get anything from my house. Either earth (hills) or pine needles get in the way :shakehead: . I've been told that some evergreen needles are the right length to intercept some signal strength, grain of salt?.
We've done with out phone service at the house for 12 years. It is nice to have the cell phone even looking like a st/d/ork to use it

wits end the amp james suggested will work perfect. just put the yage on a pole and the other inside atlest 10ft away. and you in business

I've had one of those sticker antennas on my phone for a few years out of curiosity. There is no discernable effect, but it's fun when you're working in a mobile phone lab. it tends to make visitors believe that those things are used for real.

you should stick one to your forehead as you walk around the lab and see what people say to you