Cell Phone Antenna Repeater

http://www.amazon.com/Cellet-Phone-Anten na-Booster-Repeater/dp/B000KNNKVS/sr=8-2 1/qid=1167883965/ref=sr_1_21/002-6171436 -9530428?ie=UTF8&s=wireless
this link is an example
i am just wondering if this thing really works!

Yes they really work. Can increase your range up to 3 miles

2007-01-03 20:20:09 by sleepingapparitions

This car-mount antenna improves reception and call quality of your cell phone inside the vehicle. It is perfect for strengthening your phone#39;s ...

I asked this in "Cell Phones" but didn't get any legit response. Hopefully you electronics folks will be more helpful.

I have seen some “passive repeater” products designed for vehicles that consist of an antenna that sits on top of another smaller device located inside a vehicle that re-transmits the signal. Some of these boast of a 6db gain. I would like to be able to do the same sort of thing but using an existing “yaggi” antenna as the source with the smaller “passive repeater” unit placed such that I can get reasonable wireless reception in an immediate "base camp" area.

I am not interested in spending several hundred bucks on an active repeater that requires external power. I am, however, willing to purchase one of the passive automobile repeaters and hack it such that it uses the existing “yaggi” as the source signal.

Any practical advice on how to make this work?

Any pointers to low cost passive repeater products that have a connection for an external antenna?

The "passive repeaters" used in vehicles will not work in your application. They consist solely of two aerials coupled together; any claim of gain is dubious at best, though you may get a greater erp in one direction if they use a directional aerial (such as your Yagi). Incedentally, 6dB is only double the power (sounds good but the receiver won't notice the difference), easily obtained by adding a reflector to form an H, as often seen on rooftops.

It's not totally clear what you want to do. If you need to cover an area of poor or no reception, you will need an active relay. If your phone does not need to be portable, then you cold try an external aerial connected by cable to the handset, but that obviously negates the advantage of having a mobile in the first place.

By all means experiment with your passive repeater; you have nothing to lose. Bear in mind, though, that the more elements the aerial has, the greater the gain but the narrower the beam, and at the frequencies involved here construction his to be very accurate.

The sites listed below should provide food for thought.

2006-10-18 07:09:25 by PraiseBob

Provides improved signal strength in areas where cell phone signal is weak.
Extends the transmitted and received signals of mobile/cell phone antenna.
Easy stick-on installation - no drilling, no tuning, no set up and nothing to hook up.
Passive-repeater circuit board reduces signal loss, cutoff, fade and static.
Picks up signals from your phone and transmits them outside, pulls in signals from outside for improved reception.

How much do I need to pay to get a good one. I get reception everywhere but my house. I really don't want to pay 300 for a fuckingg repeater.

they don't work

2006-09-20 19:31:12 by Zach S

Stabilize and Enhances your cell phone reception
Gain up to 3DB in signal
Reduces dropped calls and static noise

I have these cell phone repeaters on the roof of a building ajecent my house, its about 100 meters away and about 150 feet up. There are two of them, and they belong to a local cell phone company, so they are cellular repeaters. They stand about 30 feet tall, and have some dishes and antennas on them.

Besides from making me tired and giving me headaches, will these things eventually give me cancer?

You should see a doctor. There is no evidence that towers cause anything. You may have a real serious problem that you don't know about. If you are worried about electric fields make sure you don't have an electric blanket or any cords under your bed. They have been shown to have a stronger field because they are very close to you 8 hours per day.

2006-02-05 09:18:07 by johnson4730

Like a wifi antenna but for cell phones?

I want it to work like a repeater. I want to have signal where there is no signal to be had including roaming.

I have a place in the high desert and it doesnt get any cell reception, I also go out of town alot, camping trips ect...
I want to make the antenna so that I can "shoot" the signal to the side, or above the mountain or through the valley, so the signal will probably need to be strong.
I want it to be compact so that I can take it with me in the truck where ever I go.
I was thinking of using a large vegitable steamer as the dish
because it folds up, therefor helps keep it compact.

Do any of you know how to make one, or a link with a how-to?

P.S. I know some of you are probably thinking, well the convienence of electronics isnt camping! I fully agree with that, but I want this for emergency cituations when camping, and convience on the road.
Thanks for the input Hutton.

Is there any way to boost the signal when im camping in an area where there is absalutly no signal?
that is why i thought of a parabolic antenna because it is highly focused, so instead of having the signal spead out over an area, i can focus it on one area and greatly increase the odds of a signal.

Won't work very well.
A parabolic reflector for an antenna is very highly focused. It would have to focus directly at the cell at all times. That would not be very useful for a cell phone. More likely than not is the the phone doesn't have enough signal strength to get back to the cell. Both the cell site and phone have a transmitter and receiver.
The reflector must be a precise shape, a true parabola or spherical to function as a proper reflector. Just using something bowl shape isn't good enough.
Try the most bare bones phone, the base model Nokia tends to be the top performer. It is the phone that has the greatest influence on signal quality, not the service or cell site.

2008-06-25 17:21:22 by John R