Cell Phone Antennas
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From: Rising Sun, IN (out in the woods)
Cell Phone Antennas
Does anyone have any experience with the huge 18 wheeler cellular antennas? I live in a lot of hills and valleys and am always losing calls. Firestick makes one, I think.
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From: Eastern & Western Merryland
Re:Cell Phone Antennas
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "huge 18 wheeler cellular antennas". Antennas are sized due to wavelength, and at the freq's that cell phone's operate, I wouldn't call them huge.
A roof mounted phone in any vehicle will help most portable cell phones, but in hilly country with most cell phones pushing only 700 mW connections can be tough.
Also don't forget that different service providers may have better or worse signals than others in the same geographic area. I see that all the time here in DC - everyone comparing signal strengths on their phones and berry's.
Another variable is the phone itself - they're not all created equal.
Just some things to consider.
A roof mounted phone in any vehicle will help most portable cell phones, but in hilly country with most cell phones pushing only 700 mW connections can be tough.
Also don't forget that different service providers may have better or worse signals than others in the same geographic area. I see that all the time here in DC - everyone comparing signal strengths on their phones and berry's.
Another variable is the phone itself - they're not all created equal.
Just some things to consider.
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From: Sturbridge, Taxachusetts
Re:Cell Phone Antennas
[quote author=bulabula link=board=10;threadid=20083;start=0#msg189058 date=1064492925]
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "huge 18 wheeler cellular antennas". Antennas are sized due to wavelength, and at the freq's that cell phone's operate, I wouldn't call them huge.............
[/quote]
They aren't unless you start adding multiple wavelengths or stacking different wavelengths above one another. Then a cell antenna can approach 3 feet in length. Wilson and Firestik both make high gain mobile cell antennas. Remember gain is acheived by squeezing and flattening the donut shaped radiation pattern, meaning if you reside in hilly areas, your antenna pattern may not always be ideal for reaching an antenna at an angle outside of the narrow beam. Antennas don't create more power, they just concentrate it in a desired direction. I found that a 1/4 wave antenna (only a couple of inches tall for cell phones) with it's fat, round donut pattern performs better in hilly areas than a high gain model. Think of the pattern very simplistic as a halo above your vehicle. As you ascend a hill, your halo doesn't stay level, but is angled above you. Behind you much of the energy is being beamed into the ground. In front of you, the energy is being sent directly into space. The more fat the pattern is the better chance you have of your signal reaching the receiving antenna.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "huge 18 wheeler cellular antennas". Antennas are sized due to wavelength, and at the freq's that cell phone's operate, I wouldn't call them huge.............
[/quote]
They aren't unless you start adding multiple wavelengths or stacking different wavelengths above one another. Then a cell antenna can approach 3 feet in length. Wilson and Firestik both make high gain mobile cell antennas. Remember gain is acheived by squeezing and flattening the donut shaped radiation pattern, meaning if you reside in hilly areas, your antenna pattern may not always be ideal for reaching an antenna at an angle outside of the narrow beam. Antennas don't create more power, they just concentrate it in a desired direction. I found that a 1/4 wave antenna (only a couple of inches tall for cell phones) with it's fat, round donut pattern performs better in hilly areas than a high gain model. Think of the pattern very simplistic as a halo above your vehicle. As you ascend a hill, your halo doesn't stay level, but is angled above you. Behind you much of the energy is being beamed into the ground. In front of you, the energy is being sent directly into space. The more fat the pattern is the better chance you have of your signal reaching the receiving antenna.
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