Saturday, March 5, 2011

Cell Phone Antennas

There are two Wilson cell phone antennas in common use with RV’ers. The 12” magnetic mount and the RV/Trucker. Both have the same max. dBi gain of 6.12. In order to get better reception in the fringe areas where we spend so much time, a higher gain antenna is desirable. Three months ago, I installed the referenced high gain antenna on the roof of my house and another on the Lazy Daze. I have just completed a two month field test of the LD installation with excellent results. However, the antenna is 40” high. That means if it is installed upright, it will almost surely get knocked over by tree branches. To resolve this problem, I designed a folding mount for the antenna that does not require me to scale the ladder. If you think a high gain antenna might help your voice or data reception, a way to lower the antenna for travel is desirable.

Wilson 12” magnetic mount antenna

Info. per the Wilson site:

- Easy to install

- Removable - transfers from one vehicle to another

- Rare earth magnet

- Metal ground plane required (Minimum 3.5 in. Diameter)

- Antenna gain: 5.12 dBi 806-894MHz / 6.12 dBi 1850-1990 MHz

Wilson RV/Trucker roof mount antenna

- 5/8 inch x 7 inch threaded mounting rod spans the distance between RV’s roof and headline

- Angled surface mounting kit included

- 5/8 inch threaded brass rod can be easily cut for various mounting depths

- No ground plane required

- Includes all mounting hardware

- Also available with mirror/rail mounting

- Antenna gain: 5.12 dBi 806-894 MHz / 6.12 dBi 1850-1990 MHz

High Gain Antenna

The Product Description excerpt below is from is from the seller's E-Bay site.

http://cgi.ebay.com/13dBi-External-Antenna-Verizon-Novatel-USB760-USB-Modem-/110437090195?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item19b6904393

- New Premium Magnetic Mount External Booster Antenna w/Adapter Cable.This Rugged Booster Antenna Has Been Approved and Sold by Verizon / Alltel, AT&T / Cingular, Sprint / Nextel, Cricket, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Virgin Mobile, Telus and Other Service Provider Agents Nationwide/Worldwide.

- Advanced 13dBi Gain Dual-Booster Module Multi-Band (AMPS EDGE GSM GPRS UMTS CDMA TDMA - Digital & Analog) Technology Delivers Maximum Reception - Up To 15 Times More Signal (19dBi - 24dBi System Gain) Than Your Wireless Equipment Used Inside Vehicles/Homes/Buildings Without External Antenna.

- HD 40" Hi Gain Dual-Booster Module Mast (1-Piece) Tuned Specifically For Multi-Mode Wireless Equipment (800 ~ 940 MHz / 1800 ~ 1990 MHz) - For Nationwide/Worldwide Use.

Contributor: Ed Daniels

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