GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 I think we're going to be in a marginal cell spot for a couple of months later this year. The Verizon map shows 3G in the area around the campground and, when I was there a bit over 2 years ago I recall it was only a bar or two of 3G. I already use a Wilson Sleek cradle and it makes a great difference. I'm toying with the idea of an outside antenna (as opposed to the little window mag mount) and thinking that as seldom as I need that serious of a signal boost that I might want to push it a bit farther and get a yagi directional antenna. However, I've never used one. As an Amateur Radio operator I'm familiar with aiming antennas (my old tri-bander had a 30 foot wingspan). However, I'm wondering about aiming one of these little jewels. How hard is it? I'm imagining using a phone app to give me the general direction to the tower, mounting the yagi on a push up pole and then use the phone bars to tell me when I'm aimed properly. So what's the scoop? Thanks. Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Schneider Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 That's about it. Keep in mind you're dealing with very short wavelengths (about 6-12 inches) so in a marginal situation moving the antenna even a few inches can move it from a signal null to a lobe and vice-versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenp Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Plus the update rate on the signal strength bars is NOT real time. You have to move the yagi a little and wait, move a little and wait. takes time. If you find a phone app that gives you real time signal strength please let us know. Lenp USN Retired 2002 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom 2012 F150 4x4 2018 Lincoln MKX 2019 HD Ultra Limited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 I agree with what the others said. Use your phone signal strength indicator, or the modem signal strength indicator - NOT the bars - to determine your signal strength. But you still have to move the antenna in small increments and then wait some. Also, be aware that you have to get a yagi that will capture the spectrum (bands) that you want. Make sure that if you have 4G available in the area - which you probably do at this point in time - that the yagi gets those bands. Frankly, you may find a panel antenna operates just as well. It just depends on the particular antennas. Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Sounds like a fun project. Figure it oit and we can build it Ron C. 2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3 2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Use your phone signal strength indicator, or the modem signal strength indicator - NOT the bars -. Where would I find the signal strength indicator? I looked under Settings, but didn't see anything that had to do with the signal. I have an android phone. LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Signal Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Where would I find the signal strength indicator? I looked under Settings, but didn't see anything that had to do with the signal. I have an android phone. There are lots of apps you can download for the android . Such as Network Signal Info Signal Check Pro Real Signal Keeping You ConnectedProud Commercial Member #129 http://www.maximumsignal.net/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooneDocks Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Where would I find the signal strength indicator? I looked under Settings, but didn't see anything that had to do with the signal. I have an android phone. Settings-->About Phone-->Status Presently MotorHomeLessFollow Our Full-Time Travels Through Our Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Thanks all! Good deal all around. I won't act on it until I get there and unless things are as I remember. While I think I'll just buy one I did find this DIY article informative and interesting: http://bcbj.org/antennae/lte_yagi_diy.htm Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Thanks all! Good deal all around. I won't act on it until I get there and unless things are as I remember. While I think I'll just buy one I did find this DIY article informative and interesting: http://bcbj.org/antennae/lte_yagi_diy.htm Scott, if you read the article you reference - which is excellent, BTW, and the one I used to build my own yagi - then you will see the issues. You really need to allow for both 4G LTE AND AWS spectrums. And that is difficult. OR, if you KNOW the specific tower bands being used...which you can discover by experimentation - then you can build a yagi optimized for those frequencies. But it will be challenging especially if multiple bands are on that tower - which they mostly are these days. Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Settings-->About Phone-->Status---->Network type and Strength (on mine anyway) Yes, that's where I found it. The numbers don't mean a thing to me...I've seen the 4G vary from around 83dBm to 90dBm (I assume the higher the number, the greater the signal strength). It's good to know that the information is there in case I ever need it, so thanks for the information! LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Scott, if you read the article you reference - which is excellent, BTW, and the one I used to build my own yagi - then you will see the issues. You really need to allow for both 4G LTE AND AWS spectrums. And that is difficult. OR, if you KNOW the specific tower bands being used...which you can discover by experimentation - then you can build a yagi optimized for those frequencies. But it will be challenging especially if multiple bands are on that tower - which they mostly are these days. As I say, I don't think I want to build one, although I laid out a 10M yagi on my roof one time, aimed at Asia. My old tri-bander worked on 10/15/20 meters. It was on a 60 foot tower and had a rotator. It was a good one and I talked to people all over the world with it. One thing that was fun was to get some really good propagation going and turn it around to talk to people long path. A couple of times I actually heard the echo that meant I was hearing them from both directions at once! Anyway, I'm good with buying the Wilson or some other decent brand. Any recommendations will be noted. And, again, I don't plan on doing any of it till I actually get there and see what it's like. Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooneDocks Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Yes, that's where I found it. The numbers don't mean a thing to me...I've seen the 4G vary from around 83dBm to 90dBm (I assume the higher the number, the greater the signal strength). It's good to know that the information is there in case I ever need it, so thanks for the information! Lower number the better (it is a negative number). Here is one's view of the relative db numbers: -50 to -60 (very strong, near a cell tower) -60 to -70 (extremely good, rare) -80 to -85 (normal downtown) -90 to -95 (getting on the weak side) -95 to -98 (weak, dropping calls) -98 to -100 (bad, hard to stay connected) -100+ (basically no usable signal) Presently MotorHomeLessFollow Our Full-Time Travels Through Our Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooneDocks Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 With my Note 3 without amp, the signal strength where I am is about -98 to -102. I don't have calls drop at that level but conversations do break up. With my Wilson Sleek 4G I get a whopping 10db improvement (very disappointing it doesn't help more) and the conversations then no longer break up. Presently MotorHomeLessFollow Our Full-Time Travels Through Our Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Joyce Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Lower number the better (it is a negative number). Here is one's view of the relative db numbers: -50 to -60 (very strong, near a cell tower) -60 to -70 (extremely good, rare) -80 to -85 (normal downtown) -90 to -95 (getting on the weak side) -95 to -98 (weak, dropping calls) -98 to -100 (bad, hard to stay connected) -100+ (basically no usable signal) Those are RSSI numbers, which are only good for 1X and Verizon 3G. For 4G (LTE), you are dealing with RSRP numbers. Gord enlightened me and gave a link long ago, but you can go 20 dbm with 4G, so -120 dbm would be marginal and -100 would be similar to 80 in RSSI. I can't remember the reference Gord supplied, but found this one - http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-308-rssi-vs-rsrp-a-brief-lte-signal-strength-primer/. 2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now. Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Z Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 We winter in an area that has Very poor cell reception,and most of the time had to find just the right spot to make calls. With the new 5th wheel, I decided to try something to change that! I picked up a Wilson small building cell amplifier and mounted it on the TV antenna that I never had a use for. It connected to the existing Coax and is directional at the touch of a button. I'm happy to report that it works very good and I can get both AT&T and Verison where I haven't been able to before! ....Got Cell!... Got internet! 2000 Holiday Rambler Imperial 40' DP 2015 DRV 38RSSA 5th wheel 2004 M2 106 MDT It's What You Learn, After You Know It All!... That Counts!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Big Z - looks like a nice setup to me but I'm surprised that the TV coax run works - I'd be interested in more information on that. I came across this interesting article about using an old satellite dish to boost the cell signal. Not practical for me but it would be fun to play with. http://www.instructables.com/id/Cell-Phone-WiFi-Signal-Booster-Antenna/ Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Z Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Big Z - looks like a nice setup to me but I'm surprised that the TV coax run works - I'd be interested in more information on that. I came across this interesting article about using an old satellite dish to boost the cell signal. Not practical for me but it would be fun to play with. http://www.instructables.com/id/Cell-Phone-WiFi-Signal-Booster-Antenna/ This is the unit I picked up... http://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wilson-dt4g-desktop-60db-amplifier-kit-460101/ Even though the unit comes with coax cable, it was easier to use the one already installed! Disconnected from the antenna and reconnected to the cell booster, and the same on the other end! 2000 Holiday Rambler Imperial 40' DP 2015 DRV 38RSSA 5th wheel 2004 M2 106 MDT It's What You Learn, After You Know It All!... That Counts!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 This is the unit I picked up... http://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wilson-dt4g-desktop-60db-amplifier-kit-460101/ Even though the unit comes with coax cable, it was easier to use the one already installed! Disconnected from the antenna and reconnected to the cell booster, and the same on the other end! You had me interested till I saw the price! Seriously, glad it works for you. I'll likely look at yagi antennas - I don't expect to use it all that often and probably wouldn't invest that much money in the project because of that. Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 You just want it for the cool factor Ron C. 2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3 2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 You just want it for the cool factor Can you think of a better reason? Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 That always tips the scale Ron C. 2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3 2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KodiakJack Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Deleted 2012 Landmark, San Antonio 2013 Silverado CC, 3500HD, Duramax, DRW, 4x4 Backup, side and hitch cameras, Tireminder TPMS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamstreamer Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Working with Wilson, we downloaded app for iPhone for field strength measurement. The app is called Field Tester. Either set it up for automatic cycling or you can ping it manually (e.g., each time you make an antenna rotation). Jim N5RTG WBCCI #4822 RV Service Net/WBCCI ARC Member full-timing since 2007 Airstream CCD 25 & Silverado 8.1L Allison/3.73 260 watts roof-top solar panels visit us at http://dreamstreamr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 What coax would you use to run from the Wilson Yagi to the Wilson Sleek? Thanks Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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