MaximumSignal Update?

[Max Signal]

If you own an android device. These are all amazing apps for testing RF signal and performance.

 

 

Open Signal, Real Signal, Signal Check Pro, Network Info II , and Network Signal INFO . These downloads are all pretty well free.

[Bill Joyce]

I should install one of those amps if I get around to doing some real testing of my new Max Amp. It is definitely boosting the signal here at Evergreen Coho SKP Park in Chimacum WA.

[AquaDawg]

I should install one of those amps if I get around to doing some real testing of my new Max Amp. It is definitely boosting the signal here at Evergreen Coho SKP Park in Chimacum WA.

I got a chuckle out of Gord's post too Bill. It looks like he corrected his amps typo after I got the email this morning. I just chalked it up to Gord having "RF of the brain"...LOL

[Tahoe Shark]

I just ordered mine this morning. I hope my results are as good as everyone else's. Our last trip had 3 campgrounds with no bars on our phones. The office a quarter mile away had a booster and only gave intermittent 1x at the office and nothing in the campground. Looking forward to testing it out in September at a campground that typically has no service.

[Dutch_12078]

Another nice bit of news. RV Lifestyle Canada is going to be doing a Feature on the amplifier . Seems they have tested others out there and were very disappointed!

 

Fantastic, Gord! And great news on the cable feature too!

[RetiredGMM]

Hello Gord,

My name is Robert and I live in Centerville Ohio.

I was very excited when I ran across an article on the MaxAmp cell booster. I purchased one of your RV kits, which I received today and set it up in my apartment to check the unit out.

My setup is as follows:

1) Outside magnetic mount antenna is on a level 8x8 steel plate outside my second story window. (side facing my closest cell tower, reported by Android app Open Signal).

2) Outside antenna cable runs down my stairs to the MaxAmp amplifier unit.

3) Internal antenna is mounted to the ceiling on the first floor (pointing down, of course).

4) The horizontal distance between antennas measures 17 feet and vertical distance is 3.5 feet.

After setting up and checking the antenna distances, I then plugged the supplied ac wall power supply to the amplifier and then plugged it into my wall outlet.

Got the blue light ok.

I've then attempted to check my 2 phones (Sprint, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Note 5). Sadly, nothing improved and I noted with Open Signal that on both devices were/are still pointing to the same cell tower as before. (I rechecked all connections and also cycled power a few times on both handsets and the amplifier) But no matter where I am in relation to the internal antenna. I seem to have the same/similar db results as a previous customer named Rif. No change whatsoever, near or far from the internal antenna or with the unit on or off. No changes in phone state that I can tell.

Is it possible that I have a bad unit?

[docj]

What kind of signal levels are you seeing? Gord says that these new amps won't produce large increases in signal power if it's not needed. My signal is -17dBm but with an RSRQ of -7 dB and an SNR of ~17dB. From what I understand about LTE there is no reason to amplify this signal any further.

[Max Signal]

 

Hello Gord,

My name is Robert and I live in Centerville Ohio.

I was very excited when I ran across an article on the MaxAmp cell booster. I purchased one of your RV kits, which I received today and set it up in my apartment to check the unit out.

My setup is as follows:

1) Outside magnetic mount antenna is on a level 8x8 steel plate outside my second story window. (side facing my closest cell tower, reported by Android app Open Signal).

2) Outside antenna cable runs down my stairs to the MaxAmp amplifier unit.

3) Internal antenna is mounted to the ceiling on the first floor (pointing down, of course).

4) The horizontal distance between antennas measures 17 feet and vertical distance is 3.5 feet.

After setting up and checking the antenna distances, I then plugged the supplied ac wall power supply to the amplifier and then plugged it into my wall outlet.

Got the blue light ok.

I've then attempted to check my 2 phones (Sprint, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Note 5). Sadly, nothing improved and I noted with Open Signal that on both devices were/are still pointing to the same cell tower as before. (I rechecked all connections and also cycled power a few times on both handsets and the amplifier) But no matter where I am in relation to the internal antenna. I seem to have the same/similar db results as a previous customer named Rif. No change whatsoever, near or far from the internal antenna or with the unit on or off. No changes in phone state that I can tell.

Is it possible that I have a bad unit?

 

What are your current DB Levels? There is always a chance something went bad in the amp . Electronic chips can fail. All boards are bench tested at end of production . Call me Tomorrow and we will figure it out.

[Smitty77_7]

I'll give and update on the my Blue Light that went to Red Light. No further occurrences of Red Light until night before last. But I believe that was due to the one heck of a lightening show we had overhead off and on for over 4-5 hours... Suspect it had an influence on the situation:)!

 

I have not looked at signal pro as we're using our Millenicom 22GB Data T-Mobile plan while in Canada. But I can tell you I'm seeing about a 15% + improvement Speednet tests in Banff Tunnel Mountain Village 1, Loop H.

 

Best to all,

Smitty

[Max Signal]

Got another new app last week that is outstanding . Mobile Signal

[AquaDawg]

 

Got another new app last week that is outstanding . Mobile Signal

 

Gord, I forgot to reply to your post about apps last week. Anyway, I wanted to say that LTE Discovery is also outstanding. It not only tells you which LTE band your on, it has an arrow that points to the direction of the tower.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery&hl=en

[Max Signal]

Gord, I forgot to reply to your post about apps last week. Anyway, I wanted to say that LTE Discovery is also outstanding. It not only tells you which LTE band your on, it has an arrow that points to the direction of the tower.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery&hl=en

Thanks . Installed on my test phones

[Max Signal]

Glowing over this review

 

 

I received the amp just shortly before our departure from central Florida. The kit included the same antenna as I have on my roof that is mounted versus using the provided mag mount. Running the mag mount would have taken more time than I had so I just used my own adaptor and plugged it into the amp.

The inside antenna had the same time constraints and wanting to do a worst case install I placed it next to the A pillar and only a couple of feet from my phone cradle which had just been moved so I could watch the signal strength and use some features that I had not used in the past.

The amp was mounted using Velcro and placed under my dash mat in front of the steering wheel so I could reach the power plug. I wanted to see how hot the housing would get as well because we know some customer is going to do just that. It remained cool to the touch throughout the trip.

Living within ½ mile of a cell tower my signal strength is outstanding without the amp. Powering the amp up showed a 4 db gain. This gain was seen 20 feet away from the inside antenna.

We traveled up to Kansas and then to interstate 80 heading West to California. There were many stops along the way. Watching signal strength over many days would be impossible and dangerous. I decided a simple way to monitor performance was to use the Waze application for driving safety and then to monitor talk radio every day and for most of the route.

Our 22 year old grandson was along as well as my wife. Each rode in the middle of the RV at times and were 15-20 feet from the inside antenna, They both used their devices for hours each day.

As we progressed I did unplug the amp to make sure it was actually being utilized. While driving it is a bit difficult to use the dbm page on the phone so I did what most customers would do and watched the bars. There was always an improvement in the signal level with the amp on.

We had complete coverage all along I 80 except for about 1/3 of a mile in between some deep canyons.

The real comparison for me was when we came to a stretch of road in California that I am intimately familiar with. I have traveled this stretch of Highway 20 right off

I 80 for over 40 years. Since I am a telecommunications technician this area has been tested by me from tube type radios to modern cell phones. I know the coverage in this area like the back of my hand.

Most of this 30 mile stretch has extremely spotty coverage. I know which turn outs to stop and make calls if necessary. With my wife aware that I wanted to watch this area closely she was monitoring service closely. My talk radio shows were working fine.

Before sharing the results I would like to comment on the convenience of this device. The existing Wilson cradle has served me well for many years. Before that I had installed many amplifiers. Some with jumper cables plugged into the antenna ports that are no longer available. As a highly qualified installation technician that owns an electronics company it was even difficult at times to make those devices operate without issues. Fiberglass roofs in RV’s do not provide decent isolation between the inside and outside antennas.

Being able to have all devices inside the RV to function allowed my wife to use her equipment to help navigate and find RV parks along the way. My grandson was able to enjoy his devices the whole trip.

For this trip I threw a temporary mount together for my phone so it would be easy to operate. Though the installation is not up to my normal standards, it was tested in a near worst case installation. The roof antenna was the exception. The roof antenna is identical to the one provided except I have a permanent mount and a small ground plane. I used my own adaptor from the roof mount antenna and know these alone can decrease the signal strength by ½ to 1 db and sometimes more.

Now for the real test along highway 20. This area is in the high Sierras with tall thick trees. Narrow canyons and winding roads make watching signal strengths all but impossible in an RV while towing a car. As we traveled we finally lost service. Not for a half mile but probably for a whole 3 miles total along the 30 mile route.

Outstanding performance is really not a good enough word for me to explain how impressed I was. I can’t wait to test it in some other remote areas I am familiar with. This amp is a game changer. I could get all techie and talk about regeneration, feedback, dbm’s, etc. but the average consumer could care less. They simply want to know if this things works. Very simply put.

YES ! I would buy one in a second. I have spent close to 2K over the years buying the latest and greatest. The Wilson Sleek works decent but does not hold a candle and the freedom from the cradle is worth the price alone.

We will be in Calif for a month or so and will be able to test the amp in a place that could really use a decent amp. I will make a special effort to travel the 1.5 hours each way to check out our old camping areas. The amp will be moved to the car for the test.

Thank you for the confidence in me and allowing me to do a real life test on this amp. I am very impressed.

Regards,

Myron Truex

Sutter Buttes Communications and Electronics Inc.

[Dutch_12078]

Thanks for the fantastic write-up, Myron! And thanks for passing it along, Gord... It's great to see real world testing done by an industry professional under a variety of conditions. Our MaxAmp RV continues to impress us as well!

[docj]

After weeks of being concerned that I wasn't seeing the performance I expected from my amplifier, I sent it back to Gord to have it checked out. In my haste I left the small coax adapter in place on the input port. It's a good thing I did because Gord's people quickly determined that the adapter was defective and it was the cause of the poor performance I was experiencing. Gord subsequently told me that he now realizes, unfortunately, that he received several hundred such defective adapters.

 

My amp is on its way back to me and I will post its "improved" performance data after I test it. For those who have had results similar to mine, I suggest you contact Gord to find out if you, too, have one of the defective adapters.

 

Joel

[Jack Mayer]

All this anecdotal evidence is fine. But without hard numbers comparing different amps it is less than helpful. Don't get me wrong, it is good stuff to publish and to know. But hard test numbers are what is really required...as best as can be done.

 

I'm in the middle of testing the mobile amp against the Wilson -M (their mobile version). It is VERY tedious to get GOOD test numbers, but they are coming. You simply have to test a LOT to be sure you are not seeing tower anomalies. On the Mobile version no adaptors are required. I have the RV version and have deployed it....I'm just not in a bad enough signal area to get any meaningful results and my rig will not move until October.

 

The Technomadia folks are also testing in this fashion. So between us we should have some hard numbers.....and a lot of them. As most of you know, I publish all my raw data as well as summary data. As do Chris and Cherie.

[PatoNegro]

I'm in the middle of testing the mobile amp against the Wilson -M (their mobile version). It is VERY tedious to get GOOD test numbers, but they are coming. You simply have to test a LOT to be sure you are not seeing tower anomalies. On the Mobile version no adaptors are required. I have the RV version and have deployed it....I'm just not in a bad enough signal area to get any meaningful results and my rig will not move until October.

Since you have both the RV and Mobile models, could you clarify what physical differences there are between them? For example, does the RV model require an adapter for the external antenna cable? Also, are there any physical differences between the power supplies between the models?

[Max Signal]

Since you have both the RV and Mobile models, could you clarify what physical differences there are between them? For example, does the RV model require an adapter for the external antenna cable? Also, are there any physical differences between the power supplies between the models?

There is no difference in power supplies. The mag mount antenna with RV kit needs an adapter as it terminates in a N Male . Future antennas will all terminate in TNC male . ( Have to use current inventory as funds are low and cannot order more antennas at this time) . The difference in the two amps is coverage area . Car unit has a range of 10 to 15 feet from interior antenna and Range from Rv interior antenna is 25 to 35 feet . Therefore you need more antenna separation with RV amplifier.

[MNRon]

Gord - I started this thread a long time ago...and still haven't purchased one of your amps

 

We travel with a 5th wheel, would the RV version work permanently mounted in 5er and still work for us in cab of truck while driving? Or do we need to choose between 5er and truck coverage?

[Max Signal]

Gord - I started this thread a long time ago...and still haven't purchased one of your amps

 

We travel with a 5th wheel, would the RV version work permanently mounted in 5er and still work for us in cab of truck while driving? Or do we need to choose between 5er and truck coverage?

I doubt it would cover the cab. Unless you ran a second antenna into your cab while driving . It is not hard to do.

[Jack Mayer]

I agree that the RV unit is unlikely to cover the tow vehicle. I would not count on that at all.

[Max Signal]

Gord - I started this thread a long time ago...and still haven't purchased one of your amps

 

We travel with a 5th wheel, would the RV version work permanently mounted in 5er and still work for us in cab of truck while driving? Or do we need to choose between 5er and truck coverage?

Other option is buying the auto unit and just have less coverage area in the RV but it can easily be moved back and forth between tow vehicle and RV

[MNRon]

So...if I purchased the RV unit, and mounted the outside antenna toward the rear of the 5er and the interior antenna toward the front of the fifth wheel... I could position so would always be within 20ft in 5er, and would be ~15ft away in cab of truck with fifth wheel hooked up. Could that work OK, or would car cocerage be better with mobile and trailer coverage really not be much worse with mobile?

 

Physics always has trade offs I guess...

[Max Signal]

So...if I purchased the RV unit, and mounted the outside antenna toward the rear of the 5er and the interior antenna toward the front of the fifth wheel... I could position so would always be within 20ft in 5er, and would be ~15ft away in cab of truck with fifth wheel hooked up. Could that work OK, or would car cocerage be better with mobile and trailer coverage really not be much worse with mobile?

 

Physics always has trade offs I guess...

I can't guarantee . The signal would have to travel through the body of RV and the body of the truck. Both RF shields. Easier to run extension to truck and put a panel antenna in there and only hook that antenna up when you are driving

[Dutch_12078]

So...if I purchased the RV unit, and mounted the outside antenna toward the rear of the 5er and the interior antenna toward the front of the fifth wheel... I could position so would always be within 20ft in 5er, and would be ~15ft away in cab of truck with fifth wheel hooked up. Could that work OK, or would car cocerage be better with mobile and trailer coverage really not be much worse with mobile?

 

Physics always has trade offs I guess...

 

Our inside antenna is mounted off center towards the right side of our coach, but we only get good signal coverage outside in an 8'-10' arc since it has to pass through the wall.