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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

 

So, are all the adapters that went out with the "RV" kits defective or is it random? It's nice you left the adapter on and may explain some of the mixed results. Looking forward to your testing with a functioning adapter. I want to buy this amp for my RV but have given up the on adopter thing and usually wait things out in most of my new to market purchases. Is there a recall of these adapters?

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In general, using adaptors is a bad thing. First it attenuates the signal - although an amplified signal reduces this effect. Second, it introduces another thing that can go "wrong" as Joel discovered. I assume these issues are addressed in future amps without the adaptors, once the new antennas are introduced. :)

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

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So, are all the adapters that went out with the "RV" kits defective or is it random? It's nice you left the adapter on and may explain some of the mixed results. Looking forward to your testing with a functioning adapter. I want to buy this amp for my RV but have given up the on adopter thing and usually wait things out in most of my new to market purchases. Is there a recall of these adapters?

 

According to what Gord emailed me last week after he tested my amp, the dealer he purchased the adapters from had mislabeled a group of "reverse polarity" units as "regular". Apparently, a large number of items were purchased, but I don't know how many have been shipped to customers.

Sandie & Joel

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I purchased 300 adapters so I could offer my mag mount with the 25 foot long cable in the RV kit . Someone at L-Com literally mislabeled a large number of the adapter regular when they were reverse polarity . I have no idea which were reverse and which weren't . I have found another supplier and as customers now request a new adapter it will be sent to them . That antenna is now almost gone and I will be offering a different antenna eventually that Jack is actually testing the prototype . I am waiting on the next batch of them right now. The mistake from L-Com has cost me a bunch of money. Needless to say I will not do business with them again and I sure won't be sending them any business.

Keeping You Connected

Proud Commercial Member #129 http://www.maximumsignal.net/

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Gord, is there a definitive continuity test that will indicate a good or bad adapter? Center pin to center pin continuity indicates good for example?

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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D

 

does not work with the reverse polarities, that is what they mislabeled as regulars

 

Ok, I'd think not having center pin to center pin continuity would indicate either a reversed polarity or broken adapter, but I don't know exactly how these particular ones are constructed.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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Just a note. Never do business with L-com. They say they are not refunding any of my money on the 300 odd adapters I purchased from them that were bad . I told them now that I know how the do business I will no longer be dealing with them . And I would be sure to stop giving them referrals. Sorry for the rant.

Keeping You Connected

Proud Commercial Member #129 http://www.maximumsignal.net/

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been using the Maximum Signal booster on our trip seeing the southern shore of Lake Superior. We have been in some terrible signal areas. The Maximum Signal booster has performed wonderfully.

 

For instance at Union Bay Campground we had a signal outside of -95 1x. Could not do anything on the net with my iPhone 6S. Inside on the booster I had -114 LTE which does not sound like a great signal number. BUT, I had 6 mbps down load speed and surfing the net was a normal experience. Escapees forum snapped up just fine as did a "How to" video with no hesitation of the video.

 

The phone as a Hot Spot had my computer surfing just like at home. So, thanks Gord for a fine piece of equipment.

 

Trainer

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Inside on the booster I had -114 LTE which does not sound like a great signal number. BUT, I had 6 mbps down load speed and surfing the net was a normal experience. Escapees forum snapped up just fine as did a "How to" video with no hesitation of the video.

 

 

 

I've been learning that if you fixate on just the absolute signal strength it is impossible to understand how these amplifiers operate. I have to admit that I've been learning from a pretty low starting level, but there's a lot more to LTE than just the overall signal strength. Inside my MH with my Max Signal amplifier I'm getting download speeds on Verizon of 25-35Mbps even though the signal strength is only ~-105dBm. That's a faster download than I get in downtown Corpus Christi even though the signal strength there is 5-10dBm greater.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
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Just remember that you can not compare CDMA signal strength to LTE signal strength. They both use different calculations (RSSI vs. RSRP) to determine signal strength and it's like comparing an apple to an orange. You have to compare CDMA (1x or EVDO 3g) signal levels to CDMA, and LTE to LTE.

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Just remember that you can not compare CDMA signal strength to LTE signal strength. They both use different calculations (RSSI vs. RSRP) to determine signal strength and it's like comparing an apple to an orange. You have to compare CDMA (1x or EVDO 3g) signal levels to CDMA, and LTE to LTE.

Which is why the signal strength alone is not a good measure. The only measure that really counts is the speed of your data download and upload. And you do have to be careful how you measure that to factor out tower overloading. You also cannot compare from one tower to another....you have to do any comparative measures to the same tower.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE 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 power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

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I agree with you Jack, but would emphasize that signal strength is still very important on CDMA. Just like the transition from analog (1G) to CDMA (2G) resulted in huge loss of coverage from any given cell tower, the same thing is happening with the conversion from CMDA to LTE. The LTE signal from a given cell tower just does not reach as far as CDMA, both due to the technology used, and fact that the LTE transmitters on phones are about 1/10 the power as the CDMA transmitters.

The reason it's important is because a lot of us still use our phones to make voice calls. While VoLTE is fine and dandy, VZW has announced that they are going to sunset their 2g CDMA voice network by 2019, and nobody has a plan in place that we know to restore the lost voice coverage distance that is going to happen because of that.

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I agree with you Jack, but would emphasize that signal strength is still very important on CDMA. Just like the transition from analog (1G) to CDMA (2G) resulted in huge loss of coverage from any given cell tower, the same thing is happening with the conversion from CMDA to LTE. The LTE signal from a given cell tower just does not reach as far as CDMA, both due to the technology used, and fact that the LTE transmitters on phones are about 1/10 the power as the CDMA transmitters.

 

The reason it's important is because a lot of us still use our phones to make voice calls. While VoLTE is fine and dandy, VZW has announced that they are going to sunset their 2g CDMA voice network by 2019, and nobody has a plan in place that we know to restore the lost voice coverage distance that is going to happen because of that.

From FierceWireless.com 07/13/2016:

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) confirmed to FierceWireless that it is currently planning to shut down its CDMA 1X network by Dec. 31, 2019. However, the carrier said it would work with its current CDMA 1X customers and would consider operating its CDMA 1X network into 2020 if those customers need more time to move onto Verizon's LTE network.

 

It will be interesting to see if CDMA is supported on the new iPhone 7. Those of us who drive in the boonies might need to get a satellite based option for at least text messaging or maybe a satellite phone.

2011 Bengal TX - "La Esperanza"
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The reason it's important is because a lot of us still use our phones to make voice calls. While VoLTE is fine and dandy, VZW has announced that they are going to sunset their 2g CDMA voice network by 2019, and nobody has a plan in place that we know to restore the lost voice coverage distance that is going to happen because of that.

 

As I recall many of us who had analog phones (remember those?) didn't want to give them up because of the perceived more limited range of digital voice. I have to admit I was one of those and we were living in New Mexico in the mid-90's when the change-over occurred and we traveled a lot of no-mans-land where even the 1X signal was pretty weak. However, by the time the analog signals finally ceased to exist, no one screamed all that loudly because the digital "footprint" pretty much covered the existing coverage map. I have a hunch that this changeover will me much the same. At the moment only one of our two phones is capable of VoLTE, but I'm sure that by then I will have replaced it just because it will be functionally obsolete because it also lacks other features such as LTE-Advanced and more.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

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Howdy!

 

We recently purchased a RV Maximum Signal from Gorden. I had some problems installing it and could not tell it it was working correctly. I contacted Gorden and he was very helpful with solving the problems. He shipped me parts and two different antennas quickly to solve the issues I was having. Not only does he have a very good product but great customer service.

 

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As I recall many of us who had analog phones (remember those?) didn't want to give them up because of the perceived more limited range of digital voice. I have to admit I was one of those and we were living in New Mexico in the mid-90's when the change-over occurred and we traveled a lot of no-mans-land where even the 1X signal was pretty weak. However, by the time the analog signals finally ceased to exist, no one screamed all that loudly because the digital "footprint" pretty much covered the existing coverage map.

docj,

Not sure about New Mexico, but I can tell you definitively that there are places in the Blue Mountains of Oregon and the Cascades of Washington that had coverage with analog and to this day they no longer have coverage.

 

Until the cell carriers get over to their aversion to building cell towers on federal gov property the coverage situation is only going to get worse as each new technology loses a little more coverage.

 

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Until the cell carriers get over to their aversion to building cell towers on federal gov property the coverage situation is only going to get worse as each new technology loses a little more coverage.

I don't think that is a problem with the companies, it is with the government.

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Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
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That covers BLM and National Forest land. The National Parks are going to off limits for a long time.

Please click for Emails instead of PM
Mark & Dale
Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info at
www.dmbruss.com

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another "on the road" update: We recently passed through West Virginia on our way south to North Carolina. We were very pleased that when passing through areas where our Verizon signal has been "iffy" at best, and non-existent at worst, we never lost the signal and had respectable data speeds for my wife's online game playing all the way. Thank you MaxAmp RV!

 

I know some of you prefer to see hard numbers, but try as I might, I have not been able to teach my wife how to read RSSI/RSRP numbers and test data speeds while I'm driving. If anyone knows of an online game that will log the numbers while she plays, let me know! :rolleyes::D

 

Also, we're currently at the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area Campground near Asheville, NC, on the "Lakesiide" loop that sits on the backside of hill. While our neighbors are complaining about poor or no cell signals, we have a respectable 4G/LTE -109 RSRP and average 10Mb down, 6Mb up data speeds from our Verizon Jetpack pretty much anywhere in our motorhome. Our Tracfone/Verizon smartphones are seeing RSSI numbers in the -100 to -102 range and our calls are clear with no drops. I did speak to one neighbor that has a WeBoost Drive 4G-X, and he is getting a usable AT&T signal within the short 3-4 ft range of his "Hershey Bar" inside antenna. With two of us using multiple devices though, we're much happier with the longer inside range of our MaxAmp inside antenna. Even sitting outside under the awning we still have have good signal levels.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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