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Bob
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« on: July 19, 2009, 08:31:37 am » |
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Hay guys !
I took down my CB "Starduster" antenna and brought it down the mountian last night
I got to looking at it and was wondering if it could be lengthened out to be usefull on 20mtrs ... 10mtrs is easy I'm sure but those are lousie bands as far as I am concerned... I prefure 40 and 80meters and I am sure the only way a Starduster antenna would work on either of those bands is with some huge Loading coils ...
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I made a cornor reflector one time and wound up useing it on my TV instead of 2mtrs
it was supposed to have 12DB gain and a front to back ratio that was un believable
but I tried it on my TV and got better reception than with the $300 tv antenna and amplifier...so I kept useing it LOL
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the reason I bring it up is I need a good antenna here for my Cell phones we are lucky to get 1 bar of reception here and I was thinking that a cornor reflector or Plane reflector would probably be the answer... but I am not sure about the frequancys 850mhz I think but not positive... anyone ever make a cell phone antenna ? I mean a serious one that works not a pringles can with a 1" wire as a radiator LOL...
I looked on the web about antennas for mobile and base cell phone useage and $650.00 is a might bit rediculas for the antenna and base amp... Plus you have to pay an extra fee to use it.... and all I want is better reception is all. !
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if I had good reception here I might could go wireless web connection... I dunno
but anything would beat the dial up at this location ! UGH!
I have to dial at least 4 times to get a 40kbd connection, the first dial is 26.5kbd, 2nd is 28.5kbd and 3rd is 38.8kbd and the 4th usually will get me 40.0kbd
....but its never in that order its a roll of the dice !
it drives me NUTS !
LOL
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anyway...anyone got any plans for a cell phone antenna ?
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Bob........
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"Mother always told me "Son the Imposable is only a little bit harder"...and You know ... She WAS RIGHT!"
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Tink
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« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2009, 10:13:42 am » |
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I have a spare Wilson Yagi you are welcom to. Only problem is you need to make a connection for it. Corrosion got to it a few years ago and I gave up on trying to find the correct connection. It seams Wilson did a propiritory wire from the antenna to the 'N' connector. I gave up and got a new antenna, just didn't have time to fool with it. It's for 806-900mhz If yo have Verison you'll be able to use it. I get a signal outside but in the house it's sketchy and I have to plug in the antenna that I have mounted 20 feet up outside my window. Here is a link to the specs: http://www.wilsonelectronics.com//ViewProductB.php?ID=13It's yours if you can use it. Tink |
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Old Tink proberb: Don't hesitate, just do it!
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Bob
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« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2009, 11:36:35 am » |
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Oh,Oh ! Yah buddy ! thats what I was looking fer !
I'll make it work if I have to machine a new part !
what would shipping with UPS cost fer that thing ...got any idea ?
I'll send ya the bucks if ya can find a box ! LOL
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Bob...
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"Mother always told me "Son the Imposable is only a little bit harder"...and You know ... She WAS RIGHT!"
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Tink
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« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2009, 11:57:09 am » |
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Bob,
Don't worry about the shipping I'll send it to you, it's the least I can do in return for all you do for us in maintaining this fourm. Email me your shipping address.
Tink
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Old Tink proberb: Don't hesitate, just do it!
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ic-738
Jr. Member
Posts: 59
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« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2009, 04:57:32 pm » |
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I built a 4 element quilbilcle quad for cell one time but it did not seem to help. Same here on the cell signal. Also don't knock the cantenna's, I built one for wireless,(which btw cell I think is around 900 megs which would require more than 1 inch), but I lhacked up the circuit board for my wireless thumb card and made a cantenna, I then compared it to my neighbors, and got twice the signal. Since then I took a direct tv dish and mounted the cantenna on the dish, putting it at the focal point of the dish, I not retested it yet, but it should give me more gain,
Mike,
AB2DF.
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Bob
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« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2009, 10:21:24 pm » |
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Check yur email Tink !
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Yah I have 2 or 3 sat tv dishes outside I bet I could modify one of them to operate
for a cell phone....
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I know that the voice and data are seperate areas on the band on cell phones
I mostly use texting... almost totally infact.. ( as if its a supprize!)
but where that is on the band segment... I have no idea !
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Bob.......
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"Mother always told me "Son the Imposable is only a little bit harder"...and You know ... She WAS RIGHT!"
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Bob
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« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2009, 10:37:43 pm » |
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Hay Tink !
any idea what the impedance on that antenna ?
...I'm guessing at 50ohms but I really have no idea.
I'm just getting into cell phones and they are allot of fun ! but I've only had mine for about 6 months now... I know enough about cell phones to be dangerous and thats about all ! HAHAHAHAHA
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from what I understand, if I had realy good reception here I could get a wireless Modem/data connection for the computer here that would be worth the high price they charge...but all the KIDS at the cell phone shops have no idea of what I am talking about... takes 30 min to explain and then I get "Oh well I dunno man !"
I think 99% of them are scared to commit themselves because reception is so spotty in the hills here... but with a antenna high on a tower ( I just happen to have one) I could get realy good reception here I am sure.
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I get 1 bar of reception here in the house and the house is metal covered...so its a "Faraday cage" LOL
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Bob......
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"Mother always told me "Son the Imposable is only a little bit harder"...and You know ... She WAS RIGHT!"
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Tink
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« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2009, 07:03:55 am » |
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Bob, It is 50 ohm and you'll need an 'N' type female bulkhead or chassie mount connector at the antenna (that what corroded at my site because I didn't weatherproof it) and the 'N' male to connect into that then the pigtail to your phone, providing your phone has a jack for an external antenna. In between the 'N' female connector I suggest using the Wilson 20' cable that terminates into the proper connector to accept the pigtail to your phone. All this will work if your cell phone network is on in the 806-900 MHz range (Verison for one). The Air Card that Verison has lets yo connect a computer to any cell tower (Verison). it's $59/Month and has a download limit of 5gig. It worked lousy here mainly because I was only getting 1 bar. Verison is coming out with something better but I don't know much about it. Leo Laport 'The Tech Guy' was taking about it a few days ago on his radio show. His pod cast is free. Have a great day, I'm on my way to work.  Tink |
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Old Tink proberb: Don't hesitate, just do it!
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Bob
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« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2009, 08:16:42 am » |
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yah I'm using Verizon simply because it is supposed to cover the best in this area.
i think with that Yaggi up to the roof of the house I should get at least 3 to 4 bars...maybe more if nothing else it will help just the cell phone use in the house!
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My phone has the standard round pluged hole in the back for an external antenna in other words it doesn't have a external jack so I was going to get another one of the mobil phone cradles for it... I have one and it barely worked but it does to a certain extent... the mobile antenna is the problem, not the cradle I think...
that or I will make a disk of open wire to hook to the antenna so it will radiate inside the house.... never tried that but am fairly certain I can make it work...
might take a diode to ground to make it work not sure...
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I played with AM radio reception a while when I was just getting into ham radio stuff and discovered I could get fantastic reception inside the trailer house in a fringe area by hooking to the outside antenna and running speaker wire the length of the trailer house inside.... ...it wasn't elegant but it worked great no matter where I was in the house... thats what I want for the cell phone...
if I can get to that point then I may well go wireless data with one of the carriers that have unlimited data...verizon doesn't do that... their largest will cost you over 79 bucks a month and thats just too much for me .... I'm cheep!
LOL !
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I took the wife out for a Munchie this morning at about 2:00am and we celibrated out 36th aniversery togather ! after all these years I still wouldn't trade her for nothing ! HAHAHAHHA
... we got to laughing because she works with some Kids that she has been married longer than they have been alive, and that is a good giggle!
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got your email back Tink... thank you ! very much !
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Bob.......
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"Mother always told me "Son the Imposable is only a little bit harder"...and You know ... She WAS RIGHT!"
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Tink
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« Reply #9 on: July 20, 2009, 10:05:01 pm » |
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Bob,
Congratulation on the anaversery. ( i like posting to you since I feel I don't have to spell everything corectly). I'm still looking for the right box. This may take a few days but I'll get it to you. With this antenna I get 2 bars and that is a good signal. Cell bars are a funny thing. Sounds like you have the correct hole in the back of your cell phone. At Radio Shack you can get the proper pigtail for that particular model phone. It will be interesting to see if you can make it work all through your house like you are talking about. Outside the house how many bars do you get? Did you know Walter Conkrite was a ham? KB2GSD
Tink
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Old Tink proberb: Don't hesitate, just do it!
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Bob
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« Reply #10 on: July 20, 2009, 11:30:42 pm » |
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hehehe No I didn't know that Walter Cronkite was a ham !
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up the hill/driveway 200ft I get 2 bars maybe 3 on a good day , just outside the house I'm lucky to get one bar because thats on the oppisite side of the house from the signal source ... havn't tried on the other side <grin>
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I do know that when we have clouds and rain the signal drops to almost nothing...
and it can be that way till the clouds leave, not alwayse but usually thats the case!
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there again I think a antenna on a pole at the peek of the roof will cure that.
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Yah I dunno if I can make a "radiator" for the signal or not but I think so...
a signal comes down the coax from an antenna and if that is terminated in a loop (of wire center of coax to shield of coax) in order for the signal to terminate itself, which it will try to do....it will have to travel down the coax to the loop of wire..... in so doing that wire should radiate. however it may need a resistor or perhaps a diode or maybe a combonation of both to keep some of the signal there... other wise it all goes to ground and cancels out... and no signal is radiated at all....
so I realy dunno I am therorizeing it at the moment and trying to make sense of what I know about it... HEHEHEHEHEH
you have any opinions on the ideas guys ?
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Bob.......
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"Mother always told me "Son the Imposable is only a little bit harder"...and You know ... She WAS RIGHT!"
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Tink
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« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2009, 06:59:27 am » |
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Bob,
When my sister got her new (used) single wide there is a bare wire running 3/4 the way around the house under the eve all nicely insulated from anything. I can't see where it connected to anything though. We can't figure what it is for, maby something like you are thinking about. Have a great day I'm on my way to work.
Tink
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Old Tink proberb: Don't hesitate, just do it!
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ic-738
Jr. Member
Posts: 59
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« Reply #12 on: July 21, 2009, 06:53:58 pm » |
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bob,
lang wire always works great for am, the longer the better, but i think the cell phones are still around 900 megs, which means they tend to bounce off everything, but do not travel far. I still don't understand why the cubicle quad did not work, other than the signal is so displaced and caotic that the best way to do better would be a amp, preamp?
Mike,
AB2DE.
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Tink
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« Reply #13 on: July 21, 2009, 08:20:01 pm » |
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Mike,
Exactly, I did use one of those 'Boosters' it didn't do too good when I was not even getting a bar outside the house, I was going to the top of the hill to get a connection. But when Verison put up a closer tower and I could get a good connection outside the house but sketchy inside that booster did real well. I gave it to my sister and she is using it to great advantage. They cost $210 but you can get them on ebay cheaper. Radio Shack sells them and also the Wilson counterpart. I don't know which is better. You really have to have a signal outside for them to work inside the house.
Tink
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Logged
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Old Tink proberb: Don't hesitate, just do it!
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ic-738
Jr. Member
Posts: 59
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« Reply #14 on: July 21, 2009, 08:25:09 pm » |
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tink i am not a firm believer in anything radio shack sells these days. They put ou a few excellent ham rigs in there time , they were basic, but work horses, I still have 1 the htx 212 or 202 i would have to look, but it has outlived all my other ridgs for 2 m 70 cm. U can not even buy many rresistors there any more.
Mike,
AB2DF.
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