Mobile phone antennas
Submitted: Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:17
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tazbaz
I believe that I can significantly increase mobile phone coverage in the bush by using an external antenna attached to a bullbar. I live just outside of
Adelaide and for the life of me cannot find any business that can supply and install (i.e. running cable through the engine bay and firewall into the cab) such a phone antenna. I've contacted ARB etc and they say that they only sell UHF antennas and these work at a differing frequency.
All that I can find is a a mob called Telco antennas in QLD but would prefer to deal locally.
Can anyone point me in the right direction please?
Reply By: Les - PK Ranger - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:29
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:29
tazbaz, I am also in
Adelaide and keen to get a mobile antenna on to help with reception gain in the bush.
My IT son was throwing one of these out a few weeks ago, asked me if I wanted it . . .
RFI COL2195
Sure :)
Unfortunately it isn't the vehicle model, so not yet sure how I will go about fitting it.
The vehicle one is
CD2195 with spring base.
I found the same mob in QLD as you did, so they must be pretty much to go to place for such things.
You might have to do self install, can't be all that hard, maybe get a hand.
AnswerID:
555823
Follow Up By: Griff61 - Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 15:28
Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 15:28
Go to Electric Bug.
Corner South and Torrens road. They will be able to do it.
Well telacomunications is there buisiness.
FollowupID:
841971
Reply By: Rob 49 - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:34
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:34
Hi, a company called Comnet Solutions in
Castle Hill NSW have everything you need. Your mobile coverage will be enhanced with an external arial. My mobile phone supports an external arial but I understand that you don't even need an antenna jack in the phone anymore as it can be handled via some sort of wireless connection. Hope this helps.
Rob
AnswerID:
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Reply By: TomH - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:48
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:48
I bought
mine from a Telstra
shop Was about $125 and connected to an inductive cradle for the phone Ii had at the time Maybe worth a try.
Not hard to install it yourself in about an hour.
Always a grommet somewhere to stick the cable through
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Frank P (NSW) - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:48
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 17:48
There is a business specialising in antennas near
my home - Mobile One at Camden Airport, NSW. They are reputedly very, very good.
Cheers
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Jackolux - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 18:37
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 18:37
It's not hard to run a bit of coax through the firewall but unless you have a phone that has a aerial jack so you can actually plug it in , I wouldn't bother
The wireless connection from the phone cradle I found to be useless .
FollowupID:
841942
Follow Up By: Gronk - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 18:48
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 18:48
So did I....an inductive cradle proved to be useless...no better reception than just using the phone itself...I even removed the aerial off the bullbar and stuck it up a tree, to no avail..
The inductive cradle is now just a fancy charger !!
FollowupID:
841943
Follow Up By: TomH - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 19:06
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 19:06
Well I found it good Got a call over 40km out of
Carnarvon. Worked fine in the cradle and as soon as I took it out started to drop out.
Talked all the way into town with it.
Was a good one though It cost $125 for just the cradle
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Gronk - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 22:39
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 22:39
Mine cost $125 as
well...Carcomm with a Nokia 920 windows phone ..
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: TomH - Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 08:32
Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 08:32
Same with a Nokia 6120. Windows phone?? Even Telstra told me not to buy one.
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Follow Up By: Echucan Bob - Sunday, Jun 14, 2015 at 14:38
Sunday, Jun 14, 2015 at 14:38
I use a Bury cradle with the iPhone 5. Where I live 7km out of town the reception goes from -105dB to -65dB when the phone is placed in the cradle.
To get the signal strength meter on an iPhone dial : *3001#12345#*
Bob
FollowupID:
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Reply By: jonno89 - Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 18:50
Thursday, Jun 11, 2015 at 18:50
the electric bug on torrens road at Ridleyton, just near the south road intersection can help you
AnswerID:
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Reply By: sweetnam - Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 07:20
Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 07:20
I have also used Comnet at Castle Hilll - highly recommend. As the others have said, unless you have a direct connection for a patch lead to the back of the phone you will not get any improvement.
Because i use an iphone, i went overboard and bought a ZTE off ebay for $60 and a brand new car kit for about $30 (scary but true) and run a second phone.On long trips i slip the sim out of the iphone and into the ZTE for a full hands free kit.
All up spent about $200 but phone works (on Telstra) a lot more
places than just my iphone
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Reply By: Sigmund - Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 07:31
Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 07:31
I've seen the induction loops in High Country huts work
well enough but they're fixed installations. They didn't improve the reception of my Blue Tick rated phone but they did boost normal mobiles.
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Reply By: member - mazcan - Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 12:00
Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 12:00
hi tazbaz
try www.accessantennas.com.au available in 3 states they have a smart phone antenna booster/repeater for Telstra which is legal to use in Australia some of the others supplied from uk etc are highly illegal read there warning article
cheers
AnswerID:
555857
Follow Up By: Gronk - Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 20:06
Friday, Jun 12, 2015 at 20:06
Looking at the website, the booster/repeater is for indoor
home installations !!
Don't know how this applies to mobile coverage in the outback of Australia ??
FollowupID:
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Reply By: howesy - Saturday, Jun 13, 2015 at 10:44
Saturday, Jun 13, 2015 at 10:44
I found the inductive pickup worked fantastic on my older phones making calls possible on hands free in the cradle when there previously no signal off the cradle. My HTC One M8 however is a different story and I reckon it gives me little or no benefit. Having said that 3 out 3 HTC one phones I have bought have been duds.
Also the arial only works on given frequencies and best results are had by changing your phone network setting when on the cradle.
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Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Saturday, Jun 13, 2015 at 11:37
Saturday, Jun 13, 2015 at 11:37
Depending on how much you plan to use the phone in the vehicle, Tazbaz, you could go with a magnetic base one, that just involves running the cable through a door, and across to your console.
While I have a bulbar mounted one on my Landcruiser, I bought a magnetic unit for my
sedan. It is about 5dB, 380mm long and being on the roof works as
well as the one on the L'cruiser.
Magnetic Phone Aerial
Have a patch lead that plugs direct into the Telstra (ZTE) T96 phone. Works
well, though nobody rings me much. :-)
Bob
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Missi C - Saturday, Jun 13, 2015 at 20:20
Saturday, Jun 13, 2015 at 20:20
We tried Telstra Dave blue tick phone plus antenna. Worked about 40 ks out of usual telstra range. Not good enough for us. This year bought Inreach communication device. Can't talk on it but can send and receive txts anywhere in the world. Google Inreach and find out all about them. We have been where no mobile coverage ie
Plenty Highway, Tanami track n
Gibb River Road this year and always have contact. Love it.
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