Cell Phone Reception Gizmo..

[dieselsmoke1]

That little foil looking thing that you can stick under the battery and "INCREASE YOUR SIGNAL STRENGTH BY 300%".

Anyone actually tried one of these things and do they help at all?

 

[Junkman]

Snake Oyl at best....... I heard that it was invented by P.T. Barnum.......

 

[BubbaJr]

It might have been invented by PT Barnum, but I put one in my Motorola flip phone (which has a very small antenna) several years ago, and it gave me one extra bar on the signal strength meter. I think 300% is some ad mans dream, but it did help, and I was on the fringe of the closest cell tower coverage. Now since they put up a new tower about 4 miles away, I get very good reception (usually 4 bars). I'm happy with it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Yup. I am embarrased to say that I got suckered in. Nope, they don't work what so ever !!!!!!!!!
Or atleast you couldn't prove it by me !!!!!!!!!!

 

[rozett]

If it worked at all....don't you think the phone mfr's would have added the 2 cents it cost to add a small circuit foil to their phones? Just snake oil...

 

[PineRidge]

My business is located in our home. 5 incoming lines that ring non-stop all day long from all over the world. I shut them off at 11PM to get some rest and peace & quiet. Me? sorry no cell phones here please....

 

[dieselsmoke1]

I can sure relate to that, but in my case it's a neccessary evil.

 

[Phred]

Dieselsmoke,

There is no technical basis for any of the claims these people make. Pure BS.

I saw an add many years ago for wire that claimed to allow the electrons to travel faster to your speakers and therefore improve the performance. Impossible and yet again pure BS.

Its definetly buyer beware. If it sounds to good to be true, then it surely is.

Fred

 

[GaryM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(

I saw an add many years ago for wire that claimed to allow the electrons to travel faster to your speakers and therefore improve the performance. Impossible and yet again pure BS.

Fred )</font>

Don't know about the speaker application, but at RF frequencies, the propagation velocity of the signal is dependant on the dielectric used in constructing the cable. Most coax cables have velocity factors in the 88% range, but some are higher and some lower. This is important when constructing antennas and matching networks because it's the electrical length of the wire that's important, not it's physical length.

So there MAY be someting to their claim. But if it will affect speaker perfomance or not may be BS.

 

[8NTX]

Bought one for my old phone a couple of years ago. Didn't help. At all.

 

[OkieNCognito]

At my rural home I get one bar of reception on my cell phone.....I added the foil sticker and now I get......one bar.

 

[PBMAX]

if you get any help from these count your self lucky. I put one on and put my nextel phone in test mode and got zelch.... Having looked at the nubers before and after...You can't trust the bar on your display on most phones. It is typically an estimate of signal strength and signal quality combined. thus if the lil foil incresed the strength you may see it register on the phone but could you really hear any better.. You never can tell how any one phone may act.
I had 2 of the same exact phone model and could at the time connect them to a tower and force it to one channel. One had 10% better signal strength than the other, on the same channel. at the spot on the ground...So who knows...

 

[rdam]

Your cell phone is a radio. The frequency used is primarily line of sight. If you want to increase the range and improve the reception, raise the height of the antenna.

In a car, install an external antenna.

And, why I haven't seen this yet, I don't know...A "base station" for your cell phone. ie: Home/Roof mounted antenna, plugged into a "base" which charges/powers your cell phone.

For fringe/rural areas, this might be ideal...one phone!

 

[thcri]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( And, why I haven't seen this yet, I don't know...A "base station" for your cell phone. ie: Home/Roof mounted antenna, plugged into a "base" which charges/powers your cell phone.

For fringe/rural areas, this might be ideal...one phone! )</font>

They are quite popular here in our area. My last three vehicles have them. External antenna, battery charger with speaker. The reason they are popular the cops have been giving out citations for people using their phones while they drive. It was at first contested but evidently they found a loop hole in the law and again are giving out the citations. Nokia and Motorola both have them that I am aware of.

murph

 

[valkman]

I too, got suckered in for 4$ - did not do a bit of good.
Wrapped about 2 feet of tinfoil to the end of the antenna, now that worked awesome.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I too, got suckered in for 4$ - did not do a bit of good.
Wrapped about 2 feet of tinfoil to the end of the antenna, now that worked awesome. )</font>

LOL haven't done that since the rabbit ear days /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[PBMAX]

" Your cell phone is a radio. The frequency used is primarily line of sight. If you want to increase the range and improve the reception, raise the height of the antenna." <font color="blue"> </font>

true enough and as to base stations cell companies discurage adding signal inhancing devices to cell phones.(they can cause noise issues for the towers) As I mentioned digital phones look at both the QUILTYof the signal and the power and take a base and use that. increasing the power with digital phone may help but only if the quality of the signal is high enough that little or no distortion accures. that said Wislon antenna sells a cell antenna with an adapter that fits most popular phones for truckers. It promisis 10-15 db gain (double your power every 3db in theory) this is ment for car use but if you happen to have a sheet metal roof and a way to extend the cable you could get some pretty gould reception.. Cost is $50 for the antenna plus the adapter and a base.

Or you could do like me and get your hands on a repeater and 2 factory omni antennas..... They would work to if I had the patience to install them...

keep in mind most digital phone only put out 1/6 of a watt and are limited to 2-6mile from the closest tower.(there are exeptions I have been 14miles to the foot)
anolog or dual ban phones can be considerable higher... as for being HIGHER yep I'm eye level and dead even 8miles between 2 towers and talk well on both individually but if I go from one end of the house to the other I drop the call. You see the towers are on oposite side of the mountain and don't see each other as nieghbors...so the calls can't bounce back and forth between them.... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

See yall and enjoy