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RV-Dreams.com Home -> RV-Dreams Community Forum -> Technology On The Road -> Are directional cell phone antennas useful?
Post Info TOPIC: Are directional cell phone antennas useful?
arcaguy


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Are directional cell phone antennas useful?
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Specifically I was looking at a Wilson 314411 Yagi antenna, but don't necessarily limit any experiences to that antenna.  I just seems to me that if you are in an area with weak cell phone signal you could mount a directional antenna on a pole and point it at the nearest cell tower to get better reception.  I'm just wondering they are worth the $100 or investment.



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Terry and Jo


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I can't relate to the directional antennas, although they may be better than omnidirectional ones.  However, my experience with cell signals in the past have been that the signal was blocked by a mountain ridge between me and the antenna, even with an antenna mounted on a "pole" and attached to the ladder on our RV.  In such a case, I'm not sure that even the directional antennas would be effective enough.

Terry



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Terry and Jo

2010 Mobile Suites 38TKSB3
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Dutch


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Directional antennas are nearly always more effective than omni-directional antennas. It's an old saying in the antenna design world that omni's are "equally bad in all directions." For mobile use such as cell phones, omni's are the only practical antennas for the majority of situations. In a fixed location though, a highly directional yagi antenna for instance, will always bring in a stronger signal.

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arcaguy


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Yes, Yagis have been the standard for directional antennas for decades. As you are aware they do need to be pointed at the tower so setup for a short period of time may not be worth it. However, they are tough to beat for performance. I don't know what you are going to connect them to but if it's a cell phone you will need something to distribute the signal as cell phones do not have antenna port while hot spots do. You may want to check out Chris and Cherie at www.rvmobileinternet.com/. They are the gold standard when it comes to this sort of thing. You will need to spend a while on their site but they've been making their living at this for a long while. Go to their web site and search for directional antenna. Good luck.



-- Edited by arcaguy on Monday 7th of December 2020 10:28:57 PM

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Terry and Jo


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I should mention that this is an "old" thread, meaning that it is over a year old, and Howard prefers that we not revive old threads.  The OP may have already made his/her purchase.

Terry



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Terry and Jo

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2019 Ford Expedition Max as Tag-along or Scout

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