Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 15-01-2018, 10:37   #1
Registered User
 
Capt Ben's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
Boat: 40', Farr 38
Posts: 128
Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

Seeking advice: Cellular booster (data), LTE support. I’m seeking a cellular booster primarily to use in Lake Michigan while on our Chicago>Mackinac race. I’ve been told that I can get an antennae that can be utilized for VHF and the cellular booster. I do not want to run a new wire in my mast and wish to utilize a combined purpose antennae and then split the signal at the base of the mast where the booster would be located to propagate a boosted cell signal around the boat.
Has anyone experience with these, suggestions, no of the combo antennae info, etc.? I’ve visited Shakespeare’s web site and the do not specifically call out such an antennae.
Here’s a booster I’ve been looking at on Amazon.
SureCall Fusion4Home Omni/Whip, Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit for All Carriers 3G/4G LTE up to 2,000 Sq Ft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AWGY4TE..._lqpxAb1Z0YQFR
Capt Ben is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-01-2018, 11:05   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: canada
Posts: 4,659
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

I doubt it. I can't see that working well. cell phone is a totally different freq. and requires it's own antenna and cable.

also don't believe any of those claims. my experience is the phone needs to be 6-12" away from the inside antenna for any noticable boosting. so you'll end up with a single spot in the boat where the phone can work.
smac999 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-01-2018, 14:48   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Northport, Michigan
Boat: Trailerable cruising boat
Posts: 621
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Ben View Post
...I’ve been told that I can get an antennae...
Radios use antennas.

Insects have antennae.
continuouswave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-01-2018, 16:04   #4
֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎

Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 15,136
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

Ben, you've got totally wrong ideas about the technology.

First of all, ALL cell phones, all calls, the whole nine yards in most of the world these days, is data. The GSM and CDMA2000 and other systems convert everything to data, so all calls are data calls all the time. (Except for a few legacy analog systems, and you won't see those in Chicagoland.)

Second, cell phone systems all pretty much are microwave frequencies. Not VHF. That means if you had a fifty foot cable for a cell phone antenna, it would have so much signal loss that you'd do better by throwing it away. And it would look like irrigation pipe, an inch thick and not very flexible. Very different from VHF radios, where 50-100 feet of cable can have acceptable losses.

Also, in the US, "LTE" is not the same as 4GLTE in the rest of the world. Beware of anything from overseas without a US distributor. In the US, "4G" means 3G with a faster backbone connection, and "LTE" is an entirely different service. We don't really have 4G-LTE here. 5G is not expected to deploy until 2020 now, so that's not an issue. "LTE" is pretty much the same no matter which carrier you have--but some carriers in some places use different frequencies (bands) so check that the equipment will match the carrier.

So what you need is a "whole house" cell phone booster. Try Wilsonamplifiers.com (now called "weboost".) You will need to install a cellular antenna AND the booster box both up the mast, and then the booster acts as a miniature cell site. Your phone connects to the booster instead of the real cell tower, and the booster relays calls, the same way another tower would.

You're probably looking at $400-500, sometimes carrier-specific.

It used to be possible to literally just plug a better antenna into most cell phones. But you can thank your carrier for cutting that out. Like user-changeable batteries, they just don't see the need to bother the customers with anything that might be, you know, technical. Or not small and shinier.
hellosailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2018, 08:31   #5
Registered User
 
BWSJWS's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: MEXICO
Boat: Custom Bruce Roberts 370
Posts: 39
Send a message via Skype™ to BWSJWS
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

Use the antenna/booster Neptulink NeptuLink by MVG | 4G | MVG. It does everyth No they say it does. We have had it for two years. We live in Mexico and it has not failed once in these tough conditions. Been through one hurricane and a few wind storms too. Great product.
John
__________________
​Creating a better world​.​
John Wagner-Stafford
Inventor & small business consultant - 2GreatGuys Inc.
BWSJWS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2018, 10:19   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada
Boat: Beneteau 361
Posts: 67
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

I am using Wilson 4G-S cradle booster with Digital Antenna 1273 on Georgian Bay with mixed results. Many of our anchorages have weak to no signal, apparently due to terrain. In some places the booster actually made it possible to connect and have decent service, where it did not work before. In other places you can see more bars but no connection. The signal gain is about 25db as measured by the app.
On the open lake you can get better signal with the booster but the network will still drop you as soon as you get far enough from the tower.
skalashn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2018, 11:06   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 8
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Ben View Post
Seeking advice: Cellular booster (data), LTE support. I’m seeking a cellular booster primarily to use in Lake Michigan while on our Chicago>Mackinac race. I’ve been told that I can get an antennae that can be utilized for VHF and the cellular booster. I do not want to run a new wire in my mast and wish to utilize a combined purpose antennae and then split the signal at the base of the mast where the booster would be located to propagate a boosted cell signal around the boat.
Has anyone experience with these, suggestions, no of the combo antennae info, etc.? I’ve visited Shakespeare’s web site and the do not specifically call out such an antennae.
Here’s a booster I’ve been looking at on Amazon.
SureCall Fusion4Home Omni/Whip, Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit for All Carriers 3G/4G LTE up to 2,000 Sq Ft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AWGY4TE..._lqpxAb1Z0YQFR
On Lake Huron/Georgian Bay I use a WiMax box from Rogers (CANADA), and hoist it up the burgee halyard with a battery.

Not only gives me Wi-Fi internet access on the boat, I make/receive all my phone's calls using my Skype account. Works great and I've never been out of range. It's cheap but don't push it by downloading movies, etc...that gets pricey.
parawarn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2018, 13:29   #8
Marine Service Provider
 
svmobert's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Post Falls, ID
Boat: Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45
Posts: 400
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

There are a number of cellular booster systems on the market and some of them work quite well. The primary issues seen are a result of installation issues. Separation between the outside and inside antenna's are KEY to a good installation. As noted by hellosailor, the frequencies of Cellular and VHF are generally too different to get a single antenna that will cover both. Cellular is generally 700MHz to >2Ghz while VHF is in the 150MHz range. In addition, using a single cable will require a splitter/combiner of some kind which introduces signal loss to the system.

If you absolutely want to have a single antenna mount for both services you can purchase a combo antenna (Cellular + VHF) which is available from Digital Antenna. You will still have to run two completely independent cables however so some or all of the advantage of the single antenna (depending on what problem you are trying to solve) is lost. While hellosailor makes a good point about long cable length introducing loss for the cellular booster, this can be mitigated by choosing lower loss cable, which is possible, but generally more costly of course.

In the long run it is likely easier and more cost effective to keep the cellular booster isolated from your VHF, especially since a DSC capable Marine VHF (with properly configured GPS and MMSI, which you have right? Because you should) is a life-safety device that you want to work when you need it.

The WeBoost is a capable system (properly installed) as is the Digital Antenna PowerMax booster. With all of the parts you need for a proper installation on a boat the Digital Antenna kit will cost less than a WeBoost, since WeBoost Marine kits are all sold by third parties that ADD to (not modify) the car kits WeBoost sells.

If you have any other questions about this feel free to ask. Full disclosure, I am in the business of selling marine navigation and communications systems to recreational boaters. I am more than willing to answer questions any time, and I can also help you get you set up with something if that's what you need.

Richard Anderson
s/v Mobert



Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Ben View Post
Seeking advice: Cellular booster (data), LTE support. I’m seeking a cellular booster primarily to use in Lake Michigan while on our Chicago>Mackinac race. I’ve been told that I can get an antennae that can be utilized for VHF and the cellular booster. I do not want to run a new wire in my mast and wish to utilize a combined purpose antennae and then split the signal at the base of the mast where the booster would be located to propagate a boosted cell signal around the boat.
Has anyone experience with these, suggestions, no of the combo antennae info, etc.? I’ve visited Shakespeare’s web site and the do not specifically call out such an antennae.
Here’s a booster I’ve been looking at on Amazon.
SureCall Fusion4Home Omni/Whip, Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit for All Carriers 3G/4G LTE up to 2,000 Sq Ft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AWGY4TE..._lqpxAb1Z0YQFR
__________________
Richard Anderson | Owner: Sea-Tech.com, DocksideRadio.com, KISS-SSB.com | Offshore and Marine Communications and Networking Expert, Consultant, Business Owner, Sailor, Student Pilot
svmobert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2018, 13:45   #9
Registered User
 
Cadence's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: SC
Boat: None,build the one shown of glass, had many from 6' to 48'.
Posts: 10,208
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

Put tinfoil on the cell phone rabbit ears. Sounds like you are trying to mix apples and oranges on one antenna.
Cadence is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2018, 14:01   #10
Registered User
 
DumnMad's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Nelson NZ; boat in Coffs Harbour
Boat: 45ft Ketch
Posts: 1,559
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

These guys on Emerald Steel - nice report on how they get free wifi using a booster.

DumnMad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2018, 16:27   #11
Registered User
 
Scout 30's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Florida
Boat: Scout 30
Posts: 3,112
Re: Cellular Booster / VHF Antennae advice sought

Quote:
Originally Posted by DumnMad View Post
These guys on Emerald Steel - nice report on how they get free wifi using a booster.



My favorite Youtubers!
Scout 30 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
antenna, vhf

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Latest and greatest cellular booster autumnbreeze27 Marine Electronics 19 03-02-2018 14:54
For Sale: Wilson cellular booster for sale Symphony Classifieds Archive 1 03-06-2016 10:21
4G hotspot booster advice mealsonreels Marine Electronics 1 02-06-2016 21:43

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:28.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.