Let's talk cell phone boosters... (how to, work, antenna, Verizon)

[itsMeFred]

We have a Wilson DB Pro omni. It boosted our signal from the occasional bar to a fairly steady 1 to 3. This works fine for the most part as I just want to be able to send/receive texts.


However, DH might have an opportunity to be a truck dispatcher for the company he currently works for in ND, hauling frack sand. He would be able to work from home! provided we can figure out how to improve our cell signal at home. As it is, during the test week, he just had to route calls into the house phone as our signal simply wasn't good enough to be able to send/receive calls.


Here's the part I'm struggling to figure out. My cell phone (and hopefully our internet, shortly, through yet another antenna) comes via a GSM tower, about 5 miles to the west.
HIS work phone, as well as our house phone actually, come via a CDMA tower, about 5 miles to the east.


Three questions:

1. Should we get a Yagi so it can be pointed at his tower, thus making work more productive? and keep the omni for the piddly job it does for my phone?

2. Will we be able to mount them both on the same short stretch of roofline without creating havoc for both?

3. Should we just upgrade to a better omni (this one, perhaps, which claims double the signal of ours) so it can continue to serve both carriers?

The company has made the offer to buy the equipment.

[509]

Full Time RV'ers have this issue covered. Cell Phone Boosters are hated by the phone companies they have pressured the Federal Government to restrict their use. We have "the best government money can buy".

Read this link: Communication

All that said since you know where the towers are located I would go with a YAGI. But this is based on my neighbors experience, rather than mine.

In small towns, sometimes local stores like Radio Shack actually have people that KNOW stuff. There are others that have put up systems on their own and can give advice. So ASK around.

Hopefully, others will chime in.

[Skunk Workz]

Completely agree with 509 on the Full Timers having a lot of this worked out (and Jack Mayer has probably some of the best write ups available).

Here's another interesting read on the state of the industry (as of a few months ago):

Where are the LTE Boosters??? | Technomadia

[Peregrine]

Can't you just get a booster from your cell company? They aren't cheap but the cell companies love to push them. (Verizon's is $250).

[itsMeFred]

I have TWO cell companies, on two different frequencies...