Smooth Talker 3 Watt Boosters

Does anyone have any experience with the Smooth Talker 3 watt Power
boosters on CDMA networks....?

T <Southbayman@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<tshea0pd16narks76vik6vj10apgpujmk4@4ax.com>. ..
> Does anyone have any experience with the Smooth Talker 3 watt Power
> boosters on CDMA networks....?

I have been trying to find something such as this for some time. The
old three watt analog phone was great for a lot of the outlying areas.
And the invehicle booster with antenna made the access much better.

Have you noticed the GM ONStar adds where they tout the better
service. Claim to have service where a "cellular phone" will not
work. Except, I beleive, it is simply the old technology that is
being employed.

I'd like to read of someone's experience with it.

"charley" <cmeng@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ff7ed5c7.0405180507.58c0299d@posting.google.c om
> T <Southbayman@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:<tshea0pd16narks76vik6vj10apgpujmk4@4ax.com>. ..
>> Does anyone have any experience with the Smooth Talker 3 watt Power
>> boosters on CDMA networks....?
>
> I have been trying to find something such as this for some time. The
> old three watt analog phone was great for a lot of the outlying areas.
> And the invehicle booster with antenna made the access much better.
>
> Have you noticed the GM ONStar adds where they tout the better
> service. Claim to have service where a "cellular phone" will not
> work. Except, I beleive, it is simply the old technology that is
> being employed.
>
> I'd like to read of someone's experience with it.

You can check out a bunch of stuff (boosters antennas repeaters etc) at
http://www.cellantenna.com

Well I know where to check it out....I'm asking does anyone have any
experience using any of these...do they really work??????





On Tue, 18 May 2004 06:15:21 -0700, "Peter Pan"
<Marcs1102NOSPAM@Hotmail.com> wrote:

>"charley" <cmeng@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:ff7ed5c7.0405180507.58c0299d@posting.google. com
>> T <Southbayman@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:<tshea0pd16narks76vik6vj10apgpujmk4@4ax.com>. ..
>>> Does anyone have any experience with the Smooth Talker 3 watt Power
>>> boosters on CDMA networks....?
>>
>> I have been trying to find something such as this for some time. The
>> old three watt analog phone was great for a lot of the outlying areas.
>> And the invehicle booster with antenna made the access much better.
>>
>> Have you noticed the GM ONStar adds where they tout the better
>> service. Claim to have service where a "cellular phone" will not
>> work. Except, I beleive, it is simply the old technology that is
>> being employed.
>>
>> I'd like to read of someone's experience with it.
>
>You can check out a bunch of stuff (boosters antennas repeaters etc) at
>http://www.cellantenna.com
>
>

Called analog..Cut and dry




"charley" <cmeng@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ff7ed5c7.0405180507.58c0299d@posting.google.c om...
> T <Southbayman@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:<tshea0pd16narks76vik6vj10apgpujmk4@4ax.com>. ..
> > Does anyone have any experience with the Smooth Talker 3 watt Power
> > boosters on CDMA networks....?
>
> I have been trying to find something such as this for some time. The
> old three watt analog phone was great for a lot of the outlying areas.
> And the invehicle booster with antenna made the access much better.
>
> Have you noticed the GM ONStar adds where they tout the better
> service. Claim to have service where a "cellular phone" will not
> work. Except, I beleive, it is simply the old technology that is
> being employed.
>
> I'd like to read of someone's experience with it.

On Tue, 18 May 2004 10:06:30 -0700, T wrote:

> Well I know where to check it out....I'm asking does anyone have any
> experience using any of these...do they really work??????

Remember CDMA towers can lower your transmit signal over the air to avoid
overloading. If you're close I doubt if you'll see the entire 3W coming
out.

However, on an analog network it will definately help your coverage.

I have a DA4000 3 watt booster amplifier that I use with a StarTAC
7868 on Alltel. It *does* help. I live in eastern Ohio. The terrain
is hilly. You can start driving up a creek valley and go from 5 bars
to no service and be only 3 miles from the tower. With the DA400 I
can extend the range another mile or two in CDMA digital mode. In
analog mode, I can get a call out 8-10 miles from the tower, where I'm
in a fairly low spot with hills all around. The call is noisy, but
usable.

On the hill tops, getting out with analog is easy. Digital is
sometimes still not possible if I am more than about 7 miles from a
tower due to pilot pollution. There is a location in my county where
I am about 7-12 miles from a half dozen different Alltel sites and I
cannot establish a digital call (with or without the amp). I think
that if there was only one or two towers, I could.

I like the DA4000 because it also amplifies the 1900 MHz frequencies.
I sometimes roam on Sprint in Muskingum County, Ohio. Sprint's system
(actually their affiliate, Horizon PCS) along I-70 is pretty mediocre.
They put antennas on gas station sign posts, wood poles -- no decent
towers. The amp helps in the weak spots between their antennas.

Also the DA4000 works on CDMA, CDMA2000 (1X), TDMA, GSM and analog so
if I changed carriers (except for Nextel, which uses different
frequencies), I could still use the amp.

A general rule of thumb is that if you have any signal at all without
the amp, the amp will probably let you get out at least in analog. If
you have "no service" the amp may not help.

royc


T <Southbayman@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<7jgka0527qtkpe1qkkuet5v82qrooltbma@4ax.com>. ..
> Well I know where to check it out....I'm asking does anyone have any
> experience using any of these...do they really work??????

In article <snyqc.68758$MH.15757222@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net >,
EllenR <ER009@hyes.com> wrote:
>Called analog..Cut and dry
>
>"charley" <cmeng@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:ff7ed5c7.0405180507.58c0299d@posting.google. com...
>> T <Southbayman@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:<tshea0pd16narks76vik6vj10apgpujmk4@4ax.com> ...
>> > Does anyone have any experience with the Smooth Talker 3 watt Power
>> > boosters on CDMA networks....?
>>
>> I have been trying to find something such as this for some time. The
>> old three watt analog phone was great for a lot of the outlying areas.
>> And the invehicle booster with antenna made the access much better.
>>
>> Have you noticed the GM ONStar adds where they tout the better
>> service. Claim to have service where a "cellular phone" will not
>> work. Except, I beleive, it is simply the old technology that is
>> being employed.
>>
>> I'd like to read of someone's experience with it.

Since AMPS is being phased out, ONStar is adding digital support.
But "Claim to have service where a "cellular phone" will not work"
is completely bogus since the hardware is just a glorified cell phone.
Maybe they work where a handheld phone won't, but they aren't going to
be any better than a 3W car kit with an external antenna.

royc,
Thanks for the good post. You seem to have the exact same problem I
am trying to deal with. I previously had a Motorola analog phone -
connect it to the booster in the truck with an antenna and it worked
great. Now, with the a 7868 the service/coverage has not been nearly
as good. The DA400 is now shown as $279. Still need an antenna and
install. But not too bad a deal - if it works. I suspect coverage in
Eastern Ohio is better than in Eastern KY, but the ideal of
improvement is what I'm looking for. Thanks again for the report.

Regards
Charley

clouston@sprynet.com (royc) wrote in message news:<24b3719b.0405181818.3dbca147@posting.google. com>...
> I have a DA4000 3 watt booster amplifier that I use with a StarTAC
> 7868 on Alltel. It *does* help. I live in eastern Ohio. The terrain
> is hilly. You can start driving up a creek valley and go from 5 bars
> to no service and be only 3 miles from the tower. With the DA400 I
> can extend the range another mile or two in CDMA digital mode. In
> analog mode, I can get a call out 8-10 miles from the tower, where I'm
> in a fairly low spot with hills all around. The call is noisy, but
> usable.
>
> On the hill tops, getting out with analog is easy. Digital is
> sometimes still not possible if I am more than about 7 miles from a
> tower due to pilot pollution. There is a location in my county where
> I am about 7-12 miles from a half dozen different Alltel sites and I
> cannot establish a digital call (with or without the amp). I think
> that if there was only one or two towers, I could.
>
> I like the DA4000 because it also amplifies the 1900 MHz frequencies.
> I sometimes roam on Sprint in Muskingum County, Ohio. Sprint's system
> (actually their affiliate, Horizon PCS) along I-70 is pretty mediocre.
> They put antennas on gas station sign posts, wood poles -- no decent
> towers. The amp helps in the weak spots between their antennas.
>
> Also the DA4000 works on CDMA, CDMA2000 (1X), TDMA, GSM and analog so
> if I changed carriers (except for Nextel, which uses different
> frequencies), I could still use the amp.
>
> A general rule of thumb is that if you have any signal at all without
> the amp, the amp will probably let you get out at least in analog. If
> you have "no service" the amp may not help.
>
> royc
>
>
> T <Southbayman@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<7jgka0527qtkpe1qkkuet5v82qrooltbma@4ax.com>. ..
> > Well I know where to check it out....I'm asking does anyone have any
> > experience using any of these...do they really work??????

Charley,

Yes, Alltel's coverage in eastern Ohio is generally good. Some of the
more rural counties have limited coverage. When I travel in those
areas, which isn't that often, I take the amplifier. I also use it
when traveleing on long trips even where I expect generally good
signals. I keep the StarTAC clipped to the dashboard of my van, low
enough to not be a hazard if the airbag were to deploy. I plug in the
amp and headset so I can talk hands-free and not have to worry about
the less than optimal location of the StarTAC's built-in antenna if
I'm in a weak signal location.

One thing to remember when you select an antenna: Stay with a 3 dB
design. Higher dB rated antennas radiate more signal horizontally and
less vertically. They are not a good choice when you are trying to
punch your way out of a creek valley. The 9 dB antennas are great in
Kansas or off-shore on a boat, but in a creek valley you need some
signal directed upward to get over the hilltops.

royc

cmeng@yahoo.com (charley) wrote in message news:<ff7ed5c7.0406090128.5fcee37d@posting.google. com>...
> royc,
> Thanks for the good post. You seem to have the exact same problem I
> am trying to deal with. I previously had a Motorola analog phone -
> connect it to the booster in the truck with an antenna and it worked
> great. Now, with the a 7868 the service/coverage has not been nearly
> as good. The DA400 is now shown as $279. Still need an antenna and
> install. But not too bad a deal - if it works. I suspect coverage in
> Eastern Ohio is better than in Eastern KY, but the ideal of
> improvement is what I'm looking for. Thanks again for the report.
>
> Regards
> Charley
>

On 9 Jun 2004 02:28:26 -0700, charley wrote:

> I previously had a Motorola analog phone -
> connect it to the booster in the truck with an antenna and it worked
> great. Now, with the a 7868 the service/coverage has not been nearly
> as good.

Yep. That's because with CDMA the tower can remotely adjust your phone's
transmit power. You will not be radiating the full 3W through the booster
in most situations.

With analog, you were.

Boosters are only 100% beneficial for reception when used on CDMA networks.

Traveling Man <none@none.com> wrote in
news:qq69tfopncca.1724snj27fb04$.dlg@40tude.net:

> On 9 Jun 2004 02:28:26 -0700, charley wrote:
>
>> I previously had a Motorola analog phone -
>> connect it to the booster in the truck with an antenna and it worked
>> great. Now, with the a 7868 the service/coverage has not been nearly
>> as good.
>
> Yep. That's because with CDMA the tower can remotely adjust your
> phone's transmit power. You will not be radiating the full 3W through
> the booster in most situations.
>

True, but when you are in the fringe or in the DEAD ZONE between too-
widely-spaced cells, when CDMA turns up the power, the power limit at
maximum is now 3 watts, not 150 to 200 milliwatts which isn't going
anywhere over 2 miles no matter how loud you scream.

Larry

Also with DA4000 and a 9 dB cellantenna magmount in the country of SC.