Signal boost for i870 ?

I do a bit of traveling in my car and I use my cell phone (i870) as a modem for my pda as well... my question is how to boost my signal while on the road.

I don't really think you can.

It all really depends on how well you phone captures reception.

www.wilsoncellular.com - they sell signal amplifier/repeater kits to improve your reception while travelling.... make sure you look at the IDEN kits, the other ones will not work for you! they're not the only ones in the business, you can probably find others with google or ebay, just make sure you get IDEN if you plan to use it with a boost phone!

you can also try one of those lil "as seen on TV" antenna boosters.....lol

Again make sure it says "for iden" and also make sure you don't get a cheapie one made of plastic. Those things really do help a little bit, I have one in my phone, but there are scammers out there making imitations out of plastic that don't do squat for your phone. If they're cheap enough, buy an extra one and cut it open to see if it's really metallic.

yeah.. i bought one for my razr...

soon enough.. i was curious.."wht the hell r in those things.. they dun do shi*"

so i cut one open.. whtya kno... its just fancy looking plastic!!

and i spent 5 bux for plastic.. i coulda took my money elsewhere... like giant for instance?

those plastic ball containers things in the vending machine r cool for catching bugs in!

What about for an Motorola i205?

do the same thing that Brad said in the 3rd post...

OK, I found the Wilsoncellular products, I found an Iden, 800mhz, & 1900mhz models. Then, I found a model that claims to work with the i870, made by Wilson, that covers both 800 & 1900 ranges. It was a bit more money, but would be worth it if anyone (almost) in my car could get a boost out of it on their phone. If this is unheard of let me know & I will post the link and Model number. I am on my pda right now, so I am trying to surf as little as possible.

The i870 only uses one frequency band: 800mhz iDEN. I'm not a Nextel expert, but I believe all Nextel phones use 800mhz-only so I'm not sure what you'd need a 1900mhz band for. You might have been looking at the dual-band PCS amplifier, it works for all US service providers except Nextel.

Anyway, all this recent talk about the amplifiers has gotten me looking at them again. I'll let you know if I ever decide to get one and how it works for me, please do the same if you try it out!

EDIT: I was just back at wilsoncellular browsing, and was wondering if this is the line that got your attention: "Designed for All Cellular Systems Including AMPS, CDMA, EDGE, GPRS, GSM & TDMA and 3G HSDPA"? Notice it DOES NOT list iDEN because they simply use a different technology. Here is the one you should be looking at: http://www.wilsoncellular.com/ViewProduct.php?ID=7

yes, all NEXTEL phones are on the 800mhz frequency. altho the i920/i930 can be unlocked for gsm use, its on the 800mhz frequency.(as far as i know)

Actually this is the item I was referring to:
Nextel i870 Cellular/PCS Dual Band Wireless In-Vehicle Bi-Directional Amplifier 801201

If that link doesn't work it is model # 801201

Oops I hope you didn't already buy the model #801201, I called Wilson Cellular myself and spoke to a technician named Bob. He told me the dual-band amplifier will not work for Nextel phones at all and the site where you found it listed as compatible with your i870 is incorrect. Bob said you want to get the iDEN amplifier, model #804002. Hope this helps!

nah, I didn't make any purchases yet. Thanks for the help...
what is the cheapest you have seen the 804002 ?

... I found it for $254 (including everything except the exterior antenna) I was wondering which one to get. Any thoughts ? I want the best coverage possible and I dont care if it is some big crazy antenna. Some of the RV and Trucker antennas looked hardcore, dunno if they all work with the 804002 though ...