[JRS240SX]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I am new to the forums and didn't see a FAQ area. I work in the Oil&Gas industry, many times out in the middle of nowhere. I'd like the best way to boost my signal. I have noticed many of the client's field hands have antennas and boosters, but their company has installed them in the truck and the guys generally don't know brands/specifics. Also, some of the guys are using old analog phones with external antennas, which seem to work farther. My question is, do these $1,500 cell phone boosters really work? which one is best? Should I try an analog phone and an antenna? All the equipment will be installed in a truck.

---

› See More: Extending range

[Brad729]

Hi there, welcome to the forums. Yes, they do work. I bought a very inexpensive one here for my house, and was impressed by how well it worked. This is of course a cheap one for the home and doesn't cover a lot of square footage, but everyone I've asked has told me the best ones you can buy are at Wilson Electronics. They can be pretty expensive after you buy the right antenna and everything, but if you want one for your vehicle that's the place to go. They have wireless ones that repeat the cellular signal, as well as the traditional "trucker antenna" you can plug into any phone that has an external antenna port.

As for your other question, I prefer to buy phones that still have AMPS for analog roaming, but they are starting to exclude AMPS from a lot of the newer high-end phones. That's one of the reasons I'm still playing with this cheap free phone Sprint gave me. Who is your provider? That is going to determine which kit you need, be careful not to buy the wrong one and if you don't know which frequencies your provider transmits on feel free to ask us.

[JRS240SX]

Thanks. that is exactly what I needed. We are currently using Cingular, but may switch if we decide to use the old analog phones (ocassionaly) and Cingular won't provide service.

unfortunately, with nat. gas prices the way they are now, one call can pay for all the equipment. Some of my customers lose $$$$$/per hour if our equipment is down. If I can make a call from the well and fix something in 15 minutes vs. hours, some of my clients would make 20 times (in an hour) what the cellular equipment would cost me. Guess it really is all relative, ey?

thanks again.

[SunSweetMan]

Which carriers still use analog towers?

[Brad729]

The frequency Cingular uses depends on where you are in the country. I understand they are using 1900mhz in many parts of the country, but are using 850mhz in others. The 850mhz areas are typically (but not always) former AT&T acquisitions. To find out for sure which frequency they use in your area, I'd either call Cingular or go plug your zip code into this site.

If you have the extra money to invest, go ahead and get the dual-band model which works for every US service provider EXCEPT Nextel/Boost. Then you don't have to worry about it becoming obsolete when you change providers (unless you actually go to Nextel .).

[Brad729]

Which carriers still use analog towers?

Currently, all the major US providers EXCEPT Nextel still have analog transmitters affixed to their digital towers, but AMPS technology is no longer being developed or marketed. It's simply there as a "last resort" when you can't get a digital signal.

For a better explanation of how AMPS is still used, see my reply to the following thread:

http://cellphoneforums.net/general-c...me-towers.html