Yup. In my camper I have the outside omni directional (with a sideways pattern) antenna mounted on the roof and the inside directional antenna mounted on the ceiling pointed down. Very effective at avoiding the antennas talking to each other.
Cell Booster Install (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter TeCKis300
- Start date
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I picked up one of these boosters for my trailer a couple weeks ago. They're about half the cost of the WeBoost and purport to have the same 50dBi of gain.
Amazon product ASIN B07W8G2VDL
There are several different variants depending on how far apart you can get the antennas - if you're going to use one in your LC you'll need a unit with less gain or else it will create a feedback loop, as the model I bought specifically says the antennas are supposed to be a total of 20' apart.
For testing I mounted my outdoor antenna on the back of the trailer to the top of the ladder, ran the wire around the trailer and in through the window, and put the booster and indoor antenna about 18' away towards the front. I didn't get any feedback (lights stayed green) in that position but if I moved the indoor omni a bit closer (~15') some of the lights would go red. Tested on both my personal T-mobile iPhone 6 as well as my AT&T iPhone 8 used for work. On AT&T I went from 2 to 3 bars and when using test mode (dial *3001#12345#*) it improved my RSSI by 5 to ~18dB depending on how close I was. I was able to go from about 4.5Mbps down/8.5Mbps up to 9MBps down and 11.8Mbps up. On T-mobile I went from 1 bar of EVDO (2G) and no LTE signal at all to 1 bar of LTE and was getting maybe 1Mbps speeds when testing.
Note that the internal booster antenna seemed to only really help if I was <4-5' from it, and it really did the best job if I put my phone within ~1'.
This weekend I permanently mounted the outdoor antenna on a 2' PVC pipe and secured that to a ratcheting antenna mount, and ran the wire under the trailer properly. I'll take some photos for posterity when I'm back over there this week.
Amazon product ASIN B000OTLDNU
Amazon product ASIN B07W8G2VDL
There are several different variants depending on how far apart you can get the antennas - if you're going to use one in your LC you'll need a unit with less gain or else it will create a feedback loop, as the model I bought specifically says the antennas are supposed to be a total of 20' apart.
For testing I mounted my outdoor antenna on the back of the trailer to the top of the ladder, ran the wire around the trailer and in through the window, and put the booster and indoor antenna about 18' away towards the front. I didn't get any feedback (lights stayed green) in that position but if I moved the indoor omni a bit closer (~15') some of the lights would go red. Tested on both my personal T-mobile iPhone 6 as well as my AT&T iPhone 8 used for work. On AT&T I went from 2 to 3 bars and when using test mode (dial *3001#12345#*) it improved my RSSI by 5 to ~18dB depending on how close I was. I was able to go from about 4.5Mbps down/8.5Mbps up to 9MBps down and 11.8Mbps up. On T-mobile I went from 1 bar of EVDO (2G) and no LTE signal at all to 1 bar of LTE and was getting maybe 1Mbps speeds when testing.
Note that the internal booster antenna seemed to only really help if I was <4-5' from it, and it really did the best job if I put my phone within ~1'.
This weekend I permanently mounted the outdoor antenna on a 2' PVC pipe and secured that to a ratcheting antenna mount, and ran the wire under the trailer properly. I'll take some photos for posterity when I'm back over there this week.
Amazon product ASIN B000OTLDNU
LC4LIFE
Supporting Vendor
I just spent the last three days covering southwestern Colorado. 550 miles with about 200 on dirt. I also recently upgraded the antenna on the rig to the OTR antenna and it was a noticeable improvement from the 4" magnetic one the Drive Reach came with. You can see it poking above my roof along with my ham antenna. I had good/great service virtually the entire trip sans a few roads being flanked by 12k foot mountains. I would say the OTR antenna is well worth the price and effort.
No issues with feedback due to the proximity I take it? I have a generic cell booster in my trailer and if the indoor antenna gets within about 15' of the outdoor one the unit will shut down some (or all) of the frequencies because the outdoor antenna is picking up the indoor one and amplifying itself.
LC4LIFE
Supporting Vendor
None, I have been using it regularly over the last 18mos or so. One of the nice things about the weBoost is that it has an LED indicator on the unit letting you know if the antennas are positioned well and not feeding back. I had heard of the feedback issues with the generic boosters and that was one of a few reasons I opted to stick with weBoost/Wilson. weBoost also has fantastic customer support.
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My generic has the lights as well, which is how I knew it was an issue. Not sure if the feedback issue is because WeBoost has better noise filtering in their amplifier, less antenna gain, or better antenna gain patterns. Also not sure if you're using the cradle version or an in-vehicle antenna, but I suspect the cradle as a very small radius which would help reduce feedback.
For my purpose the generic is working OK and I don't think WeBoost would help much unless I was able to run the higher gain RV antenna without a mast. However in a smaller setup like an LC a quiet amp like the WeBoost would make a big difference.
LC4LIFE
Supporting Vendor
Yes, lots of variables. I have run multiple indoor antennas and also outdoor antennas all with good success and only a time or two where I got the red light.. I currently run the small puck inside the truck that gives a good 2-3ft radius inside the rig and then I have also used a table top indoor antenna good for 6-8 feet if am in the teardrop. Obviously this also depends on how good the incoming/outgoing signal is. FWIW - I do feel like the outside antenna made more of a difference than any indoor antenna I have tried.
- Thread starter
- #48
Took a cue from @LC4LIFE and got a Weboost trucker antenna. I used right angle half of the mount it came with installed to my stock (LC) roof rack via two carriage bolts in the channel. Drilled out the holes a bit larger in the mount it came with to work with the carriage bolts.
I normally run just the shorty magnetic antenna. Now can easily swap for the larger trucker antenna when in more remote areas. I leave the right angle base permanently attached and can thread the trucker antenna on as necessary. The trucker antenna comes in 3 sections so it's easy enough to shorten and lengthen depending on scenario.
I normally run just the shorty magnetic antenna. Now can easily swap for the larger trucker antenna when in more remote areas. I leave the right angle base permanently attached and can thread the trucker antenna on as necessary. The trucker antenna comes in 3 sections so it's easy enough to shorten and lengthen depending on scenario.
Does the truck driver antenna make that much of a difference over the 4" magnetic? I run the WeBoost in my Subaru daily but with the LC I might get a CB mount and use the truck driver antenna if it really makes a difference and worth the money.
- Thread starter
- #50
Weboost advertises the trucker antenna to have a 2.5 to 3.5dB advantage, which is a doubling of signal strength. In practice, while it won't be anything near a doubling of distance (that takes 4x the power or 6dB), it should result in appreciably further and/or stronger signals being usable.
I'm posting from the Angeles Mountains at the moment. A/B testing between 4" magnetic and full 3 segment length (48") trucker antenna. Network Cell Info Lite app shows about a 1.5 dB difference, -78 dB and -76-77 dB, 4" to trucker antenna respectfully. (no booster gives an unstable -107dB and no workable connection) Both antennas result in only in 1-2 4G LTE bars on my phone. The 4" is giving me sporadic data comms. The trucker is not only quicker but is much more stable... enough to stream youtube! Surprising given what seems like a minor dB gain. From the results and being able to post this, worth it!
I'm toying with future enhancements mounting a yagi directional antenna to my Airstream. Many of the campsites I'm going to these days are mountainous and have difficult receptions situations.
I'm posting from the Angeles Mountains at the moment. A/B testing between 4" magnetic and full 3 segment length (48") trucker antenna. Network Cell Info Lite app shows about a 1.5 dB difference, -78 dB and -76-77 dB, 4" to trucker antenna respectfully. (no booster gives an unstable -107dB and no workable connection) Both antennas result in only in 1-2 4G LTE bars on my phone. The 4" is giving me sporadic data comms. The trucker is not only quicker but is much more stable... enough to stream youtube! Surprising given what seems like a minor dB gain. From the results and being able to post this, worth it!
I'm toying with future enhancements mounting a yagi directional antenna to my Airstream. Many of the campsites I'm going to these days are mountainous and have difficult receptions situations.
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It might not just be the few dB of gain. You might look to see if Weboost publishes the antenna gain patterns. Very often I've seen omni antennas which throw signal literally everywhere - both horizontal (useful) and vertical (typically not that useful). It may be that the trucker antenna focuses the gain better which therefore means you're amplifying less background noise, giving you a higher S/N ratio.
It could also be a lower VSWR (you can check that if you have a meter) but I'd assume that Weboost matches everything so that seems less likely.
- Thread starter
- #52
Yes, all that. It's situational and complicated, and may not guarantee a connection. I'm in the mountains and I know the 4G cell tower is on the opposite side. With non line of sight signals, the the hillside blanketed with tall pine trees, the signal propogation is scattered with multipath conflictions. Part of the trucker antenna benefit is definitely what you said. Also the ability to be put up almost 12 ft from the ground surely helps.
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Just FYI the other week I got to talk with some techs regards to the newer version and the older wilson or first version of the weboost. the new version are less powerful, meaning you get more boost with the older versions. The old versions are the ones with the 4 lights.
- Thread starter
- #54
A cell booster is a good reason for an upgraded car battery. I run the cell booster from my car, even when I'm in the camper. I leave a cell phone (I have 2) and the booster running with the engine off, and use the hotspot function from the car to broadcast wifi for my other devices and phones. Wifi has much further reach than the cell booster which requires the cell phone to be in close proximity (ideally under 1 ft) for maximum effectiveness.
With the booster drawing 2 amps and cell phone drawing about 1 amp, over a long time, can draw appreciable power. I don't need huge reserves and find my single group 31 to be up to the task of covering a couple days. I have it on my Switch Pros so I can switch it on/off remotely via bluetooth. The SwitchPros also has a low voltage disconnect function in case I really screw up and forget. I also have a portable lithium jumper in case I really really screw up.
With the booster drawing 2 amps and cell phone drawing about 1 amp, over a long time, can draw appreciable power. I don't need huge reserves and find my single group 31 to be up to the task of covering a couple days. I have it on my Switch Pros so I can switch it on/off remotely via bluetooth. The SwitchPros also has a low voltage disconnect function in case I really screw up and forget. I also have a portable lithium jumper in case I really really screw up.
2A? My knockoff booster says 380mA on the unit, and draws 0.31A as measured by my Simarine Pico monitor. Then again the weboost might very well be a better unit
Is this the trucker antenna you guys are referring to?
www.wilsonamplifiers.com
Wilson Drive OTR Antenna - 311229
Shop for Wilson Drive OTR Antenna. Covers 700, 800, 1700, 1900, 2200 MHz cellular. Free standard shipping!
www.wilsonamplifiers.com
- Thread starter
- #57
Ayup. It's on sale on Amazon for $68. Comes with the necessary adapters for any of their boosters except the sleek IIRC.
Amazon product ASIN B01FUF1JAY
Amazon product ASIN B01FUF1JAY
For those of you running the OTR antenna, how high above the vehicle doest it need to be? thinking of mounting on swing out tire mount and maybe running with roof line?
FWIW - what got me (re)thinking this, was drive through SoDak and WY and no reception. Then seeing more and more truckers with it as well as O&G trucks........
FWIW - what got me (re)thinking this, was drive through SoDak and WY and no reception. Then seeing more and more truckers with it as well as O&G trucks........
LC4LIFE
Supporting Vendor
Mine is just barely above roof line. I do know a few guys that run it inline with the roof, mainly so they can get in the garage. I hear it works well that way too. But, given my experience with CB and Ham and how much better performance I get with those antennas mounted mid-roof I have a hard time not believing its better above the roof, but I have nothing other than a hunch to go on for that.
ASurfacePro
SILVER Star
Tossed the ATR on our prinsu for our 10 day whirlwind roadtrip (last day is today, headed back to Seattle shortly). Gives the other cars something to talk about as we pass by 
and LOTS of inquiries at fuel stations, etc.
and LOTS of inquiries at fuel stations, etc.
