I was going to post a response to a thread revived from the dead by a spammer in the Computers section, but decided this was a more appropriate forum.
I recently installed a Wilson Sleek cellular amplifier and external antenna in my car, and have been quite impressed with the results. While it is not magic and can't get you cell phone service where there is truly none, I have been surprised at some of the remoter areas where I do get service using this - Robbers Roost in UT, Rabbit Valley in CO to mention just a couple. I am bit surprised that there is not more discussion of cell phone "boosters" in this community. With the combination of a good external antenna, and 10 times the power output of standard mobile phone (all for the low price of ~$80) this does appear to make the 'fringe' coverage areas usable. Secondly, it provides a nice cradle to hold my iphone, and the phone gets far less hot streaming Pandora through the amplifier than it does without.
I am a bit of an electronics geek, and do tend to do some fairly remote trips (Canadian Arctic as well as the more remote areas of the lower 48), thus carry an unreasonably large array of radio equipment - VHF/UHF 50W mobile, HT, Iridium sat phone, and of course my iphone. Of all these, the one that is by far the most versatile is the iphone. In the hypothetical situation where I could have only one of these working, I would hope it to be the iphone. Cellular voice and data is by far the most useful, with the highest and cheapest data rates and the ability to easily and cheaply contact anyone, anywhere. It seems that anything that can increase the availability of cellular service is a great investment.
A cell phone repeater has far less expo-bling than a mobile HF transciever, but in a large number of situations (obviously not all) it may be much more useful.
I recently installed a Wilson Sleek cellular amplifier and external antenna in my car, and have been quite impressed with the results. While it is not magic and can't get you cell phone service where there is truly none, I have been surprised at some of the remoter areas where I do get service using this - Robbers Roost in UT, Rabbit Valley in CO to mention just a couple. I am bit surprised that there is not more discussion of cell phone "boosters" in this community. With the combination of a good external antenna, and 10 times the power output of standard mobile phone (all for the low price of ~$80) this does appear to make the 'fringe' coverage areas usable. Secondly, it provides a nice cradle to hold my iphone, and the phone gets far less hot streaming Pandora through the amplifier than it does without.
I am a bit of an electronics geek, and do tend to do some fairly remote trips (Canadian Arctic as well as the more remote areas of the lower 48), thus carry an unreasonably large array of radio equipment - VHF/UHF 50W mobile, HT, Iridium sat phone, and of course my iphone. Of all these, the one that is by far the most versatile is the iphone. In the hypothetical situation where I could have only one of these working, I would hope it to be the iphone. Cellular voice and data is by far the most useful, with the highest and cheapest data rates and the ability to easily and cheaply contact anyone, anywhere. It seems that anything that can increase the availability of cellular service is a great investment.
A cell phone repeater has far less expo-bling than a mobile HF transciever, but in a large number of situations (obviously not all) it may be much more useful.