Can I Put External Aerial On Mobile Phone

[Mumbo Jumbo]

will be soon moving house in an area where there's no land line telephones , so it looks as if I will have to think about using my mobile phone to connect to the internet, but the area also has poor reception for mobile phones, does any one know if its possible to insatll some kind of external aerial to the house to help boost the poor reception, My mobile phone does have a small socket on it for an external aerial , its just finding the right kind of areial etc ...? can any one offer some advice.

......... Thanks.... Mumbo

[bkk_mike]

Definitely possible as my mother-in-law has one. - It's very similar to a TV aerial - on a pole outside the house, with a coax lead coming into the house that attaches to the phone.

However, no idea where she got it from.

Edited June 16, 2005 by bkk_mike

[Mumbo Jumbo]

Thanks bkk_mike,

Does any one know a bit more about this type of aerial, I will have to buy one before I move to the sticks, so finding out about the type / name of the aerial would help me now,

Thanks........

[Ajarn]

In order to be really effective, an antenna used for transmitting must be of an exact length to match the frequency's wave length. I doubt this antenna on a house is effective, as it was most likely a tv antenna in the first place, if it looks like one... My suggestion would be to search out some shop that supplies/repairs police or taxi radios for a custom antenna

[Ken]

Definitely works and works well from my experience. Take your phone to a mobile shop and tell them what you want to do. They will need to give you the proper connection type and antenna. The last time I bought one (two years ago), I bought it at a phone shop in The Mall in Korat. The cost was around 1,500 Baht.

[bdenner]

Definitely works and works well from my experience.  Take your phone to a mobile shop and tell them what you want to do.  They will need to give you the proper connection type and antenna.  The last time I bought one (two years ago), I bought it at a phone shop in The Mall in Korat.  The cost was around 1,500 Baht.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Readily available thru out Isaan. As the number of service provider repeaters are commissioned the price of the antennas is coming down. 350Baht and 150 for the phone adapter

[billd766]

What you really need is a GSM repeater in either 900 Mhz for Ais or 1800 Mhz for DTAC.

I searched the Internet and found just what you need, I need it also, from the UK.

Two bits of bad news. 1 it costs about £500 and 2, you need both if you have both AIS and DTAC.

I am trying to find a supplier in Thailand but I am working in Pakistan until the end of the month. If I can find one or if anyone knows of a supplier can they please post the information.

Cheers

[mnoorsapl]

If the signal from the repeater station is weak there is nothing that can improve the signal strength, areial and antenna don't work. Unless you want to do a good service for AIS or DTAC by installing the repeaters for them, that will cost you a lot.

[Mumbo Jumbo]

Thanks Guy's for the info, ... mnoorsapl you said If the signal from the repeater station is weak there is nothing that can improve the signal strength, areial and antenna don't work , so it looks as if the only way to tell if the installation of an external aerial is going to work is get one installed..? and then see if theres any difference in the signal..? my phone has a DETAC card, and the area I am moving to is about 1-1/2 hours from Khroat ( Soend Sang )

Thanks .......

[Totster]

If the signal from the repeater station is weak there is nothing that can improve the signal strength, areial and antenna don't work. Unless you want to do a good service for AIS or DTAC by installing the repeaters for them, that will cost you a lot.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Arieal and antenna DO work. I have an external antenna on the top of the house (bit like a TV arieal) which has a "cradle" fitted on the end of the lead from the antenna which fits over the top of the phone (in this case Nokia). When using this attachment my signal strength goes from nothing to full... !

I think we paid bt2000 for the pole, antenna, and cradle (installed it ourselves, very easy) which we ordered from the local mobile phone shop.

About 4 or 5 households in my wife's village use this attachment

totster

[Ken]

Thanks Guy's for the info, ... mnoorsapl you said If the signal from the repeater station is weak there is nothing that can improve the signal strength, areial and antenna don't work ,  so it looks as if the only way to tell if the installation of an external aerial is going to work is get one installed..? and then see if theres any difference in the signal..? my phone has a DETAC card, and the area I am moving to is about 1-1/2 hours from Khroat  ( Soend Sang )

  Thanks .......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok, my opinion...if you first go to the nearest "repeater" station and you have a STONG signal, then an antenna should be of benefit if you are located, say, 15 or 20 km from that repeater....my experience says this to be true.

[Mumbo Jumbo]

Thanks Ken, I will give your advice a try, any one else have an external aerial connected to their mobile phone..?

Thanks ..... Mumbo

[bkk_mike]

Thanks bkk_mike,

Does any one know  a bit more about this type of aerial, I will have to buy one before I move to the sticks, so finding out about the type / name of the aerial would help me now,

    Thanks........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually - I think you'll probably find it's easier to get in the sticks. - After all, nobody in Bangkok needs one.

In order to be really effective, an antenna used for transmitting must be of an exact length to match the frequency's wave length. I doubt this antenna on a house is effective, as it was most likely a tv antenna in the first place, if it looks like one... My suggestion would be to search out some shop that supplies/repairs police or taxi radios for a custom antenna

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is NOT a TV aerial - it's a lot shorter. I mentioned TV aerial purely because it's installed in the same way. But the TV aerial was on a second pole about a metre away from it.

My mother-in-laws house is very borderline normally for signals - i.e. mobiles get a signal some of the time upstairs (not full - but they work), and no signal downstairs, except the one plugged into the aerial.