Mobile phone set up for caravan

JBLR · 28th August 2014, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by goingbush

Firstly you need a Telstra blue tick phone (google for a current list)
then you need to chose one of those that has an antenna port (ZTE) or go to Telco Antennas
Mobile Phone Patch Leads & RF Connectors | Telco Antennas Pty Ltd and get a patch lead and a modified back to suit one of those blue tick phones. ( as suggested a passive patch lead is not worthwhile - go thru all the phones on the site that can have a patch lead rather than a passive patch lead)

A blue tick phone is able to pick up all available telstra frequencies, and really does make a difference in the bush.

Thirdly you need a high gain antenna, a yagi is best but broomstick is more convenient, I stick mine up on the back of the caravan on an extendable swimming pool cleaner pole with a tent pole on top, say 6meters high

When you've done all that you can get say 30km extra range over a handheld phone - most of the time I like to be 100 - 500km from the nearest town , subsequently I rarely bother to set the pole up.

photo shows just the swimming pool pole without tent pole extension

Exactly the same setup I use also, except I connect the aerial to an iPhone 5 passive phone cradle (strike.com.au) which works well also. This enables me to put out a wireless hotspot from my phone for all other devices to connect to.

You could also wire the hand piece to a 12 volt power source to charge the phone whilst connected to the cradle.

JB

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 1st September 2014, 05:29 AM

Mrs Pedro just upgraded to a Galaxy S5 and it has no external antenna socket,, but you can use a passive cradle that plugs into our rooftop antenna lead,, drilling another hole in the van roof is always a fun thing to do---

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/trailers-v...tuff-golf.html

**rick130** · 1st September 2014, 02:48 PM

Pedro, have a look under the back cover as earlier Galaxies have an external patch lead connector, (for factory testing the phone) you just need to drill a 4mm hole in the cover, or some companies do an exchange drilled cover.

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 2nd September 2014, 08:40 AM

I can see that happening😅

**rick130** · 2nd September 2014, 12:23 PM

Ha !

**PhilipA** · 3rd September 2014, 07:58 AM

Just a word of warning on high gain antennas for 3G.

I used to have a 8Db antenna on the gutter of my RRC.

It was a PITA and I finally broke it when I went under a motel "arch"

The problem was that in hilly country ( strangely first experienced in the Flinders Ranges) I could clearly hear the conversation of the other party but often they could not receive my voice signal, AFAIK caused by the narrow broadcast arc of a high gain antenna.

Rather than replace the high gain, I replaced it with a little "rubber duckie " in the centre of the RRC roof, and this gave a much better overall performance.

High gains are great in dead flat country but overall a rubber duckie with a good ground plain will give a more usable performance.
Regards Philip A

**goingbush** · 5th September 2014, 09:45 AM

or you could get one of these

for a whopping 85db gain, remembering that 3dBa gain= a doubling of the signal strength

FORCE-5 CM5000 SureCall In-Building Repeater System

(but still you do need a signal to begin with)

**JamesB71** · 5th September 2014, 09:55 AM

I use a virgin network iphone for around town, a telstra network on my old iphone for regional areas and a combination if an iridium sat phone and spot tracker for remote places.... But then I do like me a gadget....

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