Jump to content

No Voice or Data when Roaming with Amplifier


Recommended Posts

This one has stumped me and I'm hoping someone can shed light on this...

 

I have Sprint as my provider, and I'm out in a no-coverage area north of Lake Superior in Minnesota.

 

I purchased a 20db gain Yagi antenna, and pointed it at the nearest tower, which is 16 miles away on the other side of a high bluff.

 

The antenna is connected to a Wilson (WeBoost) amplifier

Amplifier showing all green as it's at max power and working properly.

 

I am getting a signal! It's a middle of the road "2-3 bar" -87 dBm signal on both my Android HTC 10 and my wife's iPhone 6S Plus

 

Signal Check Pro says it's the Verizon tower, which makes sense as I'm pointing it at the 850 mhz Verizon tower.

 

The problem is that calls do not work. No tones or audio when dialing and eventually it just disconnects, and no data connection available.

 

I tried a Verizon MiFi and had similar results. It had a signal but couldn't connect.

 

What's the problem? I've put in about $800 into this setup, and I don't want to give up on getting data and switching to Satellite if I'm very close to getting a connection!

 

Thanks in advance for your ideas/explanations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did your phone have signal where your antenna is located? 16 miles is not unheard of for 3g but very weak. The reason I ask is because weboost needs something to boost. It may be garbage in garbage out. It may just be a factor of you finding that one spot that works on your property where it works and placing the antenna there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There isn't a signal without the antenna & amp. With the amp its 2-3 bars and about -87 dBm

 

I guess I was just wondering if since I have a signal if the problem is something like high noise and antenna placement would resolve the issue.

 

It's the middle of a huge forest...and antenna is about 15-20 feet up, but all the pines are 40-50 foot high. So I'm hitting the middle of all the trees.

 

Lets say its some sort of noise or obstruction due to the trees, do you think raising the antenna another 20 feet would do the trick, or since I'm already at 20 feet with a decent, but unusable signal that going another 20 feet wouldn't make a difference?

 

I know this is more of a trial and error type of thing, but it's a lot of work if it's a fruitless effort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...