[geeks] Opinions on T-Mobile and Verizon

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: Phil Stracchino <phil.stracchino at speakeasy.net>
>Date: 2007/11/29 Thu AM 08:41:10 CST
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] Opinions on T-Mobile and Verizon

>Dan Sikorski wrote:
>> Phil Stracchino wrote:
>>> Michael Parson wrote:
>>>   
>>>> One thing I've found recently is that personal cell-phone repeaters are
>>>> surprisingly affordable.  You can get one for your house for <$300.
>>>> Both Fry's and Thinkgeek have them for $249 for the single-band or
>>>> $349 for the dual band units.  Google/products found them for cheaper
>>>> elsewhere.
>>>>     
>>> Unfortunately they can only amplify and rebroadcast signal that's there
>>> in the first place.  We don't have reliable GSM signal here even
>>> outside.  It's highly typical around here for me to pull out my phone at
>>> the school bus stop, see three bars, think "Aha!  I have signal!", try
>>> to dial a call, and watch the signal drop to zero and stay there before
>>> I can even finish dialling the call.
>>>   
>> The one we have at our office has a directional antenna.  Point that 
>> antenna and your nearest cell tower, and while the low gain 
>> omnidirectional antenna of your phone near ground level might not get 
>> any signal, a higher gain directional antenna can.  I'm not in that 
>> office very often, so I cannot comment on how well it works first-hand, 
>> but my coworkers reported a big improvement when it was first installed 
>> about eight months ago.
>
>Hmmm.  Interesting.
>
>Of course, it'd still only help in the vicinity of the house, where I
>have landline anyway.  What I really need is cell signal when I'm *not*
>at home.

Of course, you could take your repeater with you ;^)

On a mre serious note, I wish I could get a real car phone installed with a reasonable antenna and appropriate power output (you know, like they used to sell)... Little handie-talkies are fun, but of little use in fringe areas between cells - full-power radios might have a better chance.

I wonder how powerful the inpcar "on star" and other phones are...

Anyone ever look at using one of those phones as their mobile phone?

Lionel