This has been discussed at some length on the list before - you can
check the archives for details.

The upshot was that there were a lot of interesting thoughts and
comments about it, but without any real world testing most posters
agreed that it was snake oil.

At the most they may be coupling some internal (normally shielded by the
battery pack) RF to the antenna or edges of the phone.  This may
increase signal strength, but probably also increases noise.
 Furthermore most phones already transmit at their maximum allowed power
- if it did increase the power then you are radiating your brain that
much more (for better or worse), not to mention exceeding FCC limits.
 The same companies that sell the phone boosters often sell the
radiation blockers that are supposed to save your head from the RF the
phone emits.  All in all they're just trying to make a buck off a little
suspecting public, IMO.

In your situation there isn't much you can do without a preamlifier of
some sort.  If there's a position in your apartment that has good
reception then you could probably go with the coax and whip antennas at
either end (as I will likely be doing when I find my coax) but if you
don't have permission to put an antenna somewhere where you do get good
reception you really can't do anything.  Perhaps the closest you can get
is using a YAGI or other directional antenna (pointing towards a known
tower) and either hooking the phone directly to it or using a whip on
the other end.  Chances are any gains that might give you would be lost
in the buildings and walls between the yagi and the cell tower...

Which gives me a thought - I doubt it would help, but I wonder what the
cable company is putting on the cable system at 800-900MHz?   You
wouldn't want to hook an antenna directly to the cable system, though  :-)

-Adam

Go Orlando wrote:

>Okay - time for what may be a silly question, but I need to ask it.
>
>So far, all of the solutions presented have been RELATIVELY involved,
>especially if someone is not already somewhat experienced with
>antennae, repeaters, etc.  They also presume that the user is living
>in his own house and has access to the upper part of the building.  In
>my case, I am in an apartment on the first floor, and would have no
>way to implement what has been presented so far.  In addition, some of
>the turnkey solutions have been at least as expensive as just going
>out and buying a different phone!  Thus comes my silly question: for
>someone who only needs JUST ENOUGH of a boost for his phone to work
>(e.g. just a difference of three more feet into my apartment so it
>will work when I'm at my computer) will those little "cell phone
>boosters" that sell for $5-$20, look like department store anti-theft
>tags, and just stick inside the phone's battery compartment actually
>be of any help, or are they just snake oil?
>
>
>
>
>----  M. Adam Davis (adampic@UBASICS.COM) wrote:
>
>>I get terrible cell phone reception in my basement where my workshop
>>
>is.
>
>> My solution so far is to stand in a particular spot during calls of
>>
>any
>
>>great length - in this position I get pretty decent reception, but
>>
>it's
>
>>out of the reach of my computer and other resources I'd like easy
>>
>access
>
>>to during those calls.
>>
>>Due to various billing and customer relations issues I cannot use
>>
>the
>
>>landline (or even a second line if I had one) to receive these
>>
>calls.
>
>>My understanding of radio and antenna theory is limited so I had
>>
>hoped
>
>>to find a cheap cell phone repeater (passive) which would have an
>>antenna in the basement, and coax to the attic to another antenna.
>>
>My
>
>>searches come up with all the car repeaters or the snake oil cell
>>
>phone
>
>>boosters.
>>
>>Having waved a dead fish over the problem a few times I've
>>
>determined at
>
>>last to ask if anyone here can help.  I've got a bit of coax, and I
>>
>can
>
>>fashion non-complex assemblies so if you know of a site which has a
>>homemade unit or can give me an idea of something to try I'm all up
>>
>for it.
>
>>FWIW, the phone is a samsung and I receive digital service at home.
>>
>>-Adam
>>
>>--
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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