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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 3, 2015 - 06:29am PT
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OK, I need you electronics geeks to enlighten me.
I'm going to premise this thread with a warning that I know NOTHING about electronics so his discussion need to be like you are talking to a really stupid 5 year old... that being said, there's 5 year olds that can work a computer much better than I....make that a really smart one year old.
The Dilemma:
I'd like cell phone coverage in the Schulman Grove Visitor's Center so that we can run credit cards through a square reader. For anyone not familiar.. it's @ 10,000 feet in the White Mountains due east of Bishop. If not for one big hill in the way.. we'd have a relatively straight shot for a signal.
Coverage is maddeningly close. On some days (not every day) you can make a phone call from the parking lot 100 feet away. Some late afternoons if we are really lucky, you can make calls from the flag pole directly behind the building. The minute you step inside the building or outside of whatever magic fairy circle you are standing in... nada.
So my question is: Can a cell phone booster help this situation? If so, what kind?
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EdwardT
Trad climber
Retired
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Had one a few years back. Our home was in a dead zone, which helped with convincing our carrier(Verizon) to pay for the booster. The result was night and day. With the booster, we had an excellent signal. It did drop off as I moved away from the tower.
I don't remember any specifics. Only that it helped dramatically.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Many attempts to boost signals in my area have been for naught.
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jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
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Get out of the nowhere's ville.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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I've done a bit of research on them and they are not simply plug and play if you want them to work properly.
Proper installation is critical. There must be some separation between the antennae and the amplifier/repeater. There is more to it than that even..it's a bit tricky apparently to get best results. You phone generally will get it's boost when it's closer to the amplifier than the antennae.
For portability your option are various car installed models in which case you will have to go to you car to use it. The building still wont work. If all you want is for the building then you get a model for that.
Make sure to get a model that works with your carriers talk and data frequencies.
When properly installed the boost is significant and they do work wonders in otherwise marginal locations like you are talking about. Below a certain margin they won't be effective of course.
Wilson electronics (now apparently called weboost) make the best consumer grade ones in the research I have done. Have excellent customer service and can anwser questions. Will help talk you through installation even.
https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/
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DonC
climber
CA
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Schulman Grove - love that place. I was the naturalist for the USFS there in 74 and 75. During the summer I lived in a little trailer behind the hill of the current Visitors Center.
The visitors center at that time was a little trailer, no heat, no electricity, no cells even invented! I loved it.
I still go there at least once every summer.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Cool job. Heck of a commute.
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cavemonkey
Ice climber
ak
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maid,
u sound like a prime candidate for a cell booster, they work best in fringe applications.As far as relying on it for business,...ehh. Don't be scared by the electronics, you would have no problem setting it up.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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what else do you have there?
landline phone?
internet cable?
WiFi?
microwave?
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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seems like you might have (as of 2009) a Wireless tower within 2 miles of the visitor's center (but just one)
WWC License L.L.C.
CALLSIGN: KNKN209
LOCNUM: 1
LAT_DMS: 37,24,47
LATDIR: N
LON_DMS: 118,11,11
LONDIR: W
LOCADD: SILVER MOUNTAIN, BRISTLECONE RD.
LOCCITY; BISHOP
LOCCOUNTY: INYO
LOCSTATE: CA
NEPA: N
QZONE
TOWREG
SUPSTRUC: 7.9
ALLSTRUC: 7.9
STRUCTYPE: B
LIC_ID: 13072
Sw 1/4 Nw 1/4 S 19, T 6 S, R 35 E (, Lat: 37.411528 , Lon: -118.186056), Type: Bant, Structure height: 12.2 m, Overall height: 14 m, Call Sign: KNKN209, Assigned Frequencies: 869.040 MHz, 869.040 MHz, 869.040 MHz, 824.040 MHz, 824.040 MHz, 824.040 MHz, 890.010 MHz, 890.010 MHz, 890.010 MHz, 845.010 MHz, 845.010 MHz, 845.010 MHz, Grant Date: 08/25/2009, Expiration Date: 10/01/2019, Certifier: Michael P Goggin, Registrant: At&t Mobility LLC, 1120 20th Street, Nw - Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036, Phone: (202) 457-2055, Fax: (202) 457-3073, Email: michael.p.goggin@att.com
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/towers/cell-Bishop-California.html#ixzz3eqoIQh1K
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Rick Vena
climber
SF,CA
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Jul 3, 2015 - 10:06am PT
what else do you have there?
landline phone?
internet cable?
WiFi?
microwave?
Don't forget the carrier sheep from Barcroft.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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"Present condition"?
I don't know anything about cell phone boosters.
I know it's top secret, but Don C do you know which one is the oldest? Or maybe you, know Skip....
Are congratulations in order?
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2015 - 07:37pm PT
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what else do you have there?
No internet,
no wifi
The phone is temperamental intermittent solar-powered microwave phone that only works when the planets are aligned just so.
Don't forget the carrier sheep from Barcroft.
yes-much more reliable than the phone BTW.
In the past they ran the cards through a device that just stored the info then batched the cards at the bottom of the hill as soon as it got a signal. That device died and we've gone through two new ones in that simply don't work and keep loosing transactions.
BTW, My knuckles are bloodied from having to use an old-style clacky machine for the last two months. You people have no idea how hard it is to find vintage cc slips from the 80's.
@ Locker- yes, at this time, all this stress is certainly not welcome ;)
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ionlyski
Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
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Don't forget about satellite internet options. High speed internet for your credit cards and phone calls can be done on Skype (not super fun to talk on Skype with delay).
Anyway about $60 bucks a month with taxes and it might be an option for you.
We use Hughes Net at our cabin as that's what's available.
Arne
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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That tower that Ed mentioned appears to be ATT. If your phone is not, ask others who have ATT if and where they get reception.
You might also ask ATT about what you can do. My buddy who owns Vermillion Valley Resort at Lake Edison has great ATT reception with the special antenna he got for it.
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jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
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No internet, The Muppits would shrivel up and die, not on the front page every second of life is a killer.
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MisterE
Gym climber
Being In Sierra Happy Of Place
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Ken and Ed - thanks for the info. Skip is switching to ATT at the end of the month, we will ask about the options when we switch her.
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