anyone built a Cantenna for GSM phone use ?

I'm interested in building a cantenna to improve GSM mobile phone
reception in a fringe area.

My grandmothers landline has had frequent faults lasting several weeks,
and she is quite isolated. I know I could get a yagi for about GBP40
but that doesn't stop me being a cantenna enthusiast!

The freqencies involved are 900 or 1800 MHz. Preferably 1800 to use
orange.

Cheers,
Alex

On 22 Aug 2005 16:00:25 -0700, Alex Bird <alex@redbeastie.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
> I'm interested in building a cantenna to improve GSM mobile phone
> reception in a fringe area.
>
> My grandmothers landline has had frequent faults lasting several weeks,
> and she is quite isolated. I know I could get a yagi for about GBP40
> but that doesn't stop me being a cantenna enthusiast!
>
> The freqencies involved are 900 or 1800 MHz. Preferably 1800 to use
> orange.
>
> Cheers,
> Alex
>
Hi Alex.
Not quite what you want but so you know the idea works :-)

I made a deep dish parabolic out of mesh for a mates orange phone.
His phone had a stub antenna so I put a bracket across the front of
the dish so it could sit behind the phone. The signal went from no
network to two bars, fine for texting and receiving messages, with a
hands free kit would probably been fine for talking as well.
HTH

Cheers, Jon

--

Jon wrote:
> On 22 Aug 2005 16:00:25 -0700, Alex Bird <alex@redbeastie.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
> > I'm interested in building a cantenna to improve GSM mobile phone
> > reception in a fringe area.
> >
> > My grandmothers landline has had frequent faults lasting several weeks,
> > and she is quite isolated. I know I could get a yagi for about GBP40
> > but that doesn't stop me being a cantenna enthusiast!
> >
> > The freqencies involved are 900 or 1800 MHz. Preferably 1800 to use
> > orange.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Alex
> >
> Hi Alex.
> Not quite what you want but so you know the idea works :-)
>
> I made a deep dish parabolic out of mesh for a mates orange phone.
> His phone had a stub antenna so I put a bracket across the front of
> the dish so it could sit behind the phone. The signal went from no
> network to two bars, fine for texting and receiving messages, with a
> hands free kit would probably been fine for talking as well.
> HTH


Yeah, cheers! I think I've found a calculator which lets you design a
cantenna for this frequency. After all 1800 isn't that far from 2400.
I'm not sure when I'll get around to it, or where to buy the rf
connector for the phone...

Alex

"Alex Bird" <alex@redbeastie.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>I'm not sure when I'll get around to it, or where to buy the rf
>connector for the phone...

http://cellantenna.com/ has adapters for all kinds of phones. Also
antennas, feedlines, amplifiers, repeaters, amplifiers, fixed-cell
bases, etc, etc, etc.

Alex Bird <alex@redbeastie.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:

> Yeah, cheers! I think I've found a calculator which lets you design a
> cantenna for this frequency. After all 1800 isn't that far from 2400.
> I'm not sure when I'll get around to it, or where to buy the rf
> connector for the phone...

Would that be http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html ?
If you have a stub antenna, you might just poke it in the side of the can
at the right place. With a headset, that might be workable as a test.

A can of 4" diameter looks okay for 1800MHz.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5

dold@XReXXanyon.usenet.us.com wrote:
> Alex Bird <alex@redbeastie.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > Yeah, cheers! I think I've found a calculator which lets you design a
> > cantenna for this frequency. After all 1800 isn't that far from 2400.
> > I'm not sure when I'll get around to it, or where to buy the rf
> > connector for the phone...
>
> Would that be http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html ?

No,

http://www.saunalahti.fi/elepal/antenna2.html

Where the calculator lets you specify the frequency.

Maybe I should try a test with the stub first...

Alex

> If you have a stub antenna, you might just poke it in the side of the can
> at the right place. With a headset, that might be workable as a test.
>
> A can of 4" diameter looks okay for 1800MHz.
>
> --
> ---
> Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5