Vogue On My Boat

[Lowranger]

I want to increase my range while at anchor. I need advice about selecting/installing an amplifier or repeater for my 22' cabin cruiser.

The preferred solution is a "direct-connect" amplifier such as the Wilson 811201. It requires an external antenna adapter that would be inserted into the port near the camera.
I searched the Vogue Section and found two pertinent threads.

Touch with Amplifier
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread...hlight=antenna

Interesting New Antenna Issue
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread...hlight=antenna

It looks like the antenna wiring gets damaged when an adapter is inserted. Or upon removal. Which is not clear.
I sure don't want to permanently disable my phone but the alternative looks unworkable too.

That would be a repeater such as the Wilson 801213 or their new Sleek. These don't require a direct-connection and would probably be used with one of their cradles.

Here's the problem with this set-up...repeaters need to have the external antenna (externally mounted fiberglass marine cellular antenna) separated a great distance away from the internal antenna (cradle). The distance requirement varies depending on the power of the amp and the material separating them. That is, the fiberglass "house" of my boat provides little shielding compared to that of a car made of metal. In the case of a car, an antenna can be placed on the roof just a few feet away. On a glass boat the distance required is much greater. I see reports that even 15 feet is too close. If the antennas are too close they interfere with each other and the amp/repeater shuts itself down or is damaged.

On my little cruiser 15 feet of separation isn't practical(possible ?).

So, if a repeater won't work and the antenna adapter ruins my phone what are my options ???

One final thing, the linked threads suggest that I MIGHT be able to install an adapter one time if I never disconnected it. If this is true I could simply leave the Vogue permanently installed in my boat.

In this case I'd activate it when I'm going boating and switch back to my other Vogue(I have two) when I return to shore.

I sure hope someone here can help me out. I suffer withdrawals when I'm on the water and can't access PPCGEEKS(and other, less important sites).

[horndoctor]

Wirelessly posted (HTC Diamond: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint MP6950SP)

What if you built a box out of metal or some other material that you could put your Vogue inside of that would shield it from the powerful repeater antenna signal just enough that it wouldn't damage it. You could use a bluetooth headset or maybe a wired headset with a mic so you could leave it inside the shielding box while you use your device. You could run the wire that connects to the amplifier through the bottom of the box or through a hole in the side. Might work!

[Lowranger]

a box out of metal

It's funny that you suggested that. I'm having the same discussion over at my boating site and I threw out the idea of a cookpot or a metal dome to shield the cradle assembly.

After poking around the 'net I'm surprised that there isn't more discussion about this. Lots of small-boaters out there and many of them are quite techy what with their marine electronics such as sonar, gps, ais, etc.

Hopefully others will share their ideas/solutions here at 'Geeks.
Whatever I learn I'll report back here.

[Lowranger]

I just got off the phone with Wilson Tech Support and this is what they told me.

1)The Sleek will have NO issues related to antenna separation and feedback/oscillation.

2)Their other, more powerful repeater/cradle(801213) requires a minimum of 12-15 feet separation.

3)Their externally mounted marine cellular antenna will provide the necessary ground-plane.

4)The Sleek will provide 20db of gain versus 45 db of gain on the 213.

Finally, I was told that elevating the antenna (such as on a pole) will help improve performance but is unnecessary as regards to separation.

With this in mind it's advisable to get a long enough coaxial cable to accommodate an elevated antenna should it be needed.
Adapter # 97119 is required to connect the Sleek to the coax.

DISCLAIMER:

The information I've related was provided by Wilson. I can not vouch for it's accuracy

[Lowranger]

I guess there's little interest in this subject, but, since I started this thread I'll wrap it up.
I ended up purchasing the Sleek based upon my conversation with Wilson Tech Support. Here is a before/after of the Sleek operating at my home.
I set the magnet-mount antenna on a metal bowl on my window stool, about 8' away, and powered it off of my desktop computer USB port.
There were NO issues related to antenna separation and feedback/oscillation

Note the "RX Signal Strength" and "RX Power".


Booster off




Booster on




And sitting on my desk, landscape mode.

[horndoctor]

Wirelessly posted (HTC Diamond: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint MP6950SP)

Glad you got it working and maybe someone else may find this info useful if they decide to do something similar.
I suppose this could be done with any WinMo device.
Be safe on the water!

[Lowranger]

Horndoctor,
Thanks for replying, I appreciate your responses.

On my little boat evenings are long and boredom is the enemy. Internet access is very desirable and this device should allow me to surf-the-net and stay connected. A reliable signal also means that I can tether my netbook and enjoy Slingbox and all that it offers, i.e., live TV and recorded programs stored on my Comcast DVR.
The Sleek has value beyond boating though. I may keep one in my car for emergencies.
I got it online for under $85 shipped. Cheap insurance just in case.