Improving cellphone reception.

[FROSTY]

My Mum and Dad live out the back of beyond in Mangawhai.
They are in the middle of a 50 acre forest.
Cell reception is at times non existent.
The cost of running a landline in is huge.
SOOO
Can anyone think of a practical way of boosting vodaphone reception?

[Maha]

Build a hill???

[boomer]

if they're important they could get a mini repeater installed, but i know the reality of that is zilch.

best bet is to buy and install a new mobile network themselves if they want reception or get a nat sat fone :)

[CookMySock]

If you PM me their exact location on google maps, I can make some recommendations.

edit: if are not sure how to do that, then click <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Mangawhai,+New+Zealand&geocode=CfO2gFswemcsFafB2P0d-stnCg&dirflg=&daddr=hakaru&f=d&sll=-36.107924,174.574471&sspn=0.142015,0.264702&ie=UTF8&ll=-36.151737,174.541168&spn=0.283872,0.529404&z=11">here</a> and drag the "A" marker to their place (zoom in or out as necessary) and then copy and paste the chain link icon (top right-hand corner) in a PM to me.

If you paste that link in the open form you will reveal their location to everyone and sundry.

Steve

[peasea]

My Mum and Dad live out the back of beyond in Mangawhai.
They are in the middle of a 50 acre forest.
Cell reception is at times non existent.
The cost of running a landline in is huge.
SOOO
Can anyone think of a practical way of boosting vodaphone reception?

If I lived in the back of beyond, in the middle of a 50 acre forest, I'd be grateful for no cell phone reception, it'd be good for the soul. People used to get along fine before cell phones, computers and hip-hop.

[p.dath]

If they are on the newer UMTS network, then in maybe 12 months vodafone are looking to sell femtocell transmitters. These devices plug into your DSL circuit, and boost the reception in the room, and use your IP connection for back haul. You can read more about the UK pilot here:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/chris-keall/cell-site-your-living-room-coming-save-vodafone-xt

If they are using the older GSM network then you can buy an illegal repeater. The repeaters are illegal to sell within a country, so you need to buy it from somewhere like Australia. There are a couple of companies that specialise in doing this. An example is Powertec. They have www.powertec.co.nz to sell to Australia, and www.powertec.com.au to sell to NZ.
Check out:
http://www.powertec.com.au/shop/-c-37.html?osCsid=8e830afe8c98531728e552927da7ba9f

Note that you probably want to email them (or give them a call) and say what you are wanting to achieve, as the selection of antennas used can make a big difference to how well it works.

[p.dath]

ps. I should mention the other easy option. Ring 777 and make a "coverage request". If enough people make a request for an area then Vodafone will consider putting in additional capacity.

[boomer]

If you PM me their exact location on google maps, I can make some recommendations.

edit: if are not sure how to do that, then click here (http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Mangawhai,+New+Zealand&geocode=CfO2gFswemcsFafB2P0d-stnCg&dirflg=&daddr=hakaru&f=d&sll=-36.107924,174.574471&sspn=0.142015,0.264702&ie=UTF8&ll=-36.151737,174.541168&spn=0.283872,0.529404&z=11) and drag the "A" marker to their place (zoom in or out as necessary) and then copy and paste the chain link icon (top right-hand corner) in a PM to me.

If you paste that link in the open form you will reveal their location to everyone and sundry.

Steve

I'm keeen to know what you're going to suggest, please share it with us all..!


Remember, i was vodafone RF & UMTS Performance and Optimisation Manager for 4 years and know ALL the options available...

[Maha]

I'm keeen to know what you're going to suggest, please share it with us all..!


Remember, i was vodafone Performance and optimisation manager for 4 years and know ALL the options available...

So did you manage to optimise the performance of Vodafone inside that four years?...:Pokey:

[boomer]

So did you manage to optimise the performance of Vodafone inside that four years?...:Pokey:

Thats an oxymoron; although i did go on to become the Network and Services Quality Manager.. ahahahah

[FROSTY]

sorry guys just to be clear --they have NO phone except the cell.
I like the repeater idea

[boomer]

sorry guys just to be clear --they have NO phone except the cell.
I like the repeater idea

Frosty,

a repeater costs many thousands of dollars to buy the hardware never mind install.

Installation would only take place if it were economically viable for VF to do so. ( note, one residential customer is not economically viable ) Marketing budget so many a year as do the RF team, they are deployed where best impact for $$ and customer satisfaction is gained... im afriad your olds wont even register on the 'care' factor buddy

As for Dpaths idea of buying a mini repeater from over seas and fitting it yourselves, I applaud the kiwi inginuity but theres a fine line between being appluaded and laughed at.


Try Teleskum

[Gremlin]

The other problem will be their geographic location. Even if Vodafone eventually put a repeater in the area (but more general to get more customers, if thats possible) if your parents are down a hill, or in a valley, there could be less chance of even getting that coverage...

Telecom is probably your best option, but see if you can borrow one to test coverage (or ask a mate to visit, who has the new xt network) and if you can get coverage, go ahead and buy one I guess?

[Dave Lobster]

a repeater costs many thousands of dollars to buy the hardware never mind install.


Voda will put one in if you spend $5k+ a month.




As for Dpaths idea of buying a mini repeater from over seas and fitting it yourselves, I applaud the kiwi inginuity but theres a fine line between being appluaded and laughed at.

Followed closely by prosecution.

[Jantar]

Telescum quoted us $23000 to put a landline in. Eventually 2 other neighbours joined in and we hired a digger and did it ourselves. Total cost for a mini digger for 2 days, 3 km of cable and a 300 m of conduit was $1200. Telescum (well, their local contractor) checked the laying and did the final connection for only a few hundred.

[shafty]

The other problem will be their geographic location. Even if Vodafone eventually put a repeater in the area (but more general to get more customers, if thats possible) if your parents are down a hill, or in a valley, there could be less chance of even getting that coverage...

Telecom is probably your best option, but see if you can borrow one to test coverage (or ask a mate to visit, who has the new xt network) and if you can get coverage, go ahead and buy one I guess?

I rang Telecom about coverage here in Matiere (We have text coverage, just) and they were able to pull up a detailed map of their new network in relation to us and the news was "Sorry no change" - but you could try that.

Remember, when they say they provide coverage for 97% or 99% - that relates to where 99% of people live!

T'com also advertised last year (in a mail flyer) an antenna extension for cell phones, but when I called about them, the person said "nah they're rubbish" - GREAT!

[Highlander]

T'com also advertised last year (in a mail flyer) an antenna extension for cell phones, but when I called about them, the person said "nah they're rubbish" - GREAT!

Better to be told that by the sales(?) person on the other end of the phone than be encouraged to spend the money only to discover for yourself that they are in fact rubbish and feel ripped off.

[Gremlin]

but when I called about them, the person said "nah they're rubbish" - GREAT!
least they gave you the honesty you really needed, BEFORE buying :clap:

edit... wot highlander said...

[davereid]

You have a couple of options.

1.Aerials

You can buy high-gain aerials, which will often get you coverage where its otherwise not possible.

The catch is, that you will be fixed with the cell your areial is pointed at. So if the cell site is busy, your phone cant flick to another cell.

Also, if you are much more than about 25km from the cell, it won't work, even if you have plenty of signal.

2.Cell to Landline

If you can get cellular coverage from a nearby hill, you can get a cellphone that has a standard phone emulation port.

So you can run a cable from the house to the hill, and put a standard ph in the house, connected via the cellphone on the hill.

[BMWST?]

telecom has radio links to very remote phone customers in places like the sounds

[shafty]

Better to be told that by the sales(?) person on the other end of the phone than be encouraged to spend the money only to discover for yourself that they are in fact rubbish and feel ripped off.

True!






















10 chars

[FROSTY]

Its not a secret where mum and dad live. If you look on the map of Black Swamp road then find the intersection with Pacific road you are close.
If ya draw the third side of the triangle formed by pacific and black swamp about 1.0km back they are basicly smack bang in the middle of that side of the triangle.

[CookMySock]

Ok what I was trying to establish is whether they had any line-of-sight to the local village.

If they do, or if they can find some powered site nearby that has any view of the township at all, then I would suggest you forget about cellphones and install a 802.11b/g repeater and build a community wireless access scheme. Now everyone in the area gets telephone, fax, and fast broadband, and for very good price too.

The deciding factor on such a system is getting a solid link to an area that already has ADSL, and that means a line-of-sight link.

Steve

[GSXRjohn]

If there is no signal you can not boost nothing

John

[FROSTY]

DB--there is no "local community" pacific road goes to the carter holt forest and their nearest neighbour is about a km away from them.
The neighbour has a landline

[Zimsar10]

Thats an oxymoron; although i did go on to become the Network and Services Quality Manager.. ahahahah

Long shot I know - but were you ever a Member of the gaming forum Jetstream Games?

Related to your problem - do you know of anyone who has a 900Mhz device that works on Vodafones Extended 3G Network? Also have you checked their coverage maps?

http://www.optimap.co.nz/MapProxy/MapService/print.pdf?&center=-36.126228617859475,174.57447052001953&zoom=12&size=520x468&maptype=terrain&ext=174.4852066040039x-36.19109202182452x174.66373443603516x-36.061311571582486&markers=-36.126297,174.574586&layers=VF2GxVF3G2100xVF3G900&addr=Mangawhai,%20New%20Zealand

The above indicates you can 2 bar 3G coverage, it takes awhile for the map to load btw - using a 900Mhz UMTS device.

Also - check their coverage maps here:

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/coverage/

[CookMySock]

The neighbour has a landlineDoes the neighbour have broadband? If so, you can link from this and run a SIP phone over it.

Steve

[Laava]

What you wanna do right,.......get a looooonng piece of string and 2 tin cans.....................

[boomer]

Long shot I know - but were you ever a Member of the gaming forum Jetstream Games?

Related to your problem - do you know of anyone who has a 900Mhz device that works on Vodafones Extended 3G Network? Also have you checked their coverage maps?

http://www.optimap.co.nz/MapProxy/MapService/print.pdf?&center=-36.126228617859475,174.57447052001953&zoom=12&size=520x468&maptype=terrain&ext=174.4852066040039x-36.19109202182452x174.66373443603516x-36.061311571582486&markers=-36.126297,174.574586&layers=VF2GxVF3G2100xVF3G900&addr=Mangawhai,%20New%20Zealand

The above indicates you can 2 bar 3G coverage, it takes awhile for the map to load btw - using a 900Mhz UMTS device.

Also - check their coverage maps here:

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/coverage/

Yes i was

.

[Skyryder]

Folic acid is good for cells. :love:


Skyryder

[Pixie]

Ok what I was trying to establish is whether they had any line-of-sight to the local village.

If they do, or if they can find some powered site nearby that has any view of the township at all, then I would suggest you forget about cellphones and install a 802.11b/g repeater and build a community wireless access scheme. Now everyone in the area gets telephone, fax, and fast broadband, and for very good price too.

The deciding factor on such a system is getting a solid link to an area that already has ADSL, and that means a line-of-sight link.

Steve

Broadband in Mangawhai is also crap - often as slow as dial-up

[boomer]

Broadband in Mangawhai is also crap - often as slow as dial-up

But DB knows best.. he's a qualified Engineer of EVERYTHING.. renowned world wide... internationally even.

Tony,
Tell them to try telecom, otherwise they have to just use a landline or bush drums...

[FROSTY]

Thanks for the advice guys.
One thing my mum said yesterday was that the location "thingee" on the screen changes all the rime.
As in the cellphone goes nowhere but the location bar can say any one of three locations.

[boomer]

Thanks for the advice guys.
One thing my mum said yesterday was that the location "thingee" on the screen changes all the rime.
As in the cellphone goes nowhere but the location bar can say any one of three locations.


because she's on whats called fringe coverage; her cell phone is switching between cell sites, at least 3, because the signal to those cell sites is not adequate to serve the phone. So they hop, hand over, transfer the phone to another cell site... and so on and so on.

The cell site says, sorry. i cant hear you well enough i'll pass you on to my neighbour.. and this happens continously, hence the change of location on the phone.

give it up mate... get a telskum or a land line

[Dave Lobster]

Which three (PM me)?

The (one) Telecom cell for Mangawhai is in the same place as one of Voda's, so not likely to be of much use.

I'll have a look later to see if the Telecom one has their version of 3G on it.

[Zimsar10]

Thanks for the advice guys.
One thing my mum said yesterday was that the location "thingee" on the screen changes all the rime.
As in the cellphone goes nowhere but the location bar can say any one of three locations.

Never mind a Telecon phone - as I posted on Page 2 - you can - according to the Vodafone coverage maps get "fair" coverage using a 900Mhz UMTS phone - Vodafone call it "Extended 3G".


Here it is again:

Related to your problem - do you know of anyone who has a 900Mhz device that works on Vodafones Extended 3G Network? Also have you checked their coverage maps?

http://www.optimap.co.nz/MapProxy/MapService/print.pdf?&center=-36.126228617859475,174.57447052001953&zoom=12&size=520x468&maptype=terrain&ext=174.4852066040039x-36.19109202182452x174.66373443603516x-36.061311571582486&markers=-36.126297,174.574586&layers=VF2GxVF3G2100xVF3G900&addr=Mangawhai, New Zealand

The above indicates you can 2 bar 3G coverage, it takes awhile for the map to load btw.

Also - check their coverage maps here:

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/coverage/