Great solution to cell phone drop outs

Two years ago I installed a Wilson cell phone booster at home, a little marvel of technology that allows me to make and receive cell phone calls inside my house. (Without it, I have to hang off my second floor deck and point the phone just so to get cell reception.) I crowed like a rooster about it in this Feb 2009 blog post.

But cell reception was still a problem when I was driving around. As anyone who lives here knows, cell reception around Sullivan County can be spotty. No or poor cell reception can be a real problem in my business when I spend entire days out driving and showing property.

I knew that Wilson Electronics made boosters for vehicles, but they were kind of expensive. Then I happened upon the Wilson Sleek, a slimmed down cradle booster that supports a single phone. (Check out Wilson Sleek Cell Phone Booster on Amazon) It costs about eighty bucks. I bought one last week, along with an optional gooseneck mount (just search for Wilson Gooseneck on Amazon), and installed it in my Durango. (Installation, by the way, is super easy.)

And the thing WORKS! I can get and keep a cell signal in areas where I never could before. One notorious dead spot is the dip on 17B near the Island Glen Golf Course. Just before I hit the dip, I called a friend who was skeptical that the call would hold through the dip and up to the other side. My friend said, "If it holds a call through there, I'm buying one." It did. (Update 4/9: I actually made a call today from Plank Road near the Rio Reservoir, although it did drop as I dropped down towards Fowlerville. Still, I didn;t think I could ever make a call near the Rio.) 

It's not a miracle. If there's no weak signal to amplify, it won't do anything. And I still have the occasional dropped call. This week I'm ordering the larger optional antenna (it comes with a smaller mini-antenna), which Wilson indicates adds a lot more boost. Overall, though, I am one happy camper! So happy, in fact, that today I ordered a second one for my Subaru.

(Some mounting tips: The optional Gooseneck Suction Cup Mount (Wilson 901120) requires a very smooth surface to adhere well. Wilson doesn't include a smooth surface adhesive mounting plate with it, like you may have gotten with a GPS or camera suction cup mount. If you want to mount the gooseneck on a textured dash or similar surface — rather than your windshield — also buy an adhesive mounting disk. The  ARKON 80mm Mounting Plate is the correct size.)

Comments

[Ken]

Months after erecting a cell tower in Narrowsburg they finally turned it on. It's only AT&T right now. Hopefully they'll let some other carriers use it. If the National Park Service allowed this one then maybe they'll let more of them go up.