I do SAR, Rescue, & Training work near the US/Canadian border and am implementing a cellular data solution for response vessels & vehicles that includes a dual SIM cellular gateway.
We predominately use Verizon 700 MHz (band 13) on the US side and a number of carriers on the Canadian side.
Currently we are reviewing three antenna candidates:
• SureCall CM288
• Digital Antenna 1273
• Shakespeare 5239 Galaxy
I've seen these listed in the forums here and hope to get some real world experiences.
For those interested, a project summary with diagram can be found here:
http://www.spereicle.com/data/antenna/SERVE-WWAN-Update-Project_Summary_v2.1.pdf
A general file repository can be found here:
http://www.spereicle.com/data/antenna/
Which of these antennas would you use, and why?
Thanks again!
Hi Spere. This looks like an interesting project but you may already know more than most of us. I am still receiving good Verizon 4G/3G boosting from the Digital Bullet antenna as explained here...
https://www.panbo.com/archives/2015/02/simple_marine_cell_boosting_wilson_sleek_4g_weboost_drive_4g_and_digital_antenna_bullet.html
...but I have not tried the other antennas you list, or a more powerful booster with the Bullet. However, my friend Luis Soltero of GMN has done lots of testing and he came up with this recommended kit:
http://www.globalmarinenet.com/product/gmn-recommended-marine-cell-booster/
In July Luis reported that the WeBoost Drive 4X was working well for him while cruising the St. Laurence with the "fantastic Rogers LTE network here in CA." But he was also testing a SureCall Fusion2Go-RV that he thought promising:
http://www.surecall.com/product/Fusion2Go-RV-Cell-Phone-Signal=Booster.html
I'll ask how that went.
Hi Ben,
Thank you very much for your thoughts and links.
I've also contacted Luis and hope to hear back.
Real world data would be excellent - one of the reasons I appreciate your reviews of marine electronics and equipment.
Ben-
I have seen the new Digital Bullet Wide Band Antenna. I cant find a Cellular/4G booster to take full advantage of the frequency range. Am looking for a multiband booster that will also do GSM900 in addition to what DA and Wilson offer for North America. Both their offerings are fine until you get to the islands or the Med where 900Mhz is common. Any ideas?
Regards,
John