Installation of an In-Building Amplifier

First-determine which side of the building is the closest, line-of sight to the nearest cell site. You want to be sure there are no large trees or other flora between the proposed antenna site and the target cell site (cellular frequencies are devoured by trees). Cell site location information is usually readily available from your manufacturer's representative, or the local carrier's store. They are more often than not, very happy to offer that information rather than accept a return of a sale due to coverage issues.

If running the cable through a wall, be sure to leave a drip loop on the outside. A drip loop will prevent a water logged problem in your walls later on.

The amplifier has no adjustments; hence it can even be located in a drop down ceiling. The only requirement is power, standard household power and air circulation. Do not enclose the amplifier in a sealed small area.

The absolute most efficient installation is with a straight line between the two antennas and the amplifier in the center. This rarely ever happens, but we can always hope! It is always best, before beginning the installation, to layout where the outdoor antenna will be and the route you will use to run the cable, how the cable will enter the building and any special care that needs be taken, where you anticipate the amplifier to be located (remember the power requirement), and where you are planning the installation of the indoor antenna. This usually saves a lot of time with relocations. We have a basic In-Building installation kit that includes both antennas and two 25' hanks of very low loss coaxial cable with the appropriate connectors crimped on each cable end. The kit represents a substantial savings over individual item purchasing. If this kit does not fulfill your requirements, you will need to purchase the items individually. The kits can not be modified.

The ideal location for an indoor antenna is the center of the area to be covered. It doesn't always cover exactly what you might want it to cover.

NOTE: NEVER connect the amplifier without both antennas connected!

Before mounting the indoor antenna completely, connect it to the amplifier along with the outdoor antenna then connect the amplifier to power and move the indoor antenna around while checking the meter on your phone. It is likely that you will find a location where you have the required coverage for your particular needs. In extremely large areas or areas where there are a number of walls or even fire doors, you might want to consider adding an antenna power divider/combiner. Often called a splitter, the divider/combiner can be used to "shape" the coverage in large areas. A second indoor antenna can then be added to extend coverage to a difficult installation.

If you are doing a "custom" installation, it is always better to crimp the connectors on the cable rather than solder. The crimp provides a much stronger connection and is better electrically.

On a straight line, the two antennas MUST be at least 25 feet apart. Closer will cause oscillation and can cause the eventual burn-out of the amplifier.

No antenna should be closer than 12feet from the amplifier, same result as above.

The interior and the exterior antennas should not be on the same elevation. The exterior should always be higher.

The interior antenna MUST be vertical, whether right side up or upside down, it MUST be vertical.

The indoor antenna should always be in the center of a 6" square piece of metal for maximum signal dispersion.

For maximum dispersion of the outside antenna, it should clear the roof of the building by 12".

If, during operation, the amplifier becomes warm or hot to the touch, one or both of the antennas are too close to the amplifier. The unit has gone into oscillation! Immediately disconnect the power source and check the placement of your antennas according to the instructions above.

Installation of an In-Vehicle Amplifier

In-vehicle amplifiers present their own set of problems. Most all of those problems have been drastically reduced thanks in very large part to the increasing quality of vehicle manufacturing.

In days gone by the first requirement was to get a set of resistor spark plugs so you didn't have to hear every plug firing every time. One could almost do a complete tune-up without benefit of any special equipment. Today it is easier.

Let's first discuss some of the installation techniques of days past. After the spark plug installation, there was bonding the hood and fenders to the firewall to create a cage for any stray noise. After determining where the amp was to be located, out came the burnishing brush. All four corners of the underside of the amp around the mounting holes were stripped of all paint down to bare metal. Likewise, the mounting holes selected in the chassis where the amp was to be mounted. Then the power and ground wire wound their way to the battery and were connected directly to the battery terminals via a relay that was controlled by a switch mounted under the dashboard. The antenna was installed with a good strong ground connection to the car.

NOTE: NEVER connect the amplifier without both antennas connected!

Today, thanks to modern technology, most all of that can be done without. A lot of amplifiers today come complete with a vehicle power adapter cord (a cigarette lighter adapter), please note, we are not recommending this method, it just is the norm today. We still suggest a permanent install be at least powered from the fuse block. These amplifiers can operate very efficiently below 9 volts. There is not very much loss in a cigarette lighter connection today. A good quality antenna adapter to connect your phone to the amplifier and a 3.5db gain antenna will serve most all installations today. One thing you really do need to do though is bolt the amp somewhere. Lord knows, those things can become missiles in an accident or sudden stop. Antenna technology has also advanced remarkably as well. Today, antennas are installed on glass and pass their signals through that glass. Of course, the old standbys still hold forth, magnetic, trunk-lip, mirror and hole-mount. There are not many intrepid road warriors left that will take a drill to that new car to mount an antenna. A good quality 3.5db gain antenna will suffice for the large majority of installs. You will want as much height on the antenna as your wife will allow. It will be the very rare case that will need more help than that. If you are in that category, please remember the time worn adage...you can't amplify nothing. If you have no signal, there is nothing to amplify. You need to move!

Another innovation is the portable kits. They are usually complete with the cigarette lighter adapter and a magnetic mount antenna. These are great for road warriors. In and out of several rental cars a week, these leave no marks and are very efficient in the unknown cities. Make sure, when you park the car, you move the antenna and amp to the trunk!

Please make sure you select the proper amplifier for your carrier. While most cell phones will work on the cellular amps, Nextel and Sprint are unique due to the frequencies they work on. We do have some dual band amplifiers as well. Please choose carefully!

We hope you have been duly inspired to amplify your mobile experience. All the necessary items to make your journey a success are here in these pages. If you have any questions, please give us a call and we will be happy to work with you to resolve any issues you may have.