Cell phone signal booster advice needed

I know this is an old thread, but to bring it up to date, Jack Mayer, a 16 year veteran fulltimer well known for his extensive experience and knowledge of RV'er communications needs posted his current experience using a Maximum Signal Max Amp booster on the Escapees Forum:

Posted Today, 08:05 AM

User Experience. Consider this somewhat anecdotal.

I'm currently in SE KS out in the "hinterlands". Without assistance there is only 3G data here, and the phone barely works. That is a good phone (Note 5). Lesser phones do not work at all.

I set up the Mobile amp as a "house" amp (I'm staying in a house). The 13" mag mount antenna in a window on the "tower side" (on a pizza plate). The Super maxx is on top of the kitchen refrigerator at the front edge. That gives me an average of 18 dbi of gain. It takes data speeds from 2 kbps (note the K) on 3G to an average of 3.8 MBPS. That is not screaming, but the tower is deficient to start with, since speeds near it are only around 5-6 MBPS.

Why do I only see so little gain? The way these amps work, after hundreds of tests, is that the gain bounces. It will crank the gain up, and then adjust it down until the connection is solid. Or at least that seems to be the way it works, empirically. The weBoost -M with its provided antennas averages speeds of 1.85 MBPS. So I'd say the the Maxamp handily outperforms the weBoost in THIS set of circumstances, which I would call "challenging". To be fair, I have seen the weBoost outperform the Max in other circumstances. Mostly when it is closer to the towers. Id say the Max performs best when really challenged.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=119238&p=880243

In a follow-up post, Jack mentions that he is 10 miles from the nearest tower.