Can I convert a auto searching tv dome type set up

[rickhise]

I have a bubble done on top of our HB that spins hums an at some point in time sometimes finds a tv signal through my dish box

Too frustrating to hunt for tv signals so there it sits

I was told this unit could be converted to provide some type of cell phone signal amplifier.....the person telling me this was so advanced in electronics shortly into any conversation one would just smile an bobble head

So if your smiling an reading an have a clue what he could have had in mind to modify it I'm curious

[wa8yxm]

Oh there are several cell pone amps (thanks for the idea by the way) and as I recall one of the newest consists of two modules one outdoor inegrated antennas. It shoudl be possible to remove the top half of the dome, Gut the beast and bolt the OUTDOOR module in there then use the same coax path (you will need to either precision cut or replace the coax. )

Frankly. I would not recommend it.. i'd recommend mounting the outdoor module on a pole

[greenrvgreen]

What Bill said plus the following:

Inside the dome you're talking about is a tiny dish antenna. The actual dish (reflector only, NOT the microphones) is the ONLY part of the whole equation that could be reused, but because it is tiny it's the one piece you'd never want to use.

If you google "L-com" you'll find dish cell antennas as big as four feet in diameter. Compare that to the 8-inch dish inside the dome you're talking about. Moreover, these antennas are fairly cheap, MUCH less than the cost of the parts to try and use a pre-existing dish reflector.

Once you've got the dish your troubles are only beginning. You have to know EXACTLY where the cell tower is, and these dishes have a beam width of about 6 degrees, which means that if your aim was off slightly you would get zero signal.

There is a DIY project to convert a large open-face TV dish to a wifi antenna. As said, everything needs to be replaced except the reflector (dish), but once you're done you have a wifi antenna whose reception is only limited by the curvature of the earth.

Again, L-com sells 4-foot versions of these that are extraordinarily powerful. Back in the early days I considered using one of these to pull in a Boingo wifi signal from three miles away over water. Nowadays grandfathered cell data is so good there really isn't any need.

[Bill_Satellite]

rickhise wrote:
I have a bubble done on top of our HB that spins hums an at some point in time sometimes finds a tv signal through my dish box

Too frustrating to hunt for tv signals so there it sits

I was told this unit could be converted to provide some type of cell phone signal amplifier.....the person telling me this was so advanced in electronics shortly into any conversation one would just smile an bobble head

So if your smiling an reading an have a clue what he could have had in mind to modify it I'm curious

The satellite TV LNB is not capable of receiving a signal being broadcast on the cellular frequency so the simple answer is no, you can't just point your dome toward a tower (even if you could figure out where it was pointing) and expect the antenna to get you a cellular signal. Additionally, just receiving a cellular signal is of no value if you don't have some way to send it back and there is nothing available in the way of broadcast built into a satellite TV antenna.
He may sound like he has advanced knowledge but unless he explained that every component in your system would have to be changed out then it's more likely that he had no idea what he was talking about.

[rickhise]

jrp wrote:
Lets see if I understood, you're not willing to spend 10 mins getting your dome Sat antenna pointed at the right Sat, but you're willing to spend hours up on the roof covering it with tin foil and tying a string of soup cans from one end to the other?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist, I'm sure there is an example on YouTube or Google. But your question reminds me of that redneck rocket scientist that used to do things like convert a perfectly good pickup engine to run on cow manure. made for some entertaining TV but not very practical.
If you're more interested in a cell antenna & amp than getting your TV antenna to work, just go buy one; they're almost as cheap as tin foil & soup cans and much more effective.

PS: Most of the Sat dish related homemade cell or wifi amplifier experiments I've read about use a discarded full size open face Sat antenna dish with LNB arm, not the small rotating type hidden inside your dome.

Well I can always count on one person who likes to flex is keyboard shots. Thanks to the others who didn't feel the need to be jerks

[jrp]

Lets see if I understood, you're not willing to spend 10 mins getting your dome Sat antenna pointed at the right Sat, but you're willing to spend hours up on the roof covering it with tin foil and tying a string of soup cans from one end to the other?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist, I'm sure there is an example on YouTube or Google. But your question reminds me of that redneck rocket scientist that used to do things like convert a perfectly good pickup engine to run on cow manure. made for some entertaining TV but not very practical.
If you're more interested in a cell antenna & amp than getting your TV antenna to work, just go buy one; they're almost as cheap as tin foil & soup cans and much more effective.

PS: Most of the Sat dish related homemade cell or wifi amplifier experiments I've read about use a discarded full size open face Sat antenna dish with LNB arm, not the small rotating type hidden inside your dome.

[YC_1]

Need a bit more information on your RV. Make, model, type of dish etc.

No device in place of the dish to be used for cellular.

You need a clear view of the satellites and decent power to run the dish.

[GordonThree]

Anything's possible given enough skill and money, but there's no easy way.

Cell phones and satellite TV have almost nothing in common in terms of how the radio works. You can't even re-use the cabling easily.

If you want a stronger cellular signal, get a WeMo or whatever the Wilsom Sleek is called now. Little magnet antenna to stick on your roof, pass the cable through a slide or down the gray tank vent and the phone goes in a little cradle. Easy peasy.