Mar 18

WRITTEN BY: Peter Martin
Friday, March 18, 2011 

Telstra/ Bigpond Next G,  GSM Antennas: Getting a better signal for your mobile phone and wireless data card.

 Mobile Phones and Datacard

Please identify your data card or mobile phone when emailing for advice -they all tend to take different connector leads!

IDENTIFICATION PICS OF TELSTRA USB DATA CARDS AND MODEMS (LINK)  The pics on these links  should help you identify your modem or phone - but some of them do look similar -but they are different enough to cause problems! If possible, confirm the model number from a label. If you are thinking of buying a new mobile phone for the Telstra network you might want to think about a Telstra Blue Tick phone  (see THIS EXTERNAL ARTICLE) IDENTIFICATION PICS OF TELSTRA BLUE TICK PHONES Other phones can still be fitted with an external antenna but please email the model number.

Methods of Connecting

ADAPTOR ON SHOPPING CART	A direct lead or an adaptor is the best way of connecting. Some Phones with external antenna sockets: ZTE F156 Samsung A41 ZTE F256 Motorola V6 Maxx Samsung A412 Treo 750 JASJAM Motorola V171 ZTE F165 LG TU550 LG TU500 C5220 Samsung Telstra T165i Country Phone Telstra T6 ZTE F159 Telstra Tuf Phone Adaptors (or pigtails) usually have a FME male connector on one end , the right hand side in the photo. This has become a de-facto standard for mobile antennas.   Unfortunately there is no standardisation on the other connector used to connect to the phone or data card. There are too many to put on the website at present so you will need to identify your modem model number from the above links and email us the details. This adaptor converts FME to SMA. SMA is commonly used on Telstra desktop modems.
	Some phones don't have a socket for an external antenna so they have to be fixed on to a cradle like this to make a connection. CRADLE ON SHOPPING CART
	Also, some USB modems don't have a socket for an external antenna so they have to be connected via an inductive patch connection. INDUCTIVE PATCH ON SHOPPING CART

There are a range of antennas which can be used to improve signal strengths.

	Left is the TC1306 which  probably solves the milder of reception problems, like the signal dropping out from time to time. Just type TC1306 into the CAT search box on our home page, or click: TC 1306 ON SHOPPING CART
	CLIP- ON ANTENNAS FOR LAPTOPS AND VERY THIN MONITORS SHOPPING CART
	There is usually a big advantage in locating the antenna outside of the house. The roof may be made from steel. There may be metal film (sarking) in the walls. That's good for weather proofing and insulation but not good for allowing RF signals to penetrate. In the same way as you may need to install an antenna on your roof for good TV reception you may need to do the same for good wireless connectivity. AY9-12 ON SHOPPING CART
	If you'd like  a more professional antenna tuned for Telstra's Next G Network at 850MHz. Made by Laser Antennas (Brisbane) AY16-LA-641-CDMA/3G/Next G YAGI ON SHOPPING CART This antenna does not come with any additional cable so you will need to order this separately to a required length: POSSIBLE CABLE ON SHOPPING CART or this wall or panel mount omni can work well if you wish to try and to switch between possible towers   LASER710 OMNI ON SHOPPING CART
	VEHICLE MOUNT ANTENNAS ON SHOPPING CART
	Marine Mount Antenna(on Cart) DATA SHEET Mounting Knuckle for Marine Antenna(on Cart)

Other things you might need:

	Hooded Wallplate ITEM ON CART
	Wall bracket to support antennas ITEM ON CART
	Low loss FME male to FME female extension cable ITEMS ON CART
	Its often a good idea to put your USB modem on the end of a USB extension lead to get it into a better spot. ITEMS ON CART

 

Other links:

Optus (inc Exetel Optus), 3, Virgin, Vodafone, and Services Using both the 900 and 2100MHz bands

2100 MHz Only(Virgin)

Info on passive repeaters

Using Splitters with Mobile Phone / Datacard Wireless Antennas