900mhz booster from ebay

[Dezibird]

Hi guys, I am wanting to boost my 900mhz FPV signal and I was wondering if it is possible to use a cellphone signal booster like this one on ebay? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/900Mhz-G...60?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item233a175a68

If not, is there any other contraption that would boost the signal.
Obviously it would have to be something that would be on the receiving end due to weight issues.

I bought a 2.4Ghz wifi booster to boost my RC signal and am wanting to do the same with my video.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/271428314001?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
I live deep in the mountains more than 100km from the nearest city and there is no cellphone signal out here to conflict with.

 

[jer]

Power and a better antenna is your friend.

 

[Dezibird]

Yeah Im looking at the Boscam 5.8Ghz 2200mw Thunderbolt with a cloverleaf on the Tx and a helical antenna on the receiver. I want 5km clear though I would rarely take it beyond 2 or 3km if ever.
Losing video signal stresses tell out of me and takes the fun out of flying.

Meanwhile back at the ranch... Does anyone know if that cellphone booster will work?

 

[OneStopRC]

What if your RX is too weak to pull in the signal? Maybe your RX is pulling in too much interference! If you are expecting to go further, you will need a directional antenna like a Yagi tuned for 5.8Ghz for instance. Running that sort of power on 5.8Ghz may cause issues that I would be concerned about, you are talking of running 2.2 watts on 5.8Ghz, of which I believe is illegal in most states and when the FCC get wind of it you will get a nasty fine. (if in the USA). This is not to mention your flight times will decrease dramatically.

If you want better range you need to shell out some cash and do the following.

Drop your frequency: lower frequencies can travel a lot further per given watt. 2.4Ghz is a good start but will require a technician's license or some form of single use license. Amatuer Radio Bands, which will require you to follow the rules. Step on someones transmissions on the Amatuer bands they will find you, report you or both. The problem you face with video, at some point you will be visible, or your surroundings or something identifiable. Radio sources are trackable, trust me we do fox hunting which is a game to find the source.

Directional Antenna: Using a directional beam rotated for the correct polarization can provide up to 10 miles using a Yagi antenna, they are relatively inexpensive and are easy to make if you want to take that route. You certainly do not need some 2.2 Watts of power sucking on your rig, Trappy flies with 800Mw for almost 16 miles. It is all about direction, why would you use a receive antenna that picks up nose from all directions when you could focus the antenna in the general direction of your rig and concentrate the signal in that one direction? For a couple of miles you could use a patch antenna, something like what I have here or the Yagi here..

Cell phone boosters probably will do next to nothing if anything at all. Cell phones work around 800Mhz - 2.5Ghz, you are talking 5.8Ghz, and if you could boost your signal this way, would your Control radio work? Probably not as most radio sets reach around a mile or so.

You will probably be better off staying with the 900Mhz and going directional.

Some food for thought, hope this can help you out some.

 

[Dezibird]

Thanks for your in depth reply OneStopRC.
I am in Australia and would only use a 2W system out in the mountains where I live and far from any town or other operations.
I am currently using a 900mhz set up but am having big problems with bad signal and only 800M distance.
I will never use 2.4ghz for video as that is my RC frequency.
From what I understand a 7 turn helical (directional) antenna on 5.8Ghz gives one hell of a range distance on the Rx while using a cloverleaf on the Tx.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2020347
That link also has the wifi booster for the RC which is where I got the idea from.
The question about the cellphone booster was for my 900Mhz system, not for a 5.8Ghz.
Could you post a link about "Trappy" ?? 16 miles sounds phenomenal. He must be doing something right.
Which video Tx/Rx would you recommend OneStop?