We want to add a repeater for our house because we live in a 'dead' hollow. How do we figure out the frequency?
We have at&t and live between York and Harrisburg, PA along the I 83 corridor. Our house is in a hollow that loses signal strength, and with aluminum siding/steel roof, once inside we get nothing. Stopping at the at&t store and calling has not given us any sure answers as to what repeater (frequency) we would need to boost our signal. They are willing to sell us a device that works with our wifi, but if we try to leave the house while on the phone, it will drop the call. Can you help?
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Open Apr 22, 2016 - 04:17 PM
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The easiest route for you is to install the device the store tried to sell you, and live with its limitations.
If that's not acceptable, prepare to spend some money. First, understand that you don't need an exact frequency, but you DO need to understand if there is enough signal available for a repeater to work properly. A repeater is an amplifier - it amplifies radio signals. If the incoming signal is too low, it's only going to amplify noise.
I suggest you try to find a local amateur radio club. One of the members may be willing to come to your property and, using a spectrum analyzer, find the correct band and determine whether or not you have sufficient signal to amplify.
If the answer is yes, you can probably expect to pay in the neighborhood of $500 to get a repeater and antenna (Wilson Electronics is a reputable company), and you are likely going to need a tall pole or even a tower to get the receiving antenna high enough to get a good signal and provide sufficient separation from the transmit antenna.
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