Tweaks

fritodog · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 8

I'm in a fringe area using an amped Kyocera KPC 650 to connect to Verizon's EVDO network and have a few questions:

1.) Is there any concensus on tweaking connection settings to improve speeds or is this more just a matter of trial and error specific to each individual situation?

2.) In terms of the embedded Preferred Roaming List (PRL) in my card, is this something that gets updated when I do a software update using the VZAccess Manager or do I need to run a separate update?

3.) Are there any other signal booster or connection tweaks that I should know about or investigate?

Tks,
FritoDog

MaximumSignal · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:51 am Post subject: Re: Tweaks

Michael · Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:17 am Post subject: Re: Tweaks

Hello,

You can perform some of the tweaks that are outlined up here, BUT if you have weak signal, they may or may not help:

[url=]SuperCharged EVDO - Free Tip[/url]

Yes, when you do an "activation" the PRL gets updated in your card, think of it as a text file that contains all the towers your card knows about. It may be important to update this. It also depends on your carrier and if they do roaming agreements or acquire other carriers. It is a good idea keeping this updated. VZAccess Manager will remind you to do the update every 30 days.

See the SuperCharged tip above. But it all comes down to signal, if you are only getting one bar, you would want an amplifier and good external antenna.
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fritodog · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 8

Thanks for the feedback...I will try some of the tweaks discussed in the url you sent me.

In terms of switching to a yagi, is there any way for me to determine which towers in my area are used by Verizon so I can point at them? I went to www.cellreception.com, but there are many towers shown in my area. Based on Verizon's coverage map of the Tampa-St Pete area, I know the coverage area is generally northwest of my location...I'm in a fringe area, but with amp and external 5dB gain mag-mount antenna, I am picking up EVDO, but am looking at options to improve my signal and speed.

WPSANTENNAS-MATT · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 8:20 am Post subject:

Verizon is 1900 Mhz in the entire state of Florida so you may want to consider a 1900 mHz single band yagi if you end up going that route as they are more efficient than dual band models.

fritodog · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Posts: 8

My amp is dual-band...so, from my understanding, unless I want to buy another amp, I need to stick with a dual-band antenna.

MaximumSignal · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:17 pm Post subject:

Scott · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:48 pm Post subject:

Why again, exactly, is it a requirement to use a dual-band amplifier with only a dual-band antenna?

While antennas may be optimized for a a specific frequency they still pickup/transmit other frequencies, so even a single-band antenna connected to a dual-band amplifier would provide some 800 MHz in this case (or 1900 MHz in the case of an 800 MHz antenna). For that matter, dual-band antennas don't output/pickup equally for both bands anyways.

Why would a dual band amplifier even need a null signal at 800 MHz just to operate? Since that market only uses 1900 MHz and there is nothing even transmitted or received on 800 MHz, how would the signal amplifier detect the difference of whether the signal was there due to not being transmitted or just not getting picked up?

MaximumSignal · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:45 pm Post subject:

Scott · Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:36 pm Post subject:

MaximumSignal · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:17 am Post subject:

Scott · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 1:38 pm Post subject:

Ok, thanks for sharing your customer's experience. I was hoping for information based on your own testing conclusions.

You've never had an issue with the 8 element yagi antenna that you sell?

That antenna is tuned to one of four frequency ranges, so is either an "824MHz to 896MHz" or an "1860MHz to 1960MHz" (800MHz or 1900MHz), but not both.

How is it that there are no conflicts with that antenna yet there are with other yagis tuned to 800 or 1900 MHz?

Obviously a yagi's frequency range can be stretched, but then the actual gain is greatly reduced, so the power rating in dBi would be much lower than that stated for a specific narrow range.

Think of it as an antenna with a peak at a narrowly tuned frequency range versus one with a gradual hump that covers more frequencies, yet delivers greatly reduced power (since that energy is spread across a wide area... why omni antennas don't have the high decibel ratings that directional antennas do).

MaximumSignal · Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:43 pm Post subject:

Scott - no issues at all Everyone is very happy with the quality of the antenna as well as the price.