I live on the edge of a Voda 3G area. Its not good enough to use Voda
broadband but I want to try a yagi aerial and amplifier to see if that
makes a difference. My neighbour has had a yagi fitted for O2 and he is
very pleased with it, but that's in the opposite direction and over flat
ground.

I need to know where the nearest Voda mast is, so I can work out
orientation and likely obstructions. I live in a low-lying area. Does
anyone know of an online map to show me where the masts are? Voda's own
just shows reception areas. I suppose I could guess the mast will be at
the centre of the main reception area, but more accuracy would be useful.

Peter Scott

Peter Scott wrote:
I live on the edge of a Voda 3G area. Its not good enough to use Voda
broadband but I want to try a yagi aerial and amplifier to see if that
makes a difference. My neighbour has had a yagi fitted for O2 and he is
very pleased with it, but that's in the opposite direction and over flat
ground.

I need to know where the nearest Voda mast is, so I can work out
orientation and likely obstructions. I live in a low-lying area. Does
anyone know of an online map to show me where the masts are? Voda's own
just shows reception areas. I suppose I could guess the mast will be at
the centre of the main reception area, but more accuracy would be useful.

http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/

On 15 Jan, 15:20, Peter Scott wrote:
I live on the edge of a Voda 3G area. Its not good enough to use Voda
broadband but I want to try a yagi aerial and amplifier to see if that
makes a difference. My neighbour has had a yagi fitted for O2 and he is
very pleased with it, but that's in the opposite direction and over flat
ground.

If you already have ADSL/cable broadband then you get a Vodafone
Access Gateway (a femtocell), which is basically a tiny mobile phone
base station, about the size of a WiFi router, that plugs into your
broadband and gives you 3G coverage for the area immediately around
your home. If you want to use Vodafone's broadband instead of ADSL
then this obviously won't work, but plenty of people seem to have
both. The Gateways are available for free with some Vodafone packages.

dan.

Jim wrote:
Peter Scott wrote:
I live on the edge of a Voda 3G area. Its not good enough to use Voda
broadband but I want to try a yagi aerial and amplifier to see if that
makes a difference. My neighbour has had a yagi fitted for O2 and he
is very pleased with it, but that's in the opposite direction and over
flat ground.

I need to know where the nearest Voda mast is, so I can work out
orientation and likely obstructions. I live in a low-lying area. Does
anyone know of an online map to show me where the masts are? Voda's
own just shows reception areas. I suppose I could guess the mast will
be at the centre of the main reception area, but more accuracy would
be useful.

http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/

Excellent. Thank you. Looks quite promising. The voda is closest to me
so perhaps I can get 3G using the yagi. I get low speed through the
local exchange due to distance. I want to see if I can do better with
mobile.

Peter Scott

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:21:59 +0000, Peter Scott wrote:

Excellent. Thank you. Looks quite promising. The voda is closest to me
so perhaps I can get 3G using the yagi.

If you look at the details for of a Base Station it will tell you if
3G (UTMS) is present. No point if faffinga bout with aerials if there
isn't a signal. 3G coverage on all networks is patchy at best.

--
Cheers
Dave.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

If you look at the details for of a Base Station it will tell you if
3G (UTMS) is present. No point if faffinga bout with aerials if there
isn't a signal. 3G coverage on all networks is patchy at best.

Not so. I'm 4 miles from a 3G mast and the 3G coverage stops 2 miles
short of me, according to the map - the maps are computer generated and
not reliable indicators of fringe reception, they tend to be
conservative, ime.
Using a 9dBi flat plate antenna, I was getting consistent 3G connection
for 3 years until recently, when landline broadband became available. I
still have the 3G as backup - or I will, when Vodafone stop charging
silly bugger prices for a PAYG setup.
A 12dBi yagi will be an improvement on what I had, and a mesh dish
(24dBi) even better. In fact, the mesh dish I had was so effective that
it actually made steady connection through a roof - it was mounted
indoors.

www.thiecom.de supplied the flat plate antenna and another source of 3G
yagis is www.poynting.co.za who will happily ship to Europe.

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:07:30 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

If you look at the details for of a Base Station it will tell you
if
3G (UTMS) is present. No point if faffinga bout with aerials if
there
isn't a signal. 3G coverage on all networks is patchy at best.

Not so. I'm 4 miles from a 3G mast and the 3G coverage stops 2 miles
short of me, according to the map

The Ofcom site finder doesn't give any coverage information just what
technology is present at a base station, TETRA, GSM or UTMS. If there
is no UTMS signal being radiated from the base station no matter what
aerial you use you ain't going to create one!

I agree that coverage maps are not to be relied upon but they aren't
too bad, where do you lose the 3G signal on a phone, about 2 miles?

--
Cheers
Dave.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

I agree that coverage maps are not to be relied upon but they aren't
too bad, where do you lose the 3G signal on a phone, about 2 miles?

Generally, it would seem so; I suspect the cut-off point for 'reliable'
reception is a bit arbitrary. In my case, against the recommendation, it
was 4 miles of treetop skimming and a small hill directly in the way.
The 9dBi plate antenna is at the top of a 30' pole. Many times I was
utterly certain I was getting a bit of bounce or skip from low clouds;
this seemed confirmed by the worst days being dead clear skies and the
best days overcast.
I gave it up in the end because Vodafone had promoted the service to
every bugger and his dog for downloading crap away from home and for
rural wireless broadband, in a desperate attempt to get some money in to
recoup their huge outlay for the 3G licence years ago. As a result the
service turned into an unusable struggle a lot of the time and luckily
this coincided with availability of wired BB. For the first two years it
was wonderful having BB of any description, then it deteriorated
mightily. The nominal speeds of 3G are nothing but a joke compared to
the steady reliability of ADSL, even contended ADSL.

Peter Scott wrote:
I live on the edge of a Voda 3G area. Its not good enough to use Voda
broadband but I want to try a yagi aerial and amplifier to see if that
makes a difference. My neighbour has had a yagi fitted for O2 and he is
very pleased with it, but that's in the opposite direction and over flat
ground.

I need to know where the nearest Voda mast is, so I can work out
orientation and likely obstructions. I live in a low-lying area. Does
anyone know of an online map to show me where the masts are? Voda's own
just shows reception areas. I suppose I could guess the mast will be at
the centre of the main reception area, but more accuracy would be useful.

Peter Scott

What kit are you thinking of installing? GC mentioned thiecom and poynting.

The only other supplier I have bookmarked is:

http://www.cellantenna.co.uk/index.php?

DaveyOz

On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:59:45 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

I agree that coverage maps are not to be relied upon but they
aren't
too bad, where do you lose the 3G signal on a phone, about 2
miles?

Generally, it would seem so; I suspect the cut-off point for 'reliable'
reception is a bit arbitrary.

Well it depends what is in the way locally. Big tree in leaf, are you
upstairs or down stairs on the right side of the hosue etc. But out
in the open I expect the maps to be reasonable.

In my case, against the recommendation, it was 4 miles of treetop
skimming and a small hill directly in the way. The 9dBi plate antenna is
at the top of a 30' pole.

Recomendation to working to a handheld phone at ground level with its
built in antenna not a 9dBi gain on on top of a 30' pole... Not the
same thing at all.

I gave it up in the end because Vodafone had promoted the service to
every bugger and his dog for downloading crap away from home and for
rural wireless broadband, in a desperate attempt to get some money in to
recoup their huge outlay for the 3G licence years ago.

Yeah I'd like some decent mobile internet access but just for email
and a little bit of web browsing. I've got GPRS it works but is
painfully slow. Currenty if I use a 1MB (mega not giga) byte in a
month it would be a heavy month. Beggered if I'm paying £10/month for
1GB and throw most of it away. Now a true PAYG say 1GB for £10 that
doesn't expire after a month would be ideal, if it was on UTMS useage
would probably go up but it would still last a good while.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:59:45 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

I agree that coverage maps are not to be relied upon but they
aren't
too bad, where do you lose the 3G signal on a phone, about 2
miles?
Generally, it would seem so; I suspect the cut-off point for 'reliable'
reception is a bit arbitrary.

Well it depends what is in the way locally. Big tree in leaf, are you
upstairs or down stairs on the right side of the hosue etc. But out
in the open I expect the maps to be reasonable.

In my case, against the recommendation, it was 4 miles of treetop
skimming and a small hill directly in the way. The 9dBi plate antenna is
at the top of a 30' pole.

Recomendation to working to a handheld phone at ground level with its
built in antenna not a 9dBi gain on on top of a 30' pole... Not the
same thing at all.

I gave it up in the end because Vodafone had promoted the service to
every bugger and his dog for downloading crap away from home and for
rural wireless broadband, in a desperate attempt to get some money in to
recoup their huge outlay for the 3G licence years ago.

Yeah I'd like some decent mobile internet access but just for email
and a little bit of web browsing. I've got GPRS it works but is
painfully slow. Currenty if I use a 1MB (mega not giga) byte in a
month it would be a heavy month. Beggered if I'm paying £10/month for
1GB and throw most of it away. Now a true PAYG say 1GB for £10 that
doesn't expire after a month would be ideal, if it was on UTMS useage
would probably go up but it would still last a good while.

Thanks to all for the info. Looks like the experiment will be interesting.

I'm about 4 km from a 3G base station so I reckon I'm in with a chance
if I put the aerial up as high as I can. Only one bump in the way. If
not I'll swing it round and try the O2 that my neighbour uses. About the
same distance but flatter. I think I've got an O2 SIM somewhere to get a
very check on the signal.

I'm not desperate as I get 1 or 1.2 Mbit/s over copper. However I would
like to junk the regular phone line and just go mobile, if I can. The
current 3 or 4 gig download is more than enough.

The kit has to come from China so it'll be a while before I can report back.

Peter Scott

Dave Osborne wrote:
Peter Scott wrote:
I live on the edge of a Voda 3G area. Its not good enough to use Voda
broadband but I want to try a yagi aerial and amplifier to see if that
makes a difference. My neighbour has had a yagi fitted for O2 and he
is very pleased with it, but that's in the opposite direction and over
flat ground.

I need to know where the nearest Voda mast is, so I can work out
orientation and likely obstructions. I live in a low-lying area. Does
anyone know of an online map to show me where the masts are? Voda's
own just shows reception areas. I suppose I could guess the mast will
be at the centre of the main reception area, but more accuracy would
be useful.

Peter Scott

What kit are you thinking of installing? GC mentioned thiecom and poynting.

The only other supplier I have bookmarked is:

http://www.cellantenna.co.uk/index.php?

DaveyOz

Item 280443527594 on eBay. So far I've had good experience of buying
electronic kit direct from HK or China.

Peter Scott

On Jan 16, 1:01 pm, "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

Now a true PAYG say 1GB for £10 that
doesn't expire after a month would be ideal, if it was on UTMS useage
would probably go up but it would still last a good while.


,,,weren't/aren;t Orange offering such a PAYG "non-expiring data
limit" type package?

JimK

On Jan 17, 1:44*pm, Peter Scott wrote:
Dave Osborne wrote:
Peter Scott wrote:
I live on the edge of a Voda 3G area. Its not good enough to use Voda
broadband but I want to try a yagi aerial and amplifier to see if that

Item 280443527594 on eBay. So far I've had good experience of buying
electronic kit direct from HK or China.
I thought 3G worked on a different frequency band to to the 900mhz gsm
band - from all that business about the over priced auctions a few
years ago. Also, is it strictly legal to use these transmitters or is
it not policed?

Dave.

JimK wrote:
On Jan 16, 1:01 pm, "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

Now a true PAYG say 1GB for £10 that
doesn't expire after a month would be ideal, if it was on UTMS useage
would probably go up but it would still last a good while.


,,,weren't/aren;t Orange offering such a PAYG "non-expiring data
limit" type package?

Vodafone PAYG is £15 per GB but with no expiry. I find for my normally
low usage that is cheaper than 3 PAYG at £10 per GB but with a one month
expiry.

Using 3 at the moment: 6 days and 236MB remaining but that includes the
xmas and new year period when I was using the laptop at home. Meanwhile
on the Vodafone: 7 Nov credit = £15, today credit = £13.51. So Vodafone
cost £1.49 for 45 days normal use and 3 has cost £10 and will probably
not be fully used by the end of the week when it expires.


--
djc

On 17/01/2010 21:59, djc wrote:
JimK wrote:
On Jan 16, 1:01 pm, "Dave
wrote:

Now a true PAYG say 1GB for £10 that
doesn't expire after a month would be ideal, if it was on UTMS useage
would probably go up but it would still last a good while.


,,,weren't/aren;t Orange offering such a PAYG "non-expiring data
limit" type package?

Vodafone PAYG is £15 per GB but with no expiry. I find for my normally
low usage that is cheaper than 3 PAYG at £10 per GB but with a one month
expiry.

Using 3 at the moment: 6 days and 236MB remaining but that includes the
xmas and new year period when I was using the laptop at home. Meanwhile
on the Vodafone: 7 Nov credit = £15, today credit = £13.51. So Vodafone
cost £1.49 for 45 days normal use and 3 has cost £10 and will probably
not be fully used by the end of the week when it expires.


But IIRC Vodafone PAYG does not work with Mac OSX. I would want to be
able to switch a dongle between my Windows PCs and partner's MacBook
depending on need. It would almost entirely be a backup for those
annoying but actually fairly infrequent failures of Virgin media cable.

--
Rod

But IIRC Vodafone PAYG does not work with Mac OSX. I would want to be
able to switch a dongle between my Windows PCs and partner's MacBook
depending on need. It would almost entirely be a backup for those
annoying but actually fairly infrequent failures of Virgin media cable.

Well it works with Linux so I don't see why not. The problem for a
non-windows user with both 3 and voda is getting the phone number to set
up the account. You either need to borrow a windows box to crib the
necessary number or put the sim into a phone to request the code (3) or
discover the phone number (voda)
Instructions for setting up 3 here
http://www.publishing.ucl.ac.uk/H3G_mobile_internet.html one day I
will write up the voda version. The main difference is that you need to
discover the sim phone number and then enter the number on the voda
site. 3 doesn't need any details to connect unless you want to set a pin.



--
djc

djc wrote:

Well it works with Linux so I don't see why not. The problem for a
non-windows user with both 3 and voda is getting the phone number to set
up the account.

I just phoned them up, told them the SIM number, and they told me the
associated phone number so I could set the account up.

In article , Rod
scribeth thus
On 17/01/2010 21:59, djc wrote:
JimK wrote:
On Jan 16, 1:01 pm, "Dave
wrote:

Now a true PAYG say 1GB for £10 that
doesn't expire after a month would be ideal, if it was on UTMS useage
would probably go up but it would still last a good while.


,,,weren't/aren;t Orange offering such a PAYG "non-expiring data
limit" type package?

Vodafone PAYG is £15 per GB but with no expiry. I find for my normally
low usage that is cheaper than 3 PAYG at £10 per GB but with a one month
expiry.

Using 3 at the moment: 6 days and 236MB remaining but that includes the
xmas and new year period when I was using the laptop at home. Meanwhile
on the Vodafone: 7 Nov credit = £15, today credit = £13.51. So Vodafone
cost £1.49 for 45 days normal use and 3 has cost £10 and will probably
not be fully used by the end of the week when it expires.


But IIRC Vodafone PAYG does not work with Mac OSX. I would want to be
able to switch a dongle between my Windows PCs and partner's MacBook
depending on need. It would almost entirely be a backup for those
annoying but actually fairly infrequent failures of Virgin media cable.


Something like a Draytek cable router on the main Virgin service and the
3 G unit on the backup port .. works very well.....
--
Tony Sayer

On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:21:46 +0000, Rod wrote:

But IIRC Vodafone PAYG does not work with Mac OSX. I would want to be
able to switch a dongle between my Windows PCs and partner's MacBook
depending on need.

An unlocked Huawei D100 and Voda PAYG non-expiry dongle. This would
give you WiFi for the laptop and ethernet for the PC (if it doesn't
have WiFi...). Unlocking a D100 from 3 is supoosedly a simple
reflash with firmware available from Huawei, making sure you get a
compatible (with the D100) dongle is probably the hardest part.

3 probably don't sell the D100 anymore now that they have their MiFi
thing.

--
Cheers
Dave.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Peter Scott
saying something like:

Item 280443527594 on eBay.

No good. That only handles 900MHz, UMTS/3G is close to 2.4ishGHz. Google
it and you'll find out more.

You don't actually need an amplifier, just a good UMTS antenna of at
least 9dBi (preferably 12 or so) and a good quality downlead and pigtail
to enter your card or dongle.

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Peter Scott
saying something like:

Item 280443527594 on eBay.

No good. That only handles 900MHz, UMTS/3G is close to 2.4ishGHz. Google
it and you'll find out more.

You don't actually need an amplifier, just a good UMTS antenna of at
least 9dBi (preferably 12 or so) and a good quality downlead and pigtail
to enter your card or dongle.

Bum! Shot down in flames. Thanks for saving me from swearing a lot when
it didn't work.

Oh well I'll just use it to make the GSM signal better in my study.

Peter Scott