| Can I use cable TV cable (RG6) with this antenna? |
| It's not recommended. RG6 cable has an impedance of 75ohms, while this antenna is 50ohms. RG6 cable has more loss than 50ohm cable, and you'll also need multiple connectors to use RG6 cable with this antenna and your adapter cable (or amplifier, if you're using one). The loss of the cable itself plus the loss from using additional connectors means that the antenna will not be as effective as it would be if you used one the recommended cables, so we advise against it. If you have NO other option and you MUST use RG6 cable, please contact us so we can make sure you have all the necessary connectors. |
| What is "line of sight" and do I really need to have it? |
| Line of sight means that there are no obstructions between the antenna and the cell tower. Yagi antennas have a very narrow beamwidth and will not be able to "see" the tower if there are hills, heavy trees, tall buildings, etc between it and the tower. A Yagi antenna will NOT be very effective (if at all) without line of sight. Even though Yagi antennas are high gain, if you don't have line of sight to the tower your results will be better with a panel or omnidirectional antenna. |
| How do I know where to aim the antenna? |
| You want to aim the antenna in the direction of your cell tower. Once you have it aimed in the correct direction, you want to gradually zone in on the best possible signal from that direction. Slowly wave the antenna by about 5 degree increments until you find a 'sweet spot.' If you're unsure of how to locate the tower in your location, you can reference our article on locating cell towers here: http://evdoinfo.com/tip75 |
| How much cable can I use with this antenna? |
This depends on several factors, including the signal strength where you'll be installing the antenna (the better that signal, the more loss you can get away with while still seeing an improvement in performance) and what type of cable you're using (different cable types have more loss than others). As a general rule, the shorter the cable, the better, unless a longer cable allows you to mount the antenna in a spot with significantly better signal (for example, it is often better to use a 30' cable and mount the antenna up high on the roof where signal is better than to use a 10' cable and mount it right outside your window, even though the 30' cable has more loss than the 10' cable).
Also keep in mind that attenuation (signal loss) is also incurred by screwing cables together (one longer cable is better than daisy-chaining two shorter ones together) and from using adapters (for example, if you choose a cable that has a different connector type than your antenna and requires the use of an adapter, you will have a little additional loss from the adapter). |
