Quote:
Originally posted by dunbar
Any dipole antenna can use a reflector, to get more 'gain'. Problem is, does this 'booster' act as a proper reflector? I'm not an amateur, but I suspect the effect will be minimal, possibly a decimal number dB change in gain for most antennae.
Any amateurs care to delve into the specifics? There are a couple possibly valid outcome regarding the claim of performace gains..... |
The short answer is no; the "boosters" offer no gain to the antenna what so ever. The reason for this is in the design of a true yagi antenna. A yagi starts out with a dipole, being halfwave, quarterwave, or some fraction of the wavelength. The dipole by itself is omnidirectional and will project the radio waves in a 360* pattern. This is how your normal cell phone antenna works. According to the manufacturers of these "boosters," they help to "get you a better signal." The only way to "get a better signal" on a phone would be to get a decent antenna (a perfect wavelength match) or to add reflectors AND directors to the dipole. The reflector acts as a mirror behind the dipole element to concentrate the power in one direction. The director lets the radio waves "fly straight" in that one direction. There is a drawback to using a yagi antenna however; THE SIGNAL ONLY TRAVELS IN ONE DIRECTION.
Simply put, the "booster" is only half of a true yagi antenna and will therefore only hinder performance. UNLESS... the whole thing is just a marketing strategy to sell a lot of little strips of metal tape and make a lot of money.
In no way is this reply a "thread crap" but rather a caveat emptor warning to anyone who was thinking about using one of these "boosters."
-Kc2iLq
Linear Mode
