About Coax

Will these antennas fit my modem ?

My modem does not have an External Antenna Socket ..
Can I use these Antenna Kits ?
We only support modems that have a physical external antenna socket. There are "Inductive Coupler" devices that aid in the connection of external antennas to these modems, but the results using these are limited and unreliable.
Always use a Modem that has an External Antenna Port.  

My modem has an External Antenna Socket ..
Will your Antenna Kits fit my modem ?
Browse to our selection page and click on your modem.
If you don't see your modem /router listed, please contact us and we'll do our very best to help you.

Will these antennas suit 4G LTE ?
*Telstra and Optus are rolling out 4G LTE services on the 1800MHz band. Around April 2013, the old 700MHz UHF TV band may also be utilized for 4G LTE. We have antennas for 4G LTE. Telstra have their 850MHz DC-HSPA+ 42mbps service (not LTE) that they are marketing as part of their 4G network.
More detailed info here
 

Which antenna suitable for My Location ?

What frequency antenna do I need, 850, 900 or 2100 ?
A very high gain yagi antenna (16dBi) will cover only one 3G bands such as 850MHz or 900MHz. The lower the antennas gain, the more bands it can cover for the same size antenna. Thus our mid-gain yagi antennas are suitable for both Telstra/Vodafone and Optus on both bands.

 Metropolitan Areas
- All carriers use 2100MHz for 3G/nextG.
- Telstra have 850MHz NextG and DC-HSPA+ in selected metro areas.
- Optus have 900MHz 3G in selected metro areas.
- Vodafone have 850MHz and/or 900MHz 3G in selected metro areas.
- At time of writing, all 4G LTE services use 1800MHz.

Rural Areas
- Telstra use 850MHz for NextG and DC-HSPA+.
- Optus use 900MHz for 3G.
- Vodafone use 850MHz and/or 900MHz.
- Optus & Vodafone often have 2100MHz 3G services in country areas.

Many rural cell towers are utilizing both the 850(900) and the 2100 bands simultaneously to assist them with town and country coverage.
 

Do I need "Line of Site" to a Cell tower to 3G signal.
Short Answer: If you have some 3G signal now, these antennas will greatly improve your signal, when correctly installed.
Long answer: In rural areas using 850/900MHz, some signal may be refracted around hills that would block the higher frequency signals of 3G 2100MHz and 4G LTE 1800MHz. This is why the carriers use the lower frequency in country areas. However the signal you will receive without direct line of site to the cell tower will be greatly reduced. At 2100MHz, direct line of site is a must. But this does not mean you need to be able to see the tower. The 3G signal is absorbed by buildings, trees and other vegetation, but its high frequency waves cannot go through or around hills and mountains.

Where are the Mobile Internet Towers in my area ?
Follow our guide Find Cell Towers Guide to determine the best path to the best tower from your location. Also find cell towers at maps.spench.net

What type of Antenna do I need ?

Omnidirectional antennas achieve higher gain by flattening out the "donut".


If your constantly on the move you need an antenna that can connect to cell towers in any direction.
Vehicle speed, terrain changes and boat angle/movement effect the angle of the antenna, causing reliability issues with higher gain antennas.

Why Should I Buy an Antenna from YOUR store ?

Beware of FAKE antennas

I see other stores sell shorter, higher gain antennas ..
Why are your antennas lower in gain?
Short Answer: We dont exagerate the performance of our antennas.
There are sellers listing antennas that they claim are 18dBi and 21dBi gain, yet these antennas are only 1metre long and only have about 15 director elements! They claim that they get the higher gain because their antennas have a "mesh reflector". The truth is, a mesh reflector is used to increase the Back-Front Ratio and has only minimal advantage to the gain spec of the antenna. The other suspicious fact is that, for each 3dBi increase in gain, the number of Elements (and thus the total-length of the antenna) needs to double.
For example... a true 3G 850/900 14dBi antenna is ~1150mm in length, so a 17dBi antenna would need to be about 2.3m and a 20dBi Yagi would be about 4.6m long.
So you see it is mathematically impossible for these antennas to achieve 21dBi gain from a 15 element antenna with a boom length of only 1 metre!
BUYER BEWARE of these resellers and manufacturers that are advertising specifications that are just not possible to achieve.

Our antenna manufacturer is Accredited to ISO9001-2008 Quality Management Systems.

Important things you should know before purchasing !
 - Know your Carriers Band. Is it 850, 900, or 2100 MHz? 
 - Where are the Mobile Cell Towers located near you?
 - Quality: Is the antenna manufacturer Quality System Accredited ?
 - Antenna Coax Cables: Are the longer cables low-loss or just RG58?
 - Your Modem.. has it got an external entenna socket?
 - Where will the antenna be mounted? You may need to erect a mast.
   This will be additional cost. . . .More info here

Will this antenna fix my 3G reception ?

 I have NO SIGNAL in my area ..
Will this antenna give me 3G reception ?
If others around your location are able to get some signal then, when optimally installed, this antenna will help. One way to find out is to get a High-Gain Yagi Antenna and mount it in the best possible location. Although we don't guarantee this, many of our customers have reported being able to access high speed 3G internet in locations that previously showed no signal bars at all.
Follow our Find Cell Towers Guide for a more scientific approach.

 I have WEAK SIGNAL in my area ..
Will this antenna give me 3G/4G reception ?
If you have low and/or unreliable 3G signal using your USB modem inside or outside your building we 100% Guarantee that, when correctly installed, this antenna will greatly improve your 3G/4G signal quality. More info here 

I have GOOD SIGNAL but my connection is slow and drops out ..
Will this antenna fix this ?
Generally yes, if your problem is due to poor Signal Quality rather than Hardware or Service Provider issues.. these Directional Antennas will improve your 3G Internet connectivity by:
- Reducing interference from areas behind and to the side of the antenna.
- Reducing reflected and refracted signal coming from Buildings and Vehicles.

Where Should I Mount The Antenna?

Can I mount the 3G antenna on my existing TV mast?
Yes. The same rules for securely mounting any outdoor antenna apply.
1. Mount the 3G antenna at least 250mm from the existing TV antenna.
2. Ensure the pole is fixed securely to the building reducing wind effects.
3. Point the antenna at the Phone tower. The phone tower wont normally
   be in the same direction as the TV tower.

Can I mount the 3G antenna in my roof space?
Any vertical or horizontal pipe, roof edge, wall, balcony railing etc can be used. Also, inside-attic hidden install may be acceptable as long as there is no metal in the roof that signal has to penetrate. RF signals at 824-960MHz) may be reduced by wood and concrete roof structures so avoid mounting inside a building if signal strength is marginal or if mounting a 2100MHz or 1800MHz antenna.
The available length of your feeder cable may determine your mounting spot.

I have a 20m tower to mount the antenna, should I run a 20m antenna cable or should I mount the antenna lower at 10m ?
At these frequencies, coax cable loss is a big factor. For every 10m of our low-loss cable, 2.5dB of signal is lost. Consider that if there is only an extra 1dB gain increase at 20m over that at 10m then you would actually loose 1.5dBi of antenna gain by mounting higher. So try it out at 10m. If you get good signal then don't bother raising it. Remember that Signal Quality is more important than Signal strength.

Where Do I Point The Antenna ?

Installation Instructions
If you haven't already done so, find out which towers are nearest to your location. You can also determine the frequency (850 900 or 2100) your carrier (Telstra, Optus etc) is transmitting on each tower.

Direct the front of the antenna (usually the thin bit) at the mobile phone tower. The guide linked to above will identify landmarks in he path to the tower from your location and the Azimuth angle of the tower with respect to your position. If using a compass, be aware that metal objects such as a tin roof will upset the compass reading.
Alternatively, satisfactory results may be achieved by rotating your Yagi until best signal is found then centering on the estimated location.
- Slowly rotate the antenna and stop every 10 degrees.
- Wait 30sec's for the Modem's signal meter to refresh. Record signal levels.
- Note the peak and decline positions.
- Determine the centre position between the two decline positions.
- Tighten the mounting bolts.
Stand at least a metre away from and to the back or sides of the antenna. Never stand in front of the antenna. Your body can greatly alter signal patterns.

YAGI SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Are these antennas safe ?
These antennas are made of aluminum, a great conductor of electric power.
You can be instantly killed if the antenna or support structure being worked with touches an electric power line. Avoid installing an antenna during rain or wet conditions.
Finally, don't stand in front of the transmitting antenna when using a regular modem or phone. Don't install the antenna where the signal has to cross where people reside, walk in front of or can touch your antenna. While radiation dangers at low power are not proven, don't take chances with RF emissions. High gain antennas focus the signal power in a particular direction. A 16dBi antenna has over 32 times the power of a standard dipole, 3W effectively becomes nearly 100W! Its not wise to be exposed to this radiation.

How Do Yagi Antennas Achieve So Much "Gain" ?

Yagi Radiation Pattern 

Yagi antennas are directing most of their signal in just one direction instead of dispersing all around a 360 degree circle. Single element whips and rods on cars, boats etc are omnidirectional, radiating in 360 degrees when you are viewing from above, looking down on the antenna. Zero (unity), 3, and 5db gain are the typical numbers for those. Usually the taller they are (for a given frequency) the more gain is laid out on the horizon, where it is needed.

Mechanical Basics of Yagi Antennas ?

Vertical-Polarized antenna for
3G or 4G LTE single antenna installs

Slant-Polarized antenna for DC-HSPA+ or 4G LTE MIMO

Yagi antenna basics.
Boom: The long horizontal bar that points at the cell tower.
Elements: The small thin rods supported by the boom.
For Single 3G/4G Antenna Installations, mount the antenna with elements vertically positioned, as seen in the pictures. The front of the antenna has the shorter elements and the rear has the longer ones.
Reflector:  Is at the rear the boom, This "reflects" the signal forward.
Driven Element: The "driven" element radiates the power from the modem and converts radio waves from the cell tower into electrical voltage.
Directors:  Usually 1 to 15 or more elements specifically tuned to direct signal forward along the boom from/to the driven element.
The signal output is off the front end of the boom.

What is Polarization ?
Radio signals travel polarized or oriented vertically, horizontally, circularly or combination's of these. Cellular signals are Vertical or Slant polarized. Your cellular mobile antenna on the car is vertically polarized, for example.
Your Yagi must be installed with its elements vertically polarized too.

When to use VERTICAL Polarization.
- 3G and NextG services
- Single Antenna systems for 4G LTE and 3G/NextG/3G+ DC-HSPA+ services.
When to use SLANT Polarization.
- Dual Antenna systems for 4G LTE and 3G/NextG/3G DC-HSPA+ services.