SIGNAL BOOSTER

How to enhance your backcountry cell signal

- Sean P. Holman

SOURCES

SureCall

surecall.com

Topsy Products

topsyproducts.com

UpDownAir

updownair.com

A vehicle-mounted cell booster adds a margin of safety while Overlanding. As the sport of Overlanding and backcountry exploration grows, so does the want for people to build vehicles capable of getting farther out there and away from the crowds. However, the farther you go, the less likely you are to have cell service. While professional adventurers may stack the deck with ham radios or satellite communicators, the average person may not want to invest in radio training and licensing, or yet another monthly subscription.

So, the question we asked ourselves during our overland vehicle build was what options existed to maximize the usefulness of our cell phone. It seemed that a signal booster was the answer. Signal boosters work by amplifying a weak cellular signal to reduce the number of dropped calls and improve connections. We have used portable versions in the past, but this time we were looking for a system that we could hardwire into our Wrangler JL and one that didn't require a massive antenna or a ground plane. We wanted something that came with a stealthy antenna and a compact brain for mounting flexibility.