Thanks for the link.
You may be right.
I still however hope that my iphone is:
- not powerful enough to transmit the signal from above the ground station where all antennas have horizontal characteristic.
- is additionally shielded by the metal cage while inside the aircraft.
So my goal is to try with external, maybe directional panel antenna pointed more or less downward and then check if it helps or not.
If not – then satcom is the only choice for next 10 years until we have something like nextrad.
Raven wrote:
I am thinking now about the antenna
https://www.sensorantennas.com/product/quad-gsm-antenna/
Raven wrote:
if that would work at all
In my experience such industrial style devices will not outperform the latest iPhone. The development cycles are much longer etc. Chances are high that getting simply the latest iPhone from the store will have better performance than a few years old low volume device with some customer supplied antenna. Also it saves you from getting another SIM card. If the performance of the phone is not enough better spend the money on a satellite solution. So many people have tried this over the years and the result was always the same. It works a little but can not be made work good enough to be reliable.
Lately I did even file a new flight plan in flight to EDDE at 5000ft to the east of the airport. But to the west of the same airport on the IFR departure there was no signal at all, nothing. That is what it will most likely be no matter which antenna etc…
Peter wrote:
The main drawback is that you need to maintain a contract SIM card in them
Yes, it is something like 5-12 EUR/month with about 6GB of data I think. I am pretty sure – including roaming.
That is still way cheaper than a satphone. The only question is – if that would work at all 
I am thinking now about the antenna. Should it be rather a panel antenna or a whip? A whip would be much easier to install in a drain hole in aft lower fuselage.
Edit: Maybe a “tube” antenna would be the best of two worlds…
I have played with a few of these, in the context of a 3G/4G backup on a router, for loss of ADSL.
They work pretty well. The main drawback is that you need to maintain a contract SIM card in them, although there are some deals for specialist data-only SIM cards down to £3/month (not sure if these are available to the public, and probably non-roaming).
Whether you get better connectivity than with a phone in the cockpit, I have no idea. You might, because these devices are potentially more powerful. A phone is 23-24dbm. This box is more
but only on GPRS/EDGE and these are often useless, because while GPRS is fine for messaging and short emails, web server to web client connections tend to just break due to the slow speeds and latencies. In reality, IME, GPRS achieves about 20kbps, in Europe.
You could try it…
Thanks for your comments. Appreciated!
Peter wrote:
The repeater won’t work in a plane, because signal level is not the issue.
Are you 100% sure of that statement?
I found an industrial type router with external GSM antenna:
http://support.elmark.com.pl/advantech/pdf/bb/ICR-1601-datasheet.pdf
About 150-200EUR
Quite cheap. A bit tempting to try…
One also can get full 3G/4G internet access (on any phone that I’ve had) when flying at typical European VFR levels, say a few k or below. Not enough for voice calls but I reckon > 50% of the time.
One of the great things about flying is I don’t get bothered by my mobile phone……… such a device would just create a problem I don’t have.
arj1 wrote:
What is bothering me a little is the cost… Having Golze ADL is not much more expensive than dual-band repeater, but you get much better coverage.
Satellite is never free but if cost is an issue please inquire about pre owned devices to be used with trip kits. Options start at 190 Euro for an overhauled ADL120.
NicR wrote:
What Golze plan are you getting for 25 EUR/mo? Looking at their services page https://www.ing-golze.de/service.jsp the monthly plan is 39.50 EUR/mo.
Long time ago the devices used to be more expensive and the subscription was a bit cheaper. To be fair I kept those prices for existing customers as long as they keep their contract not to make them pay twice. But those old plans also do not include the free download volume the new plans do.
The repeater won’t work in a plane, because signal level is not the issue.
