Did you know you can increase your phone range

You can still get Telstra phones with external connectors. For example I think the Telstra easy touch.

Most of the Samsung Galaxy phones have average at best reception. The Galaxy S3 and Note 2 for example. I have a note 2 and love it but reception is down compared to other phones.

Yes there is a RF port that you can get to if you remove the back cover and locate the small plug. This will work but the connector is only designed for testing in the workshop. You may wreck it if you keep plugging and unplugging.

I have an old Motorola Defy plus for when I travel in remote areas. As good as it gets and also has a similar connector ( but I don't care too much if I wreck it).

Telstra "Frontier" has a socket for an external aerial and it is also a "blue tick" phone, have not had it for very long but so far it has been quite good (and you can buy it unlocked)....cheers

Pepper, you don't necessarily need a plug on your phone. Proximity to a re-radiating antenna works for me. Primary antenna is a 3G mast up on the pack rack. The re-radiating antenna is a flat plastic thingy that can be stuck to the windscreen, but I stick it to the phone mount. On a recent trip the iPhone started downloading data about a 100 km out of Bourke on the Bourke Hungerford Road. I pulled over and was able to make voice calls too. A bit further along the signal faded out. Even the best system in the world will only increase your range by a few kms. Just wait a few minutes until you are a bit closer to town! If you are stationary just outside the normal operating range, then a Yagi antenna with line of sight to the tower might be worth a look. The lower frequencies, like 850MHz, are less line of site dependent than, say, around 2 GHz. Make sure your antenna matches the frequencies that your phone uses.

Bob

The plug receptacle in the back of those phones is designated a technician only connection.
The attachment to the printed circuit board is very fragile and Samsung advises that any damage caused to the board as a result of using that plug would not be covered by warranty.

This company sells patch leads and replacement back covers for a wide variety of mobile devices to allow this type of connection.

This will give much greater range (relatively speaking), however it is still an individual matter of whether it is worth it or not. There is the durability of the connection to consider, as well as your individual travel pattern - if you're 500klm from a cell phone tower it doesn't really matter if your device has a range of 50klm or 100klm.

George_M

Check out the Smooth Talker cradles, they work a treat. I have tested them offshore in comparison with a Telstra phone with external antenna and couldn't split the difference. I have used both the Iphone 4 and 5 with success.

Google Smooth talker and the company is called Strike.

does it work on any iphone? i can't really imagine what you guys are talking about. any sort of picture you guys can share?

I think most new vans come now with an antenna built on the roof of the van. Ours came with this Next G antenna on the roof and a plug in the van. But I did have to go to Jaycar to get the connector from phone to caravan plug (they call them patches).
It does give you better reception.

Cheers

But ... part of the value of being on the road is the fact that the office is unable to contact you, surely?
I believe that it is only necessary to have phone coverage when stopped, and that could be for morning coffee, lunch or whatever. In fact, I turn off the phone when traveling. Turn it back on maybe once a day (providing I remember).

check my post 90154 Jan 2012........explains it all back then

Update...... I still do it with the S4 and contrary to dire predictions no dramas with the test port failing......secondly I tested the Telstra Frontier side by side and it is very good ...and has someone has already stated..it has a dedicated external patch port