Mobile Repeater Interface

It can be pretty confusing putting together your first cell phone booster system.  We'll tell you about all of the mobile repeater interface types so you can get the right cables, antennas, and amplifiers.

What are Mobile Repeaters?

There are many different types of mobile repeaters, and they most often refer to any type of instrument the increases the signal strength of a wireless communication device, like a cell phone or a 2-way radio.  In this article we will be focusing on the most common mobile repeaters in use by the general public: the cell phone booster.

Cell Phone Boosters Deconstructed

Mobile repeaters have three essential components to them, although not all of them are always apparent to the user because some components often get built-into an enclosure or are otherwise out of site.  All active cell phone signal boosters have three main parts: the outdoor antenna, the amplifier, and the indoor antenna.  The outdoor antenna talks back and forth between local cell phone towers and the amplifier.  The amplifier, which usually looks like a formidable metal brick, will take that weak cell signal from the nearest tower and amplify it; usually by around ten times or so.  The last piece of the mobile repeater is the indoor antenna, and you guessed it, it facilitates communication between the amplifier and the users' cell phones and wireless data devices (like a 3G aircard for instance).  Most heavy duty mobile repeaters will have all of these parts seperate with cables connecting them, typically RG59 coaxial cable.

Mobile Repeater Interface

Finally, down to the subject at hand.  What interface is that, allowing us to connect all the different parts of mobile repeaters?  There are typically several main types of mobile repeater interface:

FME Connector: FME stands for For Mobile Equipment, and is one of many similar versions in a family of coaxial connectors, made primarily for RG58 coaxial cable.  This connector is popularly used in building installations and car installations, or wherever cables have to be snaked through tight fits, because the FME connector is pretty slim and adds minimal girth to the coaxial cable.

F-Connector: The F-Connector is quite possibly the most common connector for coaxial cable in general electronics.  If you get cable TV, you definitely have an F-Connector attached to the coaxial cable coming out of the wall.  The F-Connector is employed as a mobile repeater interface when interface size isn't an issue, but bandwidth is.  F-Connectors are typically rated to pass several GHz of useable bandwidth and are probably the mobile repeater interface with the lowest cost.  These connectors are not typically waterproof by default, and so are often used indoors.

TNC Connector: TNC, or the Threaded Neill-Concelman connector (named after the creators), is similar to BNC connectors (British Naval Connector), but performs better at microwave frequencies because of its construction.