Chapter 2

How Boosters Work: Their Effect on Range and Limitations

Smoothtalker boosters are bi-directional radio frequency amplifiers. They will amplify the receive signal and the transmit signal of the phone. The “receive side” amplifier uses electrical energy to increase the amplitude of the signal that is in the air, thus giving the signal more energy, essentially making it louder. The “transmit side” amplifier does the same thing to the signal that is generated by the phone and sent out to the air. If the phone was a person, adding a booster, would be the equivalent of a hearing aid being put in its ear and a megaphone to its mouth… the phone will hear better and it will gain the ability to be heard from greater distances.

Using a booster increases range substantially, however, there are limitations. The signal coming from the tower must be at a high enough level (louder than other signals like interference and electromagnetic and thermal noise) in the air, that when it is amplified by the booster, the phone can process it (understand it). If the desired signal is not greater than the noise, then amplification does not help.

When the signal coming from the tower is adequate, then the signal generated by phone that is being amplified by the booster must be strong (loud) enough to reach the tower, and it must be clear enough in order for the tower to recognize (understand) it. If the phone receives signal and the call fails, it means that the transmit signal from the phone is not strong enough and the and the signal from the phone did not reach the tower.

Range:

A Smoothtalker booster can increase the range of a cell phone to 60 miles or greater. Increases in distance from a tower are dependant on several factors:

Geographic terrain- Flat terrain (ocean, lake, desert, plains) with the tower on the horizon will allow communication from greater distances than terrain with obstructions.

Type of antenna: location of antenna- Antenna choice and location are covered further in this document.

Pilot signal level- the signal strength being transmitted by the tower is directly related to the distance that a phone can communicate with the tower. Remember, the phone is listening to the tower and even if the tower signal is amplified by the booster, a distance will be reached where the pilot signal is low enough where amplification is of no help. Pilot signal strength is set by the cellular provider and is not always the same strength from one tower to another, therefore it is possible to get greater or shorter range depending on the strength of the pilot; for example, it is reasonably common for a tower on the coast to be set to transmit stronger signal towards the ocean than the signal from the same tower pointing towards land.