February 06, 2007
By JOE MORRIS
Charleston Gazette
West Virginia 's rugged terrain and sparse population make cell phone service spottier than in most states. This also makes the state a prime market for cell phone “repeaters,” devices developed within the past few years that are designed to boost cell signals.
“A lot of things make it [West Virginia] a difficult market,” says Cingular Wireless spokeswoman Alexa Kaufman. “It's nooks and crannies, it's a difficult topography.” And because of the state's small population, phone companies find it harder to justify saturating the state with towers, she says.
Repeaters, in effect, bring the cell towers closer. An antenna mounted outside picks up the signal, then relays it along a cable to an indoor receiver, delivering roughly the same signal strength indoors as outdoors.
“A lot of people want to get rid of their land lines and just have a cell phone,” says Bob Adams, owner of Elkview Wireless, who has been selling repeaters for about a month now. “But they're worried about weak signals or dropping calls.”
Repeaters can solve the problem, says Adams, who likens the products to callers' own personal cell towers.
Models marketed for residential use promise to amplify signals over a space of about 2,500 square feet and sell for about $300. Wider-coverage models marketed for commercial use can run into the thousands of dollars. Wi-Ex also sells a model for car use.
Most people won't need any installation help, Adams says. The exceptions would probably be those who can't mount the antenna at the best height.
Elkview Wireless stocks zBoost repeaters made by the Norcross, Ga., company Wireless Extenders Inc., known more commonly as Wi-Ex. Other Wi-Ex dealers are Cellular Amps in Spencer and RT Communications in Princeton.
Competitors like Spotwave Wireless Inc.'s Z1900 can be found through the company's Web site, www.spotwave.com. Wilson Electronics Inc.'s Signalboost is sold at Wireless Works in Sissonville and Stan's Inc. in Logan .
It's not only cell customers in remote areas who could benefit from repeaters, says Connie Costigan, a Spotwave spokeswoman.
"Any number of things can impact signal strength - double-paned glass, any reinforced building materials, being lower in the house." Even leaves on a tree have been known to interfere, she says.
"If your signal is weak outside, it will be even weaker inside," said Wi-Ex spokesman Jim Davis. "If you've got a weak signal due to building materials, trees or foliage, it's the perfect application."
Cingular, which provides cell service to the state government, has installed a super-strong repeater in the Capitol basement because the Capitol's marble walls are too tough to penetrate.
It's important to remember that repeaters merely amplify signals; they don't generate them, Costigan says.
"If you have some signal, you can have some signal improvement," she said. "But you've got to have some signal."
Signal amplification, known in the industry as "gain," is measured in terms of decibels. Costigan says Spotwave repeaters boast gain of 69db, compared to 60db for Wi-Ex's, meaning they can amplify signals over that much bigger an area and with better clarity.
Wi-Ex repeaters, on the other hand, boast better reception because they come with "omni-directional" antennas, or antennas that pick up signals from any direction, Davis counters. Spotwave antennas must be cast at just the right angle for optimal reception, he says.
Regardless of who has the edge, there are early signs that West Virginia is a promising market for repeaters.
