I did a little research today and the main difference I see been reach and reach extreme are the antennas. Extreme versions (RV or marine) have a higher powered and much larger interior antenna (white box vs small black puck antenna).
Looks like in order to meet FCC regulations the large interior antenna is limited to a lower power when the device is moving but can output more power when stationary. The difference in operation appears to be a way to utilize more power output that is allowed in buildings vs lower limits in mobile situations.
The difference between exterior antenna for reach vs otr and extreme versions are the smaller antenna in the reach vs large extendable otr antenna in the more expensive versions.
Personally I’ll probably pull the trigger on the Reach OTR on Monday (waiting to see if there will be a sale). If the interior antenna range is frustrating I can always upgrade to the larger antenna, looks like it costs the same as the price difference between the two kits.
I definitely wouldn’t count on getting good signal in between cab and camper though. A window will pass some signal but the panels will block most of it. I’m going to test run with a single interior puck in the cab, find it’s typical range, then buy a tap to route a second one to the camper.
Interesting idea to split to two pucks…that is why I was hoping the bigger extreme would cover both areas. I wonder if the extreme knows that you’re moving and automatically powers down? Would it make sense to argue starting with bigger and then splitting if needed?
I don’t know about sales, but if you sign up for their emails–or just leave it in your cart with your details but not finishing checkout–Wilson sends you a 5% off coupon. Better than a stick in the eye.
Yes, I agree that it would reduce coverage area of both lines that are split, but there could definitely be some benefit of having two locations. I’m imagining a signal bubble of two feet at each location; enough to get a useable signal while driving or using the common location in the back. That is why I mentioned my plan of testing the typical performance of the puck then deciding if I need to upgrade or if I can split the line into two locations.
Another option would be a switch instead of a tap. Any connector whether length of wire or adapter will drop signal strength there is no way around it. But I could take a minute loss and use an active switch to control which location is in use (cab vs camp) or if the power level is high enough I could use a tap and take the bigger hit against signal distance.
The size difference of the extreme is driving my answer to both your concerns. I definitely think that it uses part of the bigger footprint to hold some logic system (microcontroller, asic, etc) that controls power based on movement. No idea if it is using acceleration, GPS, or something I’m forgetting.
As for starting with extreme vs upgrading to extreme, personally I really don’t want to find a place for another big electronic box so I’m hoping that the puck is enough and potentially splitting it.
I just finished the majority of electrical upgrades on my truck (solar, 2 batteries, inverter, DC DC charger, control systems, the whole works) and my plan didn’t include locating another big box lol.
Despite the potentially stronger interior antenna with the RV extreme, we couldn’t get around the size for in-cab mounting either. And I’d suspect you’d still have to have the phone/hotspot on, or extremely close to, the broadcast antenna for it to still be effective.
Also, have you had any issues with the antenna being threatened by trees? The spring seems enormously strong, so much so that the plastic antenna breaks before the spring gives.
@Mercy: Yep, @jedgar got it - it’s the GFC mount and it works great. We’ve knocked it a few times at slow speeds on the trail and the antenna’s spring gave enough to forgive the impacts - but at higher speeds I’m sure it wouldn’t do much. Thankfully the antenna is relatively cheap compared to the booster itself.
Sorry, never got around to it. Honestly, I haven’t used the weboost very often. There aren’t many places I frequent that have a weak signal. It’s typically been no signal at all the places I’ve been frequenting lately.
I just installed the weBoost Drive Reach OTR on my v2 GFC/Tacoma. I wanted a solution that had a relatively tall antenna that could be used while driving and folded down if I need more clearance.
The mount seems pretty solid but unfortunately it’s threaded for a 1/2”-20 antenna base. The weBoost antenna is 3/8”-24, so I added a stainless thread adapter to make it work.
I haven’t been out camping with it yet but around town it makes a noticeable difference. Seems to work well even with it folded/strapped down. My plan is to leave it down day-to-day (otherwise I’ll forget and smash my garage) and extend it for camping/road trips.
Right now I’m using the cigarette lighter power adapter the OTR model comes with.
I just got mine mounted yesterday, pretty happy with the results. The Uniden fold-down mount is BURLY and I used half of the included mirror-bar mount that came with the WeBoost OTR.
I have to remember to pop the antenna before popping the tent though, because of where the antenna holder is located (on pop-up tent portion of the camper rather than the lower)
Looks good! I thought about using part of the mirror bracket, but I would have needed to enlarge the mounting hole from 3/8” to 1/2” and I didn’t think I had a drill bit that could make it through that beefy bracket.
@thelovedrive@gwiz great antenna setups thanks for the info! Couple questions if you don’t mind:
What did you use to rest/secure the antenna when folded? Micro-quick fist looks like an option?
Does the top of the antenna (the wide part) seem robust? I am a little concerned that road vibrations will bang it against the extrusion while driving- any issues with that?
I secure the antenna by strapping/hanging it from a tie down ring using coated wire. I bought a 10 pack of cheap stainless tie down rings to use in the wellnuts inside the camper. It happened to work pretty good for this use as well. Highly recommend.
The wide part of the antenna seems pretty robust but I wouldn’t want it banging against the camper regularly. Fortunately mine kind of hangs from the tie down and naturally rests just off of the extrusion. It might make occasional contact while driving I’m not sure but I think it won’t be an issue.
The downside of my setup so far is that the fold down mount I got has some play in it. When folded down it’s rock solid since it has an additional support point but when deployed while driving it moves slightly. I think it’s solid/safe but the movement is unnerving to my passenger so I leave it strapped down when driving normally. I’m going to look into making some kind of shim I can wedge in there to keep it still.
