Street Cents (a Canadian consumer awareness show) ran a test on these a couple of years ago. Here are there findings.
Quote:
Street Cents got a hold of a couple different cell phone antenna boosters.
They cost anywhere from $9.99 to $20.00 and they claim to reduce static and increase your reception in elevators, tunnels, and hallways. It says on the package "it's like having a four foot antenna on your phone."
Street Cents put them to the test.
We tried out the boosters in an underground parking garage, a tunnel and an elevator. The boosters didn't boost reception at all.
After the failed field test, we took the boosters into the lab. Street Cents conducted two scientific tests. We wanted to see if there was any conductive material in the boosters. In order to work as an antenna, they would need to contain metal.
Both tests showed conclusively that the antenna boosters didn't conduct electricity.
Next we talked to cell phone experts at Nokia, Motorola and Bell. They all say these antenna boosters are useless.
They say in order for the antenna booster to work, it would have to be physically touching the antenna on the phone, and it's not.
Health Canada sets strict guidelines for radio frequency levels. So all cell-phone companies must be careful how much signal strength they produce. All the experts Street Cents talked to said cell phones are optimized for performance and you can't boost your signal.
Street Cents was unable to contact the companies that make the boosters because the packaging contains no company information.
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Take it as you may.
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"If you cannot lift the load off another's back, do not walk away. Try to lighten it."
~ Frank Tyger
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