[daveshan]

Does anyone have experience connecting a mobile phone to the sharkfin cellular antenna WITHOUT the use of the eject plate and docking cradle?

I know about the antenna cable below the emergency brake boot that is used to plug into the eject plate, but I am wondering two things:

1. Is there any reason that this antenna cable won't work without the eject plate / docking cradle?
and
2. Where can I find an adapter from the Fakra connecter (a photo of mine is below) to a more standardized connector, like an FME-female?

That way, I can connect my RAZR (or many other phones) using commonly sold cell phone antenna adapters like these:
http://www.wpsantennas.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=248.

I don't want the docking cradle because I'm not willing to sacrifice the console space.

Thanks,

Dave

[JoJoGunn]

....................................

[bavarian19]

Anything is possible, but why go through that hassle???

Its probably not going to give you a significant improvement in cell service...

[smellthebeans]

Any thing is possible.

However, Using an external antenna mounted a few feet higher would give signifigant boost in signal strength.

1. Cell phones are based on Line of Site frequencies. The better you see the tower the better your reception. The higher you can mount the antenna the better. Thats why its on the roof.

2. Metal walls, insulation, metallic window tint cause some degree of degredation. Digital communications are especially sensitive to this. Hence we use FEC....Forward Error Correction. This allows us to transmit pure data ones and zeros and keep voice quality on a par with traditional analog transmissions

3. Using assist places a cell phone call to the BMW (or Mercedes depending on which ditzy girl answers the phone) assist center. (located in Irving TX). Litterally the TCU unit in the trunk is a glorifed cell phone. I have NEVER had a call drop while on the line with assist. Placing an assist call utilizes the TCU and external antenna. Call quality is fantastic.

IF BMW NA were smart (like GM and Onstar) they would enter into a deal with other GSM providers and let you place your cars TCU onto your cell phone plan.

[txusa03]

Originally Posted by smellthebeans

Any thing is possible.

However, Using an external antenna mounted a few feet higher would give signifigant boost in signal strength.

1. Cell phones are based on Line of Site frequencies. The better you see the tower the better your reception. The higher you can mount the antenna the better. Thats why its on the roof.

2. Metal walls, insulation, metallic window tint cause some degree of degredation. Digital communications are especially sensitive to this. Hence we use FEC....Forward Error Correction. This allows us to transmit pure data ones and zeros and keep voice quality on a par with traditional analog transmissions

3. Using assist places a cell phone call to the BMW (or Mercedes depending on which ditzy girl answers the phone) assist center. (located in Irving TX). Litterally the TCU unit in the trunk is a glorifed cell phone. I have NEVER had a call drop while on the line with assist. Placing an assist call utilizes the TCU and external antenna. Call quality is fantastic.

IF BMW NA were smart (like GM and Onstar) they would enter into a deal with other GSM providers and let you place your cars TCU onto your cell phone plan.

huh, what you say?

[ksfrogman]

Might be easier to switch to a better carrier.

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by smellthebeans

IF BMW NA were smart (like GM and Onstar) they would enter into a deal with other GSM providers and let you place your cars TCU onto your cell phone plan.

The Everest TCUs used in US models are CDMA, not GSM. GSM coverage in the US still gets pretty spotty when you're out in the boonies.

[Lassaxi]

Time to bring this old thread back from the dead. Has anyone tried this in the 18 or so months since the last post? I am thinking I might like to do the same thing with my iPhone- getting a patch antenna connector connect to the cell antenna connection behind the e-brake boot (since there's no iPhone 3G cradle yet).

Has anyone had any success with this? Or at least with finding a Farka-to-FME or patch antenna connector?

[daveshan]

Wow, it's been a while since my initial post. Here's what I ended up doing.

I had somebody make a custom Fakra-to-FME Female cable to connect from the port in the console to my RAZR external antenna adapter (purchased from the provider in my initial post), with the antenna adapter connecting to the back of my phone.

(I searched but was not able to find a commercially available Fakra-to-FME Female cable; hence, my custom solution.)

I use this setup when on a road trip or in areas of lesser coverage. It definitely seems to improve signal strength, but also seems to shorten battery life (of the phone), so I usually plug in a power adapter too.

For normal day-to-day driving, I still have my center console as opposed to a bulky phone cradle.

One other warning which I noticed on the website of the provider of my antenna adapter:

"When an antenna adapter is inserted into the port on most phones, a mechanical switch in the phone's connector disconnects the phone's antenna and switches to the external antenna. When the adapter is removed, the switch should reconnect the phone to its own antenna.
If the switch does not reconnect the phone's antenna, the phone will show reduced signal or no service unless the external antenna adapter is inserted.
It is rare for this phone defect to occur but it can happen with the Motorola V3 RAZR series of phones."

Lassaxi, I didn't realize iPhones had a connection for external antennas. If they don't, this product might work: http://www.wpsantennas.com/wa-1029-a...naadapter.aspx.

Good luck.

[Lassaxi]

Originally Posted by daveshan

Wow, it's been a while since my initial post. Here's what I ended up doing.

I had somebody make a custom Fakra-to-FME Female cable to connect from the port in the console to my RAZR external antenna adapter (purchased from the provider in my initial post), with the antenna adapter connecting to the back of my phone.

(I searched but was not able to find a commercially available Fakra-to-FME Female cable; hence, my custom solution.)

I use this setup when on a road trip or in areas of lesser coverage. It definitely seems to improve signal strength, but also seems to shorten battery life (of the phone), so I usually plug in a power adapter too.

For normal day-to-day driving, I still have my center console as opposed to a bulky phone cradle.

One other warning which I noticed on the website of the provider of my antenna adapter:

"When an antenna adapter is inserted into the port on most phones, a mechanical switch in the phone's connector disconnects the phone's antenna and switches to the external antenna. When the adapter is removed, the switch should reconnect the phone to its own antenna.
If the switch does not reconnect the phone's antenna, the phone will show reduced signal or no service unless the external antenna adapter is inserted.
It is rare for this phone defect to occur but it can happen with the Motorola V3 RAZR series of phones."

Lassaxi, I didn't realize iPhones had a connection for external antennas. If they don't, this product might work: http://www.wpsantennas.com/wa-1029-a...naadapter.aspx.

Good luck.

Thanks for the help. You are correct that the iPhone does not have an external antenna connector, which is why I need a patch antenna (aka the inductive coupling that you posted the link to). I know it won't be as good as a hard-wired conection, but it should be better than relying on the internal antenna.

If I can't find a Farka-to-FME connector, I'm thinking about grabbig a pair of wire cutters and a soldering iron and fixing this problem the old fashioned way.

Here's one other question that you may or may not know the answer to: do you have any idea what bands the sharkfin cell antenna is deisgned to work with? I would have to suspect that there are antennas for 850 mhz and 1900mhz, since those are the two most popular bands (cellular and PCS respectively), but I don't know that for sure. The iPhone and At&T primarily use 1900 mhz for 3g and 850/1900 for GSM, so I'd hate to hook up an incompatible antenna and fry the chips thanks to high SWRs.

[daveshan]

Good question, but I don't know the answer. I suspect that you're correct, since that would cover nearly all US cellphone bands, with the old Nextel and some T-Mobile bands being the exception.

[tintivilus]

Random trivia: AT&T has UMTS on both 850 and 1900, which I think is shared only with Telstra in Australia and maybe some minor Latam carriers. T-Mobile US is running UMTS on 1700, which is to my knowledge completely oddball.

(Most of the civilized world runs UMTS on 2100, and the iPhone is 850/1900/2100)

Anyway, since AT&T UMTS is the same as AT&T GSM, and BMW sells snap-in adapters for AT&T GSM phones, you should be perfectly safe in the RF department.

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by daveshan

"When an antenna adapter is inserted into the port on most phones, a mechanical switch in the phone's connector disconnects the phone's antenna and switches to the external antenna. When the adapter is removed, the switch should reconnect the phone to its own antenna.
If the switch does not reconnect the phone's antenna, the phone will show reduced signal or no service unless the external antenna adapter is inserted.
It is rare for this phone defect to occur but it can happen with the Motorola V3 RAZR series of phones."

The "antenna" connector on a RAZR was never intended for this application -- it's really just there for factory test. Be very, very careful using it with an external antenna cable, as it was not designed to handle repeated insertion/removal in the field.

[Lassaxi]

Originally Posted by tintivilus

Random trivia: AT&T has UMTS on both 850 and 1900, which I think is shared only with Telstra in Australia and maybe some minor Latam carriers. T-Mobile US is running UMTS on 1700, which is to my knowledge completely oddball.

(Most of the civilized world runs UMTS on 2100, and the iPhone is 850/1900/2100)

From what I understand, AT&T's 3G network is mostly on 1900 so far, but they are starting to roll out 850 mhz 3g also. AT&T doesn't use 2100 for anything right now, but the iPhone has the radio, and my understanding is that T-Mobile is rolling out their 3G service on 2100. I'm not a fan of PCS, so I'm looking forward to a more widespread rollout of 3G on 850, where the coverage should be more reliable.

Anyway, since AT&T UMTS is the same as AT&T GSM, and BMW sells snap-in adapters for AT&T GSM phones, you should be perfectly safe in the RF department.

Right, I would assume the same thing.

[mbergman]

A very old thread, but can someone tell me where to access the connector to the antenna? This antenna will do a nice job when used with a cellular booster. I've used a booster for over 15 years as I live in a rural area. I can get an adapter to connect up to this antenna and eliminate the on-glass antenna I currently use.

[daveshan]

Originally Posted by mbergman

A very old thread, but can someone tell me where to access the connector to the antenna? This antenna will do a nice job when used with a cellular booster. I've used a booster for over 15 years as I live in a rural area. I can get an adapter to connect up to this antenna and eliminate the on-glass antenna I currently use.

Yes, it's under the emergency brake boot. If I recall, the boot is secured by 4 tabs and can be popped loose by pushing the front plastic edge toward the center (or the back toward the center). As you probably know, the connector you're looking for is the one in the photo on my first post.

I'd be interested in hearing about your set-up once your done -- I agree that it's a shame to depend on a phone's internal antenna (inside the car) when there's an external one wired and ready to go. Please let us know.

[mbergman]

4/15 - located the connector beneath the e brake. For anyone else looking for it. The connector is on a very thin coax and the end is nested next to (inboard) the molex-like connector. I had to get down on my knees outside the car to get on an angle to spot the connector. I'll post a parts list for cable and adapter as soon as I finish sourcing what I need. I'll also post a performance report.

To address Daveshan's inquiry, I'll use a Wilson cellular booster. I've been using and selling them for over 15 years. In my opinion, a booster offers a benefit to anyone using a cell phone in a car. the body and roof of the car only serves to attenuate or reduce the cellular signal. A booster amplifies the signal and routes it beyond the metal shielding. My booster is currently installed using an on-glass antenna and it works great. Connecting to the OEM antenna will likely be less efficient, but should still work well enough without an extra antenna on the car. On my Miata, I use a Hirschmann antenna that handles both AM/FM and cellular.

[mbergman]

I received the needed cable today and connected the shark fin antenna to my Wilson cellular booster. It works great and I've now eliminated the on-glass antenna I previously used. Its a neat, clean, installation and takes minutes. For anyone trying to connect to the Sharkfin (built in) antenna, you'll need a cable with a "Fakra female" connector on the end that connects to the connector that is located beneath the emergency brake handle. The other end will, obviously, depend on what device you are connecting. Wilson Electronics builds a couple of boosters that will work well.

[hisgrace]

Originally Posted by mbergman

4/15 - located the connector beneath the e brake. For anyone else looking for it. The connector is on a very thin coax and the end is nested next to (inboard) the molex-like connector. I had to get down on my knees outside the car to get on an angle to spot the connector. I'll post a parts list for cable and adapter as soon as I finish sourcing what I need. I'll also post a performance report.

To address Daveshan's inquiry, I'll use a Wilson cellular booster. I've been using and selling them for over 15 years. In my opinion, a booster offers a benefit to anyone using a cell phone in a car. the body and roof of the car only serves to attenuate or reduce the cellular signal. A booster amplifies the signal and routes it beyond the metal shielding. My booster is currently installed using an on-glass antenna and it works great. Connecting to the OEM antenna will likely be less efficient, but should still work well enough without an extra antenna on the car. On my Miata, I use a Hirschmann antenna that handles both AM/FM and cellular.

I have also been a Wilson dealer and installer for 26 yrs and am looking for this connector as an input to Ext Ant lead to the amp. Is the location, under the eBrake boot< the same on F25 x3?
Did anyone take pictures of videos of the install?

[mbergman]

Buy your Fakra adapter here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150528468624...84.m1438.l2649

FYI...I worked with this seller to have a custom cable made. I wanted a longer cable to eliminate connectors and the resultant signal loss. They are in China so e-mails may take 12 hours for response. We negotiated a dirt cheap price (similar to their auction price). In fact I paid more for shipping than for the cable assembly because I was in a hurry. Something like $8- for the cable and $30- for 2 day delivery. They will build and ship for a very low price but it might take a couple weeks to arrive. Excellent quality. There is no US supplier that came close in cost.