What is the best way to enhance an existing LTE signal on a mountain hut?

Question

I'm traveling to a mountain hut in Austria every year which is in the middle of nowhere. If you're lucky you can sometimes get one bar and a weak Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or Edge connection for a few minutes if you put your mobile phone at a certain position.
What would be a cheap way to enhance the signal to get a stable connection everywhere around the hut (doesn't even have to be inside)?

Answer 1

1.- Mobile operators are gold mines.

Their business model is that people communicate through their towers AND using devices, ONLY the devices that the operators have agreed upon with mobile phone manufacturers.

If you work for a mobile operator or contractor, or work for certain companies that have specialised equipment, you may be able to walk up the mountains with a narrow beam antenna, with a good set of amplifiers, and pick up tower signals that conventional mobile phones can't.

For instance, do you have a portable spectrum analyzer?

https://www.electrorent.com/uk/search?search_term=Fieldfox+Handheld+Spectrum+Analyzer

Keysight Field fox

https://www.electrorent.com/uk/search?search_term=keysight+fieldfox&creative=&keyword=keysight%20fieldfox&matchtype=e&network=o&device=c&msclkid=408e60b398de1aafdb740330eba8858c&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Europe%20%7C%20UK%20%7C%20AW%20%7C%20Search%20%7C%20Manufacturers&utm_term=keysight%20fieldfox&utm_content=KEYSIGHT%20%7C%20Fieldfox

Rohde&Schwarz FPH or FSH

https://www.electrorent.com/uk/search?search_term=Rohde+%26+Schwarz+Handheld+Spectrum+Analyzer&creative=&keyword=%2BRohde%20%2B%26%20%2BSchwarz%20%2BHandheld%20%2BSpectrum%20%2BAnalyzer&matchtype=e&network=o&device=c&msclkid=a834f36db18f1b5d166490eedf762ed9&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Europe%20%7C%20UK%20%7C%20AW%20%7C%20Search%20%7C%20Manufacturers&utm_term=%2BRohde%20%2B%26%20%2BSchwarz%20%2BHandheld%20%2BSpectrum%20%2BAnalyzer&utm_content=R%26S%20%7C%20Handheld%20Spectrum%20Analyzer

do you also have a logperiodic antenna?

The receiver side is not enough because to transmit you are going to need another amplifier and another antenna, that could be the same antenna, but then you need more compoments.

Instruments, amplifiers .. current .. battery .. more battery.

2.- If you say you can set up something in place, then a local mobile or landline operator may have a product to bring coverage with for instance a microwave link.

Here there's a one-off installation including a roof antenna, plus indoor equipment usually supplied by the same operator.

It may be the case that the installation and the equipment costs, all are covered by the operator, as by law they sign down to supply coverage for emergencies, and not only for 999. But then again, do they really want to extend their coverage to just one hut 'up there'?

3.- This is why Satellite communications may be of interest.

Satellite operators offer coverage where big mobile operators consider it's not worth or cannot their coverage.

used Globalstar $375

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325269451418?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153316-527457-8&mkcid=2&itemid=325269451418&targetid=4584757337008491&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=431353847&mkgroupid=1298523655396099&rlsatarget=pla-4584757337008491&abcId=9301942&merchantid=87779&msclkid=63f1557ade751520dfbd36f9af3ace14

Iridium 9505A used (new above £1k) for £400.-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155269109306?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=7101533165274578&mkcid=2&itemid=155269109306&targetid=4584826055637462&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=412354546&mkgroupid=1299623041023876&rlsatarget=pla-4584826055637462&abcId=9300541&merchantid=87779&msclkid=a2f3db409266146f1334b8c3e329b585

Thuraya XT-Lite £635.-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thuraya-NA-XT-LITE-Satellite-Phone/dp/B00RBQYO5I/ref=asc_df_B00RBQYO5I?tag=bingshoppinga-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80126967116376&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583726541606934&psc=1

4.- If SMS only is an option, perhaps this Zoleo £199.- , gloal SMS, solves it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZOLEO-ZL1000-Satellite-Communicator/dp/B07X59RH7T/ref=asc_df_B07X59RH7T?tag=bingshoppinga-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814232605788&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413755259847&psc=1

5.- If it's about staying updated, receiving only, an affordable solution may be a satellite pager :

https://www.satphone.co.uk/product/iridium-motorola-9501-kyocera-sp-66k-satellite-pager-used/

Thanks for reading.