Batboard

I am trying to get better phone reception on my phone in the car, when I drive to the middle of nowhere, with poor service, using a external antenna, and I have a box full of 5db thru glass cell antennas. I tested it out on my phone with a direct wire to the mini connector on the back of the phone, and with out any external antenna, I get 1 bar on the phone, and with it connected, I get 5 bars (full signal).

Now when I only have the phone hooked up the the inside box, I still get full service. I got bored and ripped one of these inside boxes apart, and there is what seems like a PCB trace antenna and a metal "O" shaped piece to couple the RF to the outside whip. The PCB antenna looks like it could be tuned to 800Mhz 1/4 wave. Can I just use this inside box as an antenna, without using the outside whip, because it gets me a lot better signal than just the phones built in antenna. Will it hurt the phone with a high SWR? I dont really want any more antennas on the car (already have enough) and I'd like to just use this high up on the inside of the wndow.

Here is a pic of what is inside.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/MR ... CT0383.jpg

I don't think you'd have a problem as far as SWR is concerned. It's my understanding that that coupling box provides the radio with a proper 50 ohm impedance, regardless of whether the outside antenna is hooked up or not.

I had a VHF on-glass antenna on my old car and tried an SWR check with and without the outside part, there was very little difference (as in, 2:1 instead of 1.5:1).

I think you'd be fine, cellular phones tend to be pretty tolerant of antenna mis-matches.

I have a glass mount scanner antenna, and it works damn near the same whether the whip is there or not. Granted, it doesn't work nearly as good as an NMO mount, but like Bellersley said the coupling box works by itself to some degree.