A High-Gain Receiver enables the reception of radio signals outside of their usual range. The Signal rating of a device indicates the range at which normal receivers can detect, receive, and make use of their transmissions. But the radio waves don't stop sharply at that distance; they are merely attenuated. A high-gain receiver detects the attenuated waves, amplifies them, and does its best to sort out any noise or static that gets mixed in. A high-gain receiver can pick up a transmission at one Signal rating beyond the transmitting device's usual range. For example, it could pick up a transmission from a Signal 1 RFID tag at up to 100 meters, and it could pick up a transmission from a Signal 5 Fairlight Caliban at up to 10 kilometers.
If there is no other significant radio-frequency electomagnetic activity in the area, then even an untrained person of average intelligence can operate the HGR with a fair chance of success, requiring only a single hit on Electronics Warfare + Logic. If the desired transmission might get lost among, or drowned out by, other transmissions, then the threshold increases accordingly:
- Deserted area, eg middle of the ocean, other signals include long-range radio and sunspots: 1
- Rural area, other signals include entertainment broadcasts, weather channel, etc.: 2
- Low-density settled area, within the Signal range of hundreds of other active devices including commlinks, GridGuide, AROs, etc.: 3
- High-density settled area, within the Signal range of thousands of other active devices: 4
- Hub airport, electronics trade show, Grand Central Station: 5

Why add this to your campaign's gear shopping list?
a) They already exist IRL, so why not?
b) One more complication for gamers who like a complex, nothing-is-absolutedly-safe setting. Your PAN might be sniffed by a person across the room or across the street with a HGR, unless you're in a shadowrun cafe/bar or secured building with its own Faraday cage or wifi-blocking paint.

I'm guesstimating $150 and Capacity 2. Alternately, *any* radio signal scanner can be used as an HGR, as long as the user makes an appropriate EW + Rating test.

I have thought about the same thing. Only, I wasn't limiting the boost to 1 level.

Satellite phones today work that way. You communicate with a radio at least 100 miles away, maybe over 30,000, depending on the satellite. This is possible because the satellite does most of the work.

I would stat receiver increase like signal increase, but perhaps 25% more expensive, to reflect the enhanced processing needed, since the noise is louder too, not just the signal.

Another thing to think about, Comlink transmissions are probably digital across the board, whether voice or data. That makes reception easier, because you only need to tell the difference between the on-state and off-state. Also, you can ignore any packet that doesn't have the right header.