View Full Version : Phone Service on the trail
Can anyone tell me how the cell phone service was on the trail? I presently use Sprint but was also looking at T- Mobile.
Thanks Kdawg
HikerRanky
11-05-2008, 05:09
My carrier is Verizon, and it seems to do fairly well down in the GA/NC/TN/VA sections of the trail.... Of course, there will be spots, such as around the NOC, where coverage is not going to be good or even totally non-existent...
I can't speak to the other carriers, but others can perhaps.
Randy
Montana Mac
11-05-2008, 06:54
On my section hike in 07 (Standing Bear Farm -> Troutville) I had Verizon and cell service many times when others didn't. I also travel around the country and I have had good luck with it.
Mrs Baggins
11-05-2008, 07:12
We used Cingular and it was pretty much useless. Also had it on a cross country road trip to Alaska and it didn't work at least 50% of the time. Now we have Verizon - - much much better.
Lone Wolf
11-05-2008, 07:13
can Anyone Tell Me How The Cell Phone Service Was On The Trail? I Presently Use Sprint But Was Also Looking At T- Mobile.
50/50
Old Hillwalker
11-05-2008, 07:44
Tracfone was a waste of money. Not much money however since you get what you pay for I shouldn't complain.
Homer&Marje
11-05-2008, 08:16
Cell service is ok up here MA, I have verizon, the wife has T-Mobil. Didn't get any service at elevation in the Whites, and When I was in VA I didn't get service but she did. Hope it helps.
Mrs Baggins
11-05-2008, 08:34
One thing to keep in mind - the coverage maps for the pay-as-you-go services of all of the cell companies is completely different from the coverage map for people on contracts. No cell phone rep will tell you that. When you ask about coverage they'll just point to the map on display. Tell them you want to see the OTHER coverage map for non-contract users. Or look it up on-line. They make it very difficult to find the other map on their websites but it's there. You'll see that the non-contract map has about 1/2 the coverage area.
Thanks, I will just stay with I got, If I have service great...If I don't "oh well"
Kenny
(KDawg)
Can anyone tell me how the cell phone service was on the trail? I presently use Sprint but was also looking at T- Mobile.
Thanks Kdawg
i have used my cell AT& T from ga to nh,have not section hiked maine yet.:cool:neo
Tracfone was a waste of money. Not much money however since you get what you pay for I shouldn't complain.Their default service is GSM and run off AT&T and the such. You have to put in a hillbilly zip on their website to return the phones that run off of CDMA/Verizon/Alltel networks. I am going to give that a shot next time I travel.
One thing to keep in mind - the coverage maps for the pay-as-you-go services of all of the cell companies is completely different from the coverage map for people on contracts. No cell phone rep will tell you that. When you ask about coverage they'll just point to the map on display. Tell them you want to see the OTHER coverage map for non-contract users. Or look it up on-line. They make it very difficult to find the other map on their websites but it's there. You'll see that the non-contract map has about 1/2 the coverage area.
I had alltel prepaid and used it in Arizona with an Arizona number. I came home one time and tried to use my phone in the Charlotte, NC airport and could not get service. I tried outside the terminal just to make sure the bulding was not blocking it and still nothing.
Blissful
11-05-2008, 12:43
Verizon is the best coverage I found, IMO.
Doesn't really matter what service you have, Nearly all services use each others towers and pretend like they have better coverage on TV.
I've found that if you're using a cheapo "FREE WITH 2 YEAR CONTRACT" Phone, you're gonna have horrible reception. Verizon, Sprint, Cingular AND T-Mobile. If you spent some serious money on a phone, you can do quite well.
I Use a Motorola Krzr (From Japan, Infinitely Better Quality than what is sold here in the US) with Cingular Service and I can't remember hiking through the entirety of NJ or CT with no signal (when I looked, anyway.) I even was recieving dozens of (bill collector) phone calls whilst deep in Tuckerman's Ravine on Mount Washington.
Wise Old Owl
11-06-2008, 00:24
We used Cingular and it was pretty much useless. Also had it on a cross country road trip to Alaska and it didn't work at least 50% of the time. Now we have Verizon - - much much better.
Cingular is now ATT and is better than most depending on where you are.
Fyi you cannot compare the pay by day non- contract phones to the ones that are two or three year agreements there is a clear difference in the workmanship of manufacturing, the go phone's are good for inner city and are horrible in side by side tests in the fields.
I used Verizon pre-paid and rarely did I not have service. From what I saw this year Verizon was the best, and Sprint and AT&T were second.
Serial 07
11-06-2008, 03:51
didn't carry a phone, but hands down, verizon had the best coverage in more places on the trail than any other carrier...
I had Sprint and had pretty lousy service from Ga to Va. It may have had something to do with the phone though. I think Zack Morris had the same model in Saved by the Bell.
stumpknocker
11-06-2008, 15:41
50/50
Nah....70/30 with Verizon. :)
Had cell service in all fourteen states about 70% of the time. No data service in all of Maine, near Bland, VA or the northern Smolies.
Critterman
11-06-2008, 16:54
Tracfone was a waste of money. Not much money however since you get what you pay for I shouldn't complain.
I carried a $17 tracfone last spring from Springer through the Smokies and got service any time other phone users did. You can also buy more minutes over the internet if you need them. Good thing about a tracfone is that if it gets lost or destroyed, no big deal and the cheap ones are pretty light weight.
Fyi you cannot compare the pay by day non- contract phones to the ones that are two or three year agreements there is a clear difference in the workmanship of manufacturing, the go phone's are good for inner city and are horrible in side by side tests in the fields.
I've used TracFone for years. I almost always have better reception than folks who are locked into one service. In fact, friends of mine have borrowed my phone when they couldn't use their's. I'm totally happy with the coverage across most of the eastern US. Haven't been out west with it, and haven't used it on the AT - don't carry a phone when hiking.
Verizon takes the cake. A fellow thru had ATT, and rarely had service, not even roaming. Our running joke was he shouldn't even bother turning on his phone if ours didn't work.
I've at ATT / Cingular / ATT / Cingular consistently for the past 5 years. Always had signal when I needed it.
My girlfriend has Verizon, and she never has service. Absolutely abhorrent. Here in jersey you can't throw a stone without hitting a cell tower.
SparrowHawk
11-09-2008, 22:55
Bad Hummus here to agree with Yeti (Smaaax). Verizon is the ONLY way to go on the AT. Stovie, Yeti, and I each carried with them and didn't have trouble getting signal out...even in the woods! Two of our guys had ATT and they never, if ever, had signal. You can go to trailjournals.com and ask anybody who thru-hiked this year and they will agree with me.
Onward Team Deutschemark,
~Bad Hummus
Blue Jay
11-10-2008, 10:55
Bad Hummus here to agree with Yeti (Smaaax). Verizon is the ONLY way to go on the AT. Stovie, Yeti, and I each carried with them and didn't have trouble getting signal out...even in the woods! Two of our guys had ATT and they never, if ever, had signal. You can go to trailjournals.com and ask anybody who thru-hiked this year and they will agree with me.
Onward Team Deutschemark,
~Bad Hummus
I'm not on Trail Journals and only did 1100 (skipped the top 3 and bottom 3 states) and I don't agree with you at all. I hiked with a Verizon piece of crap. I never had signal below NJ, except in town, while many people with ATT had signal all the time, other than SNP, where no one had signal. I remember once I was standing next to a cell tower and got no signal. I even had the piece of crap checked at a Verizon "Service" Center, they said there was no problem and also admitted that their coverage map is BS.
Since I never pass up an opportunity - just a reminder that AT&T sucks (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27746&highlight=AT%26T+sux). Really (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=29669&highlight=AT%26T).
2009ThruHiker
11-10-2008, 17:06
To find out what AT&T claims as far as coverage area you can go to their site, coverage map, plug in latitude and longitude of various towns or shelters (shelter coordinates are available in the thru hiking info section on this site), and see the coverage.
I was pretty impressed by the shelter coverage... between GA and Fontana roughly 65% of the shelters had decent coverage. (Not that I plan on using a phone at the shelter unless emergency warrants it...let's not get off topic here...) Based on this, as well as town coverage, I will use AT&T wireless for our 2009 thru.
Old Goat
11-10-2008, 17:41
I thru hiked the AT in 2006 with a Cingular now ATT phone and was satisfied with the results. I found there were times the Verizon users had service and I didn't and other times I had service and they didn't. It was a toss up as to which worked best. I read somewhere that Verizon service worked in Hot Springs which was a dead zone (picture the commercials) for all cell phones.
This is not to say that I had service anytime I wanted it. I would try to touch base with home most evenings and was unable to get through because the shelters were in a valley. I never talked on the phone at the shelter, I hiked up some nearby hill away from the shelter so that I didn't bother other hikers. If I missed a night I would stop on some high spot and make my call if I got a signal.
I was surprised by some of the places the phone did work such as Spense Field in the Smokies, Standing Bear (on the hill above the Hostel, and in numerous places in the hundred mile wilderness Chairback leanto (behind it and up the hill) Antlers Campsite, Hurd Brook (to the right of the leanto as far as you can go). Damascus was a dead spot and Monson I had to walk around town to find a good spot.
I would say if you have ATT or Verizon you should be okay. Just remember no one phone will work everywhere. You have to experiment to find places that work with your service.
Verizon generally worked for me between NY and south-western Virginia. Except in Shenandoah NP. Obviously, less so in the hollows. Let's just say... if I couldn't get through at a given shelter in the evening, I could almost always get through at some time during the next day.
Can anyone tell me how the cell phone service was on the trail? I presently use Sprint but was also looking at T- Mobile.
Thanks KdawgAll of the cell phone towers are currently being removed along the corridor of The Appalachian Trail. Sorry for any inconviences but if you want them returned then send me some money and I will think about it..............:banana
Hikerhead
11-10-2008, 20:57
I have a Tracfone and have been quite pleased with it. There has been a few holes but not many. As long as I'm on top of a ridge I found a signal most of the time. The one place I could not get a signal was in Asheville NC.
I have a Tracfone and have been quite pleased with it. There has been a few holes but not many. As long as I'm on top of a ridge I found a signal most of the time. The one place I could not get a signal was in Asheville NC.
Isn't Tracfone owned by Verizon? I haven't read it anywhere, but on my Verizon prepaid I get free verizon-verizon calls and I can call a tracfone for free. I also noticed that from what I saw they had the exact same coverage. Funny though, I did get service in Asheville with verizon, and so did a friend with tracfone. Maybe we were just in the right part of town or something.
To find out what AT&T claims as far as coverage area you can go to their site, coverage map, plug in latitude and longitude of various towns or shelters (shelter coordinates are available in the thru hiking info section on this site), and see the coverage.
I was pretty impressed by the shelter coverage... between GA and Fontana roughly 65% of the shelters had decent coverage. (Not that I plan on using a phone at the shelter unless emergency warrants it...let's not get off topic here...) Based on this, as well as town coverage, I will use AT&T wireless for our 2009 thru.
All coverage maps are lies, take it with a grain of salt.
Hikerhead
11-10-2008, 23:51
Isn't Tracfone owned by Verizon? I haven't read it anywhere, but on my Verizon prepaid I get free verizon-verizon calls and I can call a tracfone for free. I also noticed that from what I saw they had the exact same coverage. Funny though, I did get service in Asheville with verizon, and so did a friend with tracfone. Maybe we were just in the right part of town or something.
I don't believe they are owned by Verison. I found this on their site.
América Móvil is the fourth largest cell phone company in the world and the largest in all of the Americas with more than 165 million cell phone subscribers. América Móvil has been named "Technology Hot 100" company by Business Week for the past two years in a row.
I was coming into Ashville on I-26 from Erwin and driving right beside big multi antennae towers and no service. That was a year or so ago...maybe things have changed. But their coverage map shows NC as being pretty much completely covered.
I don't believe they are owned by Verison. I found this on their site.
América Móvil is the fourth largest cell phone company in the world and the largest in all of the Americas with more than 165 million cell phone subscribers. América Móvil has been named "Technology Hot 100" company by Business Week for the past two years in a row.
I was coming into Ashville on I-26 from Erwin and driving right beside big multi antennae towers and no service. That was a year or so ago...maybe things have changed. But their coverage map shows NC as being pretty much completely covered.
Ok, maybe they have some contract with verizon or something. Anyone else get free caling to tracfone with other carriers besides verizon? Thinking maybe a lot of carriers can call them for free. Dunno.
I was in Asheville this spring, so they could have gotten service there since then. Especially since it's been about a year I think since verizon has been pushing their coverage to compete with at&t.
88BlueGT
12-05-2008, 18:11
I have verizon and I have always had service on the whole length of NJ. Granted, some times I had nothing but wherever I made camp, if I had my phone, I usually could manage to get a call off if needed.