Cell phone and service recommendations?

[ChrisT]

I know this subject has been covered in the past ad nauseum, but I did a quick search and found nothing. So forgive me. However, can anyone recommend a good, inexpensive cell phone and service? I'm in the Portland area but would appreciate something with unlimited long distance. That's my number one priority. Sprint PCS (can you hear me now) has been suggested to me. TIA!

[Attitude]

This goes well with the SUV thread...

[Ursa_Eagle]

"Can you hear me now"

I thought that was verizon....

[JoshK]

FWIW, I found sprint's out of city coverage sucked ass when I had it. I switched to verizon because my main concern is my cell phone works when I'm in small towns off the main I-5/I-90 corridors. Both verizon and AT&T seemed best for this.

[dryad]

For what it's worth, according to Cascade Alpine Guides, you get the best reception on Rainier with Verizon.

 

[Tyler]

Down here in Oregon, I have been told that Verizon coverage is pretty terrible in rural areas. AT&T coverage is probably the best; although, it can be a little spotty around some of the pass areas (Santiam and Willamette) depending on the phone you have. And, there is pretty much no coverage in parts of Central to eastern Oregon (Christmas Valley, etc).

 

A year ago, I had to replace my older phone with a simple Nokia 5165 - the reception was much better (although the battery falls out all the time).

[ChrisT]

Which service would provide me with a *free* phone? Preferably a motorola flip phone

[rbw1966]

My motorola flip phone was free with Verizon a year ago. I get good converage along the I-5 corridor and decent along I-84 and the coast. Hwy 97 corridor was also decent coverage. Check the different websites for coverage areas to best fit your needs. I get excellent coverage from the top of Hood, St. Helens and Rainier for those moments when I need to schedule an appointment to have my Land Rover lowered and fat slicks mounted on board.

 

[ChrisT]

per your suggestion I went to Car Toys and picked up a Motorola flip phone with AT&T service. I just told the gal to give me the best deal and she did! thanks!

[Dan_Harris]

Looks like my post is a tad late, but my Motorola phone with Verizon service has served me well in my travels up and down U.S. 97. Have also made a clear call from Santiam Pass once. In the Sierras Verizon seems to have better coverage.

[ChrisT]

I even got free roaming up and down the West Coast since I do travel to the Bay Area quite a bit.

[rbw1966]

Werd. I do believe you owe me a beer Chris. You can pony up at the next PC.

[ChrisT]

rbw1966 said:

Werd. I do believe you owe me a beer Chris. You can pony up at the next PC.

 

Ok...and some crampons too!

[allthumbs]

ChrisT said:

rbw1966 said:

Werd. I do believe you owe me a beer Chris. You can pony up at the next PC.

 

Ok...and some tampons too!

[ChrisT]

you slay me trask!

[rbw1966]

Trask I am offended that you would make light of my feminine hygiene needs. It makes me uncomfortable and I feel threatened. I hope some of the other hermaphrodites on the board will take up my cause and defend me.

[jbclimber]

What about satellite phone coverage? Anybody have a satellite phone. I wonder if the reception would be better with this type of service when in the Cascades.

[chris_w]

I would assume that if you can get GPS information then a Satellite phone would work since it doesn't talk to towers on the ground.

 

Now can you afford it?

[Freeman]

Our rescue unit uses a satellite phone when nothing else will work - cell phones or radios. We have had no locations in the central cascades where the sat phone will not work - there are many places where we can't hit a repeater with our mobile radios.

 

Its expensive - we pay $26 a month for the phone whether we use it or not and an exorbinate fee per minute (can't quote directly but a phone bill during a rescue is frequently $150 to $300).

 

If its a long mission, we often will set up a mobile radio repeater so we don't have the high costs of the sat phone.

[Alasdair]

I have used several sat phones and they will work anywhere in WA that has visible site line to the satalites. The Satalites are not orbiting over washington they are farther south (texas I believe) so if you are in a deep valley you may not have coverage. Also the further you go north the worse they are. I have used them in alaska and that was almost a total waste of time. They will get reception if you are on flat ground or on a hill but they tend to drop calls a lot and get that gargled sound that you might hear on satalite feeds from Iraq reporters, but much worse. Also note that I have not used a phone in a few years so it may have gotten better, but I believe the satalites and network are all the same one that was there several years ago as it is too damn expensive to put new one up, and any one who did is now bankrupt.

[jbclimber]

Freeman said:

Our rescue unit uses a satellite phone when nothing else will work - cell phones or radios. We have had no locations in the central cascades where the sat phone will not work - there are many places where we can't hit a repeater with our mobile radios.

 

Its expensive - we pay $26 a month for the phone whether we use it or not and an exorbinate fee per minute (can't quote directly but a phone bill during a rescue is frequently $150 to $300).

 

If its a long mission, we often will set up a mobile radio repeater so we don't have the high costs of the sat phone.

 

Do you know which service and which phone is used? Thanks.

[Dan_Harris]

From what Alasdair say, the satellites are probably in geo-synchronous orbits which means they are over the equator. That would explain the poor coverage in Alaska, they be gettin' low toward the horizon.