Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones November 03, 2013, 10:45:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143422Cellular service is almost everywhere? Hmmm. I'm not as sure about that. A few weeks ago we were in Chama, NM and needed to make a fairly important call. My wife's Verizon phone would not connect. We asked at the local hotel and the lady there told us they have ATT towers there and ATT would not allow Verizon service. She said some Verizon phones work and some do not. Ours did not. She further told us that the pay phones were taken out of the town a while back. We were completely out of luck for making a phone call. Tom
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones Reply #1 – November 04, 2013, 06:01:19 am Yahoo Message Number: 143424"Cellular service is almost everywhere? Hmmm." It's sometimes possible to find WiFi and use VOIP. Free software and cheap service providers are available. I've had pretty good results with CallCentric.https://www.callcentric.com/Howard
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones Reply #2 – November 04, 2013, 08:22:02 am Yahoo Message Number: 143425I've traveled and camped in plenty of places where there has been no cell service at all. And, I've also found that pay phones in most areas have gone the way of the dodo. If one has an emergency situation in a dead zone, one is SOL for communication unless a land line can be tracked down. Tom, I'm surprised that the hotel wouldn't let you make your call from their phone; did they think you were going to stiff them on the charge? ;-) Since there's no human involvement in phone systems and providers (at any level, apparently), there's probably no way to get "time and charges" any more.Joan
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones Reply #3 – November 04, 2013, 09:56:52 am Yahoo Message Number: 143429Glider pilots, like bumper and myself, always face the possibility of landing somewhere besides our intended destination. In areas with great soaring weather, like NV and UT, "somewhere" may not have good cell service. In addition to their smart phone, some pilots carry a cheap pre-paid phone that uses a different network, increasing the chances that at least one phone will work. It's not what you need to back up your RV, but other pilots carry a satellite tracker that can also send and receive text messages as last resort when cell phones don't work at all. bumper and I use Delorme's "inReach" in our gliders, but it would also worth considering for RVers that get (way) off the beaten track. Friends and families could track your progress in the boonies, you could communicate (sparingly) and especially summon emergency aid if required.InReach http://www.inreachdelorme.com/>Eric GreenwellTom Johnston wrote, On 11/3/2013 8:45 PM:
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones/remote communications. Reply #4 – November 04, 2013, 10:10:04 am Yahoo Message Number: 143431InReachOnStar in the toad got a friend out of trouble; ...this looks like a better deal for LD's
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones/remote communications. Reply #5 – November 04, 2013, 10:12:16 am Yahoo Message Number: 143432Doesn't OnStar rely on cellular? Or is it satellite based?Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.comInReachOnStar in the toad got a friend out of trouble; ...this looks like a better deal for LD's
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones/remote communications. Reply #6 – November 04, 2013, 10:23:18 am Yahoo Message Number: 143433I looked it up, yes, CDMA wireless, "mostly Verizon" my friend must have been in a remote location where his Verizon phones had no roaming capability and OnStar did....makes InReach better yet. GPFrom: Linda & Earl Hylton To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, November 4, 2013 10:12 AM Subject: [LD] Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones/remote communications.
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones Reply #7 – November 04, 2013, 10:48:02 am Yahoo Message Number: 143435Chama, Heron Lake and El Vado Lake state parks have a serious connectivity problem at the moment. The story I pieced together from locals when I was there this past summer is that Verizon used to own several towers in the area, but three years ago they sold them to AT&T with a lease-back provision.But when the three-year lease was up--sometime last spring--AT&T refused to renew. All of a sudden that whole area turned into an internet and cell phone dead zone, at least as far as Verizon customers are concerned. Verizon claims to be working on the problem, but there's no way of knowing when or even whether it will be resolved. The locals are VERY unhappy, as was I!Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones Reply #8 – November 04, 2013, 12:18:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143439On 11/4/2013 4:01 AM, QuoteIt's sometimes possible to find WiFi and use VOIP. Free software and cheap service providers are available. I've had pretty good results with CallCentric. I think the concern is when you are way out in the boonies, with no cell signals from any provider. Many of the best boondocking sites have this condition. Walkie-talkies are a great alternative if needed in a situation like that. Also, some people are still on measured service, where literally every minute counts. Not spending minutes on your cell when you don't have to is a Good Thing.Sonsie
Re: Walkie Talkie Tip/cell phones Reply #9 – November 04, 2013, 12:49:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143443Quote Cellular service is almost everywhere? Hmmm. I'm not as sure about that. A few weeks ago we were in Chama, NM and needed to make a fairly important call. My wife's Verizon phone would not connect. We asked at the local hotel and the lady there told us they have ATT towers there and ATT would not allow Verizon service. She said some Verizon phones work and some do not. Ours did not. She further told us that the pay phones were taken out of the town a while back. We were completely out of luck for making a phone call. Tom If you have a Delorme InReach, besides the emergency SOS and tracking functions, you can send or receive text messaging to any other cell phone or email address from anywhere in the world - - no cell service needed at the InReach end.bumper
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