[pct-l] Cell Phones and FREE EMERGENCY PHONE

[metam01 at earthlink.net (Monty Tam)]

Marge
I carried a cell phone and others did too.(4 ounces...Ouch!)   I turned off
my service, but, after a week on the trail, I changed my mind.
The voicemail was a big plus too.

"Can you hear me now?"  Usually not and, yes, it was Verison. My opinion,
use Verison.
I use to work for one of the major carriers and needed to know how the
competition's service worked.
(Verison was competition)  I am not as familiar with AT&T's coverage. 
Both Verison and AT&T have In-Network Analog and Digital capabilities.
Important.
1) Able to connect more often.
2) Save money by avoiding roaming charges.

ALTITUDE is the key. Usually there was a mountain between me and the cell
towers.  Didn't work.  Near towns, roads, and at higher elevations those
towers became "line-of-site", nothing between me and the tower.  The
distance didn't matter much.  The phone worked.

I didn't use it all the time.  Mostly I made calls off the trail.  I used a
$20.00 MCI phone card from COSTCO.  (recgargeable cheap minutes).

I called home a lot to change times and contents of drops.  Sometimes time
meant a lot.  I had a lot of gear changes, returns, and exchanges.  I
called REI a few times from places like Forrester Pass, over 13,000 feet,
to have gear shipped to a post office up the trail. 
Every Sunday, for years, I've called my mother.  Top of Mt. Whitney??  "Hi
Mom."  Works pretty well from there with a digital signal, very important
for BATTERY LIFE.

BATTERIES last longer, much longer when you have a Digital signal.  A "D"
will be at the top left of your phone screen.  Often you'll have an "A",
for Analog, in your screen the phone will suck the life out of your battery
real fast.  Sound quality can get pretty bad too.  I kept Analog calls real
short..............REAL short. 

I bought an extra battery.  When one got low, I'd mail it home to be
recharged and pick it up a couple weeks later at another post office up the
trail.  Some people bounced their chargers.  I would do this next time if I
carried a phone again.  .

FREE EMERGENCY PHONE sounds like SPAM.
An unactivated phone must, by law, still be able to use the airwaves for
911...for free.   I use to encourage my customers to donate their old
phones to women's shelters or thrift stores alligned with a similar purpose.
Any analog/digital phone would work.  If you wanted to suspend your own
service(probably a one time $5.00 fee) for the season, you would still have
an emergency phone.  911.   I don't know the logistis of call routing.  I
just know it works.  ALSO in a complicated, very expensive, hair-pulling
process you use to be able to connect on a per call basis using a Visa or
MasterCard type credit card.  Try to make a call and majical money-taking
voices would suddenly appear.  Does it still work???????????????????????
Don't know.

Satellite Phone.  They work.  Heavy.  I know a couple with horses that
carried one.  Expensive calls.  Is there a monthly on top of that?

Ever heard someone talk so much about cell phones without trying to sell
you something?

Warner Springs Monty




> [Original Message]
> From: Marge Prothman <marge@prothman.org>
> To: Pct-L <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Date: 10/28/2004 7:15:09 AM
> Subject: [pct-l] Cell Phones
>
> Good Morning,
> I would like to hear from people who through hiked the PCT and carried a
> cell phone.
> Did you use if very often?
> Were you out of range for Verizon very often?
> Did you carry it turned off and without the battery?
> Was it worth while carrying?
> Next time, would you carry a Satellite phone and just absorb the extra
> weight.
> Cheers,
> Marge   [The Old Gal]
> http://www.prothman.org/marge 
>
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