Best cell phone service for RVing?

Edwards Finance > Phones

Q. I know many people go camping to get away from the phone, but we like to take our cell phone along so our family can reach us in case of an emergency. The problem is, our cell service seems to disappear the moment we leave an urban area. Even along the Interstates it is very spotty. This summer we were in Santa Fe and could get no service unless we were within 2-3 miles of the center of town. Anybody had experience with a service that is more reliable? I know I can't expect service in the boondocks, but which company seems to have the best coverage overall?

A. AT&T pre-paid cell phone works for us. We rarely use the cell phone and want it 'just-in-case'. To keep the unused minutes, you have to add at least $10 every 45 days. We got the 'national' coverage plan and there are few places where we were not able to get a signal. We (I and my spouse) use our cell phones all the time (personal and business). We are both on Verizon "Single Rate National" plans that offer no long distance and no roaming charges anywhere in the lower 48 (can't say for sure about Alaska and Hawaii but Verizon can tell you). The plan works on any available tower (digital or analog) regardless of carrier (some plans require you to be in a defined "home" area or only call other customers for the no long distance and/or no roaming). We've traveled all but the NE and the only places we've been without service are Yellowstone and middle of the Black Hills (no towers). I've been using Verizon for the past 3 years and have been hard pressed to find an area that I can not get a signal. I have the National Single Rate Family plan. The phones required for this service are the TRI Mode phones which work with, Analog, Digital, and PCS. We have traveled from N.C. to New York to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Black Hills, Pike's Peak, Little Big Horn. This weekend we will add up state Vermont as my sister lives there and uses Verizon. we have cingular wireless and have found that, except on rare occasions (usually in mountainous areas), we have good signal strength no matter where we are. you might also consider extending your range a bit by using an external antenna. I have AT&T cell phone service. I have a Nokia phone (model 5165). Even the local AT&T sales "experts" can't tell me how to use my cell phone and get on the internet with my laptop for surfing and email/newsgroups. I know it can be done but there doesn't seem to be a single correct answer. Can one of you fine folks make it simple enough so that even *I* can understand? When I try to talk to AT&T, all I get is blank stares and suggestions to use something like wirefi. They don't get the point that I spend most of my time very very far away from "hotspot" access.

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