Cellphone ?????

[Silverbullet]

Thanks for all the RE: I think Alltel sound like a good thing and am going to check it out next week. And see if I can get out of the rest of my contract with ATT. Thanks again.

Brian

 

[WyoJim]

Thanks Steve

Whats happening is, my wife wants to hunt elk with me on top of this mountain behind our house. But she takes the orders over the phone for our mail order business. If this will work she can take them on the cell phone. Probably have to get off her horse though.

We now have Verizon, but even that close it $. 46 a minute with roaming. But your Alltell looks like its local with no roaming.

 

[WyoJim]

Sorry Tom, I didn't even see your post. I came in off my e-mail notice and missed it. Duh!!



Any how I was trying to get my S*it together so I could call my phone company about getting this computer DSL'ed. So I just called them and call forwarding is free with the DSL deal. Hey there I go, thanks again.

 

[DrJC]

My cellular carrier is Cingular. I selected them because of assurances that I'd be able to receive/make calls virtually everywhere in the lower 48 because of their use of the AT&T system and state-by-state agreements with the former "Baby Bells".



Guess what. It was just about completely true! I've travelled two winters (Jan - April) now from Mich to Ohio, Kentucky, Tenn, Georgia, Florida, Miss, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Calif, Nevada, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and found very few places where I could not get a dial tone and place a call without paying roaming charges.



My plan costs $29 per month for 250 min peak time, 3500 min off peak time, no long distance or roaming charges.



Gee, it was just as advertised and explained!



I was very suspicious . . . and very pleasantly surprised.



Dr JC

 

[CRSmith]

Wireless companies are da debil. I won't have a wireless phone. If I do get one, it will be the prepaid version, so if there service starts to suck, I'm not locked into a contract. If work wants me to have one, they pay for it.



Nothing other to contribute, that is all.

 

[Mike Ellis]

I must be one of the last folks left who doesn't have a cellphone. Just got back from a trip to NH, and found it very interesting the number of people in the airports who have the "hands-free" style phones and are walking around yakking away. Used to be that when you saw someone talking to himself at an airport you would know to avoid him, now they are in every direction



Maybe I need to get one. How about you guys with the Internet-enabled phones, is there a cellular modem or such that you can use with a desktop computer? Sure am getting tired of my ancient phone lines here and the 26. 4K max dial up speeds, can't get DSL or cable modems...

 

[catoiler]

What nobody has Nextel?It works pretty good and have not found to many dead zones. Plus the two-way is great!

 

[fest3er]

Another CSP is USCellular. Their nationwide plan includes the entire US. There are no roaming charges. As long as there is CDMA or AMPS service available, the phone works. I've taken to keeping the phone in digital-only mode, as USCC's roaming policies seem to select analog systems before competing CDMA systems. So far, the *only* place between Hotlanta and Windy that has no CDMA service is southeastern OH.

Whilst I still believe GSM is the better system, their coverage is limited, and, AFAIK, the phones are GSM-only, i. e. , no analog (I could be wrong on this point, though). So you might want to stay away from T-Mobile, AT&T and Cingular if you expect to be away from their typical coverage areas often enough.

Nextel (iDen) service is generally limited to metropolitan areas; their coverage is far from universal. FWIW, the iDen infrastructure is based on and extended from GSM.

Sprint covers many of the main highway/artery areas in the country, but have poor penetration elsewhere.

Verizon is a good CSP, too.

Whichever you select, be sure there is 'home' service where you expect to use it most. I went with USCC because they have the *only* cell tower where I live, which is where I use the phone the most.

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

I have virtually the same plan as Dr JC. Cingular 350 minutes/3500 minutes/39. 99. It has worked for me everywhere I went, including Alaska, and some parts of Canada. I had to pay for those calls, though. It even works at my farm in Mo, 40 miles from the nearest city. Way out in the boonies.



Jim

 

[RMcCulloch]

Originally posted by Mike Ellis

How about you guys with the Internet-enabled phones, is there a cellular modem or such that you can use with a desktop computer?

Sure! Go to Ositech's web site and see which phones they support.



I use their "King of Clubs" with my laptop.



I even "lucked out" and wound up with a serial cable, from Verizon, that I can use with my desktop.



Both connect to my Nokia 3285.



With Verizon's Express Network [digital areas only], you can get 115Kb speeds. In analog areas, though, I'm limited to a 19. 2KB connection - enough for email and text-only newsgroups.

 

[Rotty]

I have the motorola startac phone with verizion service plan, that map seem to be true so far. Also with the phone I have been able to get in places when other are dead. I also have an adapter to an external antenna on my truck that will get me in the weak mountain areas, for that little extra coverage.

I am very happy with my setup and when my phone doesn't get a signal it is definatly NO service. At that point you have to change to satellite phone or HAM.

 

[dslcummins]

JWCHESSELL



I thought of you on Sept. 27th. I was traveling through Bend, Oregon, I picked up my cell phone and I had full bars most of the time and only lost one or two bars at any time. I watched it the whole time in Bend and on into Redmond, Oregon.

I have ATT, but not a prepaid setup.

 

[DWendt]

I have Nextell with the unlimited direct connect nationwide. Has worked real well in about 90% from coast to coast. Makes it real nice to call back to FL from say Ca to check on the family. A little priceier then some other services but works better for me. Tried them all and Nextell was the answer.



Derek

 

[wsmalley]

Originally posted by catoiler

What nobody has Nextel?It works pretty good and have not found to many dead zones. Plus the two-way is great!

I use Nextel. A goodly number of my friends are on it, and having unlimitied 2-way, free nights/weekends, free incoming, and hardly anywhere it WON'T work is just awesome. Just my 0. 068-cent comtribution.

 

[CUMINNTSTRKN]

you guys using nextel must have just been lucks. i remember whe doug " jetpilot" drove from pa to bc canada it didn't seem to work lot as we were bs'ing quite a bit. it does work around major cities. maybe it's just the nw it doesn't work good in.



also version has a national plan it's called national single rate.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/ics/...86961&p_plan_category_id=10082&p_section=SHOP



jim

 

[CUMINNTSTRKN]

yogi you should get one of the 5db magnetic mount antenna's. they work much better than the 3db glass mount.



also i have a smooth talker and antenna for sale. my new phone kyocera 7135 does not accept a external antenna. my wife still has one so i can use her phone when we travel. it only works on cdma.



jim

 

[wyosteve]

Cummin, sent you a pm.