3G in the backcountry

[retired jerry]

I like calling wife once a day. We know each other are okay. Text is supposed to get through on weaker signal. If I did get lost, they would know better where to go look for me.

On Mt Hood and Three Sisters I couldn't get a call through hardly at all, even though there were several bars at times.

What is it about cell phones, the number of bars doesn't seem very correlated with whether a call will get through.

I should get satelite phone.

[n.bumppo]

I use a Delorme inReach to text/email my wife. The message includes a link to a map showing where I sent the message. I have sent messages from Mt Adam, Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, and Indian Heaven.

[retired jerry]

I've eyed that DeLorme

Kind of expensive

Plus expensive monthly fee

Plus it weighs quite a bit. Don't you also have to have a smart phone to use it?

I'de like on box that weighs less than 12 ounces, GPS, screen with topo map, ability to send and receive text messages via satelite. As long as I'm being unreasonable, a good quality point and shoot camera.

[Aimless]

I should get satelite phone.

I don't think sat phones are a good answer, currently. I recently rented one that used the Iridium satellite system. I was disappointed with the poor-to-mediocre transmission quality and spotty coverage. Trees definitely seemed to interfere with the connection, even when they were not directly overhead, but were around me, such as on a forest road. It would work best on a mountaintop or in a desert. In a forest, not so much.

[retired jerry]

I think DeLorme InReach is probably the closest to a good solution

[adamschneider]

What is it about cell phones, the number of bars doesn't seem very correlated with whether a call will get through.

I've noticed that when I'm in the mountains, I'll get lots of "bars" when I have line-of-sight to civilization... but an attempted call never actually goes through. I guess it's because the angle is OK, but the distance is too great. (But then why all the bars?)

[Koda]

I should get satelite phone.

I don't think sat phones are a good answer, currently. I recently rented one that used the Iridium satellite system. I was disappointed with the poor-to-mediocre transmission quality and spotty coverage. Trees definitely seemed to interfere with the connection, even when they were not directly overhead, but were around me, such as on a forest road. It would work best on a mountaintop or in a desert. In a forest, not so much.

I have a question about communication device options but thought it too much of a thread drift, if anyone wants to take a look I'm inquiring about compact Ham radios in this thread: http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/vie ... 18&t=20120

[texasbb]

What is it about cell phones, the number of bars doesn't seem very correlated with whether a call will get through.

I've noticed that when I'm in the mountains, I'll get lots of "bars" when I have line-of-sight to civilization... but an attempted call never actually goes through. I guess it's because the angle is OK, but the distance is too great. (But then why all the bars?)

I've experienced that as well as the opposite: NO bars, NO 4G/3G/anyG indicator, no nuthin', and had voice calls go through easily and clearly. I discovered it when I hit a dial button by accident, then sat down and made a couple of neener-neener calls.

[Lumpy]

I have a theory that out in the wilder locations, there is lower radio interference and noise, so the phone sees a good signal to noise level, but the phone puts out such a weak signal that packet loss is too great to hold a conversation. Text messages go through more easily because I think the network allows retries.

[n.bumppo]

I've eyed that DeLorme

Don't you also have to have a smart phone to use it?

You don't need a smart phone. You can send messages from the inReach alone. Having a smart phone just makes the experience of creating a message MUCH easier.