Poor signal in Forest Lake MN

[JOHN MORRILL]

My wife & I have had Qwest Wireless for several years with no complaints until Qwest changed over to their new nationwide digital network. Now we don't get a good signal at our house, but at our neighbors house only several hundred yds away & higher, the signal is fine?
So we're looking into changing networks & would appreciate any suggestions anyone would have for our area, which is about 5 miles NE of Forest Lake MN?
I've talked to both Verizon & T Mobile so far. Verizon seems to have the bigger network but also costs a little more too. Of course I know there are lots more carriers I may not be considering, so if any ideas come to you, would you share them here?
One convenience we would like (but its not absolutely necessary) is to have the night minutes start at 7pm but it seems that more carriers are using 9pm as the start time. Basically what we're looking for is a network with few dropped calls & good call quality.
One more consideration is that we do occasionally have need to make or receive calls in W Central WI, about 30 miles SE of Eau Claire, so network coverage in that area would also be a plus.
Thanks for you help! John.

[rich6880]

There is no one at this forum that can tell you how reception will be in your home. My home has a very poor signal, I 100 feet away and I get a full 5 bars.

Here is my suggestion, go to Verizon (I think they will be the best), try out their service and phone for up to 15 days. Don't like the service move on. Do not like the phone, you can exchange it for another.

If you drop them in 15 days, you are required to pay for the air time used.

Welcome to the forum. We have so many nice members and a lot of information to share. We all hope that you become a regular sharing both your knowledge and questions. Both are valuable commodities, contributing to the value of this forum.

[Airb330]

Actually, T-Mobile is very strong in MN, and probably has the best network there bar none. Verizon does roam on other carriers in some areas though, giving them a bigger (not by much though) rural footprint. If I was in MN, I'd have T-Mobile for sure. They have good rate plans, good customer service, cheap phones, etc. I suggest you go to a T-Mobile corporate store, and ask to see the interactive computer coverage maps. They will show what coverage will be like at you house, work, etc. If it looks good, then try the 14 day try out period. If it doesn't work out, then I'd also try Verizon. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

[GoodmanR]

T-Mobile is strong in MN. ATT is also really strong although I am not sure of the progress of launching GSM on cell band there.

[Buickman]

If you are out highway 8 there than you are in the same area as a buddy of mine. He got AT&T GSM and it is really poor in his area. My VZW works great out that way. I can't comment on Tmobile though. Hope this helps.