Blue Ridge Parkway GSM

[atw]

This weekend I will traveling up the parkway from Ashville all the way up to the NC/VA stateline. Just wondering how well ATT works up there. It's been several years since I last tried to use a gsm phone in that area. I know my verizon will work fine, but just curious about gsm. I will be using a samsung A707.

[djjim]

Originally Posted by atw This weekend I will traveling up the parkway from Ashville all the way up to the NC/VA stateline. Just wondering how well ATT works up there. It's been several years since I last tried to use a gsm phone in that area. I know my verizon will work fine, but just curious about gsm. I will be using a samsung A707.

It will be a paperweight. GSM is a joke out there. and so is Nextel. That is why I carry a CDMA phone. I would love a SIM card, switch phones, etc. But not yet.

[atw]

Originally Posted by djjim It will be a paperweight. GSM is a joke out there. and so is Nextel. That is why I carry a CDMA phone. I would love a SIM card, switch phones, etc. But not yet.

Thats what I thought. I know when my sister was attending Western University a few years back, anybody with a gsm phone was screwed. I always enjoyed visiting her when all the new freshman would arrive. The kids and parents with gsm phones would freak out. They would cancel contracts and pay etfs to jump to a cdma provider.

[Kalimotxo]

Yes, GSM is lacking down there. I've done the parkway from Roanoke to Front Royal... with Verizon CDMA service was spotty a lot of the way and the phone was constantly switching between VZW and Alltel for service... my Cingular phone was a paperweight most of the way.

[grazzzy]

Originally Posted by Wumpusva Yes, GSM is lacking down there. I've done the parkway from Roanoke to Front Royal... with Verizon CDMA service was spotty a lot of the way and the phone was constantly switching between VZW and Alltel for service... my Cingular phone was a paperweight most of the way.

been there and done that with an alltel phone. coverage was spotty at best, but probably better than i might have expected. if i had been using my old SUNCOM, then CINGULAR phone on that route, it would have been dead the whole way.

[WULLYBUTCH]

Last time I was up that way { couple of months ago } I actually had service going up I-77 all the way to Hillsville,VA. Several months before I made the same trip and had none. I am wtih AT&T.

[SQFreak]

Originally Posted by WULLYBUTCH Last time I was up that way { couple of months ago } I actually had service going up I-77 all the way to Hillsville,VA. Several months before I made the same trip and had none. I am wtih AT&T.

But I-77 is more likely to be covered than the Parkway, which runs through...well...nothing. I mean, the CDMA providers are basically perfect up I-77 from the NC/VA state line to Wytheville at I-81. I know because I recently went that way (about a month ago) and I watched the signal on my VZW phone. You'll drop a call crossing the state line (going from VZW/Alltel territory to USCC/Carolina West territory), but CWW has good CDMA coverage.