Rural area service/onstar

[shango]

I am hoping someone has the answer…..
I have a cabin in the death valley area and I am looking for a phone that will work. A friend just purchased a new hummer h3 with onstar. The onstar cell phone is rated at 3 watts and works perfect at the locations I need.
I was looking at 3 watt bag phones on ebay. They can be picked up cheep. Form what I understand onstar is analog and has something to do with verizion.
Would a 3 watt bag phone be a good choice? Who provides service in CA for these old phones?
I currently have cingular and a v51. it dies as soon as I hit a dirt road.
Thanks, Dan

[Jonathan Kramer]

Originally Posted by shango

I am hoping someone has the answer…..
I have a cabin in the death valley area and I am looking for a phone that will work. A friend just purchased a new hummer h3 with onstar. The onstar cell phone is rated at 3 watts and works perfect at the locations I need.
I was looking at 3 watt bag phones on ebay. They can be picked up cheep. Form what I understand onstar is analog and has something to do with verizion.
Would a 3 watt bag phone be a good choice? Who provides service in CA for these old phones?
I currently have cingular and a v51. it dies as soon as I hit a dirt road.
Thanks, Dan

Dan, 3 watt phones are a holdover from the analog days. The FCC has ruled that analog is to be phased out in the next 24ish months. Anything you buy today will be dead then, and likely before as carriers discontinue their analog service.

Given your description, the problem likely isn't the site's ability to transmit to you, but rather its inability to receive 0.6 watts of power from your current phone.

Sorry...

Jonathan Kramer

[Jay2TheRescue]

Sounds like you need an amplified anenna or an amplifier/repeater. I know with my old StarTac and my old V60t I had 12" magnet mount antennas that I used in rural areas. That setup costed me about $35 and nearly doubled my range. The V551 (I'm assuming you mistyped) has an external antenna port on it. Jonathan Kramer is correct in that purchasing a bag phone will only get you 2 years of service maximum before it is shut down, if they even let you use it at all because I don't think any bag phones are wireless E-911 compliant. Group user Maximum Signal sells antennas, amplifiers & repeaters. I'm sure if you PM'ed him with your phone model, location, and budget he'd be able to help you out. Here is a link to one of his threads: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/bu...ignal-com.html . Hope this helps you out, Jay

[Buickman]

The Onstar in a new H3 would be tri mode CDMA, so there could be some digital coverage where you need it. Could your friend tell if the Onstar phone was using digital or analog. Granted the H3's phone will have more power than a hand held unit, but switching to a cdma carrier may work for you.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Buickman

The Onstar in a new H3 would be tri mode CDMA, so there could be some digital coverage where you need it. Could your friend tell if the Onstar phone was using digital or analog. Granted the H3's phone will have more power than a hand held unit, but switching to a cdma carrier may work for you.

I agree with Buickman. Of course the OnStar equipment has a lot more power which enables it to operate in areas a handheld device will not, but maybe the CDMA/AMPS coverage at the location is strong enough that switching to a CDMA carrier with a Tri-Mode phone might be enough.

[shango]

I ended up winning a bag phone on ebay for 30 bucks. I guess I can take it to the locations and see if I get a signal. its worth it for the test.

I have a friend in africa that can get me a LG LSP3000 CDMA. Its like a 2 watt base station/bag phone style deal. I may have him send me one just to test.

Thanks for all the info, I will check with the recomended about an amp/booster. That would be nice, I can just keep my current service.

Thanks for all the info!!

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by shango

I ended up winning a bag phone on ebay for 30 bucks. I guess I can take it to the locations and see if I get a signal. its worth it for the test.

I have a friend in africa that can get me a LG LSP3000 CDMA. Its like a 2 watt base station/bag phone style deal. I may have him send me one just to test.

Thanks for all the info, I will check with the recomended about an amp/booster. That would be nice, I can just keep my current service.

Thanks for all the info!!

You're welcome. Be sure to let us know what you finally decide, and how it works out for you.

-Jay

[Andy]

Also, like recommended earlier, you might want to try a CDMA/AMPS phone(like Verizon since OnStar relies on it) and see if it works in that location, because you might not need a bag phone afterall.

[hillbilly44]

Originally Posted by shango

I ended up winning a bag phone on ebay for 30 bucks. I guess I can take it to the locations and see if I get a signal. its worth it for the test.

I have a friend in africa that can get me a LG LSP3000 CDMA. Its like a 2 watt base station/bag phone style deal. I may have him send me one just to test.

Thanks for all the info, I will check with the recomended about an amp/booster. That would be nice, I can just keep my current service.

Thanks for all the info!!

Try a company called Wilson Cellular. They make a 3 watt booster unit that can be used with an external antenna and will work with any carrier or phone. Forget about a Tri-Mode phone the analog side is about useless because most 800Mhz carriers only have 1 radio available.