ANY Service in Pahrump, Nevada?

I am looking for ANY good service in Pahrump, NV, and a small area between Pahrump, and the Nye County -- Clarke County line.

I am told there are three carriers ACTUALLY on the air, Sprint, Cellular One (Western Wireless), and AT&T.

The WirelessAdvisor.com web site lists MANY more (ZIP Code 89048).

I go there with a Motorola MicroTac Elite, 600 mW NAMPS phone and the coverage is spotty to poor. I am subscribed to the wire line carrier, Verizon, in the Washington-Baltimore MSA. I have never bothered to notice if the phone is receiving service from B or A. I suspect A since I have been told there is no B carrier on the air, even though Verizon is licensed for the RSA.

I'll bet AT&T is just roaming.

The problem with Cellular One is that they have the A system in the RSA, but Cingular has the Las Vegas MSA, so there HAS to be a dead band at the old county line. The line has been moved to the east recently. Sadly, I need coverage right on the old line, so Cellular One is out. They do appear to have good coverage in Nye County, actually over all of rural Nevada, but of course, they have no coverage in Reno or Las Vegas.

I can get a Nokia 6340 phone so I can use it on Cingular's GSM 1900 system in Pahrump, and TDMA/AMPS 800 at home, but the phone is not yet out, and I have no idea how the Cingular coverage is in Pahrump.

Anyone have any alternatives, other than INMARSAT, GlobalStar, or Iridium?

Anyone know the quality of the Cingular GSM 1900 coverage in the Pahrump area?

Anyone know the quality of the Cingular GSM 1900 coverage in Las Vegas?

Thanks!

[larry]

According to the maps Sprint PCS does serve that area. Cingular probably does as well.

[bobolito]

Nextel has service there too.

Sadly, Nextel SAYS they have coverage, and they well may in some part of town, but they are as dead as a stone where I go. The map on the web site is a downright lie.

It is like Verizon. The web site says they have coverage, and they will even sell you a phone and service, but it does not work! The computer network at the stores tells the employees that there is no coverage in Pahrump, but the web site (for the public) says they have coverage. Maybe they are considering the A system roaming.

I know Sprint has coverage, and it is pretty good, but for the rest of my life and travels, Sprint has lousy coverage. They now offer dual band phones, but the off network calls are DARNED expensive. Sprint doesn't cover my house, and I am only five miles from Dulles International Airport.

I have considered getting a Sprint phone for Pahrump only, but that seems to be a very expensive way to solve the problem. For the same monthly fee, I can get a GlobalStar or Iridium phone and they will work ANYWHERE. Using Iridium, calling party pays!

I am in Pahrump about five or six times a year, and for a week to 12 days each time, so coverage is important, but not extremely important. I would sure hate to write a check for $30 to $40 for NO MINUTES!


I still cannot find the Nokia 6340 phone and am beginning to suspect it is going to be sold in California and Nevada first because Cingular's GSM customers need to roam on 800 MHz systems more than I need to roam on GSM 1900 systems -- especially since I can roam on 800 MHz systems.

Sprint's web site says they have "partial coverage." It is actually pretty good, about the best there from what I can determine. At least they seem to be honest by claiming "partial coverage!"

I don't quite follow why Cingular would be assumed to have coverage just because Sprint does. Sprint is CDMA 1900 and Cingular is GSM 1900 so Cingular is not roaming on Sprint's network.

I just got off the phone with Nokia. The 6340 has been released to the service providers, and they are evalualting it. The soonest it will be available is THIRD QUARTER, and may be either AT&T (No help to me.) or Cingular.

I guess I am just going to have to put up with lousy coverage in Pahrump.

[BillRadio]

The dominant carrier in Pahrump is Cellular One (West). They are the "A" carrier there, and their service overlaps at the Clark County line with AT&T Wireless. Using an AT&T phone, you will almost seamlessly switch from AT&T to Cellular One. The only problem with that is that Cell 1 is currently analog. AT&T does not yet offer any service in Pahrump.

You also state:
"The problem with Cellular One is that they have the A system in the RSA, but Cingular has the Las Vegas MSA, so there HAS to be a dead band at the old county line."

I don't understand how Cingular is involved. One is Cellular, one is PCS. Why must there be a 'dead band'? AT&T is the A carrier in the Vegas MSA.

I can see no reason why you wouldn't have satisfactory service if you were an AT&T One Rate subscriber. For an even cheaper plan, you could use Verizon America's Choice, which would roam on Sprint PCS in Pahrump without extra charges. I'm told Sprint works in Pahrump, but I cannot know performance at your exact specified location. Looks like you'll have to use a phone during the tryout period to see. Pick up a couple in Vegas, and return the one that doesn't work.

-Bill Radio

[Airb330]

Someone else had a problem in Pahrump, he has WorldCom, and it was ATT. It was a weak signal, but maybe he was outside town. I looked at Sprint and Nextel maps for him, Sprint if I recall correctly had the best coverage, plus there'd be no roaming charges if you stay on network.

You (me) also state: "The problem with Cellular One is that they have the A system in the RSA, but Cingular has the Las Vegas MSA, so there HAS to be a dead band at the old county line."

Bill Radio responded: "I don't understand how Cingular is involved. One is Cellular, one is PCS. Why must there be a 'dead band'? AT&T is the A carrier in the Vegas MSA."

That's what I get for listening to a guy in a Radio Shack. He told me the A carrier in the Las Vegas MSA was Cingular. Still, where AT&T meets Cellular One, there is a dead band. Sure, they could agree to overlap coverage, but it they have not.

My last trip there, in late May, my good friend brought along his AT&T phone. It worked very well "over the hump to Pahrump" to nearly the NEW Nye County line. Coverage in Nye was non-existent. Knowing that AT&T is the "A" carrier in the Las Vegas MSA, makes that understandable. Thanks!

My friends AT&T phone did not roam onto Cellular One. His phone may not do AMPS.

Anyway, I have checked into your Verizon information. The Customer Service gal at Verizon tells me the phone will roam on Sprint in Pahrump, so it appears my problem may be solved. She also tells me it will roam to the "strongest tower," which we all know is not true. If it gets a poor Sprint Signal standing on the roof of the building at a Cellular One (Western Wireless) cell site, it will not look for Cellular One! Of course, they could set up an agreement with Cellular One, and they COULD program the phone to look for it, but they won't.

I am going to make a trip to the mall and pick up a Verizon phone in the next few days, and will test it out next week in Pahrump.

Thanks everyone, and I will let you know how it comes out.

[BillRadio]

<Gee, I don't know where the phantom page came from!>
One thing to watch for in Nye County. Eventually, after losing Verizon, and losing Sprint, the phone will roam on CC Communications, which is NOT included in the America's Choice plan. It will, however, be free of roaming charges on either the Local or Single Rate plans. So while you're checking, make sure you have a flashing roam indicator, or no indicator.

-Bill Radio