Help! new wireless user in Port Townsend, WA

I would suggest either Verizon Wireless or Cingular Wireless.

 

D00d, not to hijack your thread..but why?

 

I prefer Seattle too, but LOL, PT is not that bad. LOL Maybe the guy likes PT.

 

That sounded bad. My bad.

Anyway, I've ridden the motorcycle all over the ferries in and around Port Townsend, Island county, the Kitsap Peninsula, etc. I have Sprint and they are a good choice. Probably couldn't go wrong with Verizon either.

If I had it to do over, knowing what I know now, I'd go Verizon even with their slightly higher costs simply to avoid Sprint CS problems and their "contract extensions" every time you change your contract.

 

I know what you mean. I had Sprint a couple of years ago. A couple of months into my service, I bought a new phone....at full retail price. So it cost me over $350. Yet, they made me extend my contract another two years. I was mad, but I wanted the phone so I accepted.

 

For the best possible coverage for a drive across the country I'd look into a CDMA phone from Tracfone or Alltel's Simple Freedom(if that's what it's called), or also Verizon Pay as you go(but Tracfone's coverage is larger because they use more networks to roam on).

 

You will be driving from NY to WA?

 

Get a phone that has analog capability. You'll be happy if you do, especially in the mountains if you have a problem.

 

Agreed!

 

How about a GPS?

 

A map should do.

 

Driving from NY to Washington State
i hope you use the Interstate Highways,
and not the Mountains.
Usually if you stay on the Interstate Highways
Digital Coverage has better coverage than Analog,
plus the New Towers going up Does Not
have Analog on them.
I have'nt used Analog
coverage in the last 2 years.
Carriers have stopped building Analog Networks.
How about Flares?

 

Not a single carrier
in the us will promise
that he wouldn't ever need
analog driving across the
us even on the interstates
and it's always better
to have a backup
because who knows what
could happen?!?!

 

Agreed.

 

if you look at the Digital coverage map from WA to NY
the Interstate route is Digitally covered.
Unless of course you want to pass through the Mountains,
which antiquated Analog can't also cover.
I have'nt use Analog in 2 years
because Digital has Better coverage Now.
It's to know there's a Backup
but this analog backup is a False sense of security,
because of its static.
We have a sharing accomodations in the Mountains
and neither Analog or Digital works out there.

 

If you don't trust the maps
which you shouldn't, and trust
experience, there are plenty of
holes in digital coverage in the
west on the interstates, in fact
i can think of 5 spots where only
analog works on the interstates
within 4 hours drive of where i'm
sitting right now. And the analog
signal works well enough to call
for help should he have an accident
or some major issue.

 

I agree with Fathead.
analog is still needed,
especially on something like
a cross country drive, and in
rural areas, Analog often does work
better than digital, because
analog is the only thing available.

 

5 years ago this is True.
2 years ago i have Not encountered a Rural Area
where there's Analog and No Digital Coverage.
And Honestly did you encounter an
area where there's Analog and
No Digital Signal LATELY?
Today it's the other way around
More Digtal Coverage Areas
than Analog since there's
more Digital Towers than Analog.

 

I don't know why you aren't
reading my posts but just today
I had a flat tire and only had an analog signal
to use on my phone. It was on
I-86 just outside american falls, ID.

 

ok i guess in your area.
analog diminishing

 

VZW LIED then
since they're Showing Full Digital Coverage
on their Coverage Locator
on I-86
This Map Does NOT even Show Analog
Coverage on I-86
so whose Analog Network Did you Use?

coverage

 

I Don't think I would go so far as to say any carrier "lied" on the maps. If you read those maps closely you will note that it plainly states the representations are a mere approximation and should not be taken as a statement of coverage.

Heck, even in city areas where coverage is more than adequate there will be "holes" due to buildings and other interference.

Analog is a good thing. I can't remember, now, seeing as I don't watch the industry that closely anymore, when is it that the FCC has given permissiont to the carriers to discontinue analog? At first I thought it was 2005 but that it was then pushed out to 2012. ?? (unsure)

 

The question here was
Who's operating
this Analog Network on I-86?
since VZW is NOT showing
any Analog Coverage and
Fathead was able to
make an Analog call.

 

Look at huge, rural parts of Southern
Utah, WW/Cellular One has the entire southern
half of the state blancketed with AMPS coverage
but not all is also digital CDMA/GSM. And in a lot of areas
That's the O N L Y available service, PErIOD.

 

It might have just been a VZW dead spot
and his phone went back to use USCC Analog.
EVERY carrier has their small dead spots that DO NOT
show on their maps.

 

Guess what jones, it means that:



Verizon Wireless
Cingular Wireless
Edge Wireless
T-Mobile
US Cellular
Sprint PCS


all lie on their coverage maps, because there I was, with nothing but analog.

And when help came to meet me, their GSM phone showed a big, fat "NO SERVICE".

It's just a bad spot on the interstate. Down in a bit of a canyon. The analog just lasted long enough to get down there, where digital didn't.

 

T-Mobile shows a Dead Spot on I-86
on their Personal Compass Coverage
though.

 

Last time I was up that way (last month) Cingular coverage was very spotty, as was ATTW. Your OK right in Port Townsend but drops off dramatically outside of town.

Have a great day!

 

On the Olympic Peninsula, you'll probably want to go with VZW. They have the best coverage out there hands down. Cingular is in second place, and Sprint is a not-too-distant third. With a Free and Clear America plan, Sprint vaults to first place, because with a tri-mode phone you can roam on both the Cingular and VZW networks. Still, roaming is more of a hassle than native coverage and you'll rarely have occasion to roam on VZW.

The one thing to be really careful of, regardless of the carrier you choose, is roaming near the water. Telus and Rogers marine coverage comes bombing in out of Canada and it's really easy to use it accidentally. Land on their network and it can cost you an arm and a leg! Sprint can disable international roaming (even Canada) on your account to prevent this from happening; unfortunately, VZW cannot. My Cingular handset does not roam so I don't know whether this is an issue on the GSM side.