38 replies to this topic

[fireboy]

I don't have or use cell phones but the Misses says I have to get one now so I can stay in touch when I'm hunting. She say my hunting is onhold till I get a phone.Which cell phone service is good for your area?If you live in or hunt in any of these areas please let me know who's service you use and if it is a good service. Bishop, Big Pine, Inyokeren, Ridgecrest, Lake Isabella, Needles, Vidal Junction, Blyth, El Centro.Do any of you use the "Tracfone" I see at Target and Walmart stores? Will they work in your area?Thanks for anything you can tell me.

[tonyd]

As far as Phone use, I think we have similiar needs. Don't really want one but have one anyway.Tracfone is great if you only require limited minites, the cost per year is pretty cheap. One year of service is 99 bucks and an additional year is another 50. If you talk a lot the cost can go way up. I have had the same phone for almost 4 years and have 3-1/2 hours of total time used. Tracfone coverage is sometimes not the best, you may have the "NO SERVICE " screen when your out in the middle of nowhere, but I have been with other people with high end cells and there service is not much better.

[Jeff213]

I don't know about your area but when I go up to the mountains I get no cellphone reception whatsoever. Cell phones are useless if there are no repeaters near by. Might want to try to explain this to your wife.

[mtn dog]

...but the Misses says I have to get one now so I can stay in touch when I'm hunting. She say my hunting is onhold till I get a phone.

Which ever phone you choose, it sounds like she'll expect you to keep it in your pocket and switched on while you hunt. Better get a "Rabbit Distress" or "Rodent Squeak" ring-tone in case she phones while you're calling predators.Good luck with that!

[CA Desert Dog]

I have a great distressed rabbit and also a coyote howl ring tone if ya want it....LOL Just get the phone, turn it off while you hunt and claim no coverage. Now, I would never do that to my wife.....

[wannakillacoyote]

Maybe look into one of those SPOT GPS locator/message senders instead?? They use Satelite instead of cellular and pretty much work anywhere that you have clear view of the sky. I don't have one myself, but I have been wanting one.

[mac]

2nd WKC...or you should check Verizon's advertisement against AT&T ...Verizon has good covergae, but depending on where you go you might get intermittent service. Though I've found I can get SMS (text) msgs out when I cannot dial out. Gues you can wait to hear from others that hunt in your area or go to a Verizon wireless dealer (or others) and ask about certain coverage areas - again, might not help in remote areas where you hunt.

[stephen722]

I use track phone, I mean when I need to call some one, you get three months for twenty bucks, and 60 min, I think mine has a couple hundred that have not been used, works about as good as any I sopose but mine is not turned on much have fun stephen

[fyrewil]

Hummm....Since "She" is making this a requirement for your hunting... Have the Missis buy you a SAT phone, They work pretty much anywhere as long as you can hit one of the SAT's. Shop around, they have some pretty good deals going on now.my 2 cents

[Old timer]

I also have Track phone so far haven't found any dead spots

[Portagee_Shooter]

While I don't know about your specific areas I've noticed that my Verizon phone seems to work in a LOT more places than my friends who have AT&T. I've gotten service in some pretty unlikely areas in the mountains where friends got no bars at all.

[.22guy]

I think the only phone I have seen work anywhere is the Nextel walkie-talkie type phones. You might look into those.

[Hunter Dude]

You guys are too funny! OMG New fangled electronics!! The sky is falling!Phones really depend on what you want. If you want a pay as you go or a monthly bill. Pay as you go would be a Trac phone or any of the prepaid phones from ATT, Sprint,Verizon ect..If you rarely use your phone a prepaid might be the way to go. I would stay away from the prepaid phones you can buy at 7-11 IE Trac Phone. I would probably try to stick with a prepaid that is from a bigger cell company like Att,Verizon ect. Simple reason is that the larger the company the better service area you will have.ATT has many prepaid plans that can fit any type of phone use. Im sure the other companys have the same but I have never looked into them.You can also try looking at the coverage maps for your area but be warned that those maps are like reading a cars printed gas milage. The are mostly BS and conditional.I have ATT and feel that I have great coverage. There are areas that I do not have service but its when I am really far into the woods and do not expect to have service. A good rule of thumb is if you cannot get a radio station, you probably will not get cell service.Maybe instead of a cellphone you can get a GPS locator. One of those things that sends out an emergency beacon when you activate it for search and rescue to find you. It will be a guaranteed save since cell coverage has many variables. If shes worried about your safety this would be the best thing to have.One thing to remember about any cell phone which drives me nuts with my grandma and parents is they never have the damn thing turned on. Your phone will not work unless its turned on. Theres no point in having a phone that you carry turned off. TURN YOUR PHONE ON!!

[ShooterJohn]

Buy a SPOT http://www.findmespot.com/en/ . Then she can track you down and come to get you if she wants.

[Braz]

Hunter Dude, you say keep the phone turned on. The problem with that is when you are in an area with limited reception, your battery will go dead much faster. So, if you are in the mountain, have limited to no reception, your battery will die quickly, then the darned thing does no good at all. When I'm out hunting I keep my cell off unless I want to use it. Then, after I'm done, I turn it off again. That way the battery lasts for days.Just another point of view.

[fyrewil]

Buy a SPOT http://www.findmespot.com/en/ . Then she can track you down and come to get you if she wants.

Good suggestion SJ.Several trappers in norther NV use the SPOT, and it works great too.

[sum-rifle]

While I don't know about your specific areas I've noticed that my Verizon phone seems to work in a LOT more places than my friends who have AT&T. I've gotten service in some pretty unlikely areas in the mountains where friends got no bars at all.

I have found the exact opposite. My friends with Verizon have terrible coverage(none) while we are hunting in the mountains or in the middle of nowhere. I have much better service with AT&T than they do with Verizon. It is so bad it has become a joke.

[Divernhunter]

+1 Sum-rifle. I have ATT and have had them for years. It has worked out for me. I did have to loan my phone to a hunting partner as his would not work and mine would. I think it just matters where you are at the time you compare. I also was hunting in Wy and was out in the middle of nowhere . I had just shot a pronghorn and was starting to gut it when my phone rang. I had forgot I even had it. It was my dad wanting to know what I was up to as he was going to stop by. I told him it would be a long trip to visit. We both had a good laugh.

[wannakillacoyote]

Like I said as well as others here, if you want TRUE communication just about ANYWHERE, get a SPOT. The OTHER good thing about having the SPOT is YOU send info, but SHE can't contact you with it. So, you send your messages letting her know where you are and that your OK, she has peace of mind and you don't have her calling you saying you need to come home or get milk. lol

[Hunter Dude]

Hunter Dude, you say keep the phone turned on. The problem with that is when you are in an area with limited reception, your battery will go dead much faster. So, if you are in the mountain, have limited to no reception, your battery will die quickly, then the darned thing does no good at all. When I'm out hunting I keep my cell off unless I want to use it. Then, after I'm done, I turn it off again. That way the battery lasts for days.Just another point of view.

Good point. I guess in this instance the phone is for emergencies only. Makes sense to save the battery. My examples are more of people who have the phone for personal use. like when I miss a phone call from my Mom, call her back immediatly and shes already shut off the phone. Extremely annoyingYou also probably dont want to be lining up your shot on that monster whatever and have it get spooked because the phone rings.

[Mutt]

I use att and I have reception in new malones mcclure and mcswain spotty the rest of the way up 108. For the most part any cell phone is a waste of time in the mountians. I myself didnt want one but after I got one I am glad I did. It has saved a few people over the years.

[woodsman44]

I switched from AT&T to verizon....AT&T was very spoty, verizon is much better for were I hunt and live, more coverage area.

[knox35]

Verizon is the best in my area D 3-6 I also have a work phone from ATT there is no comparison. Hands down Verizon it is shady in spots as in all phones but if you pay attention as your hunting you will find spots that it works great usually on top of a hill or road. I found numerous areas that worked so I just keep my phone off tell the wife I will call in the morning and as I head back to camp in the evening seems to work great. Then again my wife would never require me to buy a phone to go hunting. Just lucky like that besides it sounds to me it may be easier to buy a new wife or just sell the old one.

[Shoot-it]

Why is a cell phone gun control?I always carry a phone with me even if I am a few miles from home you never know what might happen.having on star in my GMC is nice to I can always make a call in that thing to.

[fireboy]

I hope this is how I post to thank everybody! tonyd, Jeff213, mtn dog, CaCesert Dog, wannakillacoyote, mac, stephen722, fyrewil, old timer, PortageeShooter, .22guy, Hunter Dude, ShooterJohn, Braz, sum-rifle, Drivenhunter, wannakillacoyote, Mutt, woodsman44, knox35, shoot-it, A "BIG THANK YOU" to everybody who responded to my "Gun Control from theMisses. HELP!""Which cell phone service is good for your area?"You all open my eyes to a lot I would not have though of when it comes tobuying a cell phone. So again a "BIG THANK YOU" to everybody".I apologized for being so late getting back to thank you all, for it has notbeen without reason. First of all one hard drive went out and the other starteddoing some very strange things so I wasn't getting on the Internet until Igot the hard drive replace which took over a week. Then the at&t modem went outwe though and they sent out a replacement which has been nothing but problemsconnecting to one of their severs so I'm told.That said, the whole reason for my wife wanting me to get a cell phone so I canlet her know I'm okay. She supports me in all I do, but she worries when shedon't hears from me after a week or so. She is more worried about the twolegged critters than anything else.I haven't got a phone just yet but I'm thinking Verision prepaid maybe. I didcheck out the Spot GPS like some of you pointed it out. I had one almost orderedand I though I better see some reviews first and man I'm glade I did.First of all I don't put 100% stock in reviews I use them for a "Heads upapproach" most of the time. But, on something as important as this would be Imust get a rating o 99% or count me out.So, I read lots of reviews and I was really shocked at what all I found outabout such an important piece of equipment. To many said their "Customer serviceSUCKED!!!" and that was the first big turn-off.Believe me theirs many more single test results out there so don't just go onwhat I put here.Here's the most "bad" reviews I read in one place, almost ever other was a badreview:http://www.amazon.co...roduct-reviews/B000YTZV74/ref=sr_hist_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1This is a very interesting review Doug Ritter’s Equipped.org Blog, Musings fromDoug Ritter, Editor of Equipped To Survive:http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=119Go here and do a search on "911", and you'll get my drift, this is real closeto all the other reviews I read about Spot, their website and their customerservice, you are tracked on their website when your are using Spot and do a 911for help: http://www.wildsnow....lite-messenger/I really like the idea behind Spot GPS, that was great, but I did not like allthe bad reviews on such a life saving piece of equipment.Nuff said, with a cell at least from what you have told me we know I willproable have to drive to find a coverage spot Thanks for all your input it hashelp. I'll let you all know when it happens.

[knox35]

Just another reason to go with Verizon oh and stay off the nudie sites and your hard drive won't crash. I apologized for being so late getting back to thank you all, for it has notbeen without reason. First of all one hard drive went out and the other starteddoing some very strange things so I wasn't getting on the Internet until Igot the hard drive replace which took over a week. Then the at&t modem went outwe though and they sent out a replacement which has been nothing but problemsconnecting to one of their severs so I'm told.

[Truckeedan]

I hunt alone quite a bit and I have a SPOT. I set it up so I can send a message that my wife can receive on her computer at work or on the computer at home letting her know I'm ok and it will plot the location where the message was sent on Google Earth. (If hunt in Nevada you might want to be carefull where you send the I'm ok message from!) You can also send a help message to someone you set it up to notify if you are just having minor difficulty like being stuck or having car trouble or you can send a full blown emergency message that triggers an emergency response to your location. It also gives me peace of mind to know that I can get emergency help if needed almost anywhere on earth. I aint as young as I once was and if I were to conk out somewhere, or do something stupid like I can from time to time, I can at least let someone else know I'm in trouble. The unit sells for $150 at Cabela's and you usually get a certificate for a free year subscription and for $10 bucks extra you can purchase extraction insurance that will cover up to $500,000 in costs for dragging your tail out of the wilds.I've never had any problem with mine and I've had it a year now. Keep in mind that most of the people who love their Spot are not as likely to write a review as the people that have had trouble with theirs. You can find a bad review on the internet about almost anything.If you hunt alone, it's cheap insurance. Get your wife to buy one for you for Christmas. At least you will find out if she really cares whether you're missing or not.Dan

[mtn dog]

Does the SPOT device have a competitor?Cabela's was offering them for "free" (full rebate of purchase price) but the catch was you needed to sign a 2-year service contract. $200 or $100/year. Obviously, in an emergency, that's nothing but I couldn't help wonder if they are the only game in town? Anyone know?

[Braz]

Dan, what is the deal with your statement ....(If hunt in Nevada you might want to be carefull where you send the I'm ok message from!) ...

[Truckeedan]

Braz, When your "I'm OK." message location pops up on google earth from downtown Winnemucca or from the Bunny Ranch you might really be in trouble. SPOT is accurate to about 10 yards. Just my attempt at being funny.Dan