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Old August 21st 09, 03:15 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Andy[_10_]
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Posts: 261
Default iPhone for Landout Retrieves - US

On Aug 21, 6:34*am, Dan Wrobel wrote:
On Aug 21, 6:42*am, Papa3 wrote:



On Aug 21, 8:26*am, chris wrote:


Currently I have a Verizon trimode phone [motorola v325]. *It did have
the capability to use the analog network in remote areas before that
system was turned off last year. *So it had been pretty good at
picking up a signal outside of urban areas/ Soaring=boondocks. *Now
that analog is gone are all digital phones about the same?


I wanted to upgrade to a smart phone, probably the iPhone 3s. *Does
the iPhone and or AT&T tower network work good for retrieves? *Or
would I be better off with a Blackberry or some other smart phone on
the Verizon network?


I suppose having a Spot Messenger make it a bit less critical to get a
phone call trough but after the first spot message a voice call sure
it useful.


Chris
Atlanta


Hi Chris,


To some extent, I think it depends on which boondocks (Western or
Eastern) you're talking about. *FWIW, my Blackberry on the Verizon
network was more-or-less an expensive paperweight from the time I left
Fallon, NV to head south to Yerrington back in June. * *I had no
signal of any usable quality until we got back to within a relatively
few miles of Reno. * This was actually a bit worse than the result
predicted by the Verizon Coverage Map, but it was not unexpected.
Verizon still shows a lot of white space (no coverage) in the
mountains of the western states. * Google "mobile coverage" or "cell
phone" on the R.A.S. archives for a thread on this topic recently.


P3- Hide quoted text -


- Show quoted text -


I was on the Verizon network for 4 years and liked the coverage but
was worried about AT&T's coverage when I went to the new iPhone. *To
my surprise, the AT&T coverage was better than Verizon in most areas
that I travel in northern Utah and Southern Idaho. *It also worked
better in upstate New York when visiting my parents this summer.
There are always going to be places that you don't get coverage but I
am happy with my choice. *In areas that have marginal coverage, a text
will go out when a call cannot be initiated since the text only takes
a fraction of a second to go while the voice needs more reliable
reseption. *I also carry a SPOT for those places tha I don't have
coverage.

DW


Keep in mind that when coverage is marginal you can often get a text
message through where a voice call won't, irrespective of carrier.

9B