Cell phone reception

[Foleymo]

Fellow San Jacintoers,

My contract is up with my cell phone service provider (Cellular One) and I'm looking to change carriers. Does anyone know which carrier has the best reception, if any at all, on the mountain. I hear about people using their cell phones to call for rescues, but if I were in that situation my cell phone would be worthless. I don't want to switch to another carrier only to find out it also doesn't work up there.

Thanks for your help,

Mike Foley

[Perry]

Hi Mike, if you like I can move this to the main section, since it's a local question. I've had Cingular and Verizon. Both can work at the peak sometimes, but I've found it depends on the physical phone more than the carrier. Roaming works better for wilderness areas but costs considerably more to talk. I think Sprint/Nextel and a small company (US Cellular?) offer this feature. Somebody using that small company could talk from inside the cabin at Horse Camp on Shasta (Sierra Club caretaker last year). Clear reception! I couldn't get anything with my cheap phone, even at Bunny Flat and some parts of Shasta City.

[Foleymo]

Perry,

Thanks for the info. I guess this would fit into the main forum.
I was thinking about the new Apple iPhone, but AT&T is the carrier. I think it's a great device, but I want to make sure I can use it on SJ. Otherwise I'd be better off with a "lesser" phone. Anybody out there have an iPhone and/or AT&T service?

Thanks again,

Mike Foley

[Perry]

For regular non-roaming cell phones, there are some dead spots on Skyline, but mostly okay coverage. Generally, there is little or no cell phone coverage from Long Valley all the way until just before the peak. The peak I've found has unreliable coverage but sometimes works. I don't know about Wellman's Divide. Last summer I had a cheap free GoPhone. It didn't work anywhere except in cities.

[KathyW]

I've gotten pretty good reception in the Wellman's Divide area with Verizon. I didn't realize I left my phone on one day when I was up there snowshoeing and it started to ring.

[Foleymo]

Wellman's Divide is the one place I get reception once in a while with my crappy carrier.

[halhiker]

I have an iPhone and I LOVE it! It gets really good reception although I haven't had it on San Jacinto yet. I get good reception around town and where I work in Indian Wells where this is notoriously poor reception. I've never had a cellphone before because I don't talk much on the phone but the web capabilities are great. I still don't talk on the phone much but it's good for checking in. In most cases, if someone calls I let it go to voicemail and then send them an e-mail. I'm not a telephone junkie.

I got awesome reception on Mount Tallac in Tahoe and called my wife from the summit. She heard me well although the 40 MPH winds made my call sound like there was static on the line. Once I got out of the wind it was OK.

My only experience with Verizon was with a buddy's phone on the PCT just south of Tahquitz Meadow, north of Red Tahquitz, and we couldn't get a call through. We had to wait until we reached the Tram to call our ride (we were on a one day hike on the PCT from Hwy 74 to the Tram) and we had to wait because of it. I don't know if the iPhone will be better but I hope to test it up there soon.

Hal

[Foleymo]

Hal,

Thanks for the great info! This is encouraging me to get the iPhone.

Keep me posted about SJ,

Mike

[Newmountaineer]

I have no affiliation or allegiance to AT&T or Verizon but my experience with both has shown Verizon to be more reliable in terms of coverage. Both, however, are pretty good.

[guest]

Hi Foleymo,

I have had At&T / Cingular for over 20 yrs & find the wilderness reception in & around the Coachella Valley good.
I can get coverage most of the way on Skyline, at the Mt. Station, and at San Jac peak.
Also, the Indian Cyns (if not too far in) Painted Cyn on the ridge, Keys View in JT (not much in the park, which is good in some respects).
Haven't been to Gorgonio in a long time, so not sure regarding that.
As Perry mentioned, the phone does make a difference.

(I'm still waiting for credit on those dropped calls..........)

ss