Cell phone coverage

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snowhunter

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I found out that the cell phone coverage, while hunting in the B.C. interior, is pretty good, if one moves up to higher altitiudes, even in areas that is not supposed to be covered by cell phones. I also learned that i pays to have a cell phone reciver booster along, and that way extent the use of your cell phone while hunting.

What is your experience with the use of cell phone and reciever boosters, while hunting in romote areas ?
 
snowhunter said:
I found out that the cell phone coverage, while hunting in the B.C. interior, is pretty good, if one moves up to higher altitiudes, even in areas that is not supposed to be covered by cell phones. I also learned that i pays to have a cell phone reciver booster along, and that way extent the use of your cell phone while hunting.

What is your experience with the use of cell phone and reciever boosters, while hunting in romote areas ?
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You can buy one of the old motorola bag phones for $20 now, it is light and folds down to very small, and is 5 watts of power. Your hand held phone is .6 of a watt. You don't need to activate it as any phone with power can call 911. Safety first.

LH
 
I guess I must be living dangerously, I don't take my cell phone hunting


When I was still workgin as a forester however we had cellphones al the time. Service was hit and miss, tops of hills were your best choice and even then receptions was spotty.

Cellphone networks have expanded a lot in the last few years, but I still find that telus has better recption out in the boonies then rogers
 
Lionhill said:
You can buy one of the old motorola bag phones for $20 now, it is light and folds down to very small, and is 5 watts of power. Your hand held phone is .6 of a watt. You don't need to activate it as any phone with power can call 911. Safety first.

LH
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Check with the service provider to see how long the phone you purchase will continue to work. Rogers just shut down their TDMA/Analog network here in Ontario and a neighbour (up north) was forced to 'upgrade' from a perfectly functioning bag phone to a 'cute little handset' that he doesn't get service on.
 
As a volunteer Search and Rescue member, I would suggest you have a Gps as well as your cellphone. If you fall and injure your self or get lost, with the cellphone you can call us to tell us you are injured or lost but you can't tell us where you are, now we have to find you and it might take a long time. With a GPS position , we can come right to you with first aid gear and a basket to get you out.
 
BEARMAN said:
As a volunteer Search and Rescue member, I would suggest you have a Gps as well as your cellphone. If you fall and injure your self or get lost, with the cellphone you can call us to tell us you are injured or lost but you can't tell us where you are, now we have to find you and it might take a long time. With a GPS position , we can come right to you with first aid gear and a basket to get you out.
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as a former professional search and rescue member I would recomend you carry a map and compass. waterproof, and no batteries ;)
 
Amphibious said:
maybe we should just helicopter up top the game?

who said hunting was supposed to be safe and easy?

I hear there is a supermarket down the road where I can get my steak with out even having to fire a rifle! wow! it's safe too!

:dancingbanana:
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If you fell, broke enough bones to severely limit your survival and had the choice of having a means of communicating with a rescue service the size of a cell phone you wouldn't want it?
 
I thought you guys out west knew how to use smoke signals?

I dont know what the big deal is. No different then taking two way radios.

Now if you also took a laptop...
 
Fall Guy said:
Check with the service provider to see how long the phone you purchase will continue to work. Rogers just shut down their TDMA/Analog network here in Ontario and a neighbour (up north) was forced to 'upgrade' from a perfectly functioning bag phone to a 'cute little handset' that he doesn't get service on.
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that is exactly what is going on, i have been 30 km from downtown calgary with "no service", this never happened in the 3 watt bag phone days.
 
i used to do a lot of time in the mountains just east of banff- again, go vhf ham - if the bc hams have a set-up anything like the 1 we've got, you're covered in at least 2 ways if you can get out at all- i was in canmore once and was tripping the calgary north repeater with my handheld and the rubber ducky ant- i could so much better with a decent ant and a full 12 volt battery attached- i know for a fact that the ham radio repeaters in bc used to follow no 1 highway right into vancouver- that may have changed
 
I'd pack a cell phone if the service worked. Mostly, it doesn't around here, though. Why not pack one? It doens't just be used in emergencies, there are plenty of times when a smiple phone call can save alot of stress.

How often has it happened that you say "i'll be home by 10/11/12 PM" to the wife, or to your buddies in camp etc...and through one thing or another, you end up being late, or staying out all night on the mountain , or whatever.

Also, some of us have jobs where a simple phone call can be a good fire extinguisher, so you dont' have to put out many fires when you get back to work after the weekend. Cell phones are handy there, too.

When hunting, cell phones (and most communication devices) can (and should be) turned off unless in use.

Sure, some of the best stories are told because of misadventure, where you have to extract yourself from a difficult circumstance, but frankly, some tragedies occur due to this, too.

Sometimes the difference between life and death truly is only a matter of hours, and only a fool would suggest that you are somehow less of a hunter/outdoorsman because you have a communication device in your pack.
 
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