Cell phones in the deep woods/poor coverage

John Y Cannuck

John Y Cannuck

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Looking for recommendations on a CHEAP cell phone that works well in low coverage areas, Like Minden Hills, where coverage is very spotty due to the landscape.

I'm a guy that will put the cell in a drawer until hunting season, so it's a Pay per use phone I want. Voice only would be dandy, but I know that's unlikely.

Small, and durable are pluses, so is an actual key pad.

I'm NOT remotely interested in a monthly charge for the cell phone in the drawer.
 
Used Sat phone? Pay per use, but pricey!

I had reception with my Bell cell if you recall. But, if you wanted signal from all over your stomping grounds, Bell might not cut it...

Cheers
Jay
 
A cheaper phone will in general get less signal than a more expencive phone. There are quite a lot of places still totaly out of reach of cell phones. In those area's you woukd need a satalite phone. Which as jay said are quite pricey.
 
Sat phone is the best... They work everywere, you cry once buying then 1.00 / minute if you need it, i carry mine all the time when i leave for remote and even less remote places, phone have a way of quiting on you sometimes close to civilisation...
This is one of the best investment i made for peace of mind... JP.
 
Several of our guys have cell phones, the coverage is there, one bar usually, but it's spotty. I just don't want to go buy a phone and find out the unit itself won't get a signal. It's one of those spots where they announce long distance charges, you close your phone, move ten feet to the right, and try again, this time no long distance.

I don't need internet, or any other fancy BS, just basic contact.
 
Worried about cell phone coverage? Out here, no need to worry, coverage disappears very rapidly along with the paved roads. :) Might consider a SPOT if you want to keep in touch with home.

Grizz
 
Shoutout 711 has the best pay as you go plan - 365 days on any money put on the account. The cheap nokia (free) that they gave me a few years ago is my go to hunting cell phone. If you are in a non cell phone area, sat phones are where it's at, but very expensive, but if you need them, well worth it.
 
Basically you have Rogers, Bell and maybe Telus. They also share towers. All other "brands/companies" use those networks in remote areas. For example, Virgin is a part of Bell and uses the Bell network. Speakout 711 is independent, but uses the Rogers cell network. Wind Mobile has their own cell system in the GTA, but in roaming areas uses Rogers network.

It used to be that Bell generally had better coverage in fringe areas of southern Ontario, but that depends on the area. For coverage in fringe areas, sometimes it's as much as moving 30 feet to a different location.

Boosters are not a portable solution. They are mounted repeaters with their own antennas. Best for mounting on a structure with the antenna very high in the air. Car mounted repeaters/booster are much less useful becasue their antennas are not mounted high. Prices start at around $500 and are specific to a carrier.
 
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I use telus and it fades out completely out past Irondale and towards Gooderham. I had to use mine a few times last week, and it almost seems to depend what tree you stand beside. Bell used to be better, as Sandroad mentioned, but if they all share towers now it probably won't make much difference.
 
Rent a sat phone from The Spectrum Group. $56 a week and $1 per minute. Works everywhere and you really only need it to retrieve messages. Peace of mind that's affordable.
 
Bought my Iridium for 900.00 in 2010 and only pay for the minutes used, i did spend 25.00 last year, even can connect internet... Great tool... JP.
 
Cell coverage in the fall when the leaves are down will be better - they effectively attenuate the signals, esp. at higher frequencies (1900, 2100, 2600 MHz). However, as pointed out, terrain is the biggest challenge in the Minden Hills area and if you're not line of sight or are in the first or any even-numbered fresnel zone (look it up) to the cell tower, you are "no service" though if you happen to be in an odd-numbered fresnel zone, you may in fact have excellent coverage so don't move. Again, terrain and vegetation play a critical role here. However, for the absolute best and most reliable telephone communications, find some open sky and use your (rented) sat-phone, SPOT or InReach.

'Fly
 
I honestly don't think you're going to find what you're looking for from any cell phone from any provider in Minden Hills.

With the SPOT GPS Messenger, it really has it's limitations. No outgoing custom messages while out in the woods (just preprogrammed custom message), no incoming messages.

Satellite phones are what you wan't functionality wise, but certainly don't justify the price for a paper weight most of the year.

Are you trying to keep in touch with others you're hunting with? If so a hand held radio might be your best bet, otherwise you're stuck with a pay as you go phone with the 1 bar.
 
Since no one had mentioned it yet...

What about one of the old Motorola bag phones? They had ~ 3 watts of power in comparision to the new phones which have ~ 0.6 watts...

Cheers
Jay
 
My question is why would you want to go out to the great outdoors with a phone. Unless it is for a medical condition or something. I want the peace and quiet not some interrupting phone call in the middle of a stalk. If you wife is due to have a baby or something then yea.
Seen a young guy checking his phone every 5 to 10 minutes even recharged it a couple of times to keep checking it for messages over the week. Thing is we were 200 kms from the nearest tower. It would be a miracle if a signal came through.
Sad really.
 
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