Can you test cell phone coverage in an area before buying?

[huntresss]

After nearly eight years of using U.S. Cellular, our service suddenly dropped in our area. We reported the problem in November and they've been "looking into it" since then, but haven't been able to fix it. Our phones drop nearly every single call now. After a long fight, they've finally agreed to let us out of our contract, but now we're faced with finding a provider that has coverage in our area. Every single coverage map I've looked at shows us as being in a minimal to no coverage area. Naturally, every place I call tells us that they have coverage here, regardless of how poor it is. We depend on our cell phones to keep in contact with our hunters, so we really need better coverage. Does anybody know if there's any way to find out what provider offers better coverage here without actually buying into a new contract?
-Cheryl

[Smart]

Check your hunters phones maybe and ask them how their signal is??

Also...you can buy a booster that will boost your signal while in your house or camp house..

You can also buy boosters that piggyback on your individual phone

[Eagles1181]

Most of the cell phone companies have a policy where you can void the contract within 30 days. Sign up for a phone with all of them, use them from a couple of weeks and keep the one that works best. Just make sure you cancel the rest so you are not stuck with 4 phone contracts.

Eagle

[EarleyBird]

Check your hunters phones maybe and ask them how their signal is??

Also...you can buy a booster that will boost your signal while in your house or camp house..

You can also buy boosters that piggyback on your individual phone

Do those boosters work well? How much do they generally run?

[Smart]

Do those boosters work well? How much do they generally run?

Here is some reading on my previous threads... ours works well...

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141188&highlight=Booster

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149297&highlight=Booster

[Captrix]

I have the WiEx brand and just upgraded to the more expensive booster and it works much better. They also have awesome customer service my old booster crapped out after 6 months and they sent me a new one with a new 1 yr warranty. I gave the old one to my mom.

[huntresss]

Will the boosters work outside of the house or just in the house? We need coverage on the whole place which is about a square mile. We've been surveying our hunters to see who gets the best coverage and get mixed results. Just tonight we had two Verizon users, one said he had coverage from camp to the stand and the other one had no signal at all. I'm so cornfused!

That's a good idea to try all the different phones and then return the ones we don't like.

That brings up another question. We just recently upgraded to smartphones and packages which include unlimited texting and internet, which brought our monthly bill for two phones to $179, which seems a bit high to me, but since we've never had texting/internet before I really don't know what's average.

[Captrix]

The boosters will only work in the house and only if there is a signal. I barely had 1 bar and now I'm maxed out. Also check what brand of phone they're using. Samsung phones work best at my house.

[SirWraithe]

Booster are good, we have them in our field offices

[Todd-ty729]

We use a signal booster thingie that Smart recommended at our lease. We set the part of the deal that normally goes inside the house, outside our "cook shack" and it covers our camp area of about an acre pretty well.

I had to get the antennae up about 25' to get a solid incoming signal but it works great. Almost to great!

I miss not having the phone ring for a couple of days.

[Smart]

We set the part of the deal that normally goes inside the house, outside our "cook shack" and it covers our camp area of about an acre pretty well.

I had to get the antennae up about 25' to get a solid incoming signal but it works great. Almost to great!

I miss not having the phone ring for a couple of days.

same here.....but it is a nice place to update live hunts...

The inside is strong ....but we can actually open our door and get some good signal from the booster in front of the cabin. If we close the doors, the R-panel won't let it come though...

They say that inside you can get 2500sq foot of coverage.

[Todd-ty729]

same here.....but it is a nice place to update live hunts...

Well your live hunts are entertaining. Mine suk from an outsiders point of view and sometimes there are things that happen that would get me flamed if I posted!

My version of a live hunt:

"8am:In the blind now. Dang my head hurts."

"10am: woke up from nap and something ate the fletches off my sticks. I'm hungry. Going back to camp now. I hope there is some breakfast left."



"3PM: Back in blind again after another nap."

"4pm: Had to go back to camp because I forgot my beer cooler."

"5PM: Holy smokes! A deer!"

"5:05 PM: Can't take a shot. Forgot my release back at camp when I went to get the beer cooler."

5:37PM: Biggest buck I have ever seen while bow hunting just pee'd on my pop-up."

6PM: "Buck finally ate all of the hand corn and left. I am packing up my crud when I find my release in the cooler."

[bowmech]

Will the boosters work outside of the house or just in the house? We need coverage on the whole place which is about a square mile. We've been surveying our hunters to see who gets the best coverage and get mixed results. Just tonight we had two Verizon users, one said he had coverage from camp to the stand and the other one had no signal at all. I'm so cornfused!

That's a good idea to try all the different phones and then return the ones we don't like.

That brings up another question. We just recently upgraded to smartphones and packages which include unlimited texting and internet, which brought our monthly bill for two phones to $179, which seems a bit high to me, but since we've never had texting/internet before I really don't know what's average.

Smart phones a lot of times have a weak or a bad antenna, so the reception is not as good as with the old clam shells, where you had a pull out antenna.
Both of my smart phones couldn't hold a candle (even in town) to my clam shells, as far as reception.

[Captrix]

same here.....but it is a nice place to update live hunts...

The inside is strong ....but we can actually open our door and get some good signal from the booster in front of the cabin. If we close the doors, the R-panel won't let it come though...

They say that inside you can get 2500sq foot of coverage.

2500 if there are no walls! Make sure you get the antena severall feet above anything metal, including what you mount it to.