reliability of cell phone service

I'll toss in my two cents worth. Cell phone coverage is iffy anyway
becuause its radio. A cellphone system is complex enough with the
radio component through in.

I would never ever consider my cell phone reliable.
1)you have to have a tower.
2)you have to have power to the tower. (most towers dont have backup
generators or batteries. Here in NC, whenever we have power outage, the
cingular cell phone serive goes down)
3)you must have a t1 line out of the tower.

The most reliable comunications I have is my 20 meter cw rig. yes
remeber cw?? It is 5 watts and I can run it for days on a battery and
talk all around the world.

in the reliablity range heres how my list of reliable from most to least
1)wired Pots phones
2)Satelite telephones
4)2 meter/70 cm ham rigs
5)hw ham rigs
6)cell phones

So be carefule what you purchase a cell phone for.

Remember, that even in a well covered area there are dead spots, dead
repeaters, etc.

A cell phone is a convience, not a necessity.

Chip

---

› See More: reliability of cell phone service

How far can you communicate with handheld 2 meter rigs? Is 70cm
different than 2 meter?

Can you communicate over, say, 350 miles with a handheld 2 meter
radio?

Dan



On Sat, 01 May 2004 14:45:06 -0400, Ralph Blach
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I'll toss in my two cents worth. Cell phone coverage is iffy anyway
>becuause its radio. A cellphone system is complex enough with the
>radio component through in.
>
>I would never ever consider my cell phone reliable.
>1)you have to have a tower.
>2)you have to have power to the tower. (most towers dont have backup
>generators or batteries. Here in NC, whenever we have power outage, the
>cingular cell phone serive goes down)
>3)you must have a t1 line out of the tower.
>
>The most reliable comunications I have is my 20 meter cw rig. yes
>remeber cw?? It is 5 watts and I can run it for days on a battery and
>talk all around the world.
>
>in the reliablity range heres how my list of reliable from most to least
>1)wired Pots phones
>2)Satelite telephones
>4)2 meter/70 cm ham rigs
>5)hw ham rigs
>6)cell phones
>
>So be carefule what you purchase a cell phone for.
>
>Remember, that even in a well covered area there are dead spots, dead
>repeaters, etc.
>
>A cell phone is a convience, not a necessity.
>
>Chip

> Can you communicate over, say, 350 miles with a handheld 2 meter
> radio?
>
> Dan
Ummmmmm, dunno- let's see-

How about world wide?

is that far enough?

Ralph Blach wrote:
> I'll toss in my two cents worth. Cell phone coverage is iffy anyway
> becuause its radio. A cellphone system is complex enough with the
> radio component through in.
>
> I would never ever consider my cell phone reliable.
> 1)you have to have a tower.

Or a building, a bridge, a billboard sign, a church steeple,


> 2)you have to have power to the tower. (most towers dont have backup
> generators or batteries. Here in NC, whenever we have power outage, the
> cingular cell phone serive goes down)

Actually, I have to disagree - virtually all cell sites have batteries,
and the typical design minimum is two hours without commercial AC - but
you're right on the other part, most don't have generators.

Another thing to keep in mind is no cellular carrier owns the power
lines, the telco lines, and I'm trying to think of one that still owns
their own towers. Point being that unless the ownership of all this is
under one roof, reliablilty will always be a variable.

> 3)you must have a t1 line out of the tower.

Most sites have at least two or more depending on capacity requirements.




--
jer email reply - I am not a 'ten' ICQ = 35253273
"All that we do is touched with ocean, yet we remain on the shore of
what we know." -- Richard Wilbur

Ralph Blach <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'll toss in my two cents worth. Cell phone coverage is iffy anyway
> becuause its radio. A cellphone system is complex enough with the
> radio component through in.
>
> I would never ever consider my cell phone reliable.

What kind of reliabilty do you need? My cellphone works (from my
house) at least 99% of the time. Close enough for rock 'n roll, as
they say. In addition I have a prepaid account with a different cell
company for use when traveling in rural areas- giving me redundancy.

Cellular is generally reliable enough for those wishing to dump wired
service. While more reliable, even POTS can go down. Mine did about
a month ago. I had to have Qwest forward my home calls to my
"unreable" cell for the 24-hours I was without landline service.

(Ironically, since moving to Denver last July, my landline service has
been down twice for a total of about 36 hours. My cell service has
been down once for about four hours!)

> 1)you have to have a tower.

....with landline you have to have a continuous wire connection to the
switching office. Say what you want about radio waves, but they can't
"break" like wire can.

> 2)you have to have power to the tower. (most towers dont have backup
> generators or batteries.

Maybe not in the sticks, but in the three metro areas I've lived in
since owning cellular phones, I've never lost cellular service in a
blackout- even a prolonged (36-hour) one caused by a Kansas City ice
storm two years ago.

> The most reliable comunications I have is my 20 meter cw rig. yes
> remeber cw?? It is 5 watts and I can run it for days on a battery and
> talk all around the world.

For that to work, you need someone at the other end who still
remembers CW! ;-)

> in the reliablity range heres how my list of reliable from most to least
> 1)wired Pots phones
> 2)Satelite telephones
> 4)2 meter/70 cm ham rigs
> 5)hw ham rigs
> 6)cell phones

You're defining "reliable" how? If my kid was choking, 911 on the
cell is far more likely to get me immediate help than a morse code SOS
to a guy in Oslo, Norway!

> So be carefule what you purchase a cell phone for.

Yeah. Next time my car breaks down I'll wish I had my 35-mile RJ-11
cord with me...

> Remember, that even in a well covered area there are dead spots, dead
> repeaters, etc.

Absolutely. But even my T-Mobile phone, which only covers 25% of the
land area in the US, offers far more reliability than not carrying a
cellphone!

> A cell phone is a convience, not a necessity.

My wife thought so to, until she called me from I-70 about two miles
from the nearest exit when a dead alternator caused the car to run on
battery power only until it was so depleted it couldn't generate
enough juice to spark the plugs and keep the car running. I didn't
need convincing cellphones were necessities, of course. My first
cellphone, an old Nokia "brick", saved my bacon when my VW bug slid
into a ditch in a 0-degree Nebraska blizzard about three miles west of
Fremont. (I'll wager many folks on this NG have much better
emergency/safety stories than mine, but these are all I've got,
thankfully.)

A landline phone isn't a "necessity" either by the strictest
"food/shelter/clothing" definitions. While I enjoy the convenience
and safety of having both wired and wireless phones, if I had to
choose only one, it'd be the wireless, no question.

"Ralph Blach" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'll toss in my two cents worth. Cell phone coverage is iffy anyway
> becuause its radio. A cellphone system is complex enough with the
> radio component through in.
>
> I would never ever consider my cell phone reliable.
> 1)you have to have a tower.

Well YEAH...any form of communication needs "Facilities"

> 2)you have to have power to the tower. (most towers dont have backup
> generators or batteries. Here in NC, whenever we have power outage, the
> cingular cell phone serive goes down)
Most all sites I have visited have a bank of batteries to sustain
communications for days.

> 3)you must have a t1 line out of the tower.
Most sites have that and more, usually supplied with a short hop microwave
radio.

>
> The most reliable comunications I have is my 20 meter cw rig. yes
> remeber cw?? It is 5 watts and I can run it for days on a battery and
> talk all around the world.
Pure HORSE****! The days of "passing traffic" are going away. I am a ham
too, and I sure as hell will seek other avenues to get a message thru before
20 meter CW.
>
> in the reliablity range heres how my list of reliable from most to least
> 1)wired Pots phones
Reliable? where did you get this factoid? It's a fact that in times of
disaster the local telephone company runs "load-sheders" to prevent too many
people from bringing the central office equipment to it's knees.In other
words THEY SHUT YOU OFF. Cellulars are used by emergency staff all over when
the **** hits the fan.
> 2)Satelite telephones
Highly reliable...if your OUTSIDE. They don't work inside buildings worth a
****.
> 4)2 meter/70 cm ham rigs
Reliable as the repeater site. If it has a generator and survived the
storm/quake or whatever the emergency is.I suspect the local cell sites are
better engineered.
> 5)hw ham rigs
I suspect you mean HF rigs, yes..if someone is at the other end and band
conditions are good enough to set up communications.
> 6)cell phones
Connected to the nationwide PTSN, people on the other end to connect to. No
special training to "pass traffic" and a HAM license NOT required.
Availability of equipment ALL OVER the place. Staff on hand to admin the
system.Major redundency in sites and coverage, but you list this as the LAST
resource?
>
> So be carefule what you purchase a cell phone for.
>
> Remember, that even in a well covered area there are dead spots, dead
> repeaters, etc.
There are no dead spots on HF?? Band conditions are always good? They dont
change from sun up to sun down?
>
> A cell phone is a convience, not a necessity.
Sorry dude, your wrong here. We use our cellular phones a LOT more than our
landline at home EVEN WHILE WE ARE HOME! Flat out..it works! (Verizon) We
have had Cable problems, outages due to errant blue-hairs hitting
poles,rendering the landline phone USELESS. I cant remember EVER having a
problem getting thru to anywhere from home on my Verizon phone, let alone
traveling.Most all of the cellular providers have whats called a "COW". It's
a (C)ell site (O)n (W)heels. They get deployed at major events from
conventions to floods/storms/fires/quakes to fill in where needed. Lets see
your landline provider top that. What will they do...bring a wagon with pay
phones on it?
In a real emergency, I have ONE landline company, ONE central office to go
thru here. We have 5 cellular carriers to call 911 on! thats 5 to 1 in favor
of wireless cellular communications verses wireline thru SBC.

So "Chip" while your banging away on your key (CQ CQ CQ CQ DE W2XYZ WITH
EMERGENCY TRAFFIC) I will be calling on a verizon wireless and REALLY
getting the message thru.
Wake up Chip! your still in cloth covered wires and type 80 rectifiers. This
new **** works and is here to stay. Ham radio is a hobby, it has it's place
in the emergency area...just not at the top anymore.
>
> Chip
>

>
> What kind of reliabilty do you need? My cellphone works (from my
> house) at least 99% of the time. Close enough for rock 'n roll, as
> they say. In addition I have a prepaid account with a different cell
> company for use when traveling in rural areas- giving me redundancy.
>
> Cellular is generally reliable enough for those wishing to dump wired
> service.

That's what we did. Over the past several years, our cellular service has
been 100% reliable at home, and at least 90% reliable on the road. Compare
that to POTS which is 0% reliable on the road, and I fail to understand why
100% of phone users have NOT ditched their landline YET. -Dave

RE/
>Compare
>that to POTS which is 0% reliable on the road, and I fail to understand why
>100% of phone users have NOT ditched their landline YET.

Per another thread: I can answer the phone in the rec room, they yell upstairs
to my wife to pick up the phone - plus we have the option of both being in on
the conversation.

Also, at least where I am (Southeastern Penna) cell phone performance is iffy.
My Cingular phone's voice quality and chances of having a signal have definately
diminished over the past couple years....

Finally, in my experience, cell phone voice quality has never on a par with land
lines. Regardless of free minutes, given the opportunity I always switch to
land line for extended conversations - it's easier on me and the people on the
other end are usually grateful....
--
PeteCresswell

>
> Finally, in my experience, cell phone voice quality has never on a par
with land
> lines. Regardless of free minutes, given the opportunity I always switch
to
> land line for extended conversations - it's easier on me and the people on
the
> other end are usually grateful....
> --

You need to get a decent handset then. I might suggest you try something
(anything) Nokia, and specifically avoid Motorola, although the T720 isn't
too bad for voice quality. But any Nokia will beat it. -Dave

> 3)you must have a t1 line out of the tower.

Negative, many sites in and around major metro's is back-hauled via
microwave, making things cheaper and providing longer uptimes. This was not
the case, say 2 years ago, but microwave is far less succeptable to natural
disasters, or other inclamate conditions that may occur along a T1 causeway.

RJ


>
> The most reliable comunications I have is my 20 meter cw rig. yes
> remeber cw?? It is 5 watts and I can run it for days on a battery and
> talk all around the world.
>
> in the reliablity range heres how my list of reliable from most to least
> 1)wired Pots phones
> 2)Satelite telephones
> 4)2 meter/70 cm ham rigs
> 5)hw ham rigs
> 6)cell phones
>
> So be carefule what you purchase a cell phone for.
>
> Remember, that even in a well covered area there are dead spots, dead
> repeaters, etc.
>
> A cell phone is a convience, not a necessity.
>
> Chip
>

RE/
>But any Nokia will beat it.

Nokia is all I've ever had.

Currently a 7180. Before that 6161i. Before that, 6120A.

None that bad...it's just that land line is sooooo much better.

I think part of it is ergonomics - placement of the microphone/earpiece.
Another factor, I think, is the lack of feedback. On a land line phone there
seems to be a little of your speaking voice in the earpiece. I've always
suspected that the lack of that on cell phones is part of the reason people talk
so loudly on them in public.
--
PeteCresswell

Nokia? I haven't had much luck with Nokia. My Nokia 8290 did not have very
good reception and earpiece. I love the size and the tri-band (world phone)
feature of the Nokia 6100 but the reception is not that great.

I find that phones with external antenna have much better reception.

I now use a Motorola V60 in the car because it does not pickup road
background road noise so the person I'm talking to does not know I'm
driving.
Otherwise, I use a Samsung X427 when walking around because it's small and
fits nicely and unobtrusively in my pocket.


"Dave C." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >
> > Finally, in my experience, cell phone voice quality has never on a par
> with land
> > lines. Regardless of free minutes, given the opportunity I always
switch
> to
> > land line for extended conversations - it's easier on me and the people
on
> the
> > other end are usually grateful....
> > --
>
> You need to get a decent handset then. I might suggest you try something
> (anything) Nokia, and specifically avoid Motorola, although the T720 isn't
> too bad for voice quality. But any Nokia will beat it. -Dave
>
>

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> RE/
> >Compare
> > I fail to understand why
> >100% of phone users have NOT ditched their landline YET.
>
> Per another thread: I can answer the phone in the rec room, they yell upstairs
> to my wife to pick up the phone - plus we have the option of both being in on
> the conversation.

As I answered in that thread, plenty of relatively inexpensive
solutions exist to interface your home phone(s) to a cell phone.

> Also, at least where I am (Southeastern Penna) cell phone performance is iffy.
> My Cingular phone's voice quality and chances of having a signal have definately
> diminished over the past couple years....

Based on your list of phones, you have (had?) Cingular's TDMA service.
The sound quality of GSM, IMHO, is much closer to landline than
either TDMA or the CDMA used by Verizon, Alltel or Sprint .

> Finally, in my experience, cell phone voice quality has never on a par with land
> lines.

Not since they went digital, anyway! The analog FM audio used by
older cellphones sounded a lot better. Again, in these digital days I
find GSM to sound the most natural.

> Regardless of free minutes, given the opportunity I always switch to
> land line for extended conversations - it's easier on me and the people on the
> other end are usually grateful....

Yeah, it takes a certain type of customer to get away with dumping
their landline, IMHO, my brother-in-law did it- he and his wife both
work crazy hours, have different sets of friends, and do pretty well
with only wireless.

I agree with you Todd.

If people would start dumping their land lines en-masse, then the mobile
phone base would grow. Services and features would improve greatly and
prices would decrease.

Why pay for two services when you only use one? The only reason I still
have my landline (lowest cost basic measured rate) is because I'm required
to do so for DSL. If 3G wireless can provide me with fast Internet access,
I would dump wireline completely.


"Todd Allcock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > RE/
> > >Compare
> > > I fail to understand why
> > >100% of phone users have NOT ditched their landline YET.
> >
> > Per another thread: I can answer the phone in the rec room, they yell
upstairs
> > to my wife to pick up the phone - plus we have the option of both being
in on
> > the conversation.
>
> As I answered in that thread, plenty of relatively inexpensive
> solutions exist to interface your home phone(s) to a cell phone.
>
> > Also, at least where I am (Southeastern Penna) cell phone performance is
iffy.
> > My Cingular phone's voice quality and chances of having a signal have
definately
> > diminished over the past couple years....
>
> Based on your list of phones, you have (had?) Cingular's TDMA service.
> The sound quality of GSM, IMHO, is much closer to landline than
> either TDMA or the CDMA used by Verizon, Alltel or Sprint .
>
> > Finally, in my experience, cell phone voice quality has never on a par
with land
> > lines.
>
> Not since they went digital, anyway! The analog FM audio used by
> older cellphones sounded a lot better. Again, in these digital days I
> find GSM to sound the most natural.
>
> > Regardless of free minutes, given the opportunity I always switch to
> > land line for extended conversations - it's easier on me and the people
on the
> > other end are usually grateful....
>
> Yeah, it takes a certain type of customer to get away with dumping
> their landline, IMHO, my brother-in-law did it- he and his wife both
> work crazy hours, have different sets of friends, and do pretty well
> with only wireless.

On Mon, 03 May 2004 03:40:05 GMT, "Richie" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Nokia? I haven't had much luck with Nokia.

Well, if you don't know you should know that for every person that
says that Nokia is bad someone will say that Ericsson or Motorola is
bad. Luckily for you there's a choice so you don't have to take Nokia
you can take Motorola, Siemens, LG or any number of manufacturers.

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