A T @ T reception
Does A T @ T get signal on the A.T.?
You can get coverage with AT&T in some places, but not all of it. I've heard that Verizon has better coverage, but still not everywhere.
it will be spotty, with either.
Verizon is by far the best. I had Verizon and heard lots of complaints from those with all other carriers. There are some dead spots for sure with all carriers.
ATT is terrible on the Maine AT.
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I lived in Gorham N.H. from 2008 to 2011, my AT&T cell phone was virtually useless, I had to go outside and the signal was still horrible and I had many calls dropped even while talking to my friend who lived 4 miles away, the closest trail head was 4 miles up the road so I'm sure AT&T would have been useless there as well but I didn't try it. I switched to the local carrier which was U.S. Cellular, now I have Verizon, although they cost a little more, I have no complaints.
This cant be emphasized enoughOriginally Posted by Heliotrope
Applachian Trail No Talk
ATNT
Last edited by egilbe; 08-08-2017 at 07:08.
We have AT&T - no loyalty to them, but Verizon doesn't work at our house. I think AT&T could do a much better job. For example, maybe one of their executives should travel to Hot Springs, NC. Maybe they would discover that there's a whole town there, with people, who use cell phones. But NOT AT&T phones, cuz AT&T doesn't know they exist!
We've done about 60% of Maine. In a few weeks, we'll be done with Maine except for the Mahoosucs. In our experience, we've been able to get a signal when we've needed one. Not in valleys, and not every peak. But it wasn't like Maine was a huge dead zone. Maybe we were lucky, maybe the clouds were lined up just right. Parts of Maine we've completed include EB Hill to ME 17, Caribou Valley Road to Caratunk, and KIW Road to Baxter Peak.
Late this month we return to complete KIW to Caratunk and CVR to ME 17. Who knows if our experience will be different in those sections? Maybe. We'll carry our AT&T phones. We'll be okay.
I was told in 2007 that Verizon was better on the AT. I hoped that by 2015 AT&T would have improved service but found it disappointing. I called AT&T from a hotel in Hot Springs, NC in to complain about the complete lack of coverage in town. The operator directed me to a coverage map online which showed zero coverage. When I told them I was in a town which serviced a large number of tourists and hikers, they basically told me that they had no market in the area, therefore had no reason to provide service there. I had spotty service up on the ridges before and after that town.
I ended up getting a Verizon phone in Marion, VA. That did not cure the problem, data service on the trail is pretty poor due, as AT&T said, to a lack of a market. Bears don't use the Internet. But I did get slightly better voice service.
I figured the 100 Mile Wilderness wold be a wash for both systems. I bounced my AT&T phone forward to Monson, and carried both phones to the end. Yet I was able to get full LTE service on both phones in the middle of the 100 Mile, but lousy service from both in towns.
Overall, in my opinion, Verizon provides a slightly better cell service package on the Appalachian Trail. Value of the service is up to individual determination.
Cell coverage is spotty on the trail regardless of who your carrier is - and it's not likely to change anytime soon.
In flatter parts of the country, a few strategically placed cell towers can reach just about everyone. In the mountains, putting a tower up on top of a ridge will get you coverage up to the next ridge, but no further. So if you want to get coverage to everyone, you have to put up a lot more towers.
Since the mountains have fewer people and thus fewer customers, cell companies have decided coverage for everyone isn't worth the cost.
It's funny though, sometimes you DO have coverage in the most unexpected places. I remember camping one night in Virginia, down in a valley in the middle of nowhere. Almost didn't even bother to check my phone, but I did and got a full 5-bar signal with fast data transfer and everything.
It's all good in the woods.
Verizon was far and away the best choice the entire length of the trail. There were spots without service of course, but no other carrier came close.
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“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” –Socrates
Verizon made commitment to rural areas . Part of their business plan. Its not by accident they have most extensive network. They charge accordingly too.
ATT coverage maps are a joke. If you.can get a bar, detect an unuseable signal, it shows coverage. I work a lot in a small town where I had to get a Verizon phone cuz my AT&T phone did not work there even though it showed coverage. The local Walmart doesn't even bother to sell AT&T go phones. Nearest decent coverage was almost 60 miles away at the interstate.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 08-24-2017 at 01:02.
I'm currently nobo in Vermont with AT&T. I've had satisfactory service with it so far. There were some places in Georgia, North Carolina where I didn't have service for a day or so. My prepaid Verizon phone didn't work in those areas either.
Zed, were you able to get reception in Hot Springs? Just curious.
Jeff
I could not. My prepaid Verizon phone didn't work either.
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