Cellphone coverage

[w2xq]

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On the road from Cheyenne west, then up US 287 to and in Yellowstone, cell coverage maps found on the net aren't all that informative. Your feedback of reality vs fiction would be appreciated. I'm trying to figure out if I can function with the phone's navigation apps. Or should I drag along a standalone Garmin?

Within Yellowstone, will an HT get to the Intertie repeater on the west side? Obviously I wouldn't expect full coverage; I'm thinking a supplement to cell coverage.

TIA.

 

[hawkspringsfire]

I would bring the standalone Garmin GPS.

 

[w2xq]

That poor, huh? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Thayne]

If you have Verizon, I can verify it works the best of any in Wyo (But not so good in Neb)

 

[w2xq]

Thayne, I do have VZW and I normally use the optional ($) VZ Navigator app. I find it has more info and is easier to read than Google Maps and Navigator. Thanks for the feedback. I'll be driving out of Denver.

Interesting about your comment on road coverage in NE; I haven't driven through the state since the 1950's. I can tell you Amtrak's California Zephyr travel through NE has continuous coverage (at least in the areas where I'm not sleeping).

 

[JASII]

Cellphone Coverage

I would bring the standalone Garmin GPS.

I wholeheartedly agree. Depending on what phone you have, you may even want to consider storing maps on the device, so that you aren't dependent on cell phone coverage.

| NAVIGON - a Garmin company.

 

[hpycmpr]

VZ coverage in YNP is at Mammoth, Lake, Grant, and Old Faithful and spotty to none existent elsewhere. The approaches leading in will be spotty at best. Stand alone GPS is highly recommended.
Two meter would be less than spotty;>). But stranger things have happened.

Steve

 

[w2xq]

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Thanks Steve and all. I also found an NPS map with more info. Looks like I'll just pack all electronics and a blanket to send smoke signals.

 

[mtnfireguy]

Your Best Bet

Rand McNally Road Atlas, Rand McNally: Travel & Nature : Walmart.com

 

[shglad]

You will also get VZ coverage along Mary and Sedge Bay on Yellowstone Lake, certain spots in Hayden Valley, and on Mt. Washburn.

 

[noaim]

truth is IMO your better off safe then sorry drag the Garmin if you don't need it good but you would hate to get stuck without a working gps

 

[w2xq]

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Thanks for all the feedback. As an aside, I gotta say I'm disapppointed in Magellen and Garmin. At 5 and 3 years old, no updates for the 4700 and the GPS-62S. No wonder the standalone GPS market is flat or declining, depending upon what one reads. Rant off.

 

[noaim]

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Thanks for all the feedback. As an aside, I gotta say I'm disapppointed in Magellen and Garmin. At 5 and 3 years old, no updates for the 4700 and the GPS-62S. No wonder the standalone GPS market is flat or declining, depending upon what one reads. Rant off.

well the biggest updates needed are really the maps.. I just bought a garmin a few weeks ago I got it for 120 with lifetime map updates.. the device I feel really doesn't need much improvement over that. Just my opinion!

 

[w2xq]

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I should have said no -maps- update, especially so for the 4700.

 

[noaim]

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I should have said no -maps- update, especially so for the 4700.

I do admit that in the past the updates were not that great but now there is actually a software on your computer that you can update the new devices 4 times a year.. something that you may want to consider in the future. I personally just hate having it on my cellphone because if I get a call it isn't the best scenario

 

[PJH]

Cell coverage is actually pretty good thru Wyoming (VZW, GSM via Union Wireless) however the VZW backhaul for data is lacking. It may say 3G, but if you watch the data metrics, its no where near where it should be. Cross the line into any other state and you are doing pretty good, just the Wyo backhaul isn't up to par.

It will work, but don't expect metro speeds (even in Cheyenne/Casper)

 

[w2xq]

Ok on all. Re the Rand McNally maps, as a AAA member I have access to those and I'll look. Most states have good state and county maps on line; I'll check Wyoming's. I know the county here updates maps yearly. We won't be 4-wheeling on back roads. Re 3G/4G coverage, nice but not mission critical -- connectvity mostly for security/help if need be. Traveling aboard the Amtrak California Zephyr I've seen variability of connections through Iowa and Nebraska and it would be unrealistic to think it would be any different in the Wyoming prairies. What this thread also tells me is to download reference material onto the phone itself, and not depend upon the cloud Box, Dropbox and Evernote. Thanks.

Edit: Rant on. Unfortunately maps for my standalone GPS haven't been updated since mid-2010; an 2+ year old update is $40. I bought the 4700 in an era when lifetime map updates weren't available. I just get annoyed by the forced obsolescence for an otherwise perfectly working unit... and it is no surprise that the standalone auto dashboard GPS market is flatlining. Rant off.

 

[PJH]

Up that way, its SO not open prairies. Those kinda end in Cheyenne Most of that area is backcountry. Having done some trips in the backcounty of WY last two weeks, the above applies. Even some (by western standards) open/main roads will have little to no coverage. I went down one last weekend for close to two hours without cell coverage (with a nice roof antenna). This was the only real road that connected three major (for out there) towns. The only cell coverage was with some nearby mines, setup for the mines. Other than that, nada.

287 is hit/miss outside of the towns. If you have a GSM option with your phone, you might want to look at that. Union Wireless is the GSM provider in Wyoming. TMobile and AT&T has a presense but typically roams to/from Union. Union is local so if you can pop a SIM card in, stop into Cheyenne or any major town and get a prepaid SIM to use.

Wherever there isn't VZW coverage, I see a Union tower (they have some VZW contracted sites ran by Union for VZW from their old CDMA network) but many have been decommissioned.

Dropbox (don't forget to tag yourstuff as a favorite so it stores locally) and read the road signs. Actually pretty hard to get lost in WY compared to the east coast.

 

[w2xq]

Up that way, its SO not open prairies. Those kinda end in Cheyenne Most of that area is backcountry. Having done some trips in the backcounty of WY last two weeks, the above applies.

Well I obviously misspoke on prairie that I've seen around Cheyenne last year versus the Google Maps pix I looked at along US 287. I was assuming the prarie grass was just further from the road. Thanks for the correction and the additional info on cells. I haven't been across the length of Wyoming since c.1957. I can't pack too much in the suitcase but I think I'll add the VX-6R -- don't expect too much though -- to the other electronics.

There's only a few states I haven't driven in (mostly in the Gulf states, AK and HI). About the only place I really got confused -- that I recall -- was the multiple-stack layered Hollywood interchange. Wrong exit = 15 more mi. Don't expect any problems but family worries when we're out of touch too long. Bottom line we're looking forward to the trip. Tnx again.

 

[w2xq]

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On a drive from Denver to Cody via Cheyenne and Casper, cell coverage was decent. I was using VZ Navigator and Escort Live (radar detector). Gave me a heads up 1 mi into WY; an Audi passed me at 80+, and I passed a very unhappy driver with a new friend a few min later.

Really I gotta say on the route I took today 3G signals were only lost in Wind River Canyon -- beautiful area -- in the Owl Creek Mtns south of Thermoplis. The Escort Live using a Passport couldn't draw maps for the phone for 10-12 miles.

In Cody, Speedtest shows 3G 1Mbps down, 0.4 Mbps up. I've uploaded today's trip cell tower data to OpenSignal; perhaps the data will fill in some blanks.

HTH.

Tomorrow will be a different day per the replies to my initial question.