Mobile coverage in star party areas?

[iceman]

Hi guys

For one of the regulars that go out to Ilford regularly, what phone coverage is available out there? I know CDMA works out there, but does NextG, Hutch 3G or GSM work?

Also, at Lostock, CDMA worked, barely - if you stood on one leg and held your finger in the air.. it worked better from the top of the hill. Does anyone know if NextG works out there? I'm pretty sure GSM and Hutch 3G don't.

My wife's CDMA phone needs to be replaced as the CDMA is supposedly closing down in late January, and I need a phone that gets coverage in those areas.

Telstra reckons that there is NextG coverage at Mudgee and Dungog, which are close-by towns of Ilford and Lostock.

[Omaroo]

Mike - I have NextG and I remember getting some sort of comms going at SPSP last year.... I think.

The coverage maps that these guys show to the general public are either "futures" or lies. When I swapped my good old CDMA Blackberry for one of these horrible NextG JasJams I was told that my place in Cooma (i.e. country) was in a "high-speed, full-signal" zone. It doesn't work at all unless we walk to the very top of our hill which is 100 metres straight up. The maps don't mean diddly - which is probably false advertising, but it's just so easy to get away with dishonesty these days at corporate level. I guess that they'll simple fix the areas that get the most complaints first..... maybe.

[GTB_an_Owl]

and they probably used half of the existing CDMA network resources to put it there, like they have elsewhere.

geoff

[Terry B]

I think I am one of the few people that have had better signal since getting next G phone. From my home I had to walk up the hill and climb up my water tanks to get a reasonable CDMA signal but now the next G works inside the house. Initially it was worse and I winged to telstra and magically the signal improved. I have been told that they can aim the signal somewhat from the towers. Not sure if it was my winge or just luck that did it.:shrug:

[h0ughy]

I have the new telstra prepaid 3g - yet to work out if the coverage is better - I upgraded the CDMA prepaid I had

[xstream]

So far I have to admit that I've found NextG just as good as CDMA since upgrading.

[Astroman]

Yep same, I hae Optus 3G and had full coverage at SV, my wife only had the normal one and she had no coverage

[Louwai]

I sort of have both. My mob ph is standard GSM telstra & I also have a wireless broadband card in my lappy which is 3G. When I travelled from Bris to melb via the Newall hwy I could pretty much pull up anywhere on the side of the road & I had 3G coverage for the broadband.

Last weekend at SV I had coverage for both. I was able to sit on the field next to my scope & talk to the wife on my GSM telstra mobile, as well as have the lappy connected via the broadband card.:thumbsup:

Can't comment on the actual locations that were originally asked about though......:shrug:

[Astroman]

Make a nice Sunday drive to find out wouldn't it :)

[scumbag1010]

Hi Mike,

Most of us have moved over to Next G for Ilford now, some still use CDMA but we even have broadband internet using Next G.

CHeers

Don Whiteman

[space oddity]

Next G works at Ilford:). The first thing we did when we had our phones was to ring the wife from Ilford to check BOM. Have used the phone from Ilford on a number of occasions, including star parties. All we need now is broadband at Ilford and life will be great.

[iceman]

Thanks guys, 1 down 1 to go.

[cyndon]

I think that the only coverage at Ilford is by Telstra 3G & CDMA ,I know their GSM didn't have coverage but both 3G and CDMA have given us very good signals.
Don H