Cell Coverage in N. Colorado?

[LarryBud]

Hi Folks,

Great forum here. I'll be making my first trip Elk Hunting this fall. I assumed there would be no cell coverage but I just read a thread were a guy was giving play by play of his hunt last year from his iphone.

Any thoughts on the cell phone coverage NE of Steamboat Springs? It would sure make the Wife feel better if I could at least send her a text message.

Thanks,

Larry

[mtnmutt]

These are my general findings from Central CO down to Southern CO. My cell phone is 4 years old and Verizon is my provider.

Low probability: If you are at low elevation. For example: down in a drainage or thick dense forest below 10,500.

If you are >10,500 ft you may still send and receive text messages with 0 cell bars.

At my 10,500 camps in Central mountains (thick forest), my phone fluctuates from 0 -2 bars. I only use it for text messaging. Once you get at treeline, you most likely have a decent strong signal 2-3 bars. I get a cell signal on Mt Evans and Pikes Peak (14K).

Your cell phone will drain much faster than at home because it is always searching for a signal. For this reason, I only buy a cell phone that allows me to swap out the battery. Since my phone accidentally turns on while in my pack, I take the battery out when not in use.

Call the local Forest Service office and ask them about cell signal in your area.

Have a great time on your first elk hunt and good luck!

[cnelk]

If you have Verizon as your carrier, you should do *288 and update your roaming every so often.
That way you will be current anywhere you go

[elkmtngear]

I have Verizon. Sometimes at 10,500' we can find a "lane" between the peaks where we can get a good signal, but 99 percent of the time it is useless in the high country. We have a couple of spots we know we can drive to to get reception.

I'll try *288....thanks cnelk.

[mtnmutt]

If you have Verizon as your carrier, you should do *288 and update your roaming every so often.
That way you will be current anywhere you go

Slight typo there.

Roaming update is *228 for Verizon, then press 2.

[elkmtngear]

If you have Verizon as your carrier, you should do *288 and update your roaming every so often.
That way you will be current anywhere you go

Slight typo there.

Roaming update is *228 for Verizon, then press 2.

Ahh....thanks for the clarification mtnmutt !

[one_elk]

I too have had pretty good luck with verison throughout CO

[LarryBud]

Thanks Fellas,

I have Sprint as a carrier but I think they all rent a signal from the same towers.

[six]

You should be OK. I hunted unit 231 a couple years ago. Had decent coverage 10000 +. We found places closer that we could talk sometimes but could pretty much always text. It was about a 1/4 mile walk from camp. The joke around camp was when someone was going to go make a call from that area they always said the were "going to the phone booth".

Enjoy your hunt.

[Magic]

I have a Wilson Cell Booster/Amplifier in my truck. It can be the difference between talking and not talking.

[Huntography]

My AT&T service is pretty hit or miss in most of the mountains of Colorado that I've been in. Since I spend so much time online, it's actually kind of refreshing to be disconnected for a while.

But, for safety and family checkins, I may have to look into another option, even if it's only to text.

Rudy

[Jaquomo]

I've found the coverage maps to be pretty close in identifying srevice areas. Ditto the others who advise that Verizon is generally better in that area. I've found some spots in that area where there's no coverage, but if I walk 100 ayrds around a corner or to the top of a small rise, it's workable.

[JimKirk]

verizon in so colorado around the weiminuch wilderness. all others not so good. i don't think you would have any luck with sprint.

[Vanish]

I wrote an article somewhere in these forums about iPhones and how to greatly extend their battery life. The short of it: Enable SIM PIN, restart your phone, and it will NOT try to find a signal until you put in the code to unlock the SIM PIN. This saves more battery than anything else.