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Poll: When you camp, do you normally have cell service?

ProtonDecay

ProtonDecay

Rank V
Member

Influencer II

K12 said:
Ive heard sometimes this still doesnt work and you need to know where you are going to be. Also how well are the sattelites now? The gen ones needed to have no inteference for them to work. Have you has the opportunity to use it yet?

I have been thinking of getting this for my trailer as remote work and school will be far easier with starlink. Due to how I have heard the current state is for mobile, I was going to wait until they released their "mobile version".
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I don't want to hijack this thread, but this fellow: Starlink for Overlanders has put together an excellent write-up that gets updated fairly regularly as things change with respect to Starlink. Net-net, it is a lot better now than just a few months ago, and this trend should continue as more satellites get added to the network. Realtime mobile connectivity is now possible for some, if not all, users in the US. I'll try to post pics as I build my mount and modify the dish and wiring for static mounting, plus will report viability at home and "in the wild". Apologies to the off-grid purists out there - we are so lucky to live in a country where we can even do things like this, or not, in our pursuit of happiness. Now I'm off to search for a dedicated Starlink thread.....
 
smritte

smritte

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

old_man said:
Being the techie, I am installing a StarLink satellite system in my teardrop so I can bug out to the mountains and still work remote. That gives me wifi for my phone and computer. I can video conference. That is mainly for the wife. She is a minister and spends 4-6 hours a day coordinating multiple events across the country.
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ProtonDecay said:
Just got my box and starting build. Let me know if you want to compare notes.
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I'm looking at this also for pretty much the same reasons. It's still down the list of things to buy. I'm looking at 6-7 months from now
Once you've used it for a while, make a post about it.
 
Maximus_Offroad

Maximus_Offroad

Rank III
Member

Enthusiast I

Most of the time I do not have service or it is in and out. However I take a spot satellite communicator for emergencies, and to make sure loved ones back home know I am safe.
 
12C20

12C20

Rank V
Launch Member

Trail Mechanic II

Great question!

Last summer I had open heart surgery. That made my medical needs different than they ever had been before. Cell service is spotty here in the Desert West, but there are some things that can help overcome those limitations.

Now, when I drive and camp, There's a little more thought that goes into my planning. I used to think about emergencies in terms of breakdowns or vehicle accidents. I knew I could mitigate many of the dangers on the trail by modifying my behavior and engaging in less risky activities, so medical emergencies were far from my mind.

During my recovery (ongoing) my plans have developed to include gaining a better understanding of distances and directions to pavement and to medical care. That doesn't limit my activity, but simply serves to make me more aware of what my options are in case of an emergency. If I expanded that awareness to include things like wildfires, flash floods, etc. using NOAA, etc., then I'd further reduce the risks in the trip, while still allowing myself to have a great time in nature.

And, if the figurative wheels fall off, I carry my Garmin InReach and ensure the service is turned on.
 
shansonpac

shansonpac

Rank V

Traveler III

I have been playing around with the layers in Gaia GPS, and there are a couple of general and specific layers related to cell service coverage, specific layers for all major carriers and a general. Might be helpful in trip planning when connectivity is important.
 
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Boucher

Boucher

Rank V
Member

Traveler III

I rarely get any cell phone service, but that's the point I guess lol. I'm usually alone and let my significant other know approx. check-in times and always send her GPS coordinates of my camping areas before I lose coverage
 
er waddell

er waddell

Rank VI
Investor

Influencer I

Very rarely do I get a cell signal when we are camping. Occasionally we may get a spotty cell connection, and one of our phones will starting chiming with received text messages.
 
pluton

pluton

Rank IV

Member I

I like to have cellular data, mainly for entertainment purposes but also I get jobs through email and texts. I've got an inReach for the really remote places. I make a note of places that have cell service but are pleasantly remote.
 
ProtonDecay

ProtonDecay

Rank V
Member

Influencer II

Update to my earlier post. We've converted to Starlink and now have connectivity pretty much everywhere we go. The Weboost was great for what it did, but we mostly travel now to places with no cell service.
 
grubworm

grubworm

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

it doesnt matter because when we travel and get somewhere good, i usually just cut the phone off and let people assume im out of reception. end of the day i'll check and see if there was anything really important...if not, it goes back off.

generally if anyone is calling me, its because THEY need something. sorry, but when im out on a trip, its all about me! :grinning:
 
KAIONE

KAIONE

Rank V
Member
Investor

Advocate I

75% no cell service, like a lot of others if we have cell service we haven’t found our spot yet. Unfortunately with things like Starlink and Amazon and everyone else’s soon to be satellite service we’ll all be connected everywhere we go whether we like it or not (my $.02)…..
 
Ragman

Ragman

Rank V
Member
Investor

Explorer I

Very hit or miss and we carry an In-Reach device when we are out and away from things. There are times where we don't have cell service but it is no big deal (some state parks for example) because there is no real risk, but other times you definitely need alternatives. Not only for contacting help if needed or updating family, but also for navigation etc.
 
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