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Phone Reception.


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Hi all,

Does anyone here have trouble getting mobile phone reception in the bush??

I use a common telstra phone will it work in the thick, does anyone recommend a particular phone for better coverage?

Thanks

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<sound of a Can of Worms opening>

You really need to speak to people in the local area you want to be using a mobile Phone - and find out what they are using.

You are going to get a mixed response of answers as some phone will work better than others.

Here is an example:

I have a LG TU500 NextG Phone.

At my Place it works fine outside the house with no extra antennas - but the Telstra workmen have Siemens with car kit using a -7db antenna cannot get reception - either can Nokia e65 in a car kit with -7db antenna - GO FIGURE!

But the guy with the Nokia travels all over the local area and says that if you go here, the LG TU500 with car kit gets nothing and his Nokia get full strength without a car kit - Go Figure!

Goto love Next G :)

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Got a Telstra NextG of 3G whatever they call it. Fine in town, c@$p in the bush. Had better service from the old CDMA. Got a car kit for it and its still worse than the CDMA without the car kit.

Would not like to risk my life on Telstra mobile coverage when outside major town/city aeras.

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After reading your post and deciding to research this as I'm looking for a new phone it seems that Telstra have made it clear which phone is best for bush reception and it seems to be the http://www.cnet.com.au/mobilephones/phones...39284250,00.htm

It is a far from perfect phone but.... all phones are crap these days and no one makes what people actually want.

Another option is taking a portable car antennae with you. My friend a few years back helped me convert a car kit with aerial into a small box that could be used in the bush. When I did long stays it was quite useful. That was for cdma however. You wouldn't need the whole car kit these days as some aerials you can plug directly in to the handset which is what I will probably do this time.

Xav

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Ive gone through this rigmarale before Xmass. I sent emails to Telstra stores in the bush, Dubbo & another country towns i dont remember. You must get the ones that have got the tick on the them for Rural reception. The one I was recommemeded, was the TU550.

http://www.telstra.com.au/nextgnetwork/mob...phones_id=40433

The TU550 in Sydney, has better reception & covereage then my old Nokia CDMA. In the bush, it is marginally better then the CDMA i had, but still laking in better reception.

My old CDMA had reception at Nevertire (NSW), the new TU550 has none. ON the farm out at Coolabah it is better then the CDMA, but does drop out alot driving along remote country roads.

Recomended Next G rural phones,

http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/...ge/maximise.cfm

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yesterday i was out from Tallangata in da bush,the mates blackberry wouldnt work in half the places due to high hills about i imagine..

Shet one dosent have to be a mind reader to see from the topics that you have been posting that you are (or seem to be ) worried about getn stuck ,lost or in some sort of trouble....forget all that crap and just go.....who gives a rats if the ph will or wont....i say thank f###### that they wont in lots of places as they are an intrusion.

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What's going on!?!? First there is the topic on the difference in noise between 308s, 30-06s, 300WSMs etc. :wacko: Now here's a topic on mobile phone reception while hunting. :huh:

Sadly this is an indication of our dependence on the mobile phone in modern day society. If you MUST take your phone, have it switched off and in your pack.

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Hi all,

Does anyone here have trouble getting mobile phone reception in the bush??

I use a common telstra phone will it work in the thick, does anyone recommend a particular phone for better coverage?

Thanks

Firstly, where we live the CDMA worked really well. We rang telstra when we had to switch to nextG and they said we were in a black spot meaning that we would have limited coverage. They sent us the LG TU550 and it was hopeless even when connected to an ariel! :angry: We sent it back and they then sent us a Telstra 165 and it even had good coverage in our house without being connected to an ariel.

In my opinion they should have just stayed with CDMA to save all this mucking around.

Edited by Robbo .308
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If where talking sambar country then turn the phone off when you leave the black top. It won't work unless your up very high anyway.

Xavie I go hunting to get away from work and family. Last thing I want is my ac/dc ringtone going off as I line up on a 30" stag!!!

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Got a Telstra NextG of 3G whatever they call it. Fine in town, c@$p in the bush. Had better service from the old CDMA. Got a car kit for it and its still worse than the CDMA without the car kit.

Would not like to risk my life on Telstra mobile coverage when outside major town/city aeras.

Rick, I despise Tel$tra as much as the next bloke, but you cant blame them by saying that you wouldn't risk your life... I think what people dont realise is that when you call 000 your home carrier is only the first place the call attempts to be made. If it fails there, it will also try Optus and Vodafone towers also. Its when these three fail then you should worry!!! In the works is a new system for emergency services that uses gps in phone that will precisely pin point where you are when you make ANY call. In the US they are a legal requirement to have gps in phones now, but I can tell you from a tour I have had of LAPD's 911 comms centre, when you call 911 from a cell phone there, they have NO way of tracing or even knowing what tower you call from - at least here we know what tower you are calling from!!

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Blusokx,

I didn't think 000 tries going thru the other towers. Thats why 112 is recommend (112 goes to the same place as 000, but it's meant for mobile phones and will work even without a sim card).

And if the phone fails in the bush and you need help, use the UHF handheld on channel 5 (emergency channel, there should be a repeater in the area) and failing that set off your EPIRB.

If all that fails send a message in bottle down the river and start making smoke signals.

From experiance, NextG works on the top of hills Nrth of Omeo where we were told there would be no phone reception.

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Unfortunately some of us need to be contactable for work or other reasons 24/7 and your right that is how dependent society has become upon all these sorts of things.

Xav

Seriously? what are you going to do 5Km from your car and however far away you are? When your hunting your hunting, stuff the world I say.

With the EPIRB, I've thought about it, but don't think it's a quick fix, apparently it could take up to 12 hours to get to you anyway. I reckon, unless you've busted a leg and immobilised forget it.

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Seriously? what are you going to do 5Km from your car and however far away you are? When your hunting your hunting, stuff the world I say.

With the EPIRB, I've thought about it, but don't think it's a quick fix, apparently it could take up to 12 hours to get to you anyway. I reckon, unless you've busted a leg and immobilised forget it.

In my work I need to be contactable all the time unfortunately and I know others do too. My last work place bought me a sat phone just so I could be contacted when I was away. It is a given with my job that your contactable so it is not like most others.

Epirb- well you never know what is going to happen and when I did have both legs immobolised it was lucky I had one. It could take more then 12 hours but... at least you have some hope someone is coming.

Xav

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When CDMA went. i became mobile free and feel better for it. I will not take up the habit or the lifestyle of its use again. Leave work for the day or friday and not have to here about until I turn up for work again. Nokia use to be my choice when I was a user.

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@xavie,

The new 406Mhz beacons can be detected in about 5 minutes for the GPS based units and locate you within 100m. From there it's a phone call to check it's not a false alarm and then send somebody out to rescue you.

The non-GPS 406Mhz units take upto 1.5hr's to pick you up and put you within 5km.

The OLD 121Mhz system is the one that takes a long time (and I read today that 98% of it's signals are false alarms) and it's getting turned off Feburary 09.

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Blusokx,

I didn't think 000 tries going thru the other towers. Thats why 112 is recommend (112 goes to the same place as 000, but it's meant for mobile phones and will work even without a sim card).

And if the phone fails in the bush and you need help, use the UHF handheld on channel 5 (emergency channel, there should be a repeater in the area) and failing that set off your EPIRB.

If all that fails send a message in bottle down the river and start making smoke signals.

From experiance, NextG works on the top of hills Nrth of Omeo where we were told there would be no phone reception.

It will if your home network fails to connect - one thing I forgot to mention which I am most happy about( as I have to take these calls some times!!!) is that from (I think) 1 July, NO mobile phone will be able to ring 000 WITHOUT a SIM card installed!!!

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blusokx

No signal is no signal, simple as that. You wont get a mobile call out from here on any carrier. Going to do as Matt75 said and go mobile free, as all mine is (where i nead it to work) is a expensive clock. No having to deal with Telstra would be a added bonus :D

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