Any good cell phones for lower Puna?

[steve1]

Most recent LG cell phone quit working. Currently on Net 10 GSM service with over 7000 minutes banked but cell phone rarely worked at house in mid HPP. Looking for a GSM cell phone with good signal reception. Not looking for different service provider- just looking for a cell phone that can send and receive on weak signals. Any suggestions? Particularly any reliable cell phones that work on Net 10 network? Mahalo.

[kalakoa]

The problem isn't your phone, it's that GSM is designed for high-density urban coverage.

Anecdotally: I've had all four; only Verizon works "in the house", ATT/Sprint work "in the driveway", T-Mobile doens't pick up until I'm "halfway to town".

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Near the ocean in HPP Verizon has the strongest signal, I think their tower is in Orchidland. Next is ATT with towers in Pahoa & Keaau. Then a distant third is Sprint. Each carrier has weak spots and signal dropouts in various areas of the park due to topography.

Most of us can probably relate to this World Press Photo Winner for 2013; African Migrants Looking for Cell Signal by Moonlight:
http://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2014/02/wpp2013.jpg

[steve1]

Thanks for your replies but I am not looking for a different carrier because Net 10 only costs $15 a month and I have over 7000 minutes banked (ironically because the phone doesn't work in many places)

Regardless, every time HELCO power lines go down I use the cell to try and let them know so they can dispatch work crews. Sometimes I have to drive a 5 or 6 blocks to find a signal and I was just wondering if any GSM phones (not carriers) have better signal reception that others. My last 2 phones are(were) LG and their button start to get stuck then they eventually break down and quit working. Antone have any experience with the Samsung GSM phones? I would love to be able to make/ take calls from the upper lanai than drive a while to find a signal.

[Rob JD]

How has been T-Mobile reception in Puna area?..specifically Orchidland. Any thoughts on it?

Bowen to Big Island

[bobby49]

I also use net 10, although I am in a different area than you, I experienced the same issues. I had no bars on any of the 3 4g smartphones that I tried until I was 1/2 mile to 1 mile away from my house. Being in volcano with only 1 tower to rely on, my house is just about 8 miles from the tower in volcano village. So I did some research with friends on the mainland in heavy mountainous areas, and it all came down to the same phone recommendation - the Motorola V3 RAZR. So I jumped on Ebay, and picked one up for about $50.00. I still have my 4g smartphone the LG G2, but now when I get home, I switch my sim card to the RAZR phone while I am going to be at the house, and viola ! 2 bars, and the ability to make and receive calls and text messages with no problems. When I leave the house to go out, I usually switch my phone back to the LG, only for the reason that my emails come directly to my phone for work purposes, other than that, i would just roam around with the RAZR since I'm really never going to surf the web while I'm driving around.

I also went out and spent a couple hundred bucks on a Wilson Cell phone signal booster. I installed it on the outside of my house, and it really did not do much for the signal. So we hoisted up a 25ft pole to the top of the garage, and it finally boosted the signal on the LG G2 to 2 bars inside the house, enough to make calls, but not for the web.

So there a two options that might work for you, at least the RAZR phone is not gonna cost you much to try out, you might even find someone on craigslist that has on old one laying around, and you can get the signal booster from Cellular enhancements near kta on the main road.

Bobby

[kalakoa]

quote:

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Thanks for your replies but I am not looking for a different carrier because Net 10 only costs $15 a month and I have over 7000 minutes banked (ironically because the phone doesn't work in many places)

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Assuming you're completely serious ... this sounds like "glutton for punishment" and/or "treatment for a sitcom".

Apologies for the snark, but really: "The service is super cheap! Also it usually doesn't work..."

Ever heard the expression "Fast. Cheap. Good. Pick two."

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Steve -
I have an old Razr V3 that has been sitting in a drawer for years. No battery, and the screen looks like it has deteriorated over time. Let me know if you'd like it (free), I think Amazon had batteries for $5 when I bought a replacement in the past.
(I just tried to turn on the phone, the screen lit up, then ran a 'cannot charge battery' message (since there's no battery in it) and then an 'insert SIM' message. So I think it should still work)

[steve1]

Thank you both Bobby49 and HereOnThePrimalEdge, that is exactly the type of information I was hoping to find out. I first started using Net10 after getting out of a painfully expensive 1 year contract with Nextel who also had terrible service in lower Puna but cost quite a bit more.
Kalakoa, I see your point about fast, cheap, good but am not currently in the position to take on another part time job just to support a telephone. People have to arrange their luxuries according to need and I just want a cheap phone to make and take personal and emergency phone calls I drive. As an old friend used to say "Life is Cheap..It's the Accessories that Kill You".

HereOnThePrimalEdge: I would like to take you up on that offer for the Motorola RAZR. Can you email me through Punaweb?
Mahalo nui loa.

[punafish]

That was a really cool thing to do, HOTPE. Made my day!