A question to fellow Puget Sounders. Has anyone used a cell phone while cruising the San Juans and/or Gulf Islands? If so, how was the coverage? I am thinking of getting a cell phone for general use and wonder if it is worth the effort to take a phone in these areas. I still have the marine operator out of Bellingham, but people trying to contact me must call when I am monitoring the VHF on a particular schedule. Any comments? Thanks for the input. Paul S/V Zephyr
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Yup, they'll work in the SJ's
You'll do better if you spring for the type of phone that's usually trunk-mounted in a car, instead of a handheld, and hook it up to marine cellular antenna. Coverage over water is sometimes weak but even the pocket phones will work reasonably well.
You'll do better if you spring for the type of phone that's usually trunk-mounted in a car, instead of a handheld, and hook it up to marine cellular antenna. Coverage over water is sometimes weak but even the pocket phones will work reasonably well.
But watch the Autohelm
While out this morning, my wife had a call from work (she was pseudo-oncall) in the cockpit. A couple of other outgoing calls ensued. During that time, my Autohelm 3000 went haywire and lost it's setting. We were only motoring easily at the time, but it's something to keep in mind. BTW, this happened to me once before while talking on the handheld VHF, also.
While out this morning, my wife had a call from work (she was pseudo-oncall) in the cockpit. A couple of other outgoing calls ensued. During that time, my Autohelm 3000 went haywire and lost it's setting. We were only motoring easily at the time, but it's something to keep in mind. BTW, this happened to me once before while talking on the handheld VHF, also.
Expect Spotty Coverage
You can expect coverage in some areas, but not all, better to plan on relying on your voice mail! If you head up North into Canadian waters, service dies pretty quickly. I have found that pager service isn't completely reliable as well. Best bet is a satellite phone, but you've got to determine if you want to shell out 2K for a simple satellite phone!
You can expect coverage in some areas, but not all, better to plan on relying on your voice mail! If you head up North into Canadian waters, service dies pretty quickly. I have found that pager service isn't completely reliable as well. Best bet is a satellite phone, but you've got to determine if you want to shell out 2K for a simple satellite phone!
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