HikeArizona.COM

OK, But before you march off with your torches and pitch forcks for a good o'l fashined lynching....and before I am pummeled with what heritic and blasfemer would take a cell phone hiking... I truly only want one for emergencies...hey, I dont like the phone when I'm home. so I'm not thinking chats with the stockbroker by the fireside. So, I am taking the pill and getting a cell. Starting with one of those tracphones where its a prepay deal for a year. I dont anticipate ever using the #$%@ thing but like the secerity of haveing one with me, and for bike trips and general emergencies while traveling. Anyway, here is the question....how long will a battery last if the phone is in the off position? from the manufacturer's site, I can find about 3 hours talk time...4 days standby time...but what if the phone is off? I would hate to be at the end of a 6 day trip and need to call and have the battery dead!!! also, any recomendations on which phone to get? do some have better range? currently looking at a small motorola model....its small and light!

I've read that some batteries will lose about 4%/day when the phone is off. There's definately some constant depletion. You will gain more life if you remove the battery from the phone. Last summer I took a month-long road-trip and had my phone off except when I used it. The battery lasted the entire time (Motorola Startac). Check out Google Groups (http://groups.google.com) for more info.

When solo day hiking in urban areas where I know there will be a signal, I've taken my phone (but kept it off). However, most remote places you're out of luck and it's just extra weight. I know people who own satellite phones (you can rent em too) and take them on extended trips in the backcountry. Something to consider.

Beware of the pre-paid plans. I recently considered those but most (all?) of them expire your minutes within 90 days. Hardly usefull for those who don't make a lot of phone calls. If you find one that doesn't please let me know.

Coaster[/b]

People often call the sheriff dept and say they are lost from there cell phone. Superstion Search and Rescue picked one of those up 2 nights ago.

I'd suggest that you bring one if you have one when hiking.

I do agree that a phone can be helpful, but I wonder how many people who end up "calling for help" should have been in the wilderness in the first place. I'm sure this topic can be beaten to death, but I believe that having a phone oftentimes gives people (myself included) the false impression that help is a call away. With this mindset people more than often take more risks while hiking, or go places where they shouldn't be (given their current abilities).

Daryl.... I'd like to hear some of your search and rescue stores.

Coaster

Yah, I know about not having signal in the backcountry...I am getting one as a mostly general emargency tool when traveling by car, biking and having it hiking seems like a good tool to have. Thanks for the caution on expiring minutes, I checked in on this very closly. Tracphone was the only one I could find that had a 1year option...minutes last for 365 days without expiring and you can buy more anytime that will last for that initial year. They do have plans that are only 60 or 90 days though....be aware, you will pay more per minute with prepaid, but I dont anticipate using it enough to justify $30 a month for normal cell coverage....I'm a poor college student for heavens sake!

I got one about 6 years ago to take with me when I was out in the backcountry.......all was well, but there wasn't a signal. I climed to the highest vantage point I could get dialed the number and stuck my arm wayyyyyy up in the air trying to get that extra milivolt of reception.......no good. So I had a wild hair, I'll just dial the "611" which would connect me with my carriers office.....well glory be, I was connected immediately with a person in pennsylvania!!!! Yet I could not call my daughter 60 miles away as the cell phone signal flys.....go figure....
It is not so much the phone, it is who you have your contract with. Unfortunately in Arizona there isn't one carrier who covers the entire state border to border, Sprint has the best overall coverage but if you are not careful in the calling plan you choose you could be "roaming" 100' from your house, and that is expensive. I have the new Motorola 260I it is a nice phone, it is small, made out of metal and somewhat simple to use. I like it mainly because I don't have to dial a number to call out, just say the name of who you want to call and voila, you're connected. Which could come in handy in an emergency situation while alone.......my standby time on that with the phone off and a high capacity battery is about 6 days. Talk time is almost 6 hours non-stop (no I haven't tried that)...talk to your friends who travel and find out what their active areas of coverage are, those maps the cell phone people put out lie..........

Sprint has the best overall coverage but if you are not careful in the calling plan you choose you could be "roaming" 100' from your house, and that is expensive.

What do you mean 100' from your house? We're roaming if we are on the wrong side of our living room!

I had Sprint for about 5 years and I'll admit their coverage was the best in CA and when I moved here. Last year I decided to ditch them and go no-cell for awhile. I eventually needed one again so I went with Verizon. I've read a lot that Verizon piggy-backs on Sprint's network. While I do like Sprint, I think Verizon actually has the best coverage. I've been places with family members (with Sprint) who couldn't get a signal when I could.

One nice thing about Sprint though was you could have it set to Sprint PCS only. No worries about analog roaming and extra charges.

Coaster

I've got a digital phone (CDMA for those that are up on such things) that uses a hi-capacity Li-Ion battery. The phone is 5.5"x 2"x1.5" (with battery) and the battery runs the entire width and length of the phone and is about 0.5" thick. It sits in the center console of my car and I make about one call every 90 days. I charge it about twice a year and the battery indicator always shows "full" whenever I turn it on to check battery condition.

I had a Motorola Analog Startac and stopped using it because analog phones consume much more battery power and the tiny NiMH battery didn't hold a charge very long even when just sitting.

The key to how long the battery will last is a) how big it is (yes, physical size matters and indicates battery capacity) and b) what technology is used in the battery (Li-Ion, NiMH, NiCad, etc).
Bill

Finally something I actually know about. I used to build cell sites for all the major carriers and I can't tell you that any one is better than the other. All cell companies "roam" by piggybacking other cell sites, that's why it's so expensive, they are paying the other company to use that site. I can tell you analog phones are almost worthless, I spent some time working near Holbrook last week and my battery was chewed up after 2 calls! Cell phones do not work everywhere in this state, their are many dead zones that the cell companies probably will never cover because the usage would be so small. They are currently working on a 911 system that could reach any cell phone anywhere and triangulate your position, this is curently in use in a couple test cities and seems to be working great. As for phone brands, I currently have a Kyocera and it works great, Motorola is a good one too.

I think I have managed to hike in just about every "dead zone" in Northern Arizona........maybe you can answer this question for me. At times, I can SEE a cell phone tower way up on a mtn.........yet not have any signal.....

Antennas are all set at a particular azimuth and downtilt. That's why a lot of times when you are standing right below a cell tower you won't get any signal, because you are not in it's "line of sight". If you are getting a signal it is probably from another tower, most of these antennas have a range of 3-5 miles, but because of mountains and other obstacles their signal is oftentimes cut short. The only way to have coverage all the time is with a SAT phone, but they are horrendously expensive. We have we for when we are working on Indian land or in Mexico where phones don't always work so well.

Thanks Glitter......I guess I won't throw rocks at them anymore

http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/New ... wl7048.txt
This link is posted in a thread started by Montezuma Well. I'm not smart enough to figure out how to link to the thread. You can look it up under their Bio/view posts/ then go to page 11 of their posts. It is called 911 access. The gist is that if you truly only want the thing for emergencies, any cell phone by law has to be able to reach 911 (presuming you get a signal). So you can pick up some old thing at a garage sale or take the one your "always gotta have the latest" buddy is tossing out. Free is good huh?