For all high tech electronic equipment including GPS, PLB, chargers, phones, computers, software. Discussion of simple electrical devices such as torches, belongs in the main 'Equipment' forum.
Mon 04 Feb, 2008 7:38 am
This is a place to consolidate walkers experiences with mobile phone coverage - where it worked. Not that every phone will respond the same in that area, but it could be handy to know.
I use the phone on extended walks to get weather updates, and contact base & advise all going well & update expected completion times etc.
The format to follow will be:-
Brand and Model of phone. (eg Nolia 3315)
Carrier (eg Telstra GSM, Telstra NextG, Optus etc)
Where you were, and when, if you think it relevant. (eg Mt Rogoona summit)
Anything else you think may be important that relates to the topic.
(eg Surrounding peaks also had coverage)Entries may be consolidated into one progressive list by the forum admin / mod team.
Entries such as Liverpool Street, Hobart will be deleted
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Other non topical discussion may be moved or deleted from this thread.
Other changes may be made as the list grows, for example adding a star rating for good coverage areas, to reduce the size of multiple entries for single places; consolidate comments, adding technical detail to this first post, etc.
We recently obtained a Nokia 6120 which works on NextG - something I didn't know is that (apparently) a NextG phone works on GSM as well as NextG, whichever one it picks up on.
Please contact me if you see any errors in this consolidated list. Thanks.A Telstra map of mobile phone coverage is available
here.
Mon 04 Feb, 2008 7:43 am
tasadam wrote:Brand and Model - Nokia 6120
Carrier - Telstra NextG
Location
- Mt Rogoona summit and surrounding peaks.
- Lady Lake (marginal but acceptable, reception may have been better if I stood up, or climbed the slope a bit).
- Mt Anne Summit, excellent coverage.
- Shelf Camp on Mt Anne circuit track - excellent coverage.
- Mt Field West and Rodway Range - no problems, phone may have been working in Tarn Shelf and other areas but I didn't check.
Brand and Model - Nokia 3315
Carrier - Telstra GSM
Locations
- Frenchmans Cap summit and ridge north of Nth Col;
- Ridge on northern side of Flat Bluff, approaching Raglan Range (Raglan Range likely to have coverage)
- Mt Hyperion summit
- Mt Geryon North summit
- Acropolis summit
- Mt Roland summit
- Walled Mountain summit
- Perrins Bluff summit
- Achilles summit
- Mt Thetis summit
Son of a Beach wrote:Brand and Model: Blackberry Pearl
Carrier: Telstra (GSM)
Location: Frenchmans Cap near Summit
tas-man wrote:Brand and Model: Nokia 6230i
Carrier: Telstra (GSM)
Location: Top of Loongana Range
slick41st wrote:Brand and Model: Product number 2112 - the cheapest, smallest Nokia CDMA (white); also Kyocera with external antenna
Carrier: Telstra CDMA
Location:
- 40 peaks
- any Walls peak, along the northern edge of plateau through to about the lake at the start of the Fisher River if you got any height.
- Daisy Lakes if you got a little height.
- Climb a little above the Nameless Hut to get reception (have to go to the peak if you camp at Halkyard).
flyfisher wrote:Brand and Model:Telstra 162 made by ZTE with pull up ariel (which was not up).
Carrier: Telstra NextG
Location:Travellers Rest lagoon and lake - had good reception
Lynda Moir wrote:Brand and Model:Imate Jasjam
Carrier:Telstra Next G
Location:
- High points on the Western Arthur Range, including vicinity of Lake Cygnus, Lake Oberon, High Moor, Haven Lake, Lake Promontory - SMS AND INTERNET ONLY
- Voice calls near saddle near Lake Cygnus.
tas-man wrote:Brand and Model - Nokia 6120 classic
Carrier - Telstra NextG
Locations (all tried in open areas on crests with no trees)
- New Harbour Range - NO SIGNAL
- Ironbound Range - NO SIGNAL
- South Cape Range - NO SIGNAL
- All beaches in between - NO SIGNAL
- Cockle Creek - FULL SIGNAL
Satellite phone worked fine on open beaches and in light tree cover on ridge tops, no good in temperate rainforest..
kantonysen wrote:Brand and Model - LG TU500
Carrier - NextG (assuming Telstra)
Location
- Top of the Acropolis
- On the highest portion of plateau going into Blue Peaks Lake
- On a good day its possible to phone from the helipad at Pine Valley hut.
I have been able to dial 000 at Lake Lea when I had no bars showing reception. I managed to get through to a National Centre in Canberra and they tried to patch me through to the Tasmanian Fire Service so I could report a bush fire. The patching through did not work, but the Tas Fire Service was able to call me and reception was very good.
Robbo wrote:Brand and Model - Telstra 162 made by ZTE with pull up ariel
Carrier - Telstra NextG
Location
- Walls of Jerusalem - Solomons Throne - 2 to 3 bars
- Quail Gully - Knoll at the north eastern end of New Years Lake - 2 to 3 bars
Date: April 2008
nb. I couldn't call out as I had a pre 3G SIM card in the phone at the time. I have since had it upgraded and am assured by those who claim to know that it will now call out whenever I get any coverage, and I have since been able to call and send messages with the most minimal coverage - linked to the network, but with no bars showing.
DonQx wrote:Brand and Model - LG TU500 (Blue Tick Phone)
Carrier - Telstra NextG
Location - Good reception at Shelf Camp on Mt Anne Circuit
sirius Tas wrote:Brand and Model - Motorola 9500
Carrier - Telstra Iridium network
Location - On track uphill side of Echo Pt. hut...Lake St Claire
Had 3 bars within seconds under considerable canopy.
bluewombat wrote:Brand and Model - Nokia N95 (blue tick phone)
Carrier - Telstra 3G
Location - 5 bars of signal on Little Hugel, Hugel, Lamonts Lookout, Byron, also at Shadow Lake, Narcissus Hut
2 bars of signal at/on Byron Gap, Lake Petrach, Cuvier Valley
In fact I seemed to be able to get some signal everywhere so coverage in this area seems good.
Jellybean wrote:Something that is probably worth mentioning here (for us ignorant mainlanders who may not be aware of this) is that, unless your mobile service provider is Telstra, your chances of getting mobile coverage in most places throughout Tassie (not just remote areas) is pretty limited!
sthughes wrote:Yep, unless you don't stray much from Hobart, Launceston and regional CBD's then Telstra is about the only option we have.
Robbo wrote:Brand and Model - ?
Carrier - ?
Location - Did a walk to Chalice Lake and spent a night at Tent Tarn. Was able to get coverage, no bars but able to sent a message and call out, from the rocks on the eastern end of Tent Tarn overlooking Chalice Lake.
eggs wrote:Brand and Model - ?
Carrier - ?
Location - Reception at Mt Ironstone, 40 Lakes Peak, Higher places above Daisy Lakes and Long Tarns, Top of Schnells Ridge, Good coverage on track to and across Moonlight Flats - also ascending Hill1, on Maxwells Ridge, ascending Pindars Peak and on Mt La Perouse.
No signal in the radio shadows below Moonlight or Maxwells Ridges
sthughes wrote:Brand and Model - Nokia E51 (and a 6120)
Carrier - NextG
Location - Camping area at Lake Myrtle: 3 bars when held up in tent, no bars at face level. Used mobile internet and sent SMS while held up.
Mt Rogoona: Excellent reception
Erica wrote:For people interested in the Overland Track Reception, this is what I've discovered, have also included some points that i hear work but people might want to confirm.
Brand and Model - Nokia 6120
Carrier - Telstra Next G
Location -
- Marions Lookout (I think..)
- Beginning of the Lake Will track, and patchy reception at the Lake
- From Lake Will turn off until you drop down into Windermere
- Up on Pine Forest Moor (after the "PFM boardwalk") until the Forth Valley Lookout
- Possibly (someone mentioned it to me but haven't tried) works on the Southern half of Pine Forest Moor (after the little hill)
- Up on Mt Oakleigh
- Mt Doris (on the way to Ossa)
- Mt Ossa
- Pelion East (assume Pelion West and the DuCanes etc would get some coverage too)
- A little bit at Narcissus sometimes
Also, can confirm Telstra GSM coverage in the bits mentioned before you get to Windermere, Pine Forest Moor, Mt Oakleigh and Mt Ossa.
One of the rangers also told me you can get some signal up the little hill behind the Windermere hut, haven't ever tested that one though.
photohiker wrote:Brand and Model - iPhone 4
Carrier - Telstra NextG
Location - West Coast. Good reception standing next to and east of the Sandy Cape lighthouse.
Mon 04 Feb, 2008 7:48 am
Good idea this!
In December 2007, I good excellent mobile coverage from Frenchmans Cap (actually, didn't try it from the Summit, but got excellent reception from the summit track, where it splits off from the Irenabyss track - Ie, right beneath the summit itself, near North Col, so I'm sure the Summit would have even better reception).
So...
Brand and Model: Blackberry Pearl
Carrier: Telstra (GSM)
Location: Frenchmans Cap near Summit
A couple of years ago, I got a strong signal on the summit of Federation Peak, but unfortunately, it disappeared completely before I could phone anybody. So I wouldn't add that to the list.
PS. I'm guessing satellite phones are excluded from this list?
Sun 10 Feb, 2008 7:09 pm
I don't often use my phone on walks, but on one occasion last year on the Penguin to Cradle track, I needed to let family know of a change of plans during the walk, and was able to get a phone call out from the top of the Loongana Range above the Leven River gorge
Brand and Model: Nokia 6230i
Carrier: Telstra (GSM)
Location:Top of Loongana Range
Sun 02 Mar, 2008 12:24 pm
Product number 2112 - the cheapest, smallest Nokia CDMA (white); also my Kyocera worked even better as it had an external antenna
Where it worked: 40 peaks, any Walls peak, along the northern edge of plateau through to about the lake at the start of the Fisher River if you got any height. Daisy Lakes if you got a little height. Climb a little above the Nameless Hut to get reception (have to go to the peak if you camp at Halkyard). I meant to try at Blue Peaks, but didn't get to.
Carrier Telstra CDMA
Yes NextG modems will do GSM/GPRS otherwise you wouldnt get much reception anywhere. The biggest problem with NextG reception is the phones are generation 1 - CDMA was many generations old and developed.
Tue 25 Mar, 2008 7:25 pm
Weekend before Easter at Travellers Rest lagoon and lake --had good reception with a Telstra 162 made by ZTE .
Phone is a Next G with pull up ariel (which was not up. )
Interestingly back on the Lyall Hwy. there were blank spots on the Queenstown side of Derwent Bridge
F F
Sun 30 Mar, 2008 10:18 pm
Imate Jasjam
Telstra Next G
High points on the Western Arthur Range, including vicinity of Lake Cygnus, Lake Oberon, High Moor, Haven Lake, Lake Promontory
We could send and receive SMS and access Internet for weather forecasts. Not able to make voice calls except near saddle near Lake Cygnus.
Mon 31 Mar, 2008 11:57 pm
Brand and Model - Nokia 6120 classic
Carrier - Telstra NextG
Locations (all tried in open areas on crests with no trees)
-New Harbour Range - NO SIGNAL
-Ironbound Range - NO SIGNAL
-South Cape Range - NO SIGNAL
-All beaches in between - NO SIGNAL
-Cockle Creek - FULL SIGNAL (go figure!)
PS - Sat phone worked fine on open beaches and in light tree cover on ridge tops, no good in temperate rainforest. (Except for the half day when I thought it had been left at our campsite on the top of the New Harbour Range! - Found in bottom of pack under sleeping bag later that day)
Tue 21 Oct, 2008 8:32 pm
My phone is a LG TU500 Next G
I have had reception at the top of the Acropolis, on the highest portion of plateau going into Blue Peaks Lake, and on a good day its possible to phone from the helipad at Pine Valley hut.
I have been able to dial 000 at Lake Lea when I had no bars showing reception. I managed to get through to a National Centre in Canberra and they tried to patch me through to the Tasmanian Fire Service so I could report a bush fire. The patching through did not work, but the Tas Fire Service was able to call me and reception was very good.
Keith
Wed 22 Oct, 2008 7:20 pm
Brand and Model:Telstra 162 made by ZTE with pull up ariel
Carrier: Telstra NextG
Location:
Walls of Jerusalem - Solomons Throne - 2 to 3 bars
Quail Gully - Knoll at the north eastern end of New Years Lake - 2 -3 bars
Date: April 2008
nb. I couldn't call out as I had a pre 3G SIM card in the phone at the time. I have since had it upgraded and am assured by those who claim to know that it will now call out whenever I get any coverage, and I have since been able to call and send messages with the most minimal coverage - linked to the network, but with no bars showing.
edit
I have now confirmed coverage from the Quail Gully site, so we can safely assume that it will work on Solomon's Throne as well.
Also had full coverage - 4 plus bars - on The Acropolis.
Tony
Last edited by
Robbo on Wed 14 Jan, 2009 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sat 27 Dec, 2008 4:31 am
Have a Motorola 9500 Sat phone on Telstra Iridium network.
Really surprised at comment by tas-man re Sat phone coverage....as I've tested mine under a rainforest canopy deep in the Arthur River gully where there were just pinpoints of light coming through...great signal....perfect reception. The Motorola is one of the old style phones with a quite large extending antenna...maybe this is the difference???
Mon 29 Dec, 2008 9:46 am
LG TU500 (Blue Tick Phone) on Telstra nextG
Good reception at Shelf Camp on Mt Anne Circuit
Mon 29 Dec, 2008 10:42 am
sirius Tas wrote:Have a Motorola 9500 Sat phone on Telstra Iridium network.
Really surprised at comment by tas-man re Sat phone coverage....as I've tested mine under a rainforest canopy deep in the Arthur River gully where there were just pinpoints of light coming through...great signal....perfect reception. The Motorola is one of the old style phones with a quite large extending antenna...maybe this is the difference???
My knowledge is limited, but I do know this -
There are two types of sat phone. One is called Globalstar. The other is called Iridium.
Globalstar - Globalstar orbits have an inclination of 52 degrees therefore Globalstar does not cover polar areas due to the lower orbital inclination.
Iridium - The Iridium network is unique in that it covers the whole earth, including poles, oceans and airways.
So, perhaps Tas-man's sat phone was on the Globalstar network.
I have heard that if you are considering a sat phone, Iridium is the way to go.
But I have done no extensive study on this myself. My evidence is based primarily on the data just referred to, as well as two cases -
Friends and wife hired a sat phone for the South Coast track in Nov 2007. There were a number of times, and places, where they had no reception.
Recently, at Melaleuca, the pilot of a plane had a sat phone and I got chatting to him - he had a Globalstar sat phone and was struggling for reception.
Mon 29 Dec, 2008 8:00 pm
Globalstar appears to be having trouble with its satellites so I would suggest an Iridium. The phones are slightly bulkier but not by much. Lots of Globalstar handsets coming on to the market due to the satellite problems so be wary if purchasing one cheaply.
Wed 31 Dec, 2008 8:58 am
I never knew what difference there were between the two types...but certainly explains a lot. What really impressed me with the reception under rain forest canopy was that the Etrex GPSr I had at the time had no hope of getting satellite lock...but the newer GPS60CSX would work fine as has the later and more sensitive chipset.
In future I'll do testing with Sat phone in really difficult spots to keep checking on whether coverage may have changed.
It's also interesting to note that the new SPOT Satellite Messenger service is provided by Globalstar...hence those contemplating using this for emergency use instead of a PLB may need to take a rethink??
Cheers...sT
Wed 31 Dec, 2008 9:41 am
sirius Tas wrote:It's also interesting to note that the new SPOT Satellite Messenger service is provided by Globalstar...hence those contemplating using this for emergency use instead of a PLB may need to take a rethink??
I was of this view until the recent Cannibal Run. They used the SPOT and it seemed to give good coverage of their trip. I'd be interested in how those who went on this walk found them?
TR
Wed 31 Dec, 2008 7:39 pm
Hi Robbo,
My concerns after reading the above comments and associated links were mainly for solo walkers for obvious reasons....but it would indeed be very interesting if the 'Cannibal' group found any deficiencies along their route....as has been noted with the Sat phones...especially down the SW.
Cheer..sT
Sun 11 Jan, 2009 11:20 am
Brand and Model:Motorola 9500
Carrier: Telstra Iridium network
Location: On track uphill side of Echo Pt. hut...Lake St Claire
Had 3 bars within seconds under considerable canopy.
I'll keep testing in difficult spots
sT
Mon 09 Mar, 2009 7:39 am
Hi all
recently did 6 days around the peaks just west of Lake St Clair
used Nokia N95 Telstra 3G network, a blue tick phone
5 bars of signal on the following peaks
Little Hugel, Hugel, Lamonts Lookout, Byron
and also at
Shadow Lake, Narcissus Hut
2 bars of signal at/on
Byron Gap
Lake Petrach
Cuvier Valley
In fact I seemed to be able to get some signal everywhere so coverage in this area seems good.
Interestingly this phone also has a stand alone GPS system (ie no data charges). It worked well at all the above mentioned sites and I used it as a tracking GPS (to tell me distance covered, speed of travel, altitude variation etc) the length of the Cuvier valley. The drawback is that one day of use as a tracking GPS was enough to almost exhaust the battery on the phone. Same phone also has a 5 MP camera so on the whole a pretty versatile phone.
bw
Fri 13 Mar, 2009 11:46 am
bluewombat wrote:Interestingly this phone also has a stand alone GPS system (ie no data charges). It worked well at all the above mentioned sites and I used it as a tracking GPS (to tell me distance covered, speed of travel, altitude variation etc) the length of the Cuvier valley. The drawback is that one day of use as a tracking GPS was enough to almost exhaust the battery on the phone. Same phone also has a 5 MP camera so on the whole a pretty versatile phone.
bw
It seems to be the way, that the most versatile piece of equipment to add to the list WITH the phone, is spare batteries.
Problem is they can be pretty expensive, and my experience shows the generic batteries for Nokia phones are nowhere near as good as the originals.
Sun 02 Aug, 2009 8:50 am
Can I extend my mobile phone reception by adding a long wire antenna to my phone?
Sun 02 Aug, 2009 9:26 am
bushman wrote:Can I extend my mobile phone reception by adding a long wire antenna to my phone?
We're a bunch of bushwalkers.
That sort of question might be better asked
HEREPutting the question straight into google brings some interesting
results too.
Finally,
this site has heaps of techo type stuff.
Hope that helps.
Short of that, if your phone is GSM (not NextG) there is a technical limit of something like 34 kilometres, if you are further away from a tower than that the phone will cut out regardless of how good the antenna is.
I'm not sure whether there is a technical limitation on NextG, but it is better.
With NextG, climbing a mountain will give you the best chance of reception.
(OK we're not
just bushwalkers)
Regarding your phone and a long wire antenna, that question would be best answered by the manufacturer of the phone, or perhaps one of their service centres.
Tue 18 Aug, 2009 9:26 am
Please note that the posts related to selecting a phone suitable for taking bushwalking have been split off and merged with
this topic (which was previously the 'iPhone' topic, also split off from here).
Sat 19 Sep, 2009 2:18 pm
I have been considering getting a sat phone, does anyone know how much they average and what types of plans on costs are involved??
Fri 11 Dec, 2009 5:23 pm
Hi,
Something that is probably worth mentioning here (for us ignorant mainlanders who may not be aware of this) is that, unless your mobile service provider is Telstra, your chances of getting mobile coverage in most places throughout Tassie (not just remote areas) is pretty limited!
We discovered this on a recent 10 day trip to Tassie. Two of us are with Optus and two with Vodafone. On a trip that went from Launceston airport through to Cradle Mountain then to WOJ and across to the East Coast - Binalong Bay (Bay of Fires) and down to Wineglass Bay/Freycinet Peninsula to Hobart (and a side trip to Port Arthur), the ONLY places we got reception were: Launceston airport, Deloraine and Hobart! Nowhere in between. (When these providers claim to have 98% coverage of Australia it seems that a large chunk of the missing 2% is in Tassie!). (On previous trips to Tassie I've only tried to use my mobile in Hobart so was surprised when it was difficult to get coverage elsewhere on this trip).
As it was, I was more than happy to have a break from my mobile, but for mainlanders visiting Tassie it's worth keeping in mind!
Cheers,
JB
Fri 11 Dec, 2009 7:26 pm
Jellybean wrote:Hi,
Something that is probably worth mentioning here (for us ignorant mainlanders who may not be aware of this) is that, unless your mobile service provider is Telstra, your chances of getting mobile coverage in most places throughout Tassie (not just remote areas) is pretty limited!
We discovered this on a recent 10 day trip to Tassie. Two of us are with Optus and two with Vodafone. On a trip that went from Launceston airport through to Cradle Mountain then to WOJ and across to the East Coast - Binalong Bay (Bay of Fires) and down to Wineglass Bay/Freycinet Peninsula to Hobart (and a side trip to Port Arthur), the ONLY places we got reception were: Launceston airport, Deloraine and Hobart! Nowhere in between. (When these providers claim to have 98% coverage of Australia it seems that a large chunk of the missing 2% is in Tassie!). (On previous trips to Tassie I've only tried to use my mobile in Hobart so was surprised when it was difficult to get coverage elsewhere on this trip).
As it was, I was more than happy to have a break from my mobile, but for mainlanders visiting Tassie it's worth keeping in mind!
Cheers,
JB
Yep, unless you don't stray much from Hobart, Launceston and regional CBD's then Telstra is about the only option we have unfortunately. I've heard that Optus is looking to roll out a Next G style comprehensive Tasmanian network, might just be a rumor - not holding my breath. Would love to leave Telstra though.
Sun 27 Dec, 2009 8:18 pm
sthughes wrote:Robbo wrote:Brand and Model - Telstra 162 made by ZTE with pull up ariel
Carrier - Telstra NextG
Location
- Walls of Jerusalem - Solomons Throne - 2 to 3 bars
- Quail Gully - Knoll at the north eastern end of New Years Lake - 2 to 3 bars
Date: April 2008
I have just arrived back from Tassie. Did a walk to Chalice Lake and spent a night at Tent Tarn. Was able to get coverage, no bars but able to sent a message and call out, from the rocks on the eastern end of Tent Tarn overlooking Chalice Lake.
Mon 18 Jan, 2010 11:25 am
Latest walking
Mt Ironstone, 40 Lakes Peak
Higher places above Daisy Lakes and Long Tarns
Top of Schnells Ridge
Good coverage on track to and across Moonlight Flats - also ascending Hill1, on Maxwells Ridge, ascending Pindars Peak and on Mt La Perouse.
No signal in the radio shadows below Moonlight or Maxwells Ridges
Last edited by
eggs on Mon 18 Jan, 2010 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mon 18 Jan, 2010 1:56 pm
Nokia E51 (and a 6120) on NextG:
Camping area at Lake Myrtle: 3 bars when held up in tent, no bars at face level. Used mobile internet and sent SMS while held up.
Mt Rogoona: Excellent reception, no worries.
Mon 18 Jan, 2010 1:56 pm
eggs wrote: ascending Pindars Peak and on Mt La Peruse.
Shouldnt that be La Perouse.
Just for the search engine Eggs......
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