At Los Toros in Purificación we could
get cell signals when we were high and clear
enough to get a view of the coastal plain. Last
Christmas we took some local teenagers down to
Zaragoza for a New Year party as we were leaving
for home. They all had cell phones and knew
right where the signals were. In fact I've seen
locals with cell phones walking around in the
woods in Purificación for years. When I ask if
they can get a signal, they say it depends on
where you are. I used to wonder why they had
phones - how could they afford them and who would
they call? Then I learned that most have
relatives working in Victoria or elsewhere who
supply the phones. Note that for cell phones
from the U. S. to work in Mexico you may have to
sign up for extended coverage and/or pay exorbitant fees.
As for satellite phones, we had one at
J2 in Oaxaca in 2004 and 2006. J2 base camp is
pretty remote on a mountain top under very tall
trees in a cloud forest, but we could get a
signal in the right spots. In 2004 we used it to
send daily dispatches to National Geographic, one of our sponsors.
Mark Minton
At 02:33 PM 9/21/2010, Gill Edigar wrote:
I've had a reliable signal sitting at the table inside the sheet-metal
enclosed Fieldhouse at Conrado Castillo. But you'll get a better
signal sitting in the outhouse. NexTel, TelMex, and MovieStar all have
signals up there now.
--Ediger
On Tue, Sep 21, 2010 at 11:02 AM, David <[email protected]> wrote:
> Some people go to the wilderness to get away from things like this.
>
> Here is an upcoming phone that will allow cavers in remote wilderness
> areas in the U.S. to make an emergency phone call.
>
> http://www.terrestar.com/retail.php
>
> Do regular cell phones work now up at Three-mile Hill?
>
> If someone were to have a serious accident at a cave like
> Three-Finger's Cave, you would be able to make a call from just outside
> the entrance. Right? Or any other remote caves that face south and
> are high enough up the canyon to see the southern sky.
>
> A phone like this would be more practical in a really remote
> area, where you plan to be out of contact for a week or so. Like in
> the Tongass National Forest or some wilderness area in Montana,
> Idaho, or Wyoming.
>
> I guess it wouldn't work up at Conrado Castillo?
>
> David Locklear
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