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Rickkrus
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# Posted: 11 Mar 2018 05:43pm
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I'm thinking of buying a remote piece of property in CO. There is no cell service. Can I use a cell phone with a internet service like Hughsnet? Or is a sat phone my only option?
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frankpaige
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# Posted: 11 Mar 2018 06:00pm
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Get yourself a CB radio for emergency. Be thankful that phone doesn't ring. Isn't that why you bought a piece of God's country? Know that doesn't answer you initial question. Enjoy.
13 miles East of FairPlay, myself
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 11 Mar 2018 07:31pm - Edited by: ICC
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Cell phones need a cell tower to work.
Hughesnet will give you internet if you want or need internet. You can message over the sat dish internet service... I have no idea how Skype would work on a sat dish
If you only want emergency phone service look into SPOT. It does not allow conversations, just the sending of a short SMS message to a number of numbers you designate.
Or a sat phone.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 11 Mar 2018 09:08pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Ham radio with HF privileges also. 
What is the closest town in Colorado, I will look for a local 2 meter repeater. They can also have phone patch too.
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ColdFlame
Member
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# Posted: 12 Mar 2018 11:30am
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You may be surprised with a cell booster also. If you have line of sight to a tower, you'd be surprised what a good booster can do. You'd likely have to put an antenna on a pole and know the compass heading of the closest tower, but if you were able to get a lock to it, I'd almost guarantee that you'll have multiple bars on your cellular device.
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hueyjazz
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# Posted: 12 Mar 2018 12:10pm
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With satellite internet like Hughsnet you need a phone line for for transmission. The satellite is only for receiving. It doesn't work with cell phones except for text from iPhone to iPhone which uses it own data network.
For a cell booster to work you have to have some signal to amplify. Use Test Mode on your phone to see if you get any signal. Instruction for your model of cell for test mode can be found on internet. far more accurate then looking at the bars.
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Rickkrus
Member
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# Posted: 12 Mar 2018 02:59pm
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Saguache
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 12 Mar 2018 03:25pm
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Rickkrus
Great area. Used to hunt NW of there. My wife only had 3 limits. No I-25, no I-70 and no more than 2 hours from home. Well, there was toilet, shower requirements, but I could drag those out.
Best of luck and enjoy
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Rickkrus
Member
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# Posted: 12 Mar 2018 06:26pm
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Yeah Frank seen lots of big game in the area. Looking forward to fall.
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rvneil
Member
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# Posted: 13 Mar 2018 08:29pm
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@hueyjazz -- it may depend on the Hughesnet system. I had them for around 8 years, and never needed a phone line, as the dish was bi-directional. The dish connected with two cables (transmit, receive) into the modem; the modem had an Ethernet port and a power connector, nothing else.
Of course, that system was intended for mobile RVers (I was a full-time RVer for a while); it sat on a tripod and I could set it up or take it down in about 20 minutes.
So HughesNet did (at the time) have some systems that didn't require a phone line.
In Ontario, we have xplor.net, which (depending on location) either uses satellite (I'm unsure if it's downlink-only, or bidirectional), or microwave to a tower. I'm not sure on the technology, but I was told that it needed a line of sight to a cell tower, but it *wasn't* the regular omni-directional "Internet hub" that telcos sell... this was an aimed transmitter/receiver that (I assume) works on different frequencies than regular 4G/LTE. Rickkrus, maybe you can find something similar in your area.
As ColdFlame mentioned, see if you can borrow a cell booster... I have one at my cabin, and it helps my cell phone get better reception.
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ackersandy
Member
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# Posted: 20 Mar 2018 06:11pm
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Ooma.
https://www.ooma.com/
VoIP phone, works with Hughes/Exede, very inexpensive and reliable!
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Dallashunter
Member
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# Posted: 18 Apr 2018 10:39am
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We use a signal booster to get signal out to our deer lease. It's not quite as remote but it works really well.
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Atlincabin
Member
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# Posted: 18 Apr 2018 12:49pm
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Another option for text is the Garmin InReach.
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Wilbour
Member
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# Posted: 18 Apr 2018 01:25pm
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Google voice is free! If you buy an Obihai box for $40 you can use your phone like it's 1999 without a computer.
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Princelake
Member
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# Posted: 18 Apr 2018 08:33pm
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Yup a booster won't work. You need some form of signal for it to work. I live in ontario and have xplornet at My house. They are offering home phone for a fraction of what regular land lines rates were. I called to inquire and it uses internet so it's something I'd look into. I wouldn't be good for me cause it wouldn't work at the times you need it most like this past fall when a tree took out a power line that fell across my road. I had to call into work. And bad rain and snow storms the internet goes down. I'd also look into the garmin in reach and other things like it.
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Bushwhacked
Member
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2018 06:00pm
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I have stayed at quite a few cabins in the last few months that do not have cell service. But as others mentioned, VOIP, I think is what its called.... works. Really well. More clear than a call made over the cell network in the city. I get text messages as well. The places I stayed at had DSL, cable, or fiber ( yea no cell service but they had fiber internet, HA)
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ColdFlame
Member
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2018 10:54am
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Just because your cell phone doesn't advertise any signal strength down at cabin level amongst the trees, etc... that doesn't mean that up higher (think mast-mounted antenna) won't be able to see a signal, which the booster can then amplify.
I went from having 0-1 bars of signal on our cell phones in the SW windows on the second & third floors, to having 3-5 bars throughout the entire house. Making a phone call or even sending a text was all but impossible before. And heaven forbid you moved while making said phone call. Now, we can walk around freely, stream music, watch Youtube, etc...
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Houska
Member
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# Posted: 27 Apr 2018 06:49am - Edited by: Houska
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Cell amplifier systems consist of 2 components: a directional antenna that you mount up high, and an amplifier box you keep in the cabin. (This box may also blast out wifi or amplified cell signal inside, or that may be separate). In Eastern Ontario, at least, you can with a bit of patience get them fairly cheap used. That's because for many rural properties they were the only way to get connected a few years ago, but are gradually becoming unnecessary in many on-grid locations (newer broadband data systems, more towers, etc).
The antenna slightly amplifies (~10 dB) a broad spectrum, and you mount it outside, high, and pointed at your nearest cell tower. Because of the broad spectrum, they don't become obsolete. At our moderately remote current cabin, the antenna itself, mounted just under the cabin roof peak and pointed in the right direction, was enough to go from 0-1 bars of cell signal and unreliable data to more-than-acceptable.
In a complete system, the amplifier boxes do most of the work (they can add 50+ dB to signal). However, unlike the antennas, the amplifier boxes do go obsolete, since many (maybe all, don't know) amplify only certain frequency bands, and really old ones don't do LTE/4G at all; even newer ones may not do the latest LTE frequencies. The one we got from a farmer couldn't even do 3G, much less LTE, so we're fortunate for us the antenna alone is sufficient!
Since the antenna is directional, you'll need to find out where the closest cell tower is. There are maps available for this, for instance https://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html in Canada. Note it can depend which provider you have; for instance Telus (and Koodo) can use Bell towers, but Fido uses Rogers towers.
Of course, as others have said, none of this helps if you literally have no signal, but it can save your bacon if you're sufficiently far that signal is marginal, or if trees or hills are in the way when you're on the ground but elevation helps.
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 27 Apr 2018 10:10am
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Be open, as well, to the option of changing carriers, if you can determine that there is a possibility of service.
At our camp, due to state regulations, a new tower couldn't be erected. When VZW came to the area they used the same tower that AT&T uses.
I'd been a Verizon customer for decades, but their service to my location was awful. Even after initiating 3 work orders at my request to improve signal to me they finally contacted me and said that's as good as it gets.
I changed carriers to AT&T and I have great service now; can even stream video to talk with the grandkids.
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Slowmoe
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# Posted: 1 May 2018 02:21pm
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Usually in Colorado at&t is best coverage service provider I usually have service except when I get home to my cabin Ha! at first I hated not having service but now I know to be careful and no one will be bugging me while at home I have found a place up the road for service if needed as well. But took a while of living here to find the spot. My point is you can live without phone service for a bit till your set up or get a cell phone amplifier for your service provider sometimes those work to boost service. Good luck!
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