Cell Phone Coverage at South Mountain Fairgrounds

[rmaynard 15,914]

Does anyone local to the big show at the South Mountain Fairgrounds know if AT&T has improved their cell phone coverage there? In 2010 & 2011, my AT&T coverage was okay, but since then, I have been unable to get a signal about 90% of the time. There was talk last year of AT&T making some real improvements in the area, but does anyone know if that has happened? I don't want to have to buy another throw-away Verizon phone just for the show again this year. 

[857 horse 2,581]

Bob,,,,is onto a problem at never dawns on me until we are all at the SHOW and cant phone home,,,

I am told,,,,,you can  rent or there can be acess to a small      trailer that is a Mono Pole or "Hot Spot"

They can be set up for Disaster relief,,,,,,If all that makes scence,,,,,could we rent one for 3 days?????

 

I hope all my typing was not a waste........Howard

[SPINJIM 1,981]

Sprint has the same coverage problem at the show.   I usually sell some parts and at least one tractor at the show, but don't want to be tied down to my spot.  So I leave my cell phone number at my display, so anyone can reach me if they have interest.    But the reception is so hit-and-miss, that I usually miss the calls (as I have learned in the past from people who tried to reach me).   I guess it's just something we have to live with at a great facility otherwise.

    Jim

[rmaynard 15,914]

@857 horse I don't know what a portable mono pole would cost, but I'm guessing that the club doesn't have money in the budget for something like that. 

@SPINJIM I am setting up in a building this year to sell a bunch of stuff, and I'm on my own with no help. So the ability to leave a cell phone number is almost essential if I want to do anything other than be with my stuff all the time.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2017 by rmaynard

[Mrs. Rules 3,334]

Hello Bob:

I found the coverage for Sprint was greatly improved last year and was glad to have the ability to quickly tweet pictures from the big show and the tractor parade...  

 

I hope that you find the same this year with AT&T and/or Verizon!

 

Linda

[AMC RULES 37,145]

https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23wheelhorseforum&src=typd

[rmaynard 15,914]

Verizon is good, and for the last couple of years I've had to buy a throw-away Verizon phone. For everywhere else in the USA, AT&T is great, just not at the WHCC show.

[wallfish 17,487]

Didn't have any issue with the Sprint coverage last couple of years. Before that, Verizon was the only option which seemed to work..

I used to have access to cell boosters but not any more. This one is about $1100.00.

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wilson-pro-70-50-ohm-commercial-signal-booster-kit-465134/

[fast88pu 3,325]

I had no issues with sprint last year

[rmaynard 15,914]

I am resurrecting this thread as the time for the Big Show is rapidly approaching.

 

I wonder if anything has changed in two years? 

 

Now that T-Mobile and Sprint have merged, I am wondering if we have any members local to Arendtsville who have T-Mobile and would be willing to go over to the fairgrounds and snoop around checking the signal. Because I use Consumer Cellular (AT&T), they also have T-Mobile sim cards.

 

I was up there recently with my AT&T phone and you still only get a signal out by the road, but one bar or less in most places inside the gate. Verizon is still good.

 

 

 

 

[rmaynard 15,914]

Hey fellow members. Once again I am bringing up this subject since there appears to be a lot of members attending the show for the first time. 

Being able to communicate at the show is important. But cellphone coverage is always a problem unless you have Verizon.

 

This is a picture of the fairgrounds. AT&T and others have spotty coverage in the area highlighted in RED. All other areas is zilch.

Yellow area is Verizon.

 

 

Just wanted newbies to be aware.

[wallfish 17,487]

I have T-mobile. Hasn't been a problem even back when it was Sprint.

[squonk 42,521]

We usually just yell across the infield. 

"HHHOOOWWWAAARRRDDD!!!! " 

 

In all seriousness Bob is correct. I've been going since 2010 and my phone has worked there for maybe a total of 10 minutes. 

 

Phones are weird. Years ago my B-I-L bought an auto dealership and was upset when his fancy Verizon phone worked like crap there. Meanwhile the  Cheapie Trac Phone I had at the time worked flawlessly. 

[rmaynard 15,914]

42 minutes ago, squonk said:

Trac Phone I had at the time worked flawlessly. 

 

TracFone works fine at the show. It is powered by Verizon. I have a dual SIM phone and so I now have either AT&T or Verizon (TracFone) on the same phone.

 

I have been told that there is an AT&T repeater up in the loft of the big meeting hall, but no one will pay to turn it on. If that is the case, I would be willing to chip in to activate it, and there are probably others that would as well. 

 

 

[Sparky-(Admin) 22,057]

  Having Verizon pays off for me…calling texting etc is all do-able and has been for a few years. 
  For the low fee of $5 each I’ll send a text to anyone’s wife saying “Insert name here is gonna be late coming home from the Big Wheel Horse Show!” 

[Handy Don 13,340]

I have had no issues with a Verizon phone at the fairgrounds.

I would expect that inside some of the metal buildings that service would be less certain. 

On some of the more remote roads through the valleys of nearby hills, the signal does drop out. We are talking a sparsely settled area with challenging topography. 

[adsm08 2,642]

I switched from AT&T to PureTalk around Christmas '23. Still AT&T's network though. Last year at the show I had better coverage than I had in previous years. It still wasn't great, but it was better.

[adsm08 2,642]

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