Who has the best cell phone coverage on the Coastside?

posted by Barry Parr on Jan 22, 2006 at 05:51 pm in Business
5 comments • Click to email this story

On the other side of the hill, you can pretty much get whatever cell phone service offers you the best deal or the coolest phone. Here in paradise, it�s little more complicated. Cell phone coverage is really bad in unpredictable ways.�

Please share your experiences with cell phone service on the coast and make your recommendations. Tell us where you can and can’t get reception. Be sure to tell us not only who your carrier is, but what phone you’re using.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: We first ran a version of this story back in June 2004, but things have changed since then and we have a lot more readers.

Comments

Comment 1 by Barry Parr on Jan 22 at 5:55pm • All my comments •

I don't think my Cingular Sony Ericsson T616 necessarily has the best reception, but lately I've been able to get a usable signal from time to tme on Acacia in Montara. I've never been able to get one at Farallone View, but I haven't checked lately.

I still lose the signal on Highway 1 between Montara and Moss Beach.

Comment 2 by Jonathan Lundell on Jan 23 at 9:26am • All my comments •

I use Sprint because they have decent coverage at my house (just above Highway 1 and Lobitos Creek). They apparently have an antenna in the Global Wireless antenna farm, on the coast at Meyn Rd (they're not the only carrier to have an antenna there, but I'm not sure exactly who else does).

Sprint also has an antenna overlooking San Gregorio, as well as farther south. They seem to be making a concerted effort to cover Highway 1, perhaps all the way to Santa Cruz.

On the other hand, the Sprint signal is barely usable at HMB Joe's, and not at all in much of Ocean Colony, or in much of Montara.

Comment 3 by Todd McGee on Jan 23 at 11:32am • All my comments •

Cingular has an antenna in Montara near 11th street so there's great service right around "downtown" Montara. The signal dies out as you go north or south just a little bit, though, because the directional antenna is pointed directly into the ocean to serve the boat traffic (that's what the customer service technician told me when I called to ask).

We can occassionally get signal with Cingular on Third Street but I've never been able to get service at Farralone View.

Comment 4 by Kathryn Slater-Carter on Jan 23 at 10:14pm • All my comments •

I use Sprint. It has an antenna at MWSD so the coverage extends up into parts of Devils Slide and all along Highway 1 -except at the north endo of the highway. I do not get coverage at Farallone View School - but do get it up most of Sunshine Valley Rd and at Montara Creek on Harte St. and a little on portions of Alamo St. I got very good reception when on the ocean when sailing from HMB up through the Golden Gate. There are long stretches between HMB and Santa Cruz with no coverage.

I've considered changing, but need to see if any other company has better service.

Comment 5 by John Armstrong on Jan 24 at 11:17am • All my comments •

I was sprint up until a few months ago and it was great on most of the coast but, as noted, a bit spotty in Ocean Colony.

Now I'm on my BlackBerry with Cingular and the reception is spot on perfect.

All carriers have a few dead spots coming over the 92, particularly at the mortuary. I've noticed that Cingular also spots out a bit right after the reservoir and on the 92 passing Hillsdale (not really the Coastside but most of us drive this route).

So, for my money, Cingular is better for me but Sprint was ok as well.

its almost like we are nearing the 'postmodern' point of cell phone reception where its all equal and nothing is there that is new to note.

I'd be interested in hearing how peoples cell phone data speeds are. I know my Sprint Treo 650 got about 40k/sec on the Coast. Did Sprint do an EVDO upgrade out here yet?

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