I am new to the GLCC and heading to the North Channel in August. Wondering about cell phone coverage. i use verizon in US and wondering what is the best option for service. I will of course talk to Verizon about this but are there better options. Also wondering about Wireless cell cards for Lap tops? is there access to the internet using one of these or is the NC just covered by cell phone service. The main reason i ask is that i am wondering about the availability of all the GLCC info/charts on line while we are up there?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
KEN ALT
Cell and WiFi experience
Permalink Submitted by actigner on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 08:27.
We have spent the last two years cruising the NC and Georgian Bay and have found the cell coverage to be very acceptable with our Verizon phone. There are some exceptions (Little Current is awful) but overall it's OK. In many cases once you're out on the water coverage improves. We also subscribe to the Nationwide + Canada plan mentioned earlier and find that relieves us from worrying about roaming charges. The only limit with that plan is that nights and weekends are capped at 1000 minutes a month.
As far as WiFi goes, we use what we find available in the marinas and although not always blazing fast it does the job. I suspect that some areas don't have the outbound Internet bandwith available that we find in stateside locations like hotels/motels. In most cases it's free but some fee based WiFi services do exist in places like Little Current.
Cell service in NC
Permalink Submitted by Chuck Mead on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 06:54.
Cell service is getting much better in the NC. Rogers is the Canadian carrier and a couple of years ago they put some new towers in along the north shore. I don't know who Verizon roams on in Canada, hopefully Rogers. Definitely check with Verizon. Roaming for phone calls is different than roaming for Internet usage so make sure you talk to them about both. As for the Harbor Reports, most people will create a "printer-friendly" version and print to PDF on their lap top. See http://www.glcclub.com/going-quotmobilequot-online-harbor-reports. When it comes to the NC, I suggest making printer friendly versions of the major sections. It is tooooo big to make one PDF of all the NC reports and too cumbersome to make individual reports.
Enjoy the NC and be sure to fly your burgee to fellow GLCCers will find you.
we have used our rogers
Permalink Submitted by admann on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 12:34.
we have used our rogers stick all along the north channel and whenever the cell worked, which is now much of the areas, the stick would work. the upload and downloads are slower as the signal is not overly strong but it does work.
i beleive verizon uses rogers also as we met some verizon users who were online while in killarney.
i also suggest creaing print versions as much as possible.
have a great trip as this is where boating is at its finest!
Cell Service In NC
Permalink Submitted by Whaley on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 08:03.
Randy Whaley
Prime Time V
Welcome aboard GLCC Ken.
Verizon has an agreement with Bell in Canada and you will be surprised at how wide the coverage is in the North Channel as you travel through the area.
We are Canadians and have been traveling for the past year aboard our boat. Here are my recommendations to keep costs to a minimum while retaining phone, text and internet access.
For American coverage you are currently paying between $39.99 to $119.00 based on your usage and plan. You should be aware however that when you travel to Canada your calls will be subject to roaming charges. If you go to Verizon's Nationwide Plus Canada plan you will pay 20.00 more per month. Is it worth adding this feature, only you can decide. A two week trip may not justify the cost and you may be further ahead paying the roaming charges. Note that these plans cover voice communications only.
There are no cross-boarder plans for text and data usage whether you are a Canadian visiting the USA or an American visiting Canada. From personal experience, using text messaging or a cellular air card for internet access while roaming is prohibitively expensive. Mobility account charges following a trip to a roaming area (North Channel for you) can be %500 or more so, be careful using data and text features. Be aware that you will be paying roaming charges for all incoming data as well so internet or text messages can be costly and you have no control over what is being sent.
My suggestion? Do not use your cellular air card for data and if you have a Blackberry or I-Phone turn the data and text feature off while roaming to save money. Instruct your family, friends and office to call you if there are urgent messages for you rather than sending data or text. If you do need to retrieve a document find a WiFi connection or as a last resort, use your cellular air card.
One last note. For better WiFi connections mount a wireless router high in your boat. We find that this increases local WiFi signals considerably offering you better access while in port and for $50 it is an inexpensive way to increase your access.
Enjoy your trip!
Randy Whaley
Prime Time V