Mapping cell towers to help decide where to camp?

[AJ452]

Man, I admire the ability to just check out from technology.  Kudos to people that do it!


But for us folk that rely on a cell signal as part of their modern life and/or income, do you just try a spot and move on if no signal?  Rely on campsite reviews?  Plan in advance with cell tower location tools?

If using a cell booster have you found a directional antenna truly more effective than an omnidirectional?  If so, do you just move it around until you find the best signal or do you usually already know what direction to point it?  From an app in real time or with advance planning?

I just recently became aware of the cool Google Earth feature "Elevation Profile", it can reveal if one has line-of-sight between two points, even in rough terrain.  Just gotta account for the antenna height above the ground elevation where it's located.  

Or do cell signals bounce all over and just close proximity is what makes the difference, no matter if elevated terrain is between you and the tower?

 

[Almost There]

If moving in to a new territory where I've never been I rely on campsite reviews more than anything else - or personal references from friends.

I will move on if I end up with no cell phone signal unless it was deliberate or pre-planned as I need signal to download reading material and to keep in touch with family.

I have the WeBoost magnetic mount antenna so it's omnidirectional. So far it's working great. I chose it because I didn't want to be carrying a largish flagpole type antenna base and fooling with set-up/tear down. Even with the fiberglass roof I've never had a problem with it improving the signal.

 

[B and C]

I have a fiberglass roof and used to use the little antenna that came with the Weboost on the hood to get a ground plane to help it. It would extend my range about a mile.

I bought a truckers (omni) cell antenna that I permanently mounted to connect to the Weboost and it greatly extended where I could camp because it would give me a signal where I had none before. I mounted it where the included ground plane was at roof level and close to where I keep the Weboost. I don't have the little stubby one anymore. This takes care of me 90% of the time.

When I get beyond its reach, I put up a directional antenna on a painters pole that I hang off the hinges on my side door. When I need it, I would go back to where I had a signal (sometimes less than a 1/2 mile) to use a cell signal app to find where the towers are. After this information, I would go back to the campsite and set up the directional one to sometimes bounce off a mountain in another direction but still pointed generally toward the tower. The height advantage of the painters pole and directional antenna really work. Of course there are times I get in a canyon or too far away from a main road and nothing helps.

When I am where I need these, my cell phone won't work. I keep a hotspot in my Weboost all the time. I then put Hangouts Dialer on my phone so I can use the hotspot (wifi) to make and receive calls.

I have two hotspots, one with Verizon and the other with ATT. There are some places where one will work but not the other. They both work in most places.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have a WeBoost 4G-M that does not require my cell phone to be in a cradle.  I use the supplied omnidirectional antenna on a steel ground plane on the roof of my camper ~13 feet in the air.  That usually gets me at a usable signal.

If no signal from the omni antenna I have a directional antenna that I can get ~25 feet in the air.  I rotate it with my cell phone in hand to find the best signal.

Cell signals are line of sight.  They do penetrate buildings and vehicles but loose signal strength in the process.  They don't penetrate geographic features; even heavy foliage or rain/snow can attenuate the signal.

 

[texas0322]

I've got boosters and everything that help but I use the Open Signal app on my Android Tablet a lot to judge good 4g signals for each carrier. Hasn't failed me yet. I usually have better results than it shows due to boosting.

 

[jimindenver]

I have used network cell info lite and cellreception.com

Network cell info lite shows you what tower your cell phone is connected to making it easier to know what direction to point the directional antenna.

cellreception.com is a site that allows you to see the towers in a area before you get there. There are other sites like it. I have not found one that is perfect yet.