wrote in message
...
On Mon, 3 May 2010 09:54:27 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

I am being pressured by family, my co-workers and clients to get a
phone that will work in most places I go. While I do not think
anybody needs to be on call 24/7/365,I will have to do something to
placate people. However, the reality is that nothing but a satellite
phone will work in many places I go. Not many cell towers in the N.
FL swamps and none offshore.
However, the reality is that I despise cell audio quality so much that
I simply resist using them. I constantly feel like I am using a cheap
kids walkie talkie even when using a supposedly superior phone and
provider. the quality simply sucks. When some people call me on a
cell phone, I refuse to talk to them until they call back on a land
line. I suspect the real problem is an auditory processing problem in
my head because I also cannot understand audio at movies or tv
although my hearing tests fine for simple tones.
Most of the time, I truly hate talking on the phone to anybody and
even when my cell phone works, I probably do not use even 20 minutes
in 6 months. I think e-mail is a far better way to communicate as it
allows one to think about responses and re-read before sending but
maybe texting has something of that too. I have never tried texting
because I always thought of it as being a kids thing.
So, family says, "Get another cheap cell phone". Clients say, "Get an
iphone". All say, "at least be reachable most of the time". I
wonder, if a sat phone with texting would serve the purpose. I could
ask certain people to text me instead of talking to me sometimes.
Texting is of course cheaper on a sat phone than talking minutes.
Maybe I'll just get a cheap cell phone and keep it turned off when I
want to be alone. NOBODY is so important they need to always be in
touch and being in touch is actually detrimental to solving problems.
Thoughts?

Do not get an I-phone, the ATT coverage sucks from what I hear.
Verison does seem to do a lot better in Florida.
I haven't seen one but I bet someone makes a phone with an external
antenna that will work pretty well on a boat.
The old Moto bag phones were pretty good, even out in the middle of
the Florida Bay if you had the marine antenna.


I've never really had any coverage issues. Don't know about Florida.