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Old 25-05-2018, 21:19   #1
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Telephone Reception

I am sailing North on the West Australian coast . Can I expect internet access by Telstra 3/4G , antenna 100 feet up mast. Locations - Houtmon Abrolhus Islands ,Montebello Islands , Adele Reefs?
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Old 25-05-2018, 22:46   #2
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Re: Telephone Reception

Abrolhos: yes
Around Shark Bay: yes
have not been to the other places you mentioned
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Old 26-05-2018, 01:53   #3
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Re: Telephone Reception

Not 100% sure but if it is your only form of comms you may consider renting a sat phone.
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Old 26-05-2018, 12:21   #4
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Re: Telephone Reception

You can expect no cell phone connections if you are more than 16 miles from a tower, and less than that if the tower is only directed inland towards populated areas. As little as three or four miles from "land oriented" towers. Regardless of your power levels. The 16-mile limit is a typical latency restriction imposed by the cell system carriers, you'd have to check with your carrier to see what theirs is. (In the US, you would get no reply to that question, it is a trade secret, or a security problem, to the carrier.)

Our FCC provides databases of primary tower locations, which are mapped and made available online by third parties, but that doesn't include ALL locations, just the primary ones. You might find something similar down there. And of course, your carrier must show "no coverage here" maps?
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Old 26-05-2018, 17:25   #5
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Re: Telephone Reception

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Originally Posted by hellosailor View Post
You can expect no cell phone connections if you are more than 16 miles from a tower, and less than that if the tower is only directed inland towards populated areas. As little as three or four miles from "land oriented" towers. Regardless of your power levels. The 16-mile limit is a typical latency restriction imposed by the cell system carriers, you'd have to check with your carrier to see what theirs is.
I don't think that there is a 16 mile limit in Australia. I have regular reception of 25 Nm and beyond, for example Wallabi Island in the Abrolhos to the mainland Geraldton is about 50 NM. From memory the transmit tower on the mainland is at Moresby heights, a bit inland but on a hill/ridge ??mt high.

The Telstra network has by far the best coverage in Oz, and here is the map:
https://www.telstra.com.au/coverage-...s/our-coverage
However the map doers NOT show coverage over the ocean. Probably that is why the original poster asked the question.
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Old 26-05-2018, 18:40   #6
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Re: Telephone Reception

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Originally Posted by HankOnthewater View Post
.........

The Telstra network has by far the best coverage in Oz, and here is the map:
https://www.telstra.com.au/coverage-...s/our-coverage
However the map doers NOT show coverage over the ocean. Probably that is why the original poster asked the question.
Click on the detailed coverage button (rather than standard) and you will see coverage seawards. Search for say Karratha and the 3G coverage exists at least 60K offshore. With a high antenna (and especially a high gain one), significant increases are possible.

I have received patchy access from some NW Telstra towers while on oil rigs way past what Telstra coverage suggests.
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Old 26-05-2018, 18:42   #7
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Re: Telephone Reception

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The Telstra network has by far the best coverage in Oz,
Sort of.

I have been in areas where there is no Telstra but there is optus and vice versa.

Smart move is two cheap handsets and two prepaid sims.
For our Telstra coverage we use aldi with 365 day prepaid with $20 on it.
For our optus coverage and big data we use jennee with unlimited call and text and 30gb for $40/mth.

But, in that part of the world you are probably right that Telstra has the better coverage.
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Old 26-05-2018, 18:47   #8
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Re: Telephone Reception

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Originally Posted by hellosailor View Post
You can expect no cell phone connections if you are more than 16 miles from a tower, and less than that if the tower is only directed inland towards populated areas. As little as three or four miles from "land oriented" towers. Regardless of your power levels. The 16-mile limit is a typical latency restriction imposed by the cell system carriers, you'd have to check with your carrier to see what theirs is. (In the US, you would get no reply to that question, it is a trade secret, or a security problem, to the carrier.)

Our FCC provides databases of primary tower locations, which are mapped and made available online by third parties, but that doesn't include ALL locations, just the primary ones. You might find something similar down there. And of course, your carrier must show "no coverage here" maps?
As HankOnthewater suggests, we do it a little different down under. Telstra recognises that some parts of the Aussie coast are "remote areas" especially in eyes of outsiders. We like to fish and send proof of the big ones as we catch them . We need phone coverage to cater for this!

Added to this, there a lot of commercial activity on the coastal waters in the NW (oil & gas), these guys like phone access also.
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Old 27-05-2018, 11:26   #9
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Re: Telephone Reception

Hank, as Wotname said. Telestra may easily set range limits (latency limits) more generously to make their customers happy. It wouldn't be hard to outperform a US cell carrier. Every tower that receives your signal has to negotiate with the entire system, to determine which tower will actively handle your call and which tower will get it next. Kinda like a baseball game, where the shortstop, the second base man, the centerfielder, all run toward a pop fly shouting "I've got it I've got it!" and unless *one* of them is left alone to get it, everything falls apart.
So the carriers at least used to set their limits up system-wide, based on just how many towers were going to negotiate in a dense area. With better programming, and a priority of wider coverage...You never know. if you call them to enquire, they might even answer you. And the answers might even be true. (sigh.)
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Old 27-05-2018, 19:07   #10
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Re: Telephone Reception

Crikey in the NW of Aus, you would be lucky to get reception from two towers, let alone more. One is the normal!

Using the baseball analogy, there is only one fielder on the field!
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