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06-11-2008, 09:18
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1
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Cell Phones in the Bahamas
I am planning on cruising the Bahamas this winter and have purchased an unlocked cell phone to use in the local cell phone system. Does anyone have any recent knowledge of how extensive the cell phone coverage is in the Bahamas?
Thanks,
Don
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06-11-2008, 12:37
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Good cell coverage in the Bahamas. Where exactly are you going? You'll have to get a chip from Batelco, the worst telecom company in the western hemisphere.
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Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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06-11-2008, 12:47
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2003
Location: East Coast & Other Forums!
Posts: 917
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Cell WILL cost you over a dollar a minute to the states. Suggest you get a skype account as wifi is everywhere too and you can call any phone from your PC for pennies a minute OR contact anyone with a PC for free.
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06-11-2008, 12:52
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Yeah, most of us are relying on Skype now. Wifi in Abacos is good. Exumas has a couple of spots, Staniel, Black Point and Georgetown. It's getting better every year. Nassau is pretty good but not many cruisers stay there for long. If you're going to rely on wifi get a good antenna.
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Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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07-11-2008, 04:25
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2003
Location: New Bern, NC
Boat: Prout Manta 38' Catamaran - Sunspot Baby
Posts: 1,521
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I love Skype but it requires you have Internet access. Not much help from nice secluded anchorages or while underway.
If you have the right technology phone (Bahamas switching to GSM) then they can activate it for you. With prepaid minutes, calls in Bahamas are $0.40 to the US $0.51. Same as pay phone rates.
You can buy a cheap phone from BATELCO with prepaid minutes. About $90 for the phone. Then sell it to another cruiser when leaving or keep it for your next cruise.
Before jumping into this, do you REALLY need to be in touch all the time?
If you just want the cell phone in case you break down and need to order parts or something, you can carry your US phone and pay the roaming charges. I think our roaming minutes were about $2/min last year.
We normally put our US cell phones on vacation hold while we are out of the country and it save us quite a bit.
George
__________________
She took my address and my name
Put my credit to shame
Sunspot Baby, sure had a real good time
Bob Seger
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07-11-2008, 07:09
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2003
Location: East Coast & Other Forums!
Posts: 917
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Good thoughts George. Another possibility if the out islands are in the plans is a globalstar sat phone with their unlimited talk plan for $39 a month. The catch is the unreliablity of connections...but it will work everywhere.
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07-11-2008, 07:28
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL currently CLODs [cruisers living on dirt]
Posts: 423
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Last year we just got a prepaid minute sim card for our unlocked gsm phone. worked fine and was easy to do. made it easy to do local calls and still cheaper than roaming.
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Jon
S/Y Sirius
Moody 47
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07-11-2008, 07:51
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#8
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 49,082
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camaraderie
G... The catch is the unreliablity of connections...but it will work everywhere.
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A massive decline in the reliability of Globalstar service was reported in 2007, and an independent analysis by Frost & Sullivan earlier in that year confirmed this.
Testing showed that while Iridium service offered a 95% - 98% success rate on making 3 minute calls, Globalstar service failed two calls out of every three.
In updated testing, Iridium's 2008 call success rate was 93 percent, while Globalstar's was 26.7 percent.
It should be noted that the “independent” testing & report(s) were commissioned by Iridium.
http://www.iridium.com/about/frostreport07.pdf
http://www.iridium.com/about/frostreport08.pdf
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
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07-11-2008, 09:19
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#9
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Now on the Dark Side: Stink Potter.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Palm Coast, Florida
Boat: Sea Hunt 234 Ultra
Posts: 3,962
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I did the Batelco sim card thingy. You can buy the chips on the internet along with minuttes to "charge" the chip. About $0.51 per minutte as noted above.
Also installed a cell phone "booster" and hooked it up to an antenna mounted on the stern rail. This gizzmo will in effect double your cell phone range. Without the booster, I get 8NM from shore, with the booster 16NM.
Never tried WiFi in the Bahamas.. ? Is there un-secured networks one can tap into, OR does it work via cell phones?
Also, how do ya call home using SKYPE? Need 2 different SKYPE accounts so as to call from on to another, OR can ya call from one computer to another using only one account? If so, how?
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Life is sexually transmitted
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07-11-2008, 09:27
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CSY Man
Never tried WiFi in the Bahamas.. ? Is there un-secured networks one can tap into, OR does it work via cell phones?
Also, how do ya call home using SKYPE? Need 2 different SKYPE accounts so as to call from on to another, OR can ya call from one computer to another using only one account? If so, how?
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There are unsecured networks in Georgetown and a pay service. In Staniel it's free from the Yacht Club, in Black Point, Lorraine now has wifi. In Nassau unsecured plus Starbucks and a daily paid service (not too reliable). In Abacos extensive paid service (quite reliable) plus the odd unsecured spot.
As far as Skype goes you can call home phones or cell phones. 2 1/2 cents per minute. Just have to set up an account and give them 10 bucks or so. Skype to Skype is free. It's the same account. If you need to see your grandkids Skype has video too.
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Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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07-11-2008, 12:22
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#11
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Now on the Dark Side: Stink Potter.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Palm Coast, Florida
Boat: Sea Hunt 234 Ultra
Posts: 3,962
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That is what puzzles me:You log in to your SKYPE account, then how do you call the same account? I have not seen any button that says "Call myself" or some such thing...If you did, your own lap-top may ring?
Still confused on that one.
(Been using Skype for years calling International phones and "other" computers, but never tried to call from my laptop to my home 'puter )
As for communicating in the Bahamas, I have been using SSB and the WLO radio station for phone patches, but it runs $3.00 per minutte, same as ATT roaming from the cell phone. Too expensive and that is why I did the local SIM card option with a booster, but also monitoring satphones and the various rate plans.
Trying to get away from phones, etc while on the boat, but wifey needs to talk to her sister and mother on a daily basis and it has cost up to $600.00 in the past using SSB and roaming....
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Life is sexually transmitted
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07-11-2008, 12:41
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Wherever the boat is!
Boat: Marine Trader 34DC
Posts: 4,619
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CSY, Why would you want to call yourself? You can't call yourself on a cell or land line phone. Pick up your phone right now and try to call yourself to see what happens. If you want to call another computer you own I guess you will need two accounts.
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07-11-2008, 13:11
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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With Skype just dial your home number and it'll go through. I don't think you can call from your laptop to your computer unless you establish another account for your computer. Easily enough done.
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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07-11-2008, 14:33
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#14
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Now on the Dark Side: Stink Potter.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Palm Coast, Florida
Boat: Sea Hunt 234 Ultra
Posts: 3,962
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Quote:
I don't think you can call from your laptop to your computer unless you establish another account for your computer. Easily enough done.
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Well, that was my question as well, but you said:
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Life is sexually transmitted
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07-11-2008, 14:36
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#15
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Now on the Dark Side: Stink Potter.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Palm Coast, Florida
Boat: Sea Hunt 234 Ultra
Posts: 3,962
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Quote:
CSY, Why would you want to call yourself? You can't call yourself on a cell or land line phone.
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Well, because Vasco said I could do it..
Quote:
If you want to call another computer you own I guess you will need two accounts.
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I thought so, but uh Vasco says no..
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Life is sexually transmitted
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