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I work with cell phones so let me see if I can offer some helpful advice.
1. Most cell phone carriers have bad service on the farm, plus the massive amount of people using the network renders it almost useless. T-Mobile has pretty poor coverage (at least in the areas I'm familiar with) so I can imagine you may have an even harder time with reception as opposed to someone with Verizon or AT&T.
2. Never used one. I generally use my car charger, just be careful about killing your car battery. But the people that I know that use them generally like them, it wont keep your phone charged all weekend though. Also it helps to set your phone in Airplane mode if it's a smart phone. This allows you to use the camera and clock but turns off the network which saves a lot of battery. Then just turn off Airplane Mode when you need to use the network for a call or internet or whatever.
3. I usually just use a baggie. I can put my phone, schedule, lighter, etc in there. A waterproof case would work fine, but you'll still probably need to pack a baggie for other things you want to keep dry.
Last Edit: May 25, 2012 16:19:36 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
Post by waitingfornextyear on May 25, 2012 16:34:22 GMT -5
My fiancee and I both use Sprint and don't remember any problems until last year. Any idea why that is? Last year we were camped out in "north east bfe" pod 11 I think and we couldn't call, text, or anything until we got to Centeroo and even there it was iffy. It was annoying.
11/2/19: Tool 5/17/19: Blues Traveler 5/9/19: Tool 11/10/18: Tenacious D 9/20/18: White Denim 7/23/18: Radiohead 6/4/18: Jack White 5/20/18: Tool 5/18/18: A Perfect Circle 5/18/18: Alice in Chains 5/6/18: Blind Melon
Post by natedagreat on May 25, 2012 16:42:33 GMT -5
Take a breath and sit down; I'm about to say something that might shock you. Do yourself a favor and just leave the phone in your car all weekend. You came to Roo for the experience and a cell phone will do nothing but distract you from that which we all love: music, good times and good vibes. Honestly the coverage on the farm sucks, period. Then, if you get a signal, you have to worry about a battery that you will have to charge. It was a sad, sad sight last year to see all the people lined up at the "Charging Station" and missing some of the best acts of the fest. I'm not kidding, there had to be over 80 people in line all weekend. Just check it every morning, make sure family and friends aren't dying without you, turn it off and forget about it. If your main reason to have a phone is to meet up with friends, people met up without cell phones for ages. Set a time and a place since you now know about the schedule and you will be fine.
I volunteered at the centeroo lost and found last year. You have no idea how many iPhones, Blackberrys, Droids, and all other sorts of cell phones came our way. I didn't know if I was more surprised by the amount of phones lost or that so many of those expensive phones were returned instead of stolen. Either way, leave the phone in your car and avoid the hassle.
Take a breath and sit down; I'm about to say something that might shock you. Do yourself a favor and just leave the phone in your car all weekend. You came to Roo for the experience and a cell phone will do nothing but distract you from that which we all love: music, good times and good vibes. Honestly the coverage on the farm sucks, period. Then, if you get a signal, you have to worry about a battery that you will have to charge. It was a sad, sad sight last year to see all the people lined up at the "Charging Station" and missing some of the best acts of the fest. I'm not kidding, there had to be over 80 people in line all weekend. Just check it every morning, make sure family and friends aren't dying without you, turn it off and forget about it. If your main reason to have a phone is to meet up with friends, people met up without cell phones for ages. Set a time and a place since you now know about the schedule and you will be fine.
Listen, I completely understand where you're coming from and would love to "leave it in the car" but some of us have real responsibilties like children that we're leaving at home, so being somewhat available makes us feel better.
11/2/19: Tool 5/17/19: Blues Traveler 5/9/19: Tool 11/10/18: Tenacious D 9/20/18: White Denim 7/23/18: Radiohead 6/4/18: Jack White 5/20/18: Tool 5/18/18: A Perfect Circle 5/18/18: Alice in Chains 5/6/18: Blind Melon
Yeah I totally understand the no cell phone argument. But I'm basically required by my mom (I'm 21 years old and she still worries, I don't think that will ever stop) to call once in the morning and let her know I'm alive. She's a nurse so she worries about the heat and dehydration. Also she helped buy my ticket this year, so I owe her that. Last year I went with my girlfriend at the time who had a 6 year old at home with his grandma and it's a given that you need to be reachable if your child is with a family member or something.
Also I use my phone for pictures. I don't take many, but I do like to have the option to take one every now and then.
Take a breath and sit down; I'm about to say something that might shock you. Do yourself a favor and just leave the phone in your car all weekend. You came to Roo for the experience and a cell phone will do nothing but distract you from that which we all love: music, good times and good vibes. Honestly the coverage on the farm sucks, period. Then, if you get a signal, you have to worry about a battery that you will have to charge. It was a sad, sad sight last year to see all the people lined up at the "Charging Station" and missing some of the best acts of the fest. I'm not kidding, there had to be over 80 people in line all weekend. Just check it every morning, make sure family and friends aren't dying without you, turn it off and forget about it. If your main reason to have a phone is to meet up with friends, people met up without cell phones for ages. Set a time and a place since you now know about the schedule and you will be fine.
Listen, I completely understand where you're coming from and would love to "leave it in the car" but some of us have real responsibilties like children that we're leaving at home, so being somewhat available makes us feel better.
Totally get that. Sorry if I came off harsh. Keep communications limited to texts and a phone call at morning to maintain battery life. Get a watch so you're not using your phone as a clock. Baggies will keep it protected, if you haves touch screen you can actually keep it in the baggie and still use it. Pockets are your worst enemy at Roo, everything seems to fall out. Keep all valuables in your bag.
I have Sprint and could only make calls in the morning from pod 10. I called and checked on my kids and then my phone was pretty much worthless the rest of the day. If I could get service to call a friend on the farm, chances were they didn't have service and I got their voicemail. Just plan a meeting time/place like others said.
I live here and the coverage is great all year, until 80,000 people converge on the farm. But I consider it to be a good trade .
Sprint and Verizon are the two local carriers. So if your carrier has agreements with them, you are good to go. Most of the pre-paid services work OK.
It might be better this year because Verizon upgraded to 4G here, so I'm assuming that they still have as much 3G capability plus the 4G? Maybe the person who posted above that works for the industry can shed some light.
By the way, there is free Wi Fi in places. I don't know how much it's used, but that might be something to try out.
I live here and the coverage is great all year, until 80,000 people converge on the farm. But I consider it to be a good trade .
Sprint and Verizon are the two local carriers. So if your carrier has agreements with them, you are good to go. Most of the pre-paid services work OK.
It might be better this year because Verizon upgraded to 4G here, so I'm assuming that they still have as much 3G capability plus the 4G? Maybe the person who posted above that works for the industry can shed some light.
By the way, there is free Wi Fi in places. I don't know how much it's used, but that might be something to try out.
Sent from my DROIDX using ProBoards
The only way upgrading to 4G would help is if they built new towers. The biggest problem with service is network overload. Unfortunately the only way around this problem is more towers. However in a lot of cases Verizon has been building new towers in their 4G locations.
Like someone else mentioned the only time I am able to make calls or texts is in the mornings. Once people begin to wake up and use their phones is when it ets hard. And I'm on Verizon.
I also have T-Mobile, which works great where I live, and I attended the past two years.
1. Last year, no trouble whatsoever. I didn't use my phone much, but it always worked when I wanted it to. 2010 was a different story: I could not get data service, voice calls dropped out, texts were delayed hours or disappeared, etc. This persisted until I got home, at which time I uninstalled the Bonnaroo app and everything worked again! So the app screwed up my Android phone big-time, which means I can't really comment on the service in 2010.
2. Last year I had brought a new car with a strong battery, so I charged my phone daily (only one phone, no other power draw) without a problem. For peace of mind, I started the car on Saturday and let it run for a while to make sure the battery was charged. I ended up having to jump the two other cars in my group, as the others over did it using their cars as chargers, etc. Those portable power sources that you can use to jump start a car or for mobile power (for a fan?) look like a great idea.
3. I use a little bag for my phone and schedule, and another for my wallet - simple and effective.
I also have T-Mobile, which works great where I live, and I attended the past two years.
1. Last year, no trouble whatsoever. I didn't use my phone much, but it always worked when I wanted it to. 2010 was a different story: I could not get data service, voice calls dropped out, texts were delayed hours or disappeared, etc. This persisted until I got home, at which time I uninstalled the Bonnaroo app and everything worked again! So the app screwed up my Android phone big-time, which means I can't really comment on the service in 2010.
2. Last year I had brought a new car with a strong battery, so I charged my phone daily (only one phone, no other power draw) without a problem. For peace of mind, I started the car on Saturday and let it run for a while to make sure the battery was charged. I ended up having to jump the two other cars in my group, as the others over did it using their cars as chargers, etc. Those portable power sources that you can use to jump start a car or for mobile power (for a fan?) look like a great idea.
3. I use a little bag for my phone and schedule, and another for my wallet - simple and effective.
Your problem may be trying to use your cell phone from camp. Get closer to centeroo and you may not have that problem. They bring in mobile towers for Bonnaroo. I use Sprint, and last year I couldn't do anything on Thursday. Friday morning I arouse from my tent in TO and noticed strange towers next to the Vendor entrance. That was the mobile towers and had no problem after that.
When it came to keeping the phone charged I had a spare battery which I have mysteriously misplaced now and a solar charger. The thing didn't work that well but I was smart enough to bring it in on a full charge and it gave me a new battery cycle. Also, there are plenty of electrical outlets. You just have to find them. So, bring your home charger as well. The StubHub lounge is where I charged my phone last year. Also, try and disconnect from the world a little bit. I understand people have priorities but try not to check your stocks, Facebook or emails. Only use your phone when you have to. The biggest battery killers for phones are the display, background data and phone calls. So, turn your display down as much as possible and if you can't see it in the sun just shade it with your hand. Background data is an Android thing I don't know the iPhone equivalent but it is what gives you notifications from apps. Turn it off by going to settings>account and sync>background data. Phone calls, limit them, text as much as possible and keep the calls short.
Post by Delicious Meatball Sub on Jun 4, 2012 9:53:19 GMT -5
Question about iMessage - I'm under the impression that it draws more data than regular texts and iPhones will work better if you just have iMessaging turned off for the weeekend. Can anyone confirm this?
Also - I'm planning on setting my twitter account to get direct texts from bonnaroo and ashleycapps, then turning off all data on my phone for the weekend. that way i'll at least have half a shot of hearing about special announcements without having to use data access all weekend.
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