Date:         Mon, 21 Aug 2000 17:20:49 EDT
Reply-To:     Oxroad@aol.com
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey R <Oxroad@aol.com>
Subject:      Re: wireless communicationNONVANAGON???
Comments: To: pokeswagon@blazenet.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 8/21/2000 5:04:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
pokeswagon@blazenet.net writes:

> So what do you say? I know a lot of you guys/gals are wired, or should I
>  say wireless? Any advice/opinions/experience?
>

Donna--

FWIW I'm travelling the country now currently in Colorado. I have a Sprint
cell phone. While they have cheaper plans mine is $75 for a month with 1000
free any-time minutes which work for local or long distance calls. With this
plan there are no raoming charges--sort of. They have plans that start as low
as $29 (?) a month I think. My plan goes month to month, so there is no
year-long contract necessary. I think they also have a plan where you buy a
phone and then pre pay only for minutes you will use--i.e. you can buy a 30
minute card and you will have 30 minutes of talk time.

Here's the problem with travelling with the Sprint phone is Sprint uses it's
own cellular network which is only available in certain areas around the
country. Basicallly things like no service in Wyoming little service in
Kansas, in Colorado only near Denver and on like that. Sometimes you can make
calls outside the Sprint network but you use another carrier which mean about
$.69 a minute plus the charges from the other carrier. I understand other
cellular systems have phone plans that have more truely nation-wide coverage.
But still there will be dead zones with no service. For example I was just in
Rocky Mountan National Park and could not get any kind of cellular connection.

 I should mention the sprint phones will work almost anywhere any cellular
phone will work, even outside their system. The catch is when you're outside
their system you pay more.

That's my 2 cents. feel free to contact me with any questions.

Jeff
83.5 Westy
currently in Boulder, CO