Tell me if your voice phone worked this year.

[SuperDave]

Please tell me if your voice phone worked this year. Please use the following format:
1) Carrier including network (e.g. 123 on playa network; ATT, ATT 3g Network or Boost, Verizon Network)
2) Prepaid or regular monthly contract
3) Specific phone make and model (e.g. iphone 3gs, iphone 4, HTC 2100, etc.
4) Conditions: e.g. “worked 1st two days only Sun-Mon”; “had to climb high to get signal”;” had to use when no dust up”, stuff like that.

My example is this: ATT prepaid network, iphone 3g, didn’t work at all. Borrowed phone ATT regular 3g network, iphone 4 worked barely on the ground most times. Borrowed phone ATT regular 3g network, iphone 4s worked sometimes if very high (Mal-Mart) with no dust in sight, worked ok late Monday and Tuesday after most everybody left.

Please don’t muck up this thread with “you’re not a true burner if you leave your phone on” comments, there is another thread for that. Also please don’t post if your phone did not work at all. If you have information regarding what type of temporary phone towers were there this year or next year that would be nice hear also. If you had a sat phone please include the specifics.
Thanks.
SuperDave

[elKay]

My Verizon iphone worked one morning WAY out by the trash fence. I was taking a picture of the little theater when I received a bunch of texts all at once. Stopped right there and made a phone call to my daughter who was on her way to college. It only worked that one time, and it was a lot of fun to talk to her from there.

[RedHeaven]

I have a Samsung dumbphone with a keypad, verizon, monthly plan.

I have been able to make calls out very sparingly the last 2 years. I am always able to find one spot at camp somewhere, and I go back to that spot every day to call my husband, same spot. I can barely receive calls and no texts were working all week. I usually camp around 430.
It has to be the right spot, if my head moves while we're talking then the call is dropped.

[junglesmacks]

Fuck your phone.

[RedHeaven]

That has almost happened when I have called my husband and told him stories.

[MacGlenver]

My Samsung Galaxy S2 from Sprint (monthly contract) did not work, nor did all the phones in our camp (various providers) except one.

My friend with a Blackberry 8330 from Sprint (monthly) managed to send and receive a few texts from one specific spot (inside a car). Elsewhere in camp it did not work.

It was critical, since we underestimated how much rope we would need, so we got our friend to bring more.

[Simon of the Playa]

3 bars in my tipi all week, ATT...

iphone 4..black





suckers...

[Bob]

Didn't go this year, but got bars on a stone-age Motorola / AT&T prepaid phone the two previous years. Did not attempt a call.

[ygmir]

I got bars, ATT Motoralla droid. but, at a point some "BRC service provider" wanted me to sign up for something........I didn't because I didn't know what it was, or would turn into. From then on, full bars, no calls or texts.
it quit about Sunday, went back to regular ATT and I had a bar or two at times, if I had wanted to text.

5 and C


does anyone know what that "BRC service provider" was all about? I forget the name.

[illy dilly]

Samsung Epic (I think its a Galaxy S?)
On Sprint, but I have unlimited roaming, so I have roaming voice/data/3G set to automatically work.

When we got to camp on Friday night before gates, before setting up I was able to make 1 phone call, and send a couple "Hey. We made it safe and sound. Talk to you in a couple weeks." type texts.

Didn't check my phone again after that, so I'm not sure.

My friend who has the same phone charged his during exodus, so that he could make calls when we got to Gerlach. He was able to download 'the news' before we hit pavement.

does anyone know what that "BRC service provider" was all about? I forget the name.

The last couple of years I've heard of a small group that brings out a mini cell tower. The idea is that it is a repeater that will let people send texts with in the city, and/or out to the rest of the world. I remember them saying that you had to agree to some license deal so that your phone would accept their 'brand' of service, since your phone is built to only accept your carrier.
Its around here on ePlaya someplace....
I remember them talking about it more before 2011, and I didn't hear anything about it before 2012.

[Nipple]

That's Papa Legba. They're the guys behind the OpenBTS software/hardware. Roll your own wireless telephony. The idea is to have an alternative out there that isn't in the hands of the carriers, or the infrastructure guys. If people can control their own communications, then it democratizes the communications.

http://papalegba2012.wikispaces.com/Network

Their site has a pretty good breakdown of how/what/why they did what they did.

Edit: Here's a map of where their cell towers were and what they expected to do with them.

[ygmir]

That's Papa Legba. They're the guys behind the OpenBTS software/hardware. Roll your own wireless telephony. The idea is to have an alternative out there that isn't in the hands of the carriers, or the infrastructure guys. If people can control their own communications, then it democratizes the communications.

http://papalegba2012.wikispaces.com/Network

Their site has a pretty good breakdown of how/what/why they did what they did.

thanks. I'll check it out.....I just didn't want to agree to something, and get billed from an offshore place a year later.

[danibel]

On Wednesday I heard a faint ding ding. It was a text message on my dying phone living at the bottom of my purse in the front seat of the van. I took a look see and found that I had no signal, no data, nothing. I tried to send a text message and it never went through.

I have an ATT iPhone 4, 3g. No email, no texts, no calls. Nothing. And that is OK with me.

[Savannah]

Please tell me if your voice phone worked this year. Please use the following format:
1) Carrier including network (e.g. 123 on playa network; ATT, ATT 3g Network or Boost, Verizon Network)
2) Prepaid or regular monthly contract
3) Specific phone make and model (e.g. iphone 3gs, iphone 4, HTC 2100, etc.
4) Conditions: e.g. “worked 1st two days only Sun-Mon”; “had to climb high to get signal”;” had to use when no dust up”, stuff like that.

My example is this: ATT prepaid network, iphone 3g, didn’t work at all. Borrowed phone ATT regular 3g network, iphone 4 worked barely on the ground most times. Borrowed phone ATT regular 3g network, iphone 4s worked sometimes if very high (Mal-Mart) with no dust in sight, worked ok late Monday and Tuesday after most everybody left.

Please don’t muck up this thread with “you’re not a true burner if you leave your phone on” comments, there is another thread for that. Also please don’t post if your phone did not work at all. If you have information regarding what type of temporary phone towers were there this year or next year that would be nice hear also. If you had a sat phone please include the specifics.
Thanks.
SuperDave

Bossiest 2nd post ever.

[theCryptofishist]

Please tell me if your voice phone worked this year. Please use the following format:
1) Carrier including network (e.g. 123 on playa network; ATT, ATT 3g Network or Boost, Verizon Network)
2) Prepaid or regular monthly contract
3) Specific phone make and model (e.g. iphone 3gs, iphone 4, HTC 2100, etc.
4) Conditions: e.g. “worked 1st two days only Sun-Mon”; “had to climb high to get signal”;” had to use when no dust up”, stuff like that.

My example is this: ATT prepaid network, iphone 3g, didn’t work at all. Borrowed phone ATT regular 3g network, iphone 4 worked barely on the ground most times. Borrowed phone ATT regular 3g network, iphone 4s worked sometimes if very high (Mal-Mart) with no dust in sight, worked ok late Monday and Tuesday after most everybody left.

Please don’t muck up this thread with “you’re not a true burner if you leave your phone on” comments, there is another thread for that. Also please don’t post if your phone did not work at all. If you have information regarding what type of temporary phone towers were there this year or next year that would be nice hear also. If you had a sat phone please include the specifics.
Thanks.
SuperDave

Bossiest 2nd post ever.

SuperBossy?

[Savannah]

Nickname changes are available this early on.

[maladroit]

iPhone 4, nothing but Papa Legba tower (didn't use), AT&T present on Monday but inoperative. Had wireless turned off most of the week.

I brought an unsecured wireless access point "BRCFreeWifi", hacked to display trollface.jpg no matter what site was accessed. I logged over 6500 attempts over the course of the week, using a standard range access point centered at 9 and D.

[junglesmacks]

I brought an unsecured wireless access point "BRCFreeWifi", hacked to display trollface.jpg no matter what site was accessed. I logged over 6500 attempts over the course of the week, using a standard range access point centered at 9 and D.

You're slowly but surely climbing my list of favorites..

[illy dilly]

iPhone 4, nothing but Papa Legba tower (didn't use), AT&T present on Monday but inoperative. Had wireless turned off most of the week.

I brought an unsecured wireless access point "BRCFreeWifi", hacked to display trollface.jpg no matter what site was accessed. I logged over 6500 attempts over the course of the week, using a standard range access point centered at 9 and D.

Thats wonderful!!!

O man, some sort of message that tells people to put down the device and go burn would be absolutely hilarious!
"What the Fuck do you need internet for at Burning Man?
Put down the electronics and go Burn.
Sheesh, and you thought you were a burner"

[ygmir]

iPhone 4, nothing but Papa Legba tower (didn't use), AT&T present on Monday but inoperative. Had wireless turned off most of the week.

I brought an unsecured wireless access point "BRCFreeWifi", hacked to display trollface.jpg no matter what site was accessed. I logged over 6500 attempts over the course of the week, using a standard range access point centered at 9 and D.

Thats wonderful!!!

O man, some sort of message that tells people to put down the device and go burn would be absolutely hilarious!
"What the Fuck do you need internet for at Burning Man?
Put down the electronics and go Burn.
Sheesh, and you thought you were a burner"

careful though, Illy.........telling folks "how to burn" is a slippery slope. Why, is it anyones business, if someone wants cell phone, or internet?
Some folks don't like certain music, but it still gets played.

just sayin, yelling "you're doing it wrong" can be tough to back up..

[Bob]

I'm calling Black Rock Cock Block. Go away, haters.

[gaminwench]

We had a wifi set up for the MV lights/sound of 3 vehicles to sync up...

this caused *many* folks to wander into our camp, with devices, to ask for passwords to get 'out'...

my favorite was the gal who wanted to access the interwebz so that she could tune her ukelele...
she came into my shade, asked for the password(which I didn't know);
I asked why, she explained...

I'm a musician,
so I taught her how to tune her ukelele.
As she left (after music, snacks and libations)
She said "Wow, so I can actually use the SOCIAL, HUMAN connection to get what I need!"

done.

[ygmir]

We had a wifi set up for the MV lights/sound of 3 vehicles to sync up...

this caused *many* folks to wander into our camp, with devices, to ask for passwords to get 'out'...

my favorite was the gal who wanted to access the interwebz so that she could tune her ukelele...
she came into my shade, asked for the password(which I didn't know);
I asked why, she explained...

I'm a musician,
so I taught her how to tune her ukelele.
As she left (after music, snacks and libations)
She said "Wow, so I can actually use the SOCIAL, HUMAN connection to get what I need!"

done.

swoon**

[FIGJAM]

A musician who does'nt know "My dog has fleas"?

[Eric]

Thread temporarily locked.

-Eric

edit: thread is locked pending investigation.

[Eric]

I've spoken with the OP, and he is legitimately trying to find the best phone to use on the playa with all the weird variables that happen out there.

Personally, I'm on an iPhone 4s on Sprint, 4g, no voice at all.

[otakup0pe]

Never got signal on TMobile. Managed to get a foursquare checkin and single email out on the 27th via center camp wifi. My phone somehow managed to connect with voip however I sensed it would be far too delicate to actually sustain a phone call. Gonna bring a phone that actually connect to papa legba next year.

[Straightveg]

Blue Samsung Intensity II on Verizon , contract
got a text out Monday afternoonish (sent from 7:30 &A)
migrated to (7:45 G/H) Tuesday, attempted a text that evening but it failed. Tried again early Wednesday morning (8ish) and it got through. Also managed a brief call that morning around 9 am that lasted 2 minutes 15 seconds till it dropped. Left the phone powered off when it wasn't in use.
Hauled the phone along with me to Burn Wall Street Friday night, powered it on to take a few pictures and was surprised by the mass of texts it received. Returned again Saturday afternoon to take a few pictures of the graffiti that sprung up overnight and was again greeted with texts when I powered on my phone. Didn't power my phone back on again after that till we hit the I-80 smokeshop area and stopped for Indian tacos after an amazingly easy Exodus Monday afternoon.

[VultureChow]

Blackberry Curve, AT&T

Voice available but laggy between 6am and 7:30am. Couldn't dial extensions.

Location: 3:50 & G

Txt available on and off throughout the day.

No data all week.

[clocksnmirrors]

1) Carrier including network: BOOST MOBILE 3G
3) Specific phone make and model: SAMSUNG GALAXY PREVAIL
4) Conditions: NOT ONE PEEP OUTSIDE OF FERNLY (the nearest town 70 or so miles from the playa)