Wilsons Sandbox

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Tengai Mark Van Horn wrote:

> > I just posted the first three days of my recent eastern Canada trip

on my website. I have to leave town on business for a couple days, so i'll post the remainder next week. The trip was 94% on the pavement, but an adventure nonetheless.

> http://www.expeditionrider.com/Maritimes.shtml >

Just out of curiosity, what wireless service do you use that quits after ten miles into Canada? I checked the Verizon website, the one I use, and their phones are supposed to work if you have a tri mode phone and want to pay roaming charges. Haven't ever tried it but would like to tour into Canada sometime. Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

Your best bet is to pick up one of the pay as you go phones at Radio Shack or Walmart in Canada. Then get a 60 minute pre paid card and you're all set for Canada. I've done this before and it was much cheaper than leaving my Nextel on. BTW, my cheap Nextel (not GSM or anything fancy, plus about 4 years old) works in most of Ontario and Quebec, but the bill was almost a grand. Darren Clark Alan L Henderson wrote:

> --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > , Tengai Mark Van Horn > wrote: > > > > > I just posted the first three days of my recent eastern Canada trip > on my website. I have to leave town on business for a couple days, so > i'll post the remainder next week. The trip was 94% on the pavement, but > an adventure nonetheless. > > http://www.expeditionrider.com/Maritimes.shtml > http://www.expeditionrider.com/Maritimes.shtml> > > > Just out of curiosity, what wireless service do you use that quits > after ten miles into Canada? I checked the Verizon website, the one I > use, and their phones are supposed to work if you have a tri mode > phone and want to pay roaming charges. Haven't ever tried it but would > like to tour into Canada sometime. > Alan Henderson A13 Iowa > >

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Alan L Henderson wrote:

> --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Tengai Mark Van Horn > wrote: > Just out of curiosity, what wireless service do you use that quits > after ten miles into Canada? I checked the Verizon website, the one I > use, and their phones are supposed to work if you have a tri mode > phone and want to pay roaming charges. Haven't ever tried it but would > like to tour into Canada sometime.

You need a GSM or CDMA phone to go into Canada. The two GSM carriers here in the United States are T-Mobile and Cingular. I believe they both have roaming agreements with Rogers in Canada so that you have coverage in most of Canada. I know that T-Mobile does, anyhow, because I was sitting down in a bookstore in Vancouver BC when my cell phone rang and it was my office calling asking me how to fix a server that was down. Verizon is CDMA, and should roam with Aliant or Bell Mobility in Canada. I believe that Nextel is TDMA (an old obsolete standard not supported anywhere else now that Cingular has gotten rid of the old AT&T Wireless TDMA network) and thus will not roam outside of the United States or indeed much at all. -E

> I believe that Nextel is TDMA (an old > obsolete standard not supported anywhere else now that > Cingular has gotten rid of the old AT&T Wireless TDMA > network) and thus will not roam outside of the United States > or indeed much at all. >

Nextel uses a proprietary network called iDen and it does work in Canada, at least on the extreme left and right coasts. Not much in the northern territories though for any US carrier. My Nextel worked for me in Toronto and Ontario just as it did in the US. - Rich

I have Verizon Wireless, which overall is quite good. But it was worthless in Ontario, Canada, despite my calling Verizon and making sure I could use the phone there. Back in the 'States, and it worked fine again. Chris ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Alan L Henderson Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 18:15:19 -0500

>--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Tengai Mark Van Horn > wrote: > > > > > I just posted the first three days of my recent eastern Canada trip >on my website. I have to leave town on business for a couple days, so >i'll post the remainder next week. The trip was 94% on the pavement, but >an adventure nonetheless. > > http://www.expeditionrider.com/Maritimes.shtml > > >Just out of curiosity, what wireless service do you use that quits >after ten miles into Canada? I checked the Verizon website, the one I >use, and their phones are supposed to work if you have a tri mode >phone and want to pay roaming charges. Haven't ever tried it but would >like to tour into Canada sometime. > Alan Henderson A13 Iowa > > > > >Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html >List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com >List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html >Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650 >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > >

I have Verizon Wireless and a fairly recent LG VX6000 phone. Last July/August my extended family visited our extended family on Cape Breton Island, in Nova Scotia, and kept in touch via US cell phones. It didn't cost us any more than if we had been roaming in the US. I think one 10-minute long call was something like $7.00 US, cell phone to cell phone (I've had more expensive calls in Kansas). We didn't place any calls to the US though. If one were planning on several lengthy calls to, say, a spouse back in the US, I think the notion of getting a calling card in Canadia is an excellent one. When I head up North in 3 weeks or so, I plan to take my cell phone, and buy a Canadian calling card to use with pay phones for the calls home. John --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Norloff" wrote:

> > I have Verizon Wireless, which overall is quite good. But it was

worthless in Ontario, Canada, despite my calling Verizon and making sure I could use the phone there. Back in the 'States, and it worked fine again.

> > Chris > > ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- > From: Alan L Henderson > Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 18:15:19 -0500 > > >--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Tengai Mark Van Horn > > wrote: > > > > > > > > I just posted the first three days of my recent eastern Canada

trip

> >on my website. I have to leave town on business for a couple

days, so

> >i'll post the remainder next week. The trip was 94% on the

pavement, but

> >an adventure nonetheless. > > > http://www.expeditionrider.com/Maritimes.shtml > > > > >Just out of curiosity, what wireless service do you use that quits > >after ten miles into Canada? I checked the Verizon website, the

one I

> >use, and their phones are supposed to work if you have a tri mode > >phone and want to pay roaming charges. Haven't ever tried it but

would

> >like to tour into Canada sometime. > > Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

At 3:43 AM +0000 6/27/06, E.L. Green wrote:

>You need a GSM or CDMA phone to go into Canada.

Technology isn't the issue; cooperation between companies is. Two years ago on my Labrador trip, I has Alltell, which in my area was tapped into the Verizon network. I could get a signal everywhere there was service, but once I left the Montreal area, I couldn't make calls until I was between St John and St Stephen, NB on the way home. Since I really only use a cell phone ~20 minutes a month, I now have Virgin prepaid wireless, which only costs me $8.30 per month for the convenience of having a phone. It works great in the US. What pisses me off though is that there is Virgin Wireless in Canada, and there is no crossover, no agreements or anything. The two Virgins are completely separate entities. They have different phones and different pricing structures. My US Virgin phone can't even roam there and it's a tri-mode phone. However, my Canadian Virgin phone can roam in the US (but it's really expensive). Overall, I think my solution in having two phones is cheaper than having any monthly plan with a single phone. Plus, this is the only way this married 39 year old will get to have two Virgins in his pocket. Mark

At 3:43 AM +0000 6/27/06, E.L. Green wrote:

>You need a GSM or CDMA phone to go into Canada.

Technology isn't the issue; cooperation between companies is. Even those of you who can roam OK in Canada may have trouble when you go deep into Canukistan. I think Aliant has a stranglehold on Atlantic Canada and doesn't was to play nice with the other kids. Two years ago on my Labrador trip, I has Alltell, which in my area was tapped into the Verizon network. I could get a signal everywhere there was service, but once I left the Montreal area, I couldn't make calls until I was between St John and St Stephen, NB on the way home. The other two guys I was with had different providers, but were in the same boat. Since I really only use a cell phone ~20 minutes a month, I now have Virgin prepaid wireless, which only costs me $8.30 per month for the convenience of having a phone. It works great in the US. What pisses me off though is that there is Virgin Wireless in Canada, and there is no crossover, no agreements or anything. The two Virgins are completely separate entities. They have different phones and different pricing structures. My US Virgin phone can't even roam there and it's a tri-mode phone. However, my Canadian Virgin phone can roam in the US (but it's really expensive). Overall, I think my solution in having two phones is cheaper than having any monthly plan with a single phone. Plus, this is the only way this married 39 year old will get to have two Virgins in his pocket. Mark

> I have Verizon Wireless, which overall is quite good. But it was

worthless in

> Ontario, Canada, despite my calling Verizon and making sure I could use

the

> phone there. Back in the 'States, and it worked fine again. >

Hmmm....Two summers ago our Verizon phone worked fine along 402/401 from Sarnia to past Toronto. One hundred miles to the north however couldn't get a signal - no towers. Bogdan