Cell phone service on Southern Tier?

[bikergrandma]

Can anyone tell me what the cell phone service is like on the Southern Tier?  Two of us plan to ride east to west starting in September.  If cell phone service is limited, should I consider a satellite phone?  Or are there other options available?

[John Nelson]

Who is your service provider?

As far as "other options", just go silent every once in a while. Let your family and friends know not to worry if you are out of touch for a few days here and there.

[bikergrandma]

My cell phone provider is U.S. Cellular.  I am more concerned about how to deal with an emergency situation than going silent for a few days at a time.

[John Nelson]

In an emergency, flag down a passing car. But there won't be any emergencies. If you really want something for an emergency, check out the Find Me Spot. http://www.findmespot.com

[bikergrandma]

Thank you for the suggested link.  I may consider a SPOT GEN3.  I'll take a closer look when I get to a Cabela's or Scheel's store.

[rwc5830]

I did El Paso to San Antonio area in early march. (ACA route) Two of us had AT&T cell phones and the third rider had Verizon. The best overall coverage on that portion of the ACA route was AT&T compared to Verizon.

We did have some sections where neither worked but it was the exception.