How's Sprint's reception in SD North County? (Ramona, Borrego Springs: live, price)

[whiteboyslo]

We're looking to possibly jump ship from T-Mobile at the end of our contract. I've had no issues with T-Mobile (from either a reception or a customer service standpoint), but Sprint looks like a much better deal overall. Just wondering if Sprint's reception is any good where I live/work (Scripps Ranch commuting to CMR). I know there are maps showing how good their reception is, hypothetically, but I feel personal accounts should factor in as well.

Also, if anyone has Sprint and spends time out on the back areas of SD County (Palomar, Borrego Springs, Ramona, Julian, etc), I'd be curious how the reception is there as well since I visit these areas quite frequently.

Mike

[shmoov_groovzsd]

If your contract is running out and you like T-Mo, I would advise in talking to a customer service rep about the competing plan from Sprint. The likelihood of them beating the price or offsetting the cost somehow should be favorable to you.

Sprint will be fine throughout that short commute from Scripps to CMR. You will have better success with Sprint or Verizon in the unincorporated areas of the county.

FYI: When phones are being tested locally out in the field for antenna strength, Ramona is used as the marginal drive testing area (eg. this area has spotty reception throughout.) This should tell you something about coverage. Its not better with one carrier or another. When testing phones these areas are used to see how well the testing phone holds up against a phone currently in the stores for comparison.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I've got sprint and it's just as good as any in the back woods. That being said, it's more about the phone at some point than the carrier. My buddy has a b-berry and he gets better reception than my droid standing next to each other on Palomar or laguna.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

I've got sprint and it's just as good as any in the back woods. That being said, it's more about the phone at some point than the carrier. My buddy has a b-berry and he gets better reception than my droid standing next to each other on Palomar or laguna.

This is very true. BlackBerry has been the gold standard for reception next to Motorola on any network. Thus the SAR levels are a tad higher for BB's, but as a business centric devices, they really cater to that audience.

As a tip, if you are ever experiencing weak signals during a call, try to place your hand higher towards to the top of the phone rather than the middle or botton. The human body carries enough radiation to cause the slightest disruption when reception is right on the cusp of cutting out.

THe RF module is placed near the mic at the bottom. This used to not be the case back in the day (Zakk Morris phones and old Nokia phones with the external nub) and became an integral design change after screens started getting larger, colorful and drawing more power.