OT tracfone dead zone

Is there an add on antenna that works on these phones? I get lousy service signal around here. Is there anything that works to boost these? All I want is to be able to use it in an emergency. I have dial up ISP , It would be nice to have it work so if I was online someone could call it. I want something that is mobile as this is a dead zone area. What is out there for a Tracfone or the like? I don't want a contract or monthly bill. I don't use it enough. I just want someone to be able to call me, if one of my tractors is rolling down the hill. (tractor related topic) LOL... MTP

To my knowledge, Tracfone uses Verizon's towers. You may be in a dead zone in certain areas. I have an older Tracfone that is still active. It seems to have the same reception in most areas as my Verizon phone. That is a problem I wondered about with other companies. Some only had reception near major highways......what good is that? lol....

I believe the problem is basically you get what you pay for - Tracfone is a cheap service. I have one and feel like launching it into the nearest wall when I can't connect which happens often. I get the "Call Restrictions - 34" error and it happens intermittently. If I wait a few minutes I can connect. Probably is just a slick way of Tracfone managing the volume of call traffic by refusing connections momentarily unless you keep retrying, etc.

I had Tracfone for years but the biggest problem is they only work on Verizon towers now.

I have a phone with Ting now (http://ting.com) and it's nicer for me since it works on Sprint, Verizon, and USCellular towers (for voice). $6/month to keep the phone active, then $3 for the first 100 minutes you use per month. If you use texts or data that's extra as well.

They're a reseller for Sprint (CDMA phones) and for T-mobile (GSM phones). You most likely do NOT want the GSM phones since T-mobile is basically only for populated areas and along the interstates in between.

I have a Tracfone that has dead spots. Can't use it or any other cell phone inside the house as the house is sheeted with chipboard that has aluminum foil on one side. Works okay locally, but when I go to ND I find dead spots in various locations. I just borrow somebody's phone that does work and make my call. Most folks are understanding enough to let me use their phone because they have dead spots on their phone too, no matter what brand of service they have.

I used to have a TracFone. My wife gave me all sorts of grief because it didn't work in my shop, and she couldn't call me when I was down there. (Corrugated steel). The phone also didn't work for 50 yards in front of the shop 'cause the front is on the east side and the phone signal comes from the northwest. The building itself blocked the signal.

I now have a Verizon smart phone and it isn't any better around my shop. Now that I've gotten used to the smart phone I'd hate to be without it (being able to check my email from anywhere, etc.) but all mobile phones have limits that don't necessarily relate to price.

I had a tracfone and dumped it 2 years ago because they were on ATT towers and only Verizon works around here. Did they really switch?

I'm on Tracfone and had the same issue. I called them up and complained. They looked up what tower I was on and if there was a closer one and there was. They readdressed the phone for the closer tower and while still not perfect, it's much better.

(quoted from post at 14:28:33 08/14/15) I had a tracfone and dumped it 2 years ago because they were on ATT towers and only Verizon works around here. Did they really switch?

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Last I checked they used both, depending on the ZIP you give them when you buy the phone.


Mine is a Verizon. Works almost everywhere except in the house(foil in the insulation).

The one my mom uses is or was an ATT as where she works(small rural town in a deep valley) the only tower was theirs. Had to give that towns ZIP when she ordered the phone.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think this is a verizon tower phone. My sister bought it for her son while his old phone was getting fixed. I ask her if I could use it, a few days to see if it got service. It was better than a few trac phones, I have used here but still a pain. I am still wondering about an external antenna add on, that is mobile?
TJDUB I'll check into ting...I just hate to get a phone that wont work here. thanks again everyone. MTP

I live out in the sticks, and my TracFone works where many others won't. Deep hollers will kill the phones of the city friends who visit here. I can stand right beside them and make a call with my TracFone. I notice that you can buy many different kinds of phone from TracFone, and some of them are not labeled for my area. Could it be that you have a TracFone that is not labeled for your area? Our local WalMart, 20 miles down the road, sells TracFones that are NOT labeled for my area. I always thought the labeling was so you would not be calling long distance every time someone local called me, but I don't know. We bought our TracFones thru the TracFone website, and they have been trouble free (except for the one I knocked in the toilet). I do occasionally miss a text when I'm working in my metal shop building, but as soon as I walk by a door or window, it will receive it. I'm no expert on cell phones - the fact that I use a TracFone will tell you that.

There are cell phone boosters you can get. You'll have to research it. They put an antenna on top the house boost the signal and out put it to an antenna in the house.

I don't know you may be right about the tracphone. I remember years ago I took my aunt to s.e.KY to clean out and sell my uncles home place, after his sister had passed. My mother went with us. Her phone would not get service anywhere. I had my old trac phone with me. I was walking around the yard and it got service for a second. I scuffed up the grass with my boot, so I would know where to stand to use it. One step either way you would get no service. While I was there my KY family would want to borrow my phone for a quick second. No ones other phones would work but mine did. Thanks for the thought...MTP

That would be fine for in the house. I was hoping to locate an antenna that could be added to boost the signal in general. I used to have to drive 6 miles one way to check voice mail on my old phone. I would like to be able to plug a booster antenna into the phone if need be. Any know if they make one that I could do that with?...MTP

Why not get a phone that works n your area??? Most have a plan like trac phone Same issues around me. Also there is a thing on reprograming all phones for the area you are in. Like go from N Dakota to Florida and you reprogram it and it works good in Florida.

I'd still call tracfone and complain. Maybe they can get you on a better tower or network.

That's what I'm looking for... This place seems to be kinda dead on all phones. When cell phones got popular here, I would go down to the road to see why people are parked on the road. This place is a hit and miss zone, mainly miss. If I had a tower on this place and got paid a nickel per call that hit the tower it would be like winning the lottery...I have had other phones plenty with this location put in, they say reception in this area is bad. Once again does anyone know of an antenna booster that I can use on ANY phone anywhere?MTP...

Try putting "cell phone signal booster" into google.

Well, another of my rambling posts.

Starting point is to figure out which carrier covers your house the best, then try to find the cheapest option/prepaid reseller to get that carrier (if you aren't using much). My area for coverage in most areas, Verizon is best, US Cellular I'd call second just guessing but probably close, regional GSM provider third, none of the other carriers provide service in most of the state. Tracfone does use different carriers. Your phone may have a sticker on it, possibly under the battery, if it has the model name of your phone (if you didn't already mention it, I didn't read everything), or possibly says “cdma” somewhere, a person could figure that out. “Easy” option would be to have a cell phone with an antenna port, but those are getting rare. Also, some phones get MUCH better reception than others. The LG flips on Tracfone/Verizon were not good in my area at all. I switched to a Motorola Barrage on PagePlus (Verizon, also Tracfone company, service as cheap as $30 per YEAR), much better reception than LG. You can bring in your own phones with a lot of theses carriers, my Barrage was ~$25 a few years ago. The actual Tracfone cell service is every bit as reliable, on the same towers, as whatever company you are activated on (Verizon, AT&T, they used to use US Cellular). I got an additional Tracfone smartphone for town use, handy to look stuff up, etc.

I have a Wilson DT4G booster for the house, as service is very poor. Wilson is now called WeBoost since they bought another company. I use cellular for home Internet, dropped the landline and use a cell home unit for that. The Wilson boosts anything within a certain number of feet of the unit (stronger signal outside, further range inside), and it works well enough, works with most carriers, and will “boost” several phones at the same time. You mount an antenna on the roof, run a cable to the unit in the house, then to an inside antenna. They make similar units for rvs. But, for good ones, you will spend $$$$$. Also, if the signal outside is too poor, they can't always help.

I had a Wilson Sleek when I first switched to cellular Internet from satellite Internet. It is designed for cars/portable. Small magnet mount antenna, small cradle, plugs into outlet/cigarette lighter/power port. But, phone needs to sit in the cradle, direct contact with the unit, so you'd need to use the speakerphone, or have one of those bluetooth headsets or a wired one. They were around $100 area, haven't looked them up lately. But, it worked very well for one device. My guess is this would be one of the more practical portable options available. But, how well they work, as I said, depends on your area. At the time I got mine, they only worked with one carrier each unit. If you had Verizon, you needed the Verizon version of the booster. They didn't work with multiple carriers. Haven't looked lately.

There isn't something that's “tiny” to attach just to the phone so it's easy to carry around that I know of.

If you are on dialup I know you probably don't like to research stuff much online. Weboost has friendly support, I've emailed a couple questions, might have a phone number. Also, a few well known companies that sell antennas/boosters, etc. would probably have suggestions. The suggestion to Google cell phone booster will get results for most of these.

Where are you located in Michigan? I have Page Plus cellular (which uses Verizon) and my coverage is great. I live between Lansing and Ann Arbor and between Jackson and Brighton. I have a phone guy in Pinckney that comes out to your place with 4 different phones to see which one works the best. He has been very helpful. Let me know if you need Scotts number.

You are saying that all phones don't work in the dead zone, then you may be in a valley. Don't think a booster will help then. Where I live Verizon owns the towers, AT&T phones piggy back, get second priority usage. Where there is an AT&T tower Verizon costumers are lucky to get a signal even though you have signal strength.

I'm not sure that tracfone even owns towers, they may be piggy backing off AT&T, Verizon or some other company.

For that reason, I stay with Verizon pre paid only because there are more Verizon towers and because Verizon backs up my numbers in case I lose my phone.

I had a tracfone and it would never work in Kansas which is a state that I'm often in....Someone suggested that I buy a phone in Kansas.....So I then bought a phone at a Wal-mart in Kansas and its set up for that area and works great wherever I go....I pay Verizon $100 once a year and never use up all the minutes as its usually only on when I travel..

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this. You are correct about researching much online. I looked at the
TING site, it looked good... I tried to view the service area map. I will try again when I get to a DSL computer. I
guess when I think of it, I am in a valley so to speak. I live on a hill but I have two hills that are much taller than
the hill the house is on. The Raisin river is about 1 mile away. My streams join up and flow there. I live in part of
the "Sharon Hills" of Manchester. Thank you everyone for your replies... MTP

Tracfone sets their phones to work with either AT&T or Verizon. I had one that was set for AT&T. Very poor service in my area. Called, complained and they sent me a phone that was set for the Verizon system. Worked great. Worth a try. Usually if the phone model ends in a "C" it is set up for Verizon, otherwise it's set up for AT&T.

model #LG306G... software version 306G10c... Thanks for the information wsmm. I take from these numbers that it is set up for AT&T towers? Thanks again MTP...

(quoted from post at 04:31:59 08/16/15) model #LG306G... software version 306G10c... Thanks for the information wsmm. I take from these numbers that it is set up for AT&T towers? Thanks again MTP...

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Yes, that is a GSM phone, so it is likely AT&T. Southeast Michigan sort of? I looked at both AT&T and Verizon, shows solid coverage in most of the state, not that the maps mean much. "Ting" is much spottier, but southeast looks fairly solid but I did not zoom in, they use either Tmobile or Sprint.

AT&T uses a couple different frequencies, depending on your area. The higher one is close to what the regional cell carrier in my area uses, and it doesn't penetrate trees/buildings very well, and is why I need a cell booster to use their service, because their tower is only 6 miles away (they have shorter and weaker towers than Verizon, plus the poorer signal). If it was a Verizon one at that distance, I would not need the booster. Also, if I did not have trees, would not need it. I did not see what your area uses, also Tmobile may use the higher frequency too, and I didn't look up Sprint (they don't list their frequencies that I know of, would have to research more).

Verizon signal MIGHT be better if it uses the "better" signal there, but of course I can't say for sure from here, if there would be a way that you could borrow/ask someone with service to check it out, because their towers might not even be close to you. Otherwise, if you want Tracfone service, phones to try. You have a touchscreen now, ones I'd suggest on Tracfone are the LG Ultimate 2 or the Motorola Moto E. There is a newer LG but I'd pick the one I mentioned for a few reasons.

Here are ebay listings. This seller is VERY reputable and is discussed on the Slickdeals site, I've ordered two LG Ultimate 2, one for my aunt. Basically $100 for the new phone AND one year of service (basically free phone with service). So, buy phone, then first transfer your old number and minutes, then after activated, add the new card with new minutes (in that order).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorola-Moto-E-Android-Smartphone-One-Year-of-Service-Included-Tracfone-/151480536124?hash=item2344f18c3c

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-Ultimate-2-LG-L41C-Smartphone-One-Year-of-Service-Included-Tracfone-/141524483246?hash=item20f3843cae

Also, at the time I post this, $40 for Verizon prepaid, it may be possible to use it on other networks. It may sell out. It is a newer model Moto E than Tracfone's.
http://www.frys.com/product/8466258
discussion
http://slickdeals.net/f/8047593-motorola-moto-e-4-5-verizon-no-contract-smartphone-40-free-store-pick-up?v=1

They may also have these in stores like Walmart. I don't know the return policy on Verizon's prepaid in store (I'm needing to head back out so not looking up). I'd highly suggest borrowing something before buying anything though. And, be careful picking up Tracfones, as they aren't all CDMA of course as mentioned, but the models here should be.

And the services like PagePlus cellular and Straight Talk, both Tracfone companies, also have phones that work on Verizon. Pageplus would be my choice for cheaper service especially if you don't use much. They may have a dealer in your area as well.

RVIEW... Thanks for another reply. I am going to try and borrow my friends wife's phone. they live the next house down
the road. I think it should work here. He said it is verizon service using Tmobile and /or sprint towers. I know they
have went trough the same pain with phones as I have gone trough. Verizon and at&t tower reception is very bad here.
(Boonies of S/E MI.) His father just passed away, and I know , that it would be a bad time to try and test it. He will
have family coming in from out of state for the funeral. Another friend of mine has Jitterbug. Do you know what
tower/towers they use? He said he always gets service. Thank you again very much...MTP

(quoted from post at 19:47:03 08/15/15) Tracfone sets their phones to work with either AT&T or Verizon. I had one that was set for AT&T. Very poor service in my area. Called, complained and they sent me a phone that was set for the Verizon system. Worked great. Worth a try. Usually if the phone model ends in a "C" it is set up for Verizon, otherwise it's set up for AT&T.

Click to expand...

Pretty much what I was going to say. The Tracfones sold in my area are all set for "G", I had to go online and order a "C" style. Works great.

Also, have you tried setting the phone to "roaming" rather than "home network"? That lets me use other towers.

I've never had any problems with Tracfones service whatsoever, but I use it as a phone, not a computer or gaming device. I spend less than $100.00 a year, often half that, for my service on a $14.00 phone.

Jitterbug does look like Verizon. I checked coverage here, and I have it, so it about has to be since Verizon and US Cellular are the only two national carriers that cover anywhere near me.

announcement
http://www.verizonwireless.com/news/article/2009/08/pr2009-08-26d.html

Jitterbug company/coverage
http://www.greatcall.com/CheckCoverage/

Phones are designed to be simple, but look high for what they are (I just checked Amazon, didn't look for used or anything), service looks reasonable though.

If Verizon service is bad, I don't know. Maybe a "better" phone on the network would would work better. I got the LG Ultimate 2 as mentioned, not -quite- as good with reception as my Motorola Barrage, but I do have service in my yard with the LG now, and my old LG Tracfones did not lock on/cut out. In my house, it doesn't matter because the booster makes anything work. The Motorola Mote E -might- have better reception, I got the one I did instead because I liked a couple features on it better, and I thought it had a better camera for when I didn't have my real camera along.

If you look around and see, they have sticker antennas that used to attach by the battery, things you'd see advertised like on a shopping channel. They don't work, at least not most that I saw.

Also, some of the prepaids don't roam to "partner"/competitor cell towers while some of the regular plan phones do roam, so if someone with a regular Verizon phone gets service, and a prepaid Verizon phone in your area doesn't have it (prepaid even like Tracfone on Verizon), might be the reason, of course the other companies too.

About all that can be done is to try different phones/service. I'd make sure to try a good Verizon phone, Sprint, then Tmobile, AT&T, if possible. If you find one that works, phones can usually be found for a fairly reasonable price somewhere.

(quoted from post at 12:36:01 08/17/15)
Also, have you tried setting the phone to "roaming" rather than "home network"? That lets me use other towers.

I've never had any problems with Tracfones service whatsoever, but I use it as a phone, not a computer or gaming device. I spend less than $100.00 a year, often half that, for my service on a $14.00 phone.

Click to expand...

The roaming deal might help a little, I haven't seen that in years on my phones since the new Vz towers went up the last 5 years or so. Roaming cost extra for VZ but looks like GSM doesn't. Also, back when it was roaming in some places, the phones I got automatically roamed with no changes by me. I looked through the manual and did not see it, and did a quick search for any settings. Depending as well, they may not roam at all depending what's around (they will hold a weak signal on their preferred network instead of the strong one on their partner network, my guess is this might apply to OP). Have to head back out again for chores.
http://www.tracfone.com/includes/content/questions/General.jsp?enId=FA10070&esId=FA10071&a=1374302882104

That's what I do with phones, but I have two. Barrage was $25, service is $30 per year, and I didn't use that much. I got the Ultimate 2 with tracfone for $100 with one year of service (it is very handy looking up stuff in town, when I was tractor shopping I looked up addresses on the road with one, barrage for home use, takes a beating). So, $130 per year for both. Sometimes tracfone year service is on sale for $85 as well, but I'll probably buy a new phone with service again next time since it's sort of free.

RVIEW...I thank you for your information and time...I will try to use some other peoples phones, and at least find out
what phones are working with the towers here. thank you again very much...MTP