Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion WI-FI INTERNET ACCESS

Spent 3 days/2 nights on the MMWT trail a couple of weeks ago and never had a single bar on my ATT BB. Maybe more direct line-of-sight up the MR?

Bulldog, there is somehow partial cell coverage that reaches Whitney's summit. After taking my iphone up the trail last year and getting ZERO bars or signal on either 3G or Edge network, I decided to leave the brick in the truck this go around. To my surprise, I make it to the top and there is this group of four calling family and friends. The man in charge of the phone allowed me to make a call to my wife from the summit... I talked for two minutes with no issues. Perfect signal. Dont ask me how.

Awesome set of photos... it gives "the cables" a whole new meaning... from the Portal to the summit via cable/tram with no switchbacks to speak of... will have to look for the ticket booth the next time.

ROTF,
Luis

I have AT&T regular cell service. During my recent week in the Whitney-area mountains, I was startled by an incoming call while my cell was in my pocket heading up the first steep part of the MR (in the woods) somewhat before the first water crossing. Seeing 2-3 bars, I was also able to make an outgoing call from that spot as well.

Ditto for somewhere on the lower part of the MT during the same week.

I was also able to make several calls from the top of Kearsarge Pass out of Onion Valley, with almost full bars. Of course these experiences were off and on and couldn't be relied on 100% of the time.

CaT

something changed with ATT service in that area since last year. In summer 2010, I didn't even get service in downtown Lone Pine with one of our phones, and nothing at all up on the mountain. This April, full bars at the hostel, and full bars at Upper Boyscout, a location where you do have full line of sight to Lone Pine.

Yeah, must have changed. Four years ago, different phone, same AT&T service, top of Whitney, could only get enough of a signal to make an outgoing call and get a open line (maybe), but not enough of a signal, it seems, for the open line to actually ring the phone, even though it said it was dialing and was connected -- in short, a connection with no substance, if that makes sense.

Fast forward to now, my experience is more like yours this time around -- a signal in lots of unexpected places.

CaT

We didn't get reception anywhere between the Portal and the Summit, which we didn't care about. Getting on facebook on our phones at the summit was pretty cool though!