Okeydokie.
Have a question for you: What do some French restaurants, the open sea, a small town in
West Virginia and your favorite rock band concert have in common?
All these are just some of the places where your cellphone won’t work for different
reasons.
Really!
Just check out my list!
1.
The open sea Unless you're traveling on a huge cruise ship
that has its own satellite-based technology to let you stay on the grid, the open sea
is mostly one massive coverage gap.
This is because of how the cellphone system works.
Providers take care of certain assigned areas setting towers with multiple antennas to transmit
signal.
They all have a limited coverage radius.
And because they are all physically on land, that signal simply can’t reach your small
yacht in the middle of the Atlantic.
Enjoy the peace and quiet 2.
Pretty much any national park
Some countries have official laws banning cell phone tower construction within the parks’
boundaries.
So don’t expect to text and call from Hoh Rainforest or Sequoia National Park, and share
stories from the Great Smokies or Joshua Tree National Park, to name a few.
Elsewhere, the Department of Wildlife in Sri Lanka asked cell phone service providers to
block coverage in Yala park during peak tourist hours.
They did it to protect the animals.
And it’s not that the critters complained about getting too many robocalls…A lot of
incidents happened when guides spotted, say, a leopard, called others, and too many cars
rushed to the spot.
3.
Mount Kilimanjaro
If you’re planning a climb on top of the famous volcanic peak in Tanzania, don't expect
a stable signal all the way up.
There will be black spots and places that have enough bars for texting but not data
streaming.
Because it's so remote and risky, not many wireless carriers are enthusiastic about setting
towers there.
So the best you can do is plan your ascent in detail before you get there.
By the way, if you ever heard climbing on top of a hill or a mountain will always get
you a better signal, that’s a myth.
4.
The Mariana Trench If some day going down the deepest trench
in the world becomes a common tourist activity, you won’t be able to live stream your adventures.
First, the water itself doesn’t let cell signal go through.
Second, if you’re inside a submarine (and that would be the way to go), it works like
a cage that blocks radio frequencies and electromagnetic fields.
Never mind the pressure.
5.
Socotra
The island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean has unique alien-looking plants you won't
find anywhere else but no resorts and practically no cell phone coverage.
Well, they call it one of the most isolated places on Earth for a reason.
6.
Green Bank, West Virginia This beautiful little town not so many people
have ever heard of is located in the Radio Quiet Zone.
Here, scientists are carefully listening to galaxies exploding somewhere in the universe
using the world’s largest radio telescope.
These sounds are so vague, any electronics would interfere with the process.
So, cell phones, Wi-Fi, and even household appliances like the microwave are off limits
for both the locals and rare visitors.
Do not interfere with us, earthling.
7.
Digital detox resorts Some people willingly pay to spend time off
the grid.
Mobile phones and laptops are officially banned within a half-mile radius of white-sand beaches
at multiple Caribbean resorts.
One popular hotel in Bali banned photos, calls, texts, and social media by the pool from 9am
to 5pm to let guests actually relax by it.
They did it after becoming one of the most Instagrammed locations with people only coming
there for photography.
That makes me wonder … Maybe concert and sports events organizers also want you to
just focus on the show and so they somehow block the connection at mass events?
But that’s just a guess, I’ll get back to it later.
8.
Pitcairn Islands
Only one of the four Pitcairn islands is inhabited by fewer than 60 people.
They encourage others to join them by offering free land on this Pacific island.
But even super low taxes, crystal clear water and summer all year round don’t inspire
too many people to jump in – maybe it’s lack of cell phone service that’s discouraging
folks.
9.
Tikaboo Valley
There is just one spot with some cell phone reception and one public phone in Tikaboo
Valley in Nevada.
There are no cell towers in this desert for two main reasons: there's a top-secret facility
nearby and it's super remote.
So if you ever decide to get as close to Area 51 as you possibly can, try to stay safe as
you won’t be able to call for help during your hike.
10.
At some restaurants
Some restaurants charge their clients a fine for using cell phones while eating.
At a café located three hours northwest from Marseille, France, phones are officially banned.
When you use it for the first time, you’ll get a yellow card from a waiter.
Second attempt means red card, and you’ll be asked to leave the restaurant.
Wow just like in soccer.
And, they blow a whistle every time they see you break the rule so that everyone knows
about it.
They do it to inspire people to talk to each other and not their gadgets.
Wow, if you keep it up, do the waiters do penalty kicks aimed at your table?
Sign up up!
What do you think, would you manage to finish dinner at a place like that, or would they
give you a red card because you can’t live without your phone?
Let me know in the comments below.
11.
In a crowd
You arrive at your favorite band’s concert you’ve been waiting for years.
You take the best shot ever and … you can’t share it online.
Your phone might have four or five bars, but nothing works out.
The same happens at sports events, festivals and parades, and in even on a busy road during
the rush hour.
Is this some kind of conspiracy to prevent you from sharing your exclusive content or
sounding off the way you feel about traffic jams?
In fact, it’s a technical issue.
Too many phones trying to send and receive signal from nearby cell towers simply overload
the network.
Even just calling and texting is super hard at such times, and trying to do data-heavy
things like sharing photos and videos only makes things worse.
There’s also a mix-up of signals when your phone is trying to get through and connected
to the correct network.
Stadiums and concert halls know about this situation, of course.
They are trying to solve the problem installing extra small cell antennas to boost signal
coming from larger usual ones.
Another idea is to use cell phones instead of towers to share signal.
Wi-Fi systems also help to somehow unload the pressure on cellphone networks.
12.
In hilly areas
Sometimes you can find yourself on the wrong side of the hill for phone reception.
Even if there is a cell tower not far from your home it won't help you much if the signal
is blocked by a hill or a mountain.
On the other hand, people living far away from a cell tower they can see from the other
side can have a perfect connection.
This is due to the fact that radio waves travel in a straight line and don't like any obstructions.
Well I don’t like obstructions.
Do you?
13.
Anywhere in bad weather Have you ever noticed how bars drop during
a thunderstorm?
That happens because radio waves travel through the atmosphere, and when raindrops, dust particles,
and ionized particles get in their way they mess up the signal.
In fact, even stuff going on in space influence cell reception.
Shock waves from eruptions on the Sun can change the Earth’s magnetic field and send
gas into the atmosphere.
Hey, I send gas into the…never mind.
Anyway, all that doesn't exactly help your cell signal.
14.
In a fast-moving vehicle It's understandable why you have no reception
in a tunnel under layers of concrete, but sometimes it abandons you in a fast moving
car or train.
This is because when you're traveling at high speed, you change your location way too fast
for radio signals to move between your cell phone and the right cell tower.
Bottom line: just chill.
It’ll be okay soon.
Trust me.
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