Cell service Northern WI and UP

Longlegs

Member
I have Verizon cell service and this year I can hardly get a signal anywhere in the Northwoods. I turned the phone off several times but it didn’t help. Is anybody else experiencing this? I have been having trouble at my place in Southern IL too, but it’s never been great. Is it because they deactivated the 3g network recently?
 
Just got back from Upson, had service all the way up(I have US cellular). My buddy had Verizon and lost signal after Mercer. Been all over UP and only places, I don't get service are north of calumet, and parts of 141 between crystal falls and Covington. Can't speak on the deactivation of the 3g.
 

SHOOT2KILL

Active member
Dont have anything to add other than I never have had problamatic cell service in the N.W. & Yoop...BUT.. I do have a funny story...20 years ago was up riding in Adams Co, Wi and was sitting at my buddys bar approx 12 mi north of the Dells...Couldnt get cell service inside the bar...So my buddy tells me to go outside and stand on the double yellow lane divider out in the roadway...lol...I thought he was just messin with me to see if I would do it...Sooo after another hour or so of no luck making a call from inside the bar, I bit the bullet and walked outside and stood on the yellow line in the roadway and proceeded to call home...LOOOOOL...It Worked...
 

buddah2

Member
Unfortunately spotty service is still a hallmark of the UP to this day...I've lived here 20 yrs (20 mi south of Munising) and it's a cellular dead-zone for
pretty much all the various services...I guess just not enough customers to justify the expense
 

stitcher

Member
Dont have anything to add other than I never have had problamatic cell service in the N.W. & Yoop...BUT.. I do have a funny story...20 years ago was up riding in Adams Co, Wi and was sitting at my buddys bar approx 12 mi north of the Dells...Couldnt get cell service inside the bar...So my buddy tells me to go outside and stand on the double yellow lane divider out in the roadway...lol...I thought he was just messin with me to see if I would do it...Sooo after another hour or so of no luck making a call from inside the bar, I bit the bullet and walked outside and stood on the yellow line in the roadway and proceeded to call home...LOOOOOL...It Worked...
Standing on a yellow line in a roadway also loosens your bowels (from what I've been told).:)
 

Bullitt69

Member
Unfortunately spotty service is still a hallmark of the UP to this day...I've lived here 20 yrs (20 mi south of Munising) and it's a cellular dead-zone for
pretty much all the various services...I guess just not enough customers to justify the expense
Agree 100% - near the towns, it's OK - but soon as you get into the bush (say 5 miles out of a town) it craps out. I have Vz too. From Munising going east on M28, there's a dead zone from Shingleton to Seney, then it comes back for a few miles, then out again until Newberry, back out - then nothing most of the way to Sault St. Marie. I'm sure it's similar in most of the Western UP away from the bigger towns / villages.

Haven't been out that way in awhile, but I remember once you left calumet going north, it was out - or leaving Houghton south, most of 26.
 
We live in the forest off FFH13 about 15 miles south of Munising/Wetmore. Verizon was our phone carrier for years. It was very difficult to make a call unless we used the Wi-Fi calling feature which only works in the house or yard. A month ago we switched to AT&T. I now can make a call when I’m walking the dog not connected to Wi-Fi.
 
Agree 100% - near the towns, it's OK - but soon as you get into the bush (say 5 miles out of a town) it craps out. I have Vz too. From Munising going east on M28, there's a dead zone from Shingleton to Seney, then it comes back for a few miles, then out again until Newberry, back out - then nothing most of the way to Sault St. Marie. I'm sure it's similar in most of the Western UP away from the bigger towns / villages.

Haven't been out that way in awhile, but I remember once you left calumet going north, it was out - or leaving Houghton south, most of 26

I believe Verizon put a tower in north of Calumet a few years ago. My buddy gets good service in LLB.
 

pclark

Well-known member
I have ATT and it's just Ok in my opinion. I used to have Verizon and it was the same so I don't really think it's the carrier, it's the area we live in.
 

Longlegs

Member
Dont have anything to add other than I never have had problamatic cell service in the N.W. & Yoop...BUT.. I do have a funny story...20 years ago was up riding in Adams Co, Wi and was sitting at my buddys bar approx 12 mi north of the Dells...Couldnt get cell service inside the bar...So my buddy tells me to go outside and stand on the double yellow lane divider out in the roadway...lol...I thought he was just messin with me to see if I would do it...Sooo after another hour or so of no luck making a call from inside the bar, I bit the bullet and walked outside and stood on the yellow line in the roadway and proceeded to call home...LOOOOOL...It Worked...
So which one of the 9 bars in Lyndon (population of only 500) does your friend own? Oh wait thats Juneau I think.
 

SHOOT2KILL

Active member
So which one of the 9 bars in Lyndon (population of only 500) does your friend own? Oh wait thats Juneau I think.
They recently caught one of those bar owners in that town trying to Torch his own place...

 

LoveMyDobe

Active member
I live in NWWI between Iron River and Brule, I have an AT&T on my road so I'm good here. I've gotten service out in the woods. I
 

rph130

Well-known member
I have Verizon cell service and this year I can hardly get a signal anywhere in the Northwoods. I turned the phone off several times but it didn’t help. Is anybody else experiencing this? I have been having trouble at my place in Southern IL too, but it’s never been great. Is it because they deactivated the 3g network recently?
I have Verizon and split my time between Chicago and Presque Isle. In Chicago there is no problem but this trip to PI the service has been horrible. If my calls are not broken up, they drop and this has been an everyday thing. Good news for us up here is that Verizon is negotiating with a friend of mine that lives on County P near the old Carlin Club to put a tower on his property. That would probably help a lot in this area.
 

old abe

Well-known member
I have Verizon and split my time between Chicago and Presque Isle. In Chicago there is no problem but this trip to PI the service has been horrible. If my calls are not broken up, they drop and this has been an everyday thing. Good news for us up here is that Verizon is negotiating with a friend of mine that lives on County P near the old Carlin Club to put a tower on his property. That would probably help a lot in this area.
You might want to remind your friend to be very careful dealing with the cell tower company. This as a friend of mind made an agreement, and they erected the tower. However they did not put it into service for 8 years! He got nothing for payment until it was consider a active tower, in service! Be very careful dealing with these folks, as they are pros at screwing people to get their $$$$$$!
 

rph130

Well-known member
You might want to remind your friend to be very careful dealing with the cell tower company. This as a friend of mind made an agreement, and they erected the tower. However they did not put it into service for 8 years! He got nothing for payment until it was consider a active tower, in service! Be very careful dealing with these folks, as they are pros at screwing people to get their $$$$$$!
Thanks old abe. I will see him tomorrow and relay the advice. Verizon is actually the ones that approached him after some sort of study to figure out best placement for coverage. Right now, they are haggling over monthly compensation. I was amazed at what they are willing to pay. I don't remember the exact figure, but it was more than two thousand a month for a 30-year contract. Nice guaranteed supplemental retirement income in my opinion. I don't know how far of a distance the tower would be a benefit, but it would probably help Presque Isle, Manitowish Waters, Boulder Junction, and maybe Land O Lakes.
 

snomoman

Active member
I might get some flack for this but… I wouldn’t ever consider putting a cell tower on my property, what an eyesore, no amount of money whatever would compensate me for looking at that for 30 years, especially being out in the middle of the beautiful wilderness if that’s where the property is at, what’s to say that these things will be outdated with future technology or that the company bellies up
 
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old abe

Well-known member
Thanks old abe. I will see him tomorrow and relay the advice. Verizon is actually the ones that approached him after some sort of study to figure out best placement for coverage. Right now, they are haggling over monthly compensation. I was amazed at what they are willing to pay. I don't remember the exact figure, but it was more than two thousand a month for a 30-year contract. Nice guaranteed supplemental retirement income in my opinion. I don't know how far of a distance the tower would be a benefit, but it would probably help Presque Isle, Manitowish Waters, Boulder Junction, and maybe Land O Lakes.
Verizon is the same company as to who I was relating. Just be careful, as I said these people are pros. Compensation now is one thing, compensation 20, 30 years from now is something else! I would absolutely have my attorney in on this to secure a iron clade contract, and no loop holes, or any kind of surprises down the road, such as buy outs, or mergers. Good luck to your friend on this.
 

Longlegs

Member
They recently caught one of those bar owners in that town trying to Torch his own place...

Never have had cell service in that bar either.
I wasn’t expecting much for service up in the UP. But I we were in Mass city, Copper Harbor, Lanse and Big Bay. I figured in t he towns wed have service At least. But then driving back and forth on rt45 we didn’t even have service until Eagle and Rhinelander.
 
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