@tokyo 14 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 Can anyone with Softbank keitai tell me how coverage is? It is apparently getting better all the time and I have heard varying - but you can usually not really trust the extremes can you! - so I was just wondering. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 dont expect it to work in the mountains Link to post Share on other sites
@tokyo 14 Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 By "in the mountains" do you mean up on top of them, or in the mountain towns? I don't need a phone up there and in places humans hardly ever go to - just in town areas and roads. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 the coverage will be in and out. If you hit up a small onsen place you wont get much coverage. If you hit up hakuba yuzawa etc then yeah no problem. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 I have Softbank and its ok, I do have probs with coverage when out snowboarding and I'm only a resort rider. That said I had full coverage on Shikinejima when my gfriends phone didn't Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 My mate has Softbank. Says coverage is fine. (He goes on lots of trips out into the country, but doesn't take/use it up mountains). Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 i have softbank - works well in the front of the house, but not too good in the back Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Calling you is frustrating to say the least. Link to post Share on other sites
tsondaboy 0 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 AU has the best coverage around. I was able to make phone calls send "look were I am today" mails etc from both the top of Happo and Kagura several times. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Don't you have better things to do when you are on top of Happo and Kagura? Link to post Share on other sites
tsondaboy 0 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 I can always spare 1-2 mins when I am hiking to send nasty mails to people at work. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 At Kagura the coverage zones in and out Link to post Share on other sites
tsondaboy 0 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Yeah, it seems there is coverage only above the #1 high speed lift or below the Mitsumata Gondola, but not in the middle parts of the resort. Strange... Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Yeah thats right. after getting to the top of the #1 lift I had a flood of messages from my missing mate, saying that he'd rode down into Tashiro and got caught when the uploading lifts went off. He had no way to get back to Kagura except by the bus!! Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I never take a phone with me out. It just seems..... sad. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 A phone in the BC makes sense. For BC phones Docomo is still the best. Link to post Share on other sites
tsondaboy 0 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 FT don't you also have AU, are you planing to change to Docomo? From my experience working in the mountains and not just skiing, were we need to have a cell phone with, AU has the best coverage around. The guys that come with me working and have Docomo cellphones given by their company, have only complains to make about its coverage in the mountains. Link to post Share on other sites
me jane 0 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Tsonda, I guess your friends have docomo FOMA. Docomo MOVA is better for coverage. Docomo used to be gov. owned so they set up the antenna whereever they wanted whereas the private companies need permission, which is difficult to get for remote places (or so I heard). FOMA is the newer, cheaper (now standard) system but it is possible to switch over to MOVA when you head into the mountains (but they you can't use email or i-mode so its a bit of a pain). When docomo finally gets rid of MOVA, they will switch all their antenna to FOMA and then their coverage will be great. Link to post Share on other sites
tsondaboy 0 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 You are right Jane, all of them had FOMA keitai's, though I am not so sure if you can just switch from FOMA to MOVA. If I get it right, FOMA is a different signal than MOVA (maybe digital or different coding). So switching to FOMA only is not just a mater of changing the transmiting frequency, but also compatibility of the Antenas. I think it involves some kind of adjustments to be able to suport the FOMA format, thats why for the time being AU is a bit better. Cant say about the future though. As for getting permission to work in the mountains, unfortunately I have first hand experience. I am fighting all week over the phone about 50 x 50 cm of land to set up seismographs. If I talk to someone thats 50 years old or younger, then I finish in 10-15 mins. For any older than that, I think its better if you just bash them on the head... Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Didn't know that about Foma/mova. The whole thing confuses me. Just give me a phone that I can make calls on from time to time and that'll do. Link to post Share on other sites
Pete the Shoemaker 0 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I have Softbank and never had problems. Don't use it all the time though like some people! Link to post Share on other sites
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