By Eric DuVall

duvalle@gnnewspaper.com

Driving in your car, you took the time to hook up the hands-free device to avoid a ticket. You charged the battery on your phone in the cigarette lighter. You’re running late and wouldn’t mind letting the person who’s waiting for you know that you’re on your way.

You go to make a call — no bars. Two miles ago, it seemed like a full signal. Finally one bar, which earns you half a broken call and even more frustration.

Depending on where you are in eastern Niagara County and who your carrier is, it can be a frequent and maddening problem. In an age of instant communication, why is it that cell phones can still be such a hassle? It’s a question that has people talking — when there’s a signal.

Carl Block works in Lockport and has been with Verizon for the last several years. He gets “awesome” reception all across Western New York, including his North Tonawanda home, but that wasn’t always the case. He switched from Sprint, which he said was problematic for several reasons. Between billing irregularities and poor reception, it was enough to make the switch.

“It was five years ago when I dropped them,” he said. “I just got frustrated with it.”

Lockport resident Steve Patrick has had a Cingular phone for a decade. He’s only been with the one company, but he’s mostly satisfied with their service.

“There’s just a couple spots in Lockport it won’t get,” he said. “Mostly, it works good.”

The basics

Cell phones work the same as a radio. Sounds are transmitted on frequencies broadcast from atop towers that dot the region. Every town in eastern Niagara County has at least two towers, some with multiple carriers per tower.

Each tower covers roughly a 10-square-mile radius, according to information found on the Federal Communications Commission’s Web site. Companies have the ability to control strength and capacity on the towers that can improve reception.

Verizon’s spokesman for upstate New York John O’Malley said the company has made a large effort to improve cell reception in all areas.

“We just added capacity to one of the sites in eastern Niagara County because of the traffic,” O’Malley said. “Even though you think it’s a more rural area, there are people out there that use the service.”

Verizon’s technical support isn’t all that unlike the company’s well-known ad slogan and commercials where a technician wanders the country on a phone asking “Can you hear me now?” The company employs roaming signal testers who drive a van loaded with signal testing equipment that tells the company where their signal is weak and the level of competing companies. From there, they decide what to do about the service strength.

“Over the course of time if a particular cell site is experiencing heavy traffic and may be reaching its limit, that’s what we determine,” he said. “It’s based on history of volume on the site.”

When planning signal strength, O’Malley said customer demand is the top priority. And the top priority for a consumer looking at buying a phone and signing a contract, is reception, he said.

“I’ve seen a number of surveys and coverage was almost always the top priority,” he said. “You can have the fanciest phone in the world with all the bells and whistles and the most economical price plan available, but if the phone doesn’t work where you need it to work, what good is it to you?”

Lockport’s Erik Johnson and Monica Kinyon have survived, even with poor reception. Johnson has used a Cingular phone for seven years, despite the fact that he said it gets poor service. Kinyon has a Verizon phone, which she said is almost always in service.

When setting out to buy his phone, Johnson recalled being more interested in the features his phone had and its cost.

“My phone sucks,” he admitted. “It drops calls all the time. (When I bought it), it was about price and what it did. Signal didn’t matter at the time.”

Apparently dropped calls didn’t bother Kinyon, either. She had a spotty Cricket phone for five years. The only reason she changed was because her old phone broke, she said.

Shopping smart

The FCC offers guidelines for consumers ready to ink a contract.

Cell reception, according to their Web site, isn’t necessarily cut and dried. Companies will sometimes furnish potential customers with misleading maps of their coverage area, though the details can be found in the fine print.

“Often these maps show very general coverage for entire regions. The maps usually carry a disclaimer saying they are provided for informational purposes only and that actual coverage may vary,” it says.

The group recommends first talking with neighbors and friends who use different carriers to get a feel for what companies work best in the area. Some carriers allow for a brief trial period before a contract is signed. The FCC recommends consumers take advantage of that when available.

They also recommend checking online for consumer advocacy sites. It mentions the site www.deadcellzones.com that provides information on weak signal areas submitted by users. Another of those sites is www.mobiledia.com, which asks users to leave comments on their phone, their neighborhood and rank service on a one to five scale.

When in roam...

If you’ve used your ATM card in another bank’s machine’s bank, then you probably understand the basic concept of roaming. It occurs when a phone doesn’t have service available through its own network, but it does through another company’s signal.

Typically, carriers charge more for minutes used in roaming mode.

Locally, towns have a wide variety of different providers. While it might make for tricky roaming charges for customers from time to time, it can make for some decent dough for tower hosts.

Several towers are situated on privately-owned land, though several are on publicly owned property, as well. The companies pay hosts, both public and private.

In Newfane, John Peterson a farmer whose parcel sits on Ridge Road, permitted a tower on his property to be built four years ago. These days it’s never much of an bother.

“It’s been very worthwhile,” Peterson said. “I’m thankful I happened to be in the right place at the right time. ... It’s not bothersome. It’s nice to get that monthly check.”

The construction of the tower was something of a problem, however. The tower, which stands 195-feet-tall, caused some disruption to the family farm.

“That was a problem,” he said. “It was a lot of construction going on, being that I’m operating a farm at the same time. They had to put underground trenches and cables out to that facility. There was a lot of commotion for a while, but once it got built, you hardly see anybody.”

In Hartland, Lucille Britt of Hartland Road had a tower built on her property eight years ago. The extra income has been a blessing, though at first she was wary of the offer.

“There was a gentleman from Rochester one Saturday, and he talked real fast and told me he worked for Verizon and (that) my property had been chosen for a cell tower. I thought it was a joke. It was right out of the blue. He said he had a map and ‘I want to come out and talk to you.’”

A week later, the company’s representative, with a young child in tow, were on their doorstep. They agreed on the terms and set about getting the proper permits from the county and Town of Hartland. The county planners were easier to deal with than the town, which had more strict local laws, she said. Though once the engineering and planning process was resolved, the tower went up without a hitch.

“I think they did a real good job erecting it,” she said. “I’ve heard some horror stories, but they did a very good job.”

While neither Peterson nor Britt would disclose how much they make per month on the towers, it’s extra income that, at least for now seems fairly steady. On the municipal side, the City Clerk Dick Mullaney said the city makes roughly $15,000 per year from Sprint for a tower they have built in Outwater Park.

The contract was signed between the city and Sprint in 2000. It has already been renewed through 2010. The mutual benefits for cell companies and land owners will likely lead to a long relationship, Britt said.

“I think (the towers) are going to be here to stay,” she said.

Contact Eric DuVall at 439-9222, Ext. 6251.