Isle Royale Forums

Do they work on the island? My wife, who does not backpack and is afraid I'll be eaten by a wolf or get stepped on by a moose or drowned by a beaver, wanted me to ask.

I've never gotten a signal on the island but this doesn't mean much since I have trouble getting a signal here at home. Thought I might get a signal on the north side from Canada but no luck. I won't bring my phone next time. Others may have had different experiences with different carriers.

I would worry more about being bombarded by red squirrels or the goshawks that nest near the Feldtmann Tower (if you go that way)

I have heard of folks getting a signal from the Greenstone at different places and being able to place a call. I would not count on it.

I intentionally packed my cell phone last year, and kept trying it at multiple points for purposes of trying to determine if a cell phone reliably works. We hiked part of Minong, the Greenstone, and then the Rock Harbor Trail. I have Verizon service, and used my tri-mode phone which would have picked up one of three possible signal types. The verdict? I carried an extra couple ounces for naught. Nada. Nothing. In talking with the deck hand on the Voy II, he indicated that a few points during the Northern ferry route I might catch Canada, for instance when just leaving the pass where the America sits. They have a bag phone/higher wattage phone on the Voy II, with external antenna, and still don't always connect, from what they said.
There is a pay phone (that uses cellular, but higher power) you can use at Rock Harbor. It takes credits cards, which is good, since I think the price starts at $5.00. However, if the wife needs some peace of mind, it's an option.
Since I'm not aware of there ever being a moose/human or wolf/human attack or injury in it's history as a park (I seem to recall Ranger Valerie indicating to "not be the first") I think your odds are pretty good at coming back from IR with nothing more than a stiff back, sore feet, and some bug bites... Not to mention a ton of memories!

Thanks for the info. She'll like the call from Rock Harbor. Then all she'll have to worry about is the boat sinking on the way back to Minnisota.

Some friends and I did a section of the Minong and Greenstone back in 2006, we didn't have any luck with cell phone reception anywhere on IR no matter how many times it was attempted, its probably much easier to just leave the cell phone back in the car. One less thing to attempt to carry.

But maybe if you have a satellite phone might work, I don't have any experience with using one of those in the area.

Yes cell phones do work on the Island, however conditions may change. We had good cell reception on the North side of the Island, and anywhere there was high ground. The north side connected through Canada, however when we were on the Greenstone, we also had service from Michigan. This service was not good, but we did make a few calls out. This was not my phone, so not sure who the service was from, but I believe it was Sprint with an older Nokia phone. I am an Amateur Radio operator, so I had a small handheld radio that would reach into the Thunder Bay Amateur radio club. If we really needed some help. It will also work on the marine freqs. Good luck.

Someone I know quite well uses an old non-GSM/non-CDMA phone for the past 5 years to make calls from the top of the rocks behind the campground at Chippewa Harbor.

Satellite phones work. I saw a guy using a rented one for his work the last time I was on Isle Royale.

If you're wife is worried that much, you can look into a "SPOT Satellite Messenger". It allows you to send text messages indicating that you're okay and records you global positioning. Friends of mine tested one out while climbing mt Washington last month. I enjoyed it back home since I could track their progress online. Just a thought.
http://www.findmespot.com/

Boks

A couple of notes -
If you're planning on calling before heading to the ferry, in Minnesota place the call in Grand Marais. For whatever reason, once you get down to the parking area by the Voyageur II in Grand Portage, the vortex of evil sucks up cell calls. I could get a signal, but it would never connect if I tried to call...
The only reliable prediction is that cell phone service is unreliable. If you have a light phone, perhaps pack it; if it's one of those banana styles from the 80s, don't bother. I should also note that those who may have gotten out before (especially using the older model phones) may not this year; the FCC allows carriers to no longer have to provide the "AMPS" analog phone service as of Feb 18 of this year. Many carriers are eager to drop that service; I think most Canadian cell companies are following, so the old school may no longer work.

Vitz - I laughed when I saw your ham reference. My first thought when I was considering, "How would I contact my wife or in an emergency" was to use a 2 meter handheld and connect to an autopatch on the LSAC repeater network. Maybe we're all secretly amateur radio operators posing as campers?

MGPuma and others - Just don't tell your wife, "If you don't hear from me by x, then you'll know I'm in trouble." That would make her worry.

My wife, Jackie, is used to "maybe I can call." My las two trips were to Savage Gulf, an eight hundred foot deep hole in the ground. No calls out of there. Lot's of waterfalls in the spring, though.

Tom wrote:If you're planning on calling before heading to the ferry, in Minnesota place the call in Grand Marais. For whatever reason, once you get down to the parking area by the Voyageur II in Grand Portage, the vortex of evil sucks up cell calls. I could get a signal, but it would never connect if I tried to call...

I could get a call out in Grand Portage, but had to go north up the main road to the scenic overlook just before Canada to get a call out. It was also a sketchy call at best.

OK, I'll admit up front that I'm an old curmudgeon. That said, one of the reasons many of us go to IR is to escape some of the realities of life. I've been in campsites where I've had to listen to someone on a satellite phone discussing things that could well have been left to the user's return. I get enough of the "cell people" going down aisles of the grocery store discussing in depth their hemorrhoids. I don't want to listen to someone on the trail two-waying their excitement about the moose berries to someone on the mainland.

IR is one of the few places I can go where you can't get five bars and I'd like to see it stay that way.

OK, I admit I carry a marine radio in the kayak. It will get turned on for two reasons---the weather and true emergencies like those require rescue or evacuation.

The deal with my wife is I call her right before I go in and when I come out. So I will not be chatting on the trail.

We have the cheapest Nokia phone Alltel offers on their prepaid plan and have always had success calling from the high points of the Greenstone and from the ridge behind Chippewa Harbor campground. We now always carry it for emergencies and to check in with our house-and-cat-watchers every few days.

Bob