Verizon 3g coverage on Amtrak

I'm considering buying a Blackberry Storm and I'm wondering how the verizon 3g coverage is on the NEC? Currently I have an LG Verizon phone that gets great coverage between NYP-BOS (the section I take most often) (heck, the phone even gets coverage in the East River Tunnels outside of NYP)

Is your current phone 3g? If your current signal levels are good your new phone will probably be good. I often see people using Verizon equipment.

I have Sprint and it uses the same spectrum as Verizon and the signal is very good.

Couple of words of warning:

1.) Make sure your comfortable with the virtual keyboard. I just activated 7 blackberries for people Friday and I could tell some hated the keyboard.

2.) Blackberry can be a pain to tether to a computer because Blackberry doesn't use a conventional TCP/IP stack. The speed may also be slower since the traffic has to pass through RIM's server farm to the outside world and back to your phone through RIM's server farm.

Personally I carry the HTC Touch Pro. Windows Mobile power, full keyboard, full TCP/IP stack.

gprimr1 wrote: Personally I carry the HTC Touch Pro. Windows Mobile power, full keyboard, full TCP/IP stack.

Same here, love it. (though need to find a remote desktop client for it.)

I've found Sprint to be very good from Albany down to NYP (except for a few limited areas. As for NYP-WAS, it seems there's one or two spots that are surprisingly poor (just north of Aberdeen for example.) Overall though very good.

I do use a separate Sprint Modem though since I couldn't get the data plan to go with my phone. But since it was a $50 rebate on the $50 cell modem, it's actually more convenient for me.

In fact I'm passing Bannerman's Castle on the SB 236 as I type this. And watching a SB freight on the west side of the river. (We're stuck behind a SB Metronorth though and lots of track work as we keep slowing down.)

Thanks for the input, currently I am NOT using a 3g phone. I am debating weather I want the traditional blackberry(with a qwerty keyboard) or the touch screen storm (but I believe it is irrelevant to the coverage).

I have a BB storm(which Im not totally happy with because of some flaws) but the internet service is extremly great with Verizon on the NEC. The entire railroad especially the tunnels along the NEC is wired for it.As I deadhead on the train from Philly to NYC everyday, the only deadspots in internet is around the Princeton Jct area.I have yet to see the 3G show up on my phone but internet service is great with Verizon along the NEC even if the 3G symbol hasnt shown up..

It's worked even in the Baltimore tunnels for me most of the time. There's a brief area with weak to no coverage around Glenolden PA as well, but otherwise I've been able to browse the Internet, send/large files via my company's VPN, etc, pretty much all up and down the NEC. One more reason to not fly the congested airspace in the region.

Any newer Verizon Blackberry should tether Internet without an issue, whether it be a Storm, 8830, Curve, etc. I have plenty of colleagues that use the Storm and have no issues tethering, though my preference is to use one with a QWERTY keyboard and physical keys. Verizon's higher speed network (EVDO) will show up on the phone as "1XEV" though data transfer is still possible on the slower network (which will show as "1X").

As an aside, remember the WiFi antennas that were put up on the catenary poles a year ago or so at least in the Philly-Wilmington area for a trial? They seem to be gone now.

If for some reason you drop out of 3G coverage, you can still get nationwide access or w/e they call it which is slightly faster than dial up speeds. So unless you get no service what so ever it should still work. Lots of people don't like the Storm because of the click able touch screen. You may want to wait until the Blackberry Niagara comes out which is like a typical BB with a full qwerty keyboard. I know we are getting off topic here so if you have any more Blackberry questions there are many knowledgeable people on crackberry.com that would be glad to help!

i use the storm from os to new haven everyday it is great

Yeah 1xRTT is the older network where you can't get 3G/EVDO. There are very few places left I think were you can get cellular service but not data service. You'd have to go far into the boon docks.

Two only two dead spots I know of are the tunnel east of New Haven and depending on the weather, a stip of a couple of miles just west of Guilford, Conn.

Hm, I wonder if AT&T has the same kind of coverage...incase I ever go up, I'd like to be on webcam with my family at home as we go. That would be cool.

Kinda off topic, what kind of down/up speeds do you guys get with Verizon 3G?

iceman977th wrote:Hm, I wonder if AT&T has the same kind of coverage...incase I ever go up, I'd like to be on webcam with my family at home as we go. That would be cool.

Kinda off topic, what kind of down/up speeds do you guys get with Verizon 3G?

Well on Acela, 135mph and on Regional 110mph.

Oh wait.. that's now what you meant. Honestly, not sure, but down is often very snappy on my Sprint phone.

i remember writing letters and waiting moinths for replies . and having to set up mail drops at american expres offices . Times have certainly changed for travellers . Now we talk of been unconnected for minutes , whereas before it was days / weeks / months .

David Benton wrote:i remember writing letters and waiting moinths for replies . and having to set up mail drops at american expres offices . Times have certainly changed for travellers . Now we talk of been unconnected for minutes , whereas before it was days / weeks / months .

Or going to the Post Office (in Great Britain) to send a cable to the US because long distance was way too expensive.

Jon

I can check the throughput of my data usb stick on thursday ... at least trenton to philly. Normally don't have issues on that route, and can run vpn, email, normal web browsing with no hinderance.