First Post- Cell service in Beaver Bend while fly fishing?

[jnw8w8]

Hi Everyone.  My wife and I will be making our first trip to Beaver Bend State Park and the Lower Mountain Fork in early May.  I want to thank all the members for their posts which I am sure will help me fish Zone 1 for my first time.  Certainly I'll be frequenting the Beaver Bend Fly Shop as well for the length of our stay.  I'll have to! I pulled out my vice and discovered that I can't even see a #18 hook anymore much less tie anything to it. My wife will most likely be hanging around the Fern Campground or birding out on one of the trails while I am fishing.  Can anyone tell me if we are likely to have cell service (Sprint/T-Mobile) while we are separated in the park?  In some of our more remote campsites I have been thinking that having GMRS radios and a base camp station with Weather Alert for the RV might be useful but I keep putting it off.  This trip might make me pull the plug on the radios.  I am really looking forward to exploring your waters.

[turfdawg]

I’m pretty sure sprint doesn’t work in that area at all. My at&t is limited in the park.

[jnw8w8]

Thanks TurfDog.  I guess that I will be looking at GMRS handhelds a bit more in the next week.

[czoscar]

The only place that I’ve been able to get a limited signal with Verizon anywhere in the park is at the top of Lookout Mountain.  Nowhere else.

[firefly]

sprint for sure no service in park. I had to drive up past the dam to the water treatment plant(not sure what it was??) and could get 4G there. I met a guy who said he had ATT and gets enough service to hot spot his phone and worked on his computer from his camp. Not sure where that was though. I saw about 10 people while i was there that were mad as hell because the park now requires parking be paid online and none of them could actually get service to do it. They all had received tickets.

[jonbo]

The way I understand it, down by the river it's basically ATT or nada. I get service through Verizon pretty well in the parking area on top of the dam on the powerhouse side. I don't know anything about GRMS technology (is that the same as "walkie talkie"?) What kind of range does one get with that?

One other thing. There's a machine in front of the Park office that dispenses parking passes. You need either $10 in correct amount or a credit card. It's not too hard I shouldn't think. I guess they're not advertising its location enough or something.

[firefly]

jonbo,
ya i didnt see anywhere showing there was a machine. I got lucky and my campsite came with one and i had registered my car earlier.