[Elecraft] DZOTA: Dead Zones On The Air

[Dale Chayes]

> On Dec 10, 2019, at 10:17 , Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Joe,
> 
> I'd just google each company's coverage maps.

The AT&T 4G map for my state (Massachusetts) is some kind of wishful thinking at best.
https://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html

There are lots of holes even within the relatively metro area inside I-495.

I would be very happy to find a source of actual (ground level) coverage.

-Dale
KB1ZKD

> 
> Wayne
> N6KR
> 
> 
>> On Dec 10, 2019, at 7:12 AM, Joseph Street <jstreet at uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
>> 
>> DZOTA  so....most of Canada then.  This jives perfectly with my desire to go hike where nobody else wants to go.  I might just get bitten by this bug along with a few thousand mosquitoes and blackflies.  One problem though, I've never owned a cell phone.  I need some other way of knowing when I'm in a dead zone. Any suggestions?
>> 
>> Joe ve3vxo
>> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net <elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com>
>> Sent: December 10, 2019 9:46:09 AM
>> To: Elecraft Reflector
>> Cc: Elecraft-KX at groups.io
>> Subject: [Elecraft] DZOTA: Dead Zones On The Air
>> 
>> Have you seen those cell-phone company maps showing how much of the country they cover? Inevitably, they reveal a patchwork of Dead Zones (DZs): places where coverage is not just bad...it's non-existent.
>> 
>> In such inhospitable realms, your choices are smoke signals, sat phone, or ham radio. This smacks of an opportunity. Hence DZOTA.
>> 
>> DZOTA places are often DeZerted. In fact, they are often in dezerts, in contrast to many of the conspicuous high places typical of SOTA. This may be a benefit to outdoor radio enthusiasts who, when hiking, prefer level ground or even a gentle downward slope. And in an emergency, those hikers might be the only ones around with comms.
>> 
>> Where are the most notorious DZs? I have a few tiny cell network black holes in my urban neighborhood, thanks to AT&T. But the truly inspiring DZs are far from civilization, covering tens or hundreds of square miles. Typically, they're also far from sources of noise.
>> 
>> I have no illusions that DZOTA sites will be officially tracked and chased anytime soon. Still, the "NO SIGNAL" icon on my phone now has new meaning. It's a bug you, too, can change to a feature just by keeping a radio in your vehicle at all times.
>> 
>> In my case, it's the spare KX2 and AX1 under the driver's seat.
>> 
>> 73,
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
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