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Aug 20, 2015, 9:22 am

#76

Marambio

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: Paris, France

Programs: Flying Blue Gold

Posts: 761

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayAreaResident

Anyone know which carrier has the best coverage in the Patagonia-area countryside? I'm not expecting much coverage at all, but some is better than none and will come in handy for maps, etc.

Patagonia is huge, a bit bigger than France. Which parts are you going to visit?

Aug 20, 2015, 9:52 am

#77

BayAreaResident

Join Date: Oct 2013

Posts: 70

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marambio

Patagonia is huge, a bit bigger than France. Which parts are you going to visit?

Not sure yet - thinking about spending a week or so renting a car to see multiple parts.

Aug 20, 2015, 11:13 am

#78

Marambio

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: Paris, France

Programs: Flying Blue Gold

Posts: 761

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayAreaResident

Not sure yet - thinking about spending a week or so renting a car to see multiple parts.

I would not count on having any coverage in the countryside. Patagonia is as huge as it's empty, and phone reception outside towns/cities can be minimal except for some very touristic areas (the Perito Moreno glaciar has good coverage from Movistar and Personal, don't know about Claro). Some 5-star hotels and estancias might have their own antennae, but that's up to each owner and usually extremely expensive.

Locals rely on two-way radios (known as "walkie-talkies" and "handys" in true Cervantes Spanish) for most communications.

Aug 25, 2015, 7:07 am

#79

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Apr 2002

Location: SYD

Programs: QF WP/LTG | UA P

Posts: 13,532

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayAreaResident

Anyone know which carrier has the best coverage in the Patagonia-area countryside? I'm not expecting much coverage at all, but some is better than none and will come in handy for maps, etc. .

If you want maps, just download Galileo Maps. These are free offline maps (various types of base maps). Download them onto your phone or tablet and they stay there. Absolutely brilliant. You just need patience in the initial download at various scales over the whole area you want. You'll never need a phone again! I have found that "Open Street Maps" and "Open Cycle Maps" are the best. The latter has a contour base that comes in handy. Pay about $6 in the app to get the ability to insert marker points - money well spent.

Oct 17, 2015, 8:09 pm

#80

BostonGuy

Join Date: Mar 2002

Location: Birmingham, AL (weekdays) and Atlanta, GA (weekends)

Programs: DL Platinum Medallion

Posts: 590

I have an old unlocked iPhone with a Personal micro SIM from a previous visit last year. I don't know the phone number but I do have the plastic card with the barcode the SIM was punched out from.

I need a local number with voice and data for about 9 days. Can Personal set me up using the old SIM?

Is Personal's coverage okay in Mendoza and Uco Valley?

Oct 19, 2015, 12:24 pm

#81

fedechat

Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: South Florida

Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Marriott Platinium

Posts: 1,336

Turn on your iPhone, then go to Phone, Contacts and on the top of that, you will see your number (+54 etc). If it was a prepaid line, you should be able to use it if you load some pesos, I do this all the time with my 3~4 years old sim card from Claro.