# Cell phone reception **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375 "2012-11-18T04:13:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/21 "2012-11-19T21:18:19Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > BUT! It turns out that UHF signals _could_ bounce of the Ionosphere, basically allowing one to bank shot radio signals to the far side of the planet (for example, the bit in the movie “We Were Soldiers” where Moore’s radio operator was able to tune in on radio transmissions from troops fighting in Vietnam, from their base in the US, was based on a real incident). I used to be an active amateur radio operator and also worked as a radio technician with the NZ Post Office, back when it operated HF, VHF and UHF radio links. Although some conditions did allow long distance VHF comms, it is very rare for UHF comms to exceed the line of sight limitation, perhaps for a few minutes to a few hours every few years. The mechanism is mostly tropospheric scatter or sporadic meteor scatter. Ionospheric scatter was used for links by the US Army in the 50’s-60’s, but using VHF frequencies around 49 MHZ and powers up around 40 kW. The references indicate ranges of 1000-2300 km, so Vietnam to US is improbable in the extreme for UHF. Now, if you’re talking about HF then it’s a completely different thing, as it is common for intercontinental distances to be spanned by HF radio links. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/22 "2012-11-19T21:32:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That theory sounds like it was pulled from Uranus. For once, I do not object to a pun. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/23 "2012-11-20T00:39:49Z")
> [@Dano83860](#): > > And love will fill the air. No, it’s “steer the stars”. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/24 "2012-11-20T03:49:04Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > That’s likely the primary reason. Each cell can only handle a certain number of connections at a time. In an area with dense population (like NYC), adding more cells (and, thus, shrinking the geographic area, and the number of potential users, that each cell must service) allows for more simultaneous users in the market. Thanks for the answers, **Kenobi** and **Rain**. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/25 "2012-11-20T23:50:11Z")
Hmm…a side effect of denser cell towers should be increased battery life. The towers will tell phones to transmit at a lower power, which takes less juice. Interesting. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/26 "2012-11-20T23:58:19Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > Hmm..a side effect of denser cell towers should be increased battery life. The towers will tell phones to transmit at a lower power, which takes less juice. > > Interesting. > > -D/a But not much of an increase in battery life. The transmit power amplifier is the only thing that can be operated at lower power there is a lot of other stuff going on at basically the same power. So the overall phone power only decreases by a few percent. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/27 "2012-11-21T01:22:40Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > The towers will tell phones to transmit at a lower power, which takes less juice. Do they tell the phone to check in, or does the phone do that? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/28 "2012-11-21T01:26:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Do they tell the phone to check in, or does the phone do that? Modern cell phones will transmit at just enough power to get the message to the tower. The tower commands the phone to boost its power if the signal received by the tower starts to get too weak it will also command the phone to decrease power if the power received at the tower is too high. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/29 "2012-11-22T15:24:17Z")
Unless the Mercury gets poured into the cell phone case, it’s not going to have any influence. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/30 "2012-11-22T19:47:01Z")
Unless you’re actually _on_ Mercury, its apparent motion to Earth will have zero effect. OTOH, Mercury has terrible cell service to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375/31 "2012-11-22T19:52:37Z")
It’s when Sprint is in the House of T-Mobile, and AT&T is aligned with Verizon that one should start to worry about poor coverage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-reception/641375.md?page=1)