[jm951]

Cell phones are an outgrowth of amateur radio technology of repeaters, UHF, VHF and offset freq use. The line of sight in the last post is correct. From high up, you can "see" repeaters (cell towers) from much farther than from a boat (0 ft above sea level). In the past, I've taken a 5 watt 2m rig, supposedly only good for about 20 miles, depending on line of sight, and keyed up repeaters from as far way as 350+ miles. The way I did it was a combination of altitude and atmospheric conditions. The VHF stuff can propagate a long way under a condition called a troposhperic duct. It acts like a pipe in the sky for radio signals and add in being on top of a mountain, and presto, your dinky 5 watts goes a very long way. In my case, I was talking with other hams in Atlanta from the NC mountains near Virginia using a 5 watt 2m "walkie talkie" that should have only reached about 15 miles. So, the crap spewed by some of the conspiracy fans about cell phones and coverage is just that- crap.