Consistently Poor Coverage in Zip Code 86303
CottyGee
Enthusiast - Level 2

Is there any way to improve signal strength in the 86303 Zip Code?

There is a small community of about 350 homes called "Groom Creek".  It is in the mountains, about 6 miles south of downtown Prescott, AZ.  The "Groom Creek" area is the most densely populated area within miles in each direction, yet the VZW coverage is consistently poor - and has been since we bought a place up there in 2010.  There are maybe 500-ish homes in the Groom Creek/Spruce Mountain area, with Groom Creek being mostly at the center. 

My wife, myself, my father-in-law, my son, and multiple visitors always report the same issues with coverage.  Reception is better outside, but dropped calls and conversation dropouts are the norm.  Data is horrible inconsistent.  Outdoors, on occasion, 4G is available, but frequently, sites "hang" completely.  3G is frequently available, but moving the phone or an arm between the phone and the tower will disrupt service.  And sometimes, 1x is the only thing available.

It's really spotty and fringe and hit-or-miss as to whether or not I can successfully make a call.  And like I said, everyone that comes up here has similar issues - regardless of what phone they have.  (And only folks on VZW.  AT&T is unusable, or was back in 2010, which is a big reason my father-in-law switched from AT&T to VZW.)

There is apparently a cell tower for VZW on top of Spruce Mountain, near the community of Walker.  As the crow flies, this is maybe 5 miles south-east of Groom Creek, but elevated by 1,000 or more feet.  CRAZY strong signal up there!  Wish we could have some of it sent our way...

Is there anything that can be done to improve things?  While many of the homes are weekend summer retreats, about 1/3rd of the people there are year-round residents - and I'm told the percentage of full-time to part-time has been increasing.  We certainly want to be full time up there!  If I had sufficient data coverage, I would even possibly try to log in to the network at work via VPN. 

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Re: Consistently Poor Coverage in Zip Code 86303
atmose
Enthusiast - Level 1

I recently moved back to this neighborhood (86303, Groom Creek) and just like 10 years ago, my Verizon Samsung phone is consistently dropping calls or I have to go outside and stand in my driveway in a certain position to get coverage in Groom Creek.  I, too, would spend much more time in the area if I could count on my verizon service to be stable.  What are my options other than change carriers?

Re: Consistently Poor Coverage in Zip Code 86303
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

atmose -

 

We always want the best coverage for our customers, so it saddens us to learn when our customers have these types of issues. It sounds like your issue is mainly indoors. Due to the way cell signal travels through radio waves we cannot guarantee service indoor (nor can any carrier), and this is due to many factors outside of Verizon’s control can contribute to indoor performance even in cases where you may have had service in the past. To assist you with having a more consistent indoor experience we have a number of technology solutions available to you.

 

There are options available, but it would vary depending on your situation. Do you have reliable high speed Internet at home such as DSL or cable?

 

EricaC_VZW
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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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Re: Consistently Poor Coverage in Zip Code 86303
Bristoldog
Newbie

Same issue with Verizon service still today. It does not seem to matter location, weather or time of day.  Verizon service in the Prescott and Prescott Valley still bad.

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Re: Consistently Poor Coverage in Zip Code 86303
KH-OrnEsh
Moderator Emeritus

Due to the age of this thread, it will be locked in order to keep discussions current. If you have the same or a similar question/issue we invite you to start a new thread on the topic.

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Re: Consistently Poor Coverage in Zip Code 86303
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We are sorry your service experience l has not improved in the last few months. A review of the area for Prescott or zip 86303 shows all 4G or low band 5G, depending on your phone's make and model you would benefit from a roaming change to LTE or 5G fix vs. 5G automatic. For all indoor services please turn on Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi calling. As an example, here is how an iPhone would be changed to roaming -https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-206810/. Add Wi-Fi calling -  https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-204165/ We hope this helps. 

- Jose

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Re: Consistently Poor Coverage in Zip Code 86303
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

 

We would be happy to assist you with your concern. Please private message us for further assistance.   *Mabell

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