If you live in the Town of Gardiner, have AT&T or Verizon as your cellular service carrier and still can’t get a decent phone signal, you might need to find a spot with more favorable elevation – or upgrade your phone, according to town building inspector and code enforcer Hank Vance. Responding to complaints by several residents of continuing poor reception, voiced in Letters to the Editor at the New Paltz Times, Vance confirmed that the AT&T transmitter on the town’s new cell tower on the Wright Farm property has been in service for over a month. “The other one’s Verizon, and they’re online as well – as of about two weeks ago.”
Asked why some parts of the town might still not be getting good reception for their cellphones, Vance said, “It’s probably due to topography – that would be the only significant reason. There are areas in town that are still not going to get good coverage. It’s line-of-sight.”
Vance noted that the age of one’s receiver technology can also play a role. “It’s data-driven. The newer the phone, the better the reception,” he said, suggesting that older phone models, like flip-phones, might need to be replaced.
But if you’re still disgruntled with the quality of phone service that you’re getting in Gardiner, Vance said, your best bet at this point is to contact your phone company. “It’s not a town issue at this point,” he said. “It’s up to the carriers now.”
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