As a Ham I can very easily talk thru a 2M Ham repeater (5600 feet altitude)
with a half watt of power and a rubber duck antenna.
The repeater has a solid local coverage of 2000 square miles and out to 150
mile range in some cases.
The repeater power is about 10 Watts.

Also many Ham repeaters are linked and can cover several states. Several
hundred miles via long range linking. No wires or satellites involved

Also I can invoke IRLP or Echolink thru a local repeater and talk from the
repeater to the internet to anywhere in the world with other Hams. Again 500
milliwatts and a rubber duck antenna. Yes I know you can do that with your
computer, but Hams can be just about anywhere and accomplish that with a 1/2
Watt transceiver

A recent incident in California found a hiker in dire distress and in need
of rescue -- the cell phone was useless -- couldn't find a nearbt tower. But
a Ham in the hiking party raised a Ham repeater 90 miles away and a
helicopter arrived and saved the hikers life.

During dire emergencies -- hurricanes, earthquakes -- the cell phones are
overloaded or out of service, but many Ham repeaters resort to battery power
and stay operational. Both cell phones and Ham radio has its place.

I use 100 Watts when I am on the HF bands using voice, morse code, or data
to make contacts word wide direct (not a hilltop repeater or satellite). I
have also made world wide HF contacts with low power - 5 watts -- longest
was from Califonia to South Africa about 10,000 miles. Yes I have a good
antenna and had superb propagation.

If that helps you -- so inform your Verizon technician

Hams have had repeaters for decades -- easily 35 years plus.
And with very low power HF since the early 1900's

Perhaps now you are intereted in an Amateur Radio License -- see URL:
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html

I post, therefore I am



"Spike" wrote in message
...
Why, recently when Verizon switched my cellphone with
another subscriber who was adding calls to my bill from strange
destinations 100s of miles away, the Verizon technician
assured me that my 600 milliwat phone 1.9Ghz was just connecting up
over hills and valleys to a tower at that far away destination. And you
Hams are using 100 watts...Geez