I recently took a trip out to Mammoth Lakes, CA with 2 friends. All 3 of us have iPhones. While we were driving between Bridgeport, CA (Junction 395 and 182) and the Junction of 395 and 158, all 3 of our cell phones showed a time that was 2 hours ahead. I do not think the timezone change between CA and NV is a 2 hour difference. Does anyone know why this occured?
Since this route takes us by Bodie, CA; my friends think it was because of the Ghost Town of Bodie. I think it is because the cell towers out there are broadcasting the wrong time. But not sure if it is a cell tower problem or an iPhone translating the time from a different carrier problem.
Does anyone know the answer?
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gerio Posts: 476
Phone Model: (Long sigh) 'Nother iPhone (keeping my Moto Q, though)
Service Provider: AT&T & Cellular South
Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:20 am
Interesting name for a town that is the location of incorrect times appearing on your phones.
I think your friends are correct. for some reason, the carriers in that area were broadcasting the incorrect time. In theory, this would be possible IF, read that again, IF, you moved into a time zone that was one ahead of you, then that location didn't observe Daylight Savings Time. Even then I doubt that's the case because such an area should be an hour behind from not observing DST, not an hour ahead.
Then there's the Twilight Zone (I'm sorry, I couldn't resist ))
Geri O
pexer83 Posts: 2
Tue Aug 04, 2009 9:53 am
The interesting part to this is on the way back from Mammoth Lakes we saw the same thing of course. However, we were at a gas station and there was a clock on the wall next to the attendant and that clock showed the correct time that was 2 hours behind what our phones were showing.
I do think it was something to do with the towers, but a 2 hour difference? Is it possible for carriers to really be that off? Or can certain phones for certain carriers misread signals from other carriers?
The Twilight Zone theory is more entertaining, though.
gerio Posts: 476
Phone Model: (Long sigh) 'Nother iPhone (keeping my Moto Q, though)
Service Provider: AT&T & Cellular South
Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:10 am
Here in MS long before the big guns moved in and bought up everything (showing my age alert), there were several small Mom & Pop cellphone providers. I know of one company that, at least for a short period of time, had absolutely no one running things from Saturday at noon until morning at 7:00am. So if something went haywire, the customers were out of luck. There were several times where the service went down or goofy things like folks being able to call, but not hear the other end were happening.
So anything's possible if there's no one minding the store. I still don't think anything's wrong with your phones or their interaction with that companies' towers.
As they say, shit happens, then if yer lucky, you wake up.))