With the phone I have, the conversation is clear even at 1 bar. The phone indicates it is using roaming service and it is necessary to recharge the phone frequently. Many people on Mound Desert Island do not have cell phones due to the poor coverage by mobile phone companies. As cell phone towers are considered unsightly and the residents do not wish them put on the island, it is unlikely that there will ever be strong cell phone reception anywhere except the town of Bar Harbor

Some reception on Park Loop Rd.and ocean mountside, but no reception on island mountain side to Route 3 close to the Tarn. Be careful hiking in Acadia!

We have TracFone which seems to use whatever service is available. Here they use US Cellular. All service is bad or nonexistent on MDI except in downtown Bar Harbor. Guess it is the solid granite hills and there aren't enough people in downeast Maine to make the investment worthwhile.

I hate Cingular, because they areso difficult to deal with, lousy customer service, I want to switch and do not care about the penalty, anything!