SAN DIEGO -- Have you ever been on your cell phone and the signal suddenly dropped without warning? From the South Bay to Oceanside, there are dead zones all over San Diego County.

San Diego ranks as the fourth county in the country for complaints about dropped calls. It is estimated that last year one in three cell phone calls had some kind of reception issue.

About 194 million Americans rely on cell phones, 10News reported.

"If someone took my phone away, I would be very sad," one cell phone user told 10News.

So when your cell phone dies, it can be more than just a little annoying, especially when people hit the same dead zones day after day.

"I know one (dead zone) on Mission George. (I) can count on it every morning going down the south side of the gorge," said Cameron Brooks, a cell phone user.

"I live out in Rancho Bernardo and when I drive through the Scripps Ranch area, it'll cut off in certain areas," said Julia Contreras, another cell phone user.

Dead zones dot the county -- Eastlake in Chula Vista, Interstate 805 near University, Highway 56 between Interstates 5 and 15 and nearly all of the University of California, San Diego campus have dead zones, 10News reported.

Darlene White lives in a dead zone and loses half of her calls every day.

She lives in a townhouse in Mission Village, near a Verizon store where she signed up for her cell phone plan.

"If I start upstairs, I'll usually lose it coming down the stairs. Or if I start a call in the garage, I'll lose it when I walk in," White told 10News.

She said she has complained to employees at the Verizon store and they told her that she doesn't get service in her area.

It was something she should have found out before signing up. Most carriers now provide maps showing dead zones in their coverage. It's up to customers to find out where they are.

According to 10News, cell phone providers offer a cancellation period. Consumers should take advantage of that period and test out their phone.

Avoid the frustration with some real solutions:

Ask cell phone providers for a map of dead zones in your area
Compare the maps to see which provider works for you
Avoid expensive gadgets
Complain to your provider if you're unhappy with service
Upgrade your phone -- some models have better connections than others

Products Promise To Boost Cell Phone Coverage

A product called the Cell Phone Signal Booster claims to "improve coverage in your home of office."

The instructions say it only works with some cell phone companies -- ones that use certain frequencies. It works with Sprint, T-Mobile and newer Cingular phones. It does not work if you have Verizon, older Cingular phones or Nextel.

This is how it works: cell phone signals can travel through glass, but not solid walls. So, the Cell Phone Signal Booster antennae goes on a roof and the signal travels from the antennae through a cord into your home or office.

The instructions say to turn a phone on near the device and see an increase in coverage.

It works as long as a signal was already reaching the roof of your home or office.

Carl Hilliard, from the Wireless Consumers Alliance, said, "You know you're in a bad coverage area when you see people on their front yards talking on their cell phones because they can't get the signal through the walls in the home."

The product costs $300.