Cell Phone problem and solution for me.

[CharlesW]

When trying to use our cell phone at the lake, we have had some problems with dropped calls and low signal strength with our regular providor.
Here`s why.
USCT=U.S Cellular Tower, VRZNT-Verizon Tower

USCT------------------------------------------------USCT

------------------------VRZNT
------------------------We are here


USCT-------------------------------------------------USCT

My phone would try for the U.S. Cellular tower most of the time, then drop the call.
If it would roam and pick up the Verizon tower, the signal was good.
Since I was still in the U.S. Cellular designated calling area for my plan, U.S. Cellular would waive the roaming charges.
I tried several phones to get better reception with no success.
Now for the weird solution, I asked to try what they considered the phone with the lowest signal strength. My idea, (which they found somewhat odd at the store), was that the lower power phone would not pick up the U.S. Cellular towers at all and always roam to the nearby Verizon tower.
It worked like a charm. Always roams, strong signal, no dropped calls and no roaming charges.
Kind of like wax/sealant. Sometimes less is better.

FWIW, strongest to weakest signal strength by brand of those I tried.
Nokia, Motorola, Kyocera, LG.
I had a Nokia and traded it for the LG which the sales people at the store considered quite a step backward. Another case of "Whatever works for you".:)

Charles

[Phideaux]

I had to do a very similar thing last year. I live on the U.S./Canada border, and while the area in Washington I live in is somewhat rural, just over the border is the greater Vancouver metro area. As a result, there was one tower for my provider a distance away from me, but there are several Canadian providers fairly close. My phone would often roam and pick up a Canadian company, resulting in an international call + roaming charge. My cell provider would always refund the amount, but it was a PITA to have to call them every month.

At the advice of the Canadian provider, I stepped down to a lower grade phone (the lowest actually) My company couldn`t believe that I want to go down the the basic, no frills, just-make-a-phone-call-only phone, but when I did, the problem disappeared. Plus, I`ve found that I really could live without taking pictures, playing games, and checking e-mail on my cell phone.

[CharlesW]

I stepped down to a lower grade phone (the lowest actually) My company couldn`t believe that I want to go down the the basic, no frills, just-make-a-phone-call-only phone, but when I did, the problem disappeared. Plus, I`ve found that I really could live without taking pictures, playing games, and checking e-mail on my cell phone.The people working at the U.S. Cellular store kind of remember me by the no frills requests.
Anytime I have replaced a phone, I ask for a phone that I can make phone calls on. Don`t want to take pictures, text message, play games, check e-mail, play songs, just want to make and receive phone calls.
Interestingly enough, I would almost bet that the plain, no frills phone will be phased out in the not too distant future.

Charles

[belcherm58]

Get this. I had a AT&T celluar phone for two years and it worked fine where I live. I live 8 miles from town. There is a cell tower within line of sight from my house. My phone screen went blank and had to upgrade to a new phone. Cingular bought out AT&T and they said I would have to migrate to Cingular to upgrade to a different phone. I said fine and picked a new phone Motorola
V551 and tried to use it after I got it and charged it for 24 hours. No luck at my house. Signal was 1 bar versus 5 bars with the AT&T. I called Cingular tech line and explained the situation to them. They look at their map and said that the tower across the road was a AT&T tower. I said I thought you all boiught out AT&T. We did but not all of their towers. I said you all advertise more bars in more places. What gives? He said that because AT&T had so many towers close to theirs it did not make sence to buy all of their towers. So they would buy the towers where they needed them to get the coverage they needed. I asked about the tower across the road and he said he would note it as being a needed tower.
Two months later my phone just starts getting 5 bars again. Whew! I had already ditched my land line and was thinking that I had to get it back. Now I am in again. If anyone has had the same situation call Cingular and complain.They just may need that tower near your house.

[marko]

I used an att digital phone far after the switch to gsm and gprs due to the network coverage as I travel extensively and frankly, the coverage was far more extensive with old digital technology as the u.s. lagged in comparison with europe.

that`s changed. my company insisted on paying my bills directly instead of reimbursement, but I was forced to switch to cingular. others in my company did the same, but their transition from att to cingular wasn`t as smooth. there were issues for which no one would take responsibility, and those issues were rather difficult or unresolvable due to `difficulties` in the phones themselves. ultimately, this proved true with regard to the chips.

but I`d cancelled att and started fresh with a new v3 - back when they were an investment - and I`ve never looked back. I also have a cingular gsm / gprs modem in my travel laptop, and I get great service.

to qualify, in the last six months I`ve been in dublin, london, frankfurt, lampertheim, manheim, amsterdam, small towns in u.k., stockholm, copenhagen and around denmark, in the u.s. from la jolla to d.c. to the midwest and home in colordao with pretty great service.

the switch from att to cingular seems to have been difficult for others in certain circumstances, but it`s been the phones and not the network.

again, this is just my experience.