Can You Hear Me?
October 1, 2004 9:35 PM Subscribe
I just moved 15 minutes from where I used to live and my cell phone is suddenly getting bad reception (Motorola v120t). Can buying a new phone help me to get better reception in this town without changing service providers?
Maybe, although TDMA is a dying technology. The main TDMA providers, Cingular and AT&T, are transitioning to GSM in all of their markets.
One of the best bare bones phones out there is the nokia 5165. Yes, it's from about 5 years ago and is the old style bulky candy bar phone, but it works well and is incredibly cheap. Try that out before switching to GSM.
posted by calwatch at 9:53 PM on October 1, 2004
One of the best bare bones phones out there is the nokia 5165. Yes, it's from about 5 years ago and is the old style bulky candy bar phone, but it works well and is incredibly cheap. Try that out before switching to GSM.
posted by calwatch at 9:53 PM on October 1, 2004
Response by poster: I have Cingular in Western MA
posted by TurkishGolds at 9:56 PM on October 1, 2004
posted by TurkishGolds at 9:56 PM on October 1, 2004
This problem is extremely regional -- down to the placement of individual cell towers -- and you aren't going to get a definitive answer here. For example, I have Cingular GSM here in the Bay Area, and coverage is generally pretty spotty even though the territorial GSM network -- one of the first -- has been in place (under the aegis of Pac Bell) for a long time. Inside my home, I have no signal at all whereas friends have used TDMA and CDMA phones in my house without the slightest problem.
posted by majick at 7:26 AM on October 2, 2004
posted by majick at 7:26 AM on October 2, 2004
Yes, a new phone can help. You won't like the solution, though.
You'll need to get a bag phone. These are allowed to operate at up to 3 watts (because they're closer to your nuts rather than your face -- don't ask me, ask them) rather than the 0.7 watts maximum for face-held cellphones.
Choice number 2 is to fine a phone that allows an external antenna. Of course, you'll have to use RG-11 super expensive cable if you want to locate it any distance away. *sigh*
Some face-held phones are better than others, but none are miracles. The only way to be sure is a bag phone. Which you won't want.
posted by shepd at 8:11 AM on October 2, 2004
You'll need to get a bag phone. These are allowed to operate at up to 3 watts (because they're closer to your nuts rather than your face -- don't ask me, ask them) rather than the 0.7 watts maximum for face-held cellphones.
Choice number 2 is to fine a phone that allows an external antenna. Of course, you'll have to use RG-11 super expensive cable if you want to locate it any distance away. *sigh*
Some face-held phones are better than others, but none are miracles. The only way to be sure is a bag phone. Which you won't want.
posted by shepd at 8:11 AM on October 2, 2004
Here's my first hand experience with "the phone does matter".
My g/f just dumped Verizon and we transferred her number to a second line on my (Sprint) account.
She got a free phone for defecting to Sprint so we picked out one from the web site. When it arrived we hooked it up and *shazam* ==digital roam==. Sitting side by side with my Sanyo 8100 on the same service and while I had max reception, her crappy little Audiovox was lost in the woods.
We promptly took it to a Sprint store where a very helpful guy (with an "In Training" nametag, which might explain why he was so helpful) took the Audiovox (holding it by two fingers as one would a long dead mouse) and replaced it with a Samsung something-or-other.
I'm looking at them right now, side by side, her's has one less 'bar' of signal strength but it works 10x better than the crap Audiovox.
posted by m@ at 9:33 AM on October 2, 2004
My g/f just dumped Verizon and we transferred her number to a second line on my (Sprint) account.
She got a free phone for defecting to Sprint so we picked out one from the web site. When it arrived we hooked it up and *shazam* ==digital roam==. Sitting side by side with my Sanyo 8100 on the same service and while I had max reception, her crappy little Audiovox was lost in the woods.
We promptly took it to a Sprint store where a very helpful guy (with an "In Training" nametag, which might explain why he was so helpful) took the Audiovox (holding it by two fingers as one would a long dead mouse) and replaced it with a Samsung something-or-other.
I'm looking at them right now, side by side, her's has one less 'bar' of signal strength but it works 10x better than the crap Audiovox.
posted by m@ at 9:33 AM on October 2, 2004
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zsazsa at 9:51 PM on October 1, 2004