Fringe area Reception.
Richard
that my Startech 7868 seems to works better
than my Motorola V120e.This was in a hotel room in Puerto Rico. Any other
opinions.? I am concerned mainly with digital signals.
Al Klein
in alt.cellular.verizon:
The 7868 has about the most sensitive receiver of any usable handset
today. That's why I still have both of mine. That and the 600mw
analog output.
Scott Nelson
It's one of those, able to make phone calls vs. new features thing.
I don't care about taking pictures or playing games so, not an issue for
me )
so, I tried the newer phones and wound up keeping my old Startacs active as
well as the 3 watt Bag.
I have the external ant w/charger for the startac's and the external ant for
the bag ph. It's well worth it.
Keeps the static monster away longer.
As long as they keep working and people have to keep borrowing mine when
theirs doesn't work and not the
other way around, I ain't changin'. ;-)
Scotty
"Al Klein" <ruk...@pern.org> wrote in message
news:hb8p00laqi4vqujtt...@Pern.rk...
Al Klein
<spa...@bnmnetworks.net> posted in alt.cellular.verizon:
>My Startac's are the best phone(s) I have tested as well.
>It's one of those, able to make phone calls vs. new features thing.
The only "new features" I wanted (and the reasons I got my V60Ps) were
speakerphone and a ringer I could hear. Now my wife can't get service
in portions of her office that she had service with the 7868.
Scott Nelson
It's only a couple bucks or so:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3072179332
I have had good luck with antenna kits as well. An extra DB or so, helps
ALOT!!
http://www.criterioncellular.com/html/reception.html
Scotty
"Al Klein" <ruk...@pern.org> wrote in message
news:rn1s00hj97qcm7mk2...@Pern.rk...
David L
Richard,
I have a couple of startacs and a few Audiovox 9500's, 3 watt
bagphones amd a bunch of others for Verizon and some ATT tdma/analog
Nokia 5100 and 6100 handsets too. I've got a sort of fringe area
coverage obsession and will take a few phones out while hiking or
camping and make test calls. Though not scientific, I figure
attempting many calls on each handset, from the same place, over the
course of repeated trips, is going to provide a pretty good idea of
real world RF performance.
Selecting different network A/B settings, checking for analog, digital
800mhz and 1900mhz PCS frequencies from the submenus in the testmode
section are part of "testing".
The Startac's natural sounding voice quality is hard to beat. The
earcup design is as effective as it is simple for keeping the speaker
centered at the ear canal. I wish more phones had this kind of aural
centering design, instead of always having to move the phone position
around, hunting for the darned "sweet spot".
Problem with the later startacs, is the keypad buttons go bad. The
small display with limited lines of text started getting harder to
read. The v60i also hard to read.
Got the Audiovox 9500 because it performs nearly as well in analog
only areas. The 9500 also a very long antenna, which seems well
designed and may make up for slightly less power output.
Took a long time to understand...
One signigicant limiting factor, for completing a call, is the ability
for the phone to reach back to the tower. The tower has plenty of
power to reach the handset, but there can be wide variation in the
maximum output and performance from different handsets, in all three
modes, for connections to the tower.
It's important to know which network, digital or analog one is trying
to receive before recommending a handset. There's also PCS 1900mhz
network performance to consider, wether Verizon native, in places like
old Primeco Florida markets or Sprint PCS roaming.
The Startac may have the edge, in analog only areas, but the Motorola
v60i performs better RF wise in the digital modes. The startacs
digital reception doesn't perform as well as other modern phones,
including Audiovox 9500.
Was surprised when Verizon overlayed digital on some previous analog
only rural networks. There are still many analog only roaming partners
out west, without Verizon's deep pockets. Many of those towers were
built for 3watt phone coverage, and are spaced further apart than the
optimum for modern .5 watt handsets. The digital overlay is only going
to increase, but switching back to analog mode, results in better
fringe area coverage, in forested areas, for example.
I've run into many ranchers, truckers, police and rural folks, who
still carry 3 watt phones and could not get a signal otherwise. There
may be some help for them, using better external antennas hooked up to
new the newer handsets. There's also real 3watt add boosters availble,
but that starts to get expensive and complex. Have heard of some super
sensitve CDMA tower receivers, using super cooling and modifications
to exceed the usal 34 mile CDMA limitation, but these seem to be used
for marine/sea coverage locations.
While trying out a number of handsets, I've come across a fantastic
digital performer, the Nokia 3585i. It seems Nokia is using a new
Texas Instrument chipset. This phone has an incrdible ability to
initiate both 800 and 1900mhz calls. The analog performance is a notch
below my audiovox 9500. Not only can the Nokia connect a call very
well but the programming allows it to search across all three modes,
without getting stuck on an unusable digital signal. I've made calls
quickly on the Nokia while the 9500 was still stuck trying to make
digital calls, over and over again. Once connected the 9500 performs
well, but the Nokia is so much better in 800mhz and 1900mhz
completion, it's shocking.
Have not done a direct startac vs Nokia 3585i comparison but have
played with startacs for years and other phones enough to know how
slow they are at scanning or changing available networks, in fringe
areas.
What I discovered, is the Nokia is so quick and sensitive to digital
networks, in many cases a superior analog performing phone isn't
needed in the same area, when previously unreachable digital networks
get quickly picked up.
The Nokia handset is not a flip and seems cheaply built. Sound is
rough and tinny, but very loud.
The UI is much better than any Motorola. While it's been offered as a
no frills starter phone, by startac standards, it's full featured.
Web, voiceal 500 phonebook, calendar etc.
The Verizon color version 3589i, has been reported as having a low
volume, so there may have been software modifications.
Haven't found a connection for an external antenna, since there is no
stock Nokia antenna jack on the back. Perhaps there is a bottom port
pin, with RF activity, for use with an external antenna connector? An
external antenna port would bring the analog potential up. It's not
bad, just won't make an analog connection in an extreme fringe area,
where the Audiovox 9500 will.
For $80 at Walmart (Alltel Simple Freedom unlocked) it's unbeatable
for digital/fringe reception. If this new quick searching, high
performance chipset, gets used in other handsets, I'd be interested in
finding out.
Not sure how different the Verizon version is from the Alltel prepaid
one, but reviews claim similar outstanding RF performance as well.
If one can put up with the sound, the Nokia's performance on digital
networks is incredible.
Mine had a display bug, right out of the box (Dimming and brightening)
and one keypad is already not responding to a light touch, just like a
worn out key, after only slight use. Build is questionable, on this
Korean built model.
-
David
Steve Bowman
>>Haven't found a connection for an external antenna, since there is no
stock Nokia antenna jack on the back. Perhaps there is a bottom port
pin, with RF activity, for use with an external antenna connector? An
external antenna port would bring the analog potential up.
It's UNDER the battery cover!! Go figure.
"David L" <davi...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:e1705cb3.04012...@posting.google.com...
David L
> Re: Nokia 3589i
> >>Haven't found a connection for an external antenna, since there is no
> stock Nokia antenna jack on the back. Perhaps there is a bottom port
> pin, with RF activity, for use with an external antenna connector? An
> external antenna port would bring the analog potential up.
>
> It's UNDER the battery cover!! Go figure.
>
Amazing thanks, there it is...now what?. Drilling a hole in the case
would be easy, but what kind of external antenna connecter is going to
reach ~1/2inch down to attach?
-
David