analog sunset & 911 access

There was an article in our local paper about analog & no longer being able
to call 911,
but the writer didn't include "cellular" in the title - so I'm sure lots of
folks panic'd...

Just wondering around the different carriers & geo locations -
what do you see happening with analog turndown,
and what's being told/done with those folks with analog cellphones just for
911 access ?

--
----------------------------------
"If everything seems to be going well,
you have obviously overlooked something." - Steven Wright

P.Schuman wrote:
> There was an article in our local paper about analog & no longer being able
> to call 911,
> but the writer didn't include "cellular" in the title - so I'm sure lots of
> folks panic'd...
>
> Just wondering around the different carriers & geo locations -
> what do you see happening with analog turndown,
> and what's being told/done with those folks with analog cellphones just for
> 911 access ?

It's off in urban areas in the SF Bay Area. It is true that those people
that had tri-mode CDMA/AMPS phones are going to be able to call 911 in
fewer places than they did before, especially in areas further from
roads (i.e. parks and out on the ocean). However GSM customers, and
digital only CDMA customers, have had poorer 911 coverage for years.

I was just up in Yosemite this past weekend. AMPS is still on. It comes
from Golden State Cellular. However I did notice a lot more CDMA
coverage than before. The cabin we stayed at in Yosemite West is pretty
far from the public road (41) and I had both CDMA and AMPS coverage.
There was no GSM coverage. Ditto for MidPines, on 140 into Yosemite. I
was able to get CDMA and AMPS, but no GSM at the restaurant we stopped at.

Yosemite Valley has AMPS, CDMA, and GSM coverage.

SMS wrote:
> I was just up in Yosemite this past weekend. AMPS is still on. It comes
> from Golden State Cellular. However I did notice a lot more CDMA
> coverage than before. The cabin we stayed at in Yosemite West is pretty
> far from the public road (41) and I had both CDMA and AMPS coverage.
> There was no GSM coverage. Ditto for MidPines, on 140 into Yosemite. I
> was able to get CDMA and AMPS, but no GSM at the restaurant we stopped at.
>
> Yosemite Valley has AMPS, CDMA, and GSM coverage.


How do you determine which coverage you have in an area, and who it
comes from?

Anthony Guzzi <dukeofurl@sonic.net> wrote in
news:47cddfea$0$36392$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net:

> SMS wrote:
>> I was just up in Yosemite this past weekend. AMPS is still on. It
>> comes from Golden State Cellular. However I did notice a lot more
>> CDMA coverage than before. The cabin we stayed at in Yosemite West is
>> pretty far from the public road (41) and I had both CDMA and AMPS
>> coverage. There was no GSM coverage. Ditto for MidPines, on 140 into
>> Yosemite. I was able to get CDMA and AMPS, but no GSM at the
>> restaurant we stopped at.
>>
>> Yosemite Valley has AMPS, CDMA, and GSM coverage.
>
>
> How do you determine which coverage you have in an area, and who it
> comes from?
>

You have to read the SID numbers off the phone's hidden data pages.
Sometimes they'll let you see them buried into the PHONE STATUS pages.

On Motorola phones, you key in ##DEBUG rapidly and the G doesn't show.
This puts the phone in DEBUG mode, at least it used to before this last
batch. You toggled in and out of DEBUG mode with the center then left
function keys under the display rapidly, which let you go back to the
regular user pages. Your phone will certainly vary in how you open this
function up and read it.

Once you have this SID number, then you can look it up on:
http://www.mountainwireless.com/sid/sid1.shtml
and match it to location and carrier. I'm on 00156, Alltel in Charleston,
SC.

A personal question, Anthony......

Are you related to the Italian Guzzis who make such wonderful motorcycles
I've enjoyed since my youth? I had 5 Moto Guzzi motorcycles and enjoyed
every one of them. First class machines.

Anthony Guzzi wrote:
> SMS wrote:
>> I was just up in Yosemite this past weekend. AMPS is still on. It
>> comes from Golden State Cellular. However I did notice a lot more CDMA
>> coverage than before. The cabin we stayed at in Yosemite West is
>> pretty far from the public road (41) and I had both CDMA and AMPS
>> coverage. There was no GSM coverage. Ditto for MidPines, on 140 into
>> Yosemite. I was able to get CDMA and AMPS, but no GSM at the
>> restaurant we stopped at.
>>
>> Yosemite Valley has AMPS, CDMA, and GSM coverage.
>
>
> How do you determine which coverage you have in an area, and who it
> comes from?

I happen to know the carrier in that area. Actually I'm not sure about
the GSM coverage provider, but I think that AT&T has GSM in Yosemite
Valley, unless Golden State Cellular put in some GSM service. There is
no GSM on the way into the park on 120, once you get past Oakdale; it's
CDMA and AMPS only.

"Gordon Burditt" <gordonb.vmz8i@burditt.org> wrote in message
news:13srsl2pocbpi6d@corp.supernews.com...

> I can, however, go to Settings | Network | Available Networks, and
> see a list: AT&T and T-Mobile. AT&T is given as 310-410 and T-Mobile
> is 310-260. What are these numbers? Cell tower numbers? (I'm in
> Fort Worth).

The numbers are the GSM Network operator codes. They identify the carrier.
The first 3 digits are the country code (the USA is 310 and 311) and the
last three are the system: 260 is T-Mobile's current code (one of the dozen
or more they and their predecessors have used through the years,) 410 is
Cingular/AT&T, 380 was the old AT&T Wireless, 590 is Alltel's GSM roaming
service, etc.

There's a pretty good up-to-date list here:
http://www.howardforums.com/archive/topic/657335-1.html

Larry wrote:
> Anthony Guzzi <dukeofurl@sonic.net> wrote in
> news:47cddfea$0$36392$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net:
>
>> SMS wrote:
>>> I was just up in Yosemite this past weekend. AMPS is still on. It
>>> comes from Golden State Cellular. However I did notice a lot more
>>> CDMA coverage than before. The cabin we stayed at in Yosemite West is
>>> pretty far from the public road (41) and I had both CDMA and AMPS
>>> coverage. There was no GSM coverage. Ditto for MidPines, on 140 into
>>> Yosemite. I was able to get CDMA and AMPS, but no GSM at the
>>> restaurant we stopped at.
>>>
>>> Yosemite Valley has AMPS, CDMA, and GSM coverage.
>>
>> How do you determine which coverage you have in an area, and who it
>> comes from?
>>
>
> You have to read the SID numbers off the phone's hidden data pages.
> Sometimes they'll let you see them buried into the PHONE STATUS pages.
>
> On Motorola phones, you key in ##DEBUG rapidly and the G doesn't show.
> This puts the phone in DEBUG mode, at least it used to before this last
> batch. You toggled in and out of DEBUG mode with the center then left
> function keys under the display rapidly, which let you go back to the
> regular user pages. Your phone will certainly vary in how you open this
> function up and read it.
>
> Once you have this SID number, then you can look it up on:
> http://www.mountainwireless.com/sid/sid1.shtml
> and match it to location and carrier. I'm on 00156, Alltel in Charleston,
> SC.
>
> A personal question, Anthony......
>
> Are you related to the Italian Guzzis who make such wonderful motorcycles
> I've enjoyed since my youth? I had 5 Moto Guzzi motorcycles and enjoyed
> every one of them. First class machines.
>


I wish I were, but I'm not. At least, I don't think I am...
But I am Italian however.

gordonb.vmz8i@burditt.org (Gordon Burditt) wrote in
news:13srsl2pocbpi6d@corp.supernews.com:

>>> How do you determine which coverage you have in an area, and who it
>>> comes from?
>>
>>You have to read the SID numbers off the phone's hidden data pages.
>>Sometimes they'll let you see them buried into the PHONE STATUS pages.
>>
>>On Motorola phones, you key in ##DEBUG rapidly and the G doesn't show.
>
> I tried this and it doesn't work on my (T-Mobile) Motorola RAZR V3,
> unless I'm misunderstanding the instructions. The 4 does show.
>
> I can, however, go to Settings | Network | Available Networks, and
> see a list: AT&T and T-Mobile. AT&T is given as 310-410 and T-Mobile
> is 310-260. What are these numbers? Cell tower numbers? (I'm in
> Fort Worth).
>
>

I have no idea. The cells are numbered, but I never saw that in a
phone.

Probably something queer to GSM. I've never owned a GSM phone, always
having been on CDMA since they took my AMPS (analog) away. Maybe the
GSM guys here can help with that.

Ah, answered my own question....(c;

Go to:
http://www.mountainwireless.com/mnc/
and you'll see your numbers on the GSM Mobile Network Codes...

I hate it when someone stumps me, which is often. I just HAVE to find
out. It's my nature, I suppose.

310 means United States.
The second numbers are the carrier.

www.mountainwireless.com has a wealth of information on cellular and PCS
systems. They work very hard to bring the latest lists, decoded to mere
customers can see why their damned digital phones won't connect to the
tower right in front of them while the phone reads NO SERVICE. It's a
great read these webpages.

Anthony Guzzi <dukeofurl@sonic.net> wrote in news:47ce1876$0$36338
$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net:

> I wish I were, but I'm not. At least, I don't think I am...
> But I am Italian however.
>
>

Thanks........for being Italian, too! It would be neat to find you are a
distant Guzzi relative...(c;

There is some confusion about analog and 911. All the carriers warned their
customers that 911 won't work once analog is turned off. It appears only
AT&T and Verizon have made the switchoff. Alltel has kept theirs on even
past their own deadline (3/31/08). Some, including Golden State have no
plans to turn analog off yet.

Get a complete report on analog:
http://www.mountainwireless.com/analog.shtml

The latest analog report:
http://mountainwireless.blogspot.com...et-update.html

An updated list of GSM Mobile Network Codes:
http://www.mountainwireless.com/mnc/

Golden State's coverage map:
http://www.cellularmap.net/golden_state_map.shtml


Bill Radio
Click for Wireless Reviews at:
http://www.mountainwireless.com


"Gordon Burditt" <gordonb.vmz8i@burditt.org> wrote in message
news:13srsl2pocbpi6d@corp.supernews.com...
>>> How do you determine which coverage you have in an area, and who it
>>> comes from?
>>
>>You have to read the SID numbers off the phone's hidden data pages.
>>Sometimes they'll let you see them buried into the PHONE STATUS pages.


** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **