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  1. #1
    P.Schuman
    Guest
    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





    See More: analog sunset & 911 access




  2. #2
    SMS
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    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.



  3. #3
    Anthony Guzzi
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    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?



  4. #4
    Larry
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    Anthony Guzzi <[email protected]> wrote in
    news:[email protected]:

    > 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.




  5. #5
    SMS
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    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.



  6. #6
    Todd Allcock
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access



    "Gordon Burditt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...

    > 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







  7. #7
    Anthony Guzzi
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    Larry wrote:
    > Anthony Guzzi <[email protected]> wrote in
    > news:[email protected]:
    >
    >> 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.



  8. #8
    Larry
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    [email protected] (Gordon Burditt) wrote in
    news:[email protected]:

    >>> 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.





  9. #9
    Larry
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    Anthony Guzzi <[email protected]> wrote in news:47ce1876$0$36338
    [email protected]:

    > 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;




  10. #10
    Bill Radio
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    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" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    >>> 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 **



  11. #11
    SMS
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    Bill Radio wrote:
    > 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.


    Yeah, I used Golden States' AMPS up in Yosemite in March. What sucks is
    that a lot of areas in the Bay Area that used to have AMPS coverage, now
    have no coverage at all.



  12. #12
    SMS
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    Todd Allcock wrote:
    >
    >
    > "Gordon Burditt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >
    >> 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


    Cool. Interesting that Alltel has some GSM networks.

    My V195 on SpeakOut shows "SpeakOut" at 310-410 (AT&T) and "Other" at
    310-260 (T-Mobile). Is the network number to name translation in the SIM
    card?

    My other V195 on T-Mobile shows "T-Mobile" at 310-260, and "Cingular" at
    310-410.

    What's strange is that the T-Mobile phone works at my house, whereas it
    never did with other 850/1900 handsets. Either it's roaming onto AT&T,
    or this handset is able to get a T-Mobile signal where other handsets
    cannot. The T-Mobile coverage map shows almost no coverage at my house,
    though they recently got approval for a new site that would give me good
    1900 MHz coverage.



  13. #13
    Todd Allcock
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access


    "SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...

    > Cool. Interesting that Alltel has some GSM networks.


    I believe they inherited them when they bought Western Wireless. I don't
    know if leaving some GSM capacity up was part of an ingenious plan to milk
    roaming revenue or just a contractual obligation they inherited with WW's
    system.

    > My V195 on SpeakOut shows "SpeakOut" at 310-410 (AT&T) and "Other" at
    > 310-260 (T-Mobile). Is the network number to name translation in the SIM
    > card?
    >
    > My other V195 on T-Mobile shows "T-Mobile" at 310-260, and "Cingular" at
    > 310-410.


    This is probably a question for John Navas or Dennis Ferguson, but the way I
    understand it is that name translation tables are in the SIM, but can also
    be in the phone which can override the SIM if the phone chooses to.

    My first T-Mobile phone (back when they were Voicestream) said "Voicestream"
    with it's original VS SIM in it, but "T-Mobile" with a newer SIM. Either
    SIM reports "T-Mobile" in any of my newer T-Mo phones. I assume the old one
    (a Nokia 8290) had no table of it's own, and relied on the SIM to "tell" it
    what network it was on, where the newer phones have a table designed to
    override any legacy T-Mo name with "T-Mobile."

    My favorite confusing naming was last year in California, where my T-Mo
    phones reported both GSM networks (AT&T's current "Blue" and Cingular's old
    "Orange" they sold to T-Mo) as "Cingular."

    My WinMo phone allows me to override any network name with any text string I
    want via a registry edit, so I renamed the California nets back then to AT&T
    and T-Mobile West.

    > What's strange is that the T-Mobile phone works at my house, whereas it
    > never did with other 850/1900 handsets. Either it's roaming onto AT&T, or
    > this handset is able to get a T-Mobile signal where other handsets cannot.
    > The T-Mobile coverage map shows almost no coverage at my house, though
    > they recently got approval for a new site that would give me good 1900 MHz
    > coverage.


    Congratulations- maybe we can lure you back from the dark side one of these
    days... ;-) When T-Mo launches "Talk Forever" (currently in beta)
    nationwide, you can add an unlimited domestic VoIP line (a UMA VoIP router
    that takes a T-Mo SIM) to your T-Mobile cellular account for just $10 extra
    per month.








  14. #14
    danny burstein
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    In <[email protected]> "Todd Allcock" <[email protected]> writes:


    >"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...


    >> Cool. Interesting that Alltel has some GSM networks.


    >I believe they inherited them when they bought Western Wireless. I don't
    >know if leaving some GSM capacity up was part of an ingenious plan to milk
    >roaming revenue or just a contractual obligation they inherited with WW's
    >system.


    Whoaaaaaaa... I thought D.T. bought up Western Wireless.
    Was it a split up, with some going to one and the
    rest to another?

    Oh, and another reason to "leave some GSM capacity up"
    is to prevent the FCC, on behalf of a competitor, pulling
    a "you didn't use it, now you've lost it" line.

    --
    _____________________________________________________
    Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
    [email protected]
    [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]



  15. #15
    SMS
    Guest

    Re: analog sunset & 911 access

    Todd Allcock wrote:

    > Congratulations- maybe we can lure you back from the dark side one of
    > these days... ;-)


    I doubt it. Verizon still has far better coverage in Northern (and
    Southern) California than T-Mobile (or AT&T or Sprint), even without
    AMPS. I only bought the T-Mobile phones because I needed some newer
    900/1800 MHz phones for traveling to Europe and Asia to use with prepaid
    SIM cards. The quad-band V195 was a good deal from T-Mobile Prepaid, and
    I can have them unlocked inexpensively if I don't want to wait 90 days.

    > When T-Mo launches "Talk Forever" (currently in beta)
    > nationwide, you can add an unlimited domestic VoIP line (a UMA VoIP
    > router that takes a T-Mo SIM) to your T-Mobile cellular account for just
    > $10 extra per month.


    I never spend $10 per month in long-distance, between my 8 p.m. off-peak
    Verizon account, and my OneSuite account. In fact I rarely use up $10 on
    OneSuite in six months.



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