Dallas SprintPCS phone doesn't recognize south Texas network

My parents have a SprintPCS phone, a Nokia 6185 purchased about five
years ago in Dallas. They recently moved to south Texas, but have been
unable to use the Sprint phone. I was visiting recently, and set about
investigating the problem. It turns out that the phone doesn't
recognize the signals from SprintPCS towers in south Texas as being a
Sprint signal, so it thinks it is in a roam-only area, even though my
Sprint phone shows a full four bars. In October, my parents were in New
Mexico, and their phone recognized the signals in Santa Fe and in
various random bits of New Mexico and west Texas.

My first thought was that the PRL probably hadn't been updated since
the phone was purchased. I managed to get the PRL update to go through,
apparently successfully, in an area where the phone was able to roam on
a digital signal. However, that didn't fix the problem.

Any idea why this phone won't recognize Sprint service? The specific
areas where I tried it were Victoria, Goliad, Cuero, and Port Lavaca,
all of which are in the Corpus Christi service area (with the possible
exception of Cuero, which I think is in the Austin service area).

My parents are about ready to give up and switch to Cingular,
especially since Sprint can't honor their current rate plan if they
move the phone from its current 214 number to a 361 number, since the
rate plan they're on no longer even shows up in the computer at all.

--
Linc Madison * San Francisco, California * [email protected]
<http://www.LincMad.com> * primary e-mail: Telecom at LincMad dot com
All U.S. and California anti-spam laws apply, incl. CA BPC 17538.45(c)
This text constitutes actual notice as required in BPC 17538.45(f)(3).
DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED E-MAIL TO THIS ADDRESS. You have been warned.

---

› See More: Dallas SprintPCS phone doesn't recognize south Texas network

Maybe the phone is just too old and you need to replace it with a new one.
Sprint should be able to give you a new phone if you sign a new contract.


"Linc Madison" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:210120051239517287%[email protected]...
> My parents have a SprintPCS phone, a Nokia 6185 purchased about five
> years ago in Dallas. They recently moved to south Texas, but have been
> unable to use the Sprint phone. I was visiting recently, and set about
> investigating the problem. It turns out that the phone doesn't
> recognize the signals from SprintPCS towers in south Texas as being a
> Sprint signal, so it thinks it is in a roam-only area, even though my
> Sprint phone shows a full four bars. In October, my parents were in New
> Mexico, and their phone recognized the signals in Santa Fe and in
> various random bits of New Mexico and west Texas.
>
> My first thought was that the PRL probably hadn't been updated since
> the phone was purchased. I managed to get the PRL update to go through,
> apparently successfully, in an area where the phone was able to roam on
> a digital signal. However, that didn't fix the problem.
>
> Any idea why this phone won't recognize Sprint service? The specific
> areas where I tried it were Victoria, Goliad, Cuero, and Port Lavaca,
> all of which are in the Corpus Christi service area (with the possible
> exception of Cuero, which I think is in the Austin service area).
>
> My parents are about ready to give up and switch to Cingular,
> especially since Sprint can't honor their current rate plan if they
> move the phone from its current 214 number to a 361 number, since the
> rate plan they're on no longer even shows up in the computer at all.
>
> --
> Linc Madison * San Francisco, California * [email protected]
> <http://www.LincMad.com> * primary e-mail: Telecom at LincMad dot com
> All U.S. and California anti-spam laws apply, incl. CA BPC 17538.45(c)
> This text constitutes actual notice as required in BPC 17538.45(f)(3).
> DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED E-MAIL TO THIS ADDRESS. You have been warned.

It has to be the PRL or else something is wrong with the phone and it
needs to be replaced. I remember there used to be problems with the
Nokia 6185 not being able to properly update the PRL.

"Linc Madison" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:210120051239517287%[email protected]...
> My parents have a SprintPCS phone, a Nokia 6185 purchased about five
> years ago in Dallas. They recently moved to south Texas, but have been
> unable to use the Sprint phone. I was visiting recently, and set about
> investigating the problem. It turns out that the phone doesn't
> recognize the signals from SprintPCS towers in south Texas as being a
> Sprint signal, so it thinks it is in a roam-only area, even though my
> Sprint phone shows a full four bars. In October, my parents were in New
> Mexico, and their phone recognized the signals in Santa Fe and in
> various random bits of New Mexico and west Texas.

It's time replace that phone that old 5 year old 2G doorstop ... SPCS
doesn't provide support any further for that model.

Bob

YUP.

"Bob Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Linc Madison" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:210120051239517287%[email protected]...
>> My parents have a SprintPCS phone, a Nokia 6185 purchased about five
>> years ago in Dallas. They recently moved to south Texas, but have been
>> unable to use the Sprint phone. I was visiting recently, and set about
>> investigating the problem. It turns out that the phone doesn't
>> recognize the signals from SprintPCS towers in south Texas as being a
>> Sprint signal, so it thinks it is in a roam-only area, even though my
>> Sprint phone shows a full four bars. In October, my parents were in New
>> Mexico, and their phone recognized the signals in Santa Fe and in
>> various random bits of New Mexico and west Texas.
>
> It's time replace that phone that old 5 year old 2G doorstop ... SPCS
> doesn't provide support any further for that model.
>
> Bob
>
>

I heard that a good percentage of them were never able to do an OTA PRL
update.

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I heard that a good percentage of them were never able to do an OTA PRL
> update.

I carried a 6185 for quite some time and we were able to to do OTA PRL
updates, but htey didn't always take.

In the case of the OP, since your folks are moving and are going to have to
change their number anyway it may be time to upgrade that phone. With a new
number and a new contract they should be able to get something much better
(technology-wise) for little or nothing.

-F