Tri-Mode Phone Capability: Necessity For ?

Hello,

Looking to purchase a new Verizon contract and phone, and am wondering about
the necessity for a phone with the analog tri-mode capability. Confused as
to how important it "may" be.

Live just outside of Boston.

Guess everything in Boston, and probably the majority of the rest of the
state, at least on Verizon's network, is all digital. True ?

So, where might a tri-mode capability come in handy:

- The extreme western part of MA ?

- A few pockets, perhaps, in central MA ?

- N.H. or Maine ?

- Outside of New England ?

Any thoughts on this would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
B.

On Sun, 4 Jun 2006 08:14:33 -0400, "Robert11" <rgsros@notme.com>
wrote:

>Hello,
>
>Looking to purchase a new Verizon contract and phone, and am wondering about
>the necessity for a phone with the analog tri-mode capability. Confused as
>to how important it "may" be.
>
>Live just outside of Boston.
>
>Guess everything in Boston, and probably the majority of the rest of the
>state, at least on Verizon's network, is all digital. True ?
>
>So, where might a tri-mode capability come in handy:
>
> - The extreme western part of MA ?
>
> - A few pockets, perhaps, in central MA ?
>
> - N.H. or Maine ?
>
> - Outside of New England ?
>
>Any thoughts on this would be most appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>B.
>
This website might be of help to you

http://www.cellguru.net/coverage_areas.htm

If you travel to rural America; I'd strongly encourage a phone with analog
in it. If most of your time is spent on reasonably well populated areas,
highways, etc, then digital is the way to go. In 5 years, there may not be
analog anymore. Verizon went to all Digital phones 2 yrs ago, and when they
didn't sell/dominate the market, they came back to you with tri-modes. The
risk is fairly low if you go to digital exclusively. Personally, I am a
tri-mode user, and the bulk of my clients still know what rural America is.

FYI: When years ago, when handoffs were not so good: I drove from Illinois
to Ohio and made one long mandatory conference call. The line didn't drop
once. Now, if I drive from one part of Illinois to another, the call thru
that same rural America will drop about every 25 miles on average. If it is
absolutely important that you have the maximum coverage: tri-mode. If you
are human, and being in an occasional area without service won't kill
anybody, then all digital will suit you well. dr.
--
dr.news //stores.ebay.com/better-price-wireless (not better than you
deserve, just more than you're used to) //free.better-price.biz (for new
lines of wireless service; all carriers; the phones are almost always a
better-price)

"TeddeLI" <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:bck58215o1tfr9c4va6q8jv25bfnm00bh3@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 4 Jun 2006 08:14:33 -0400, "Robert11" <rgsros@notme.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Hello,
>>
>>Looking to purchase a new Verizon contract and phone, and am wondering
>>about
>>the necessity for a phone with the analog tri-mode capability. Confused
>>as
>>to how important it "may" be.
>>
>>Live just outside of Boston.
>>
>>Guess everything in Boston, and probably the majority of the rest of the
>>state, at least on Verizon's network, is all digital. True ?
>>
>>So, where might a tri-mode capability come in handy:
>>
>> - The extreme western part of MA ?
>>
>> - A few pockets, perhaps, in central MA ?
>>
>> - N.H. or Maine ?
>>
>> - Outside of New England ?
>>
>>Any thoughts on this would be most appreciated.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>B.
>>
> This website might be of help to you
>
> http://www.cellguru.net/coverage_areas.htm

On Sun, 4 Jun 2006 08:14:33 -0400, "Robert11" <rgsros@notme.com>
wrote:

>Hello,
>
>Looking to purchase a new Verizon contract and phone, and am wondering about
>the necessity for a phone with the analog tri-mode capability. Confused as
>to how important it "may" be.
>
>Live just outside of Boston.
>
>Guess everything in Boston, and probably the majority of the rest of the
>state, at least on Verizon's network, is all digital. True ?
>
>So, where might a tri-mode capability come in handy:
>
> - The extreme western part of MA ?
>
> - A few pockets, perhaps, in central MA ?
>
> - N.H. or Maine ?
>
> - Outside of New England ?
>
>Any thoughts on this would be most appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>B.
>

do any camping or travel in the wide open sapces out west? if yes, a
tri-mode phone will be a good choice. always in or near large, urban
areas? never go anywhere near the boondocks? if so, then digital is
all you'll ever need. us? we're RV'ers and sometimes an analog
signal is all we can get.

73,
rich, n9dko

">
> FYI: When years ago, when handoffs were not so good: I drove from Illinois
> to Ohio and made one long mandatory conference call. The line didn't drop
> once. Now, if I drive from one part of Illinois to another, the call thru
> that same rural America will drop about every 25 miles on average. If it
> is absolutely important that you have the maximum coverage: tri-mode. If
> you are human, and being in an occasional area without service won't kill
> anybody, then all digital will suit you well. dr.
> --
>

I do that fairly regularly & I am getting adept at determining the "dropped
calls" areas on that corridor. One I can count on is exit 92 on I-80 in IN.
signal strength is meaningless, 5 bars & it still drops every time I go past
that area. As far as analog goes I travel to pretty rural areas & still find
mostly digital. Analog is getting rarer & rarer.

Rich wrote:

> do any camping or travel in the wide open sapces out west? if yes, a
> tri-mode phone will be a good choice. always in or near large, urban
> areas?

I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area. When you venture out into the
greenbelt surrounding the area, there often is no digital coverage, even
though you are only a few miles from a high-density urban or suburban
area. If I go out to the coast between Santa Cruz and San Francisco,
there are long stretches with no digital coverage, but usually you can
pick up AMPS. Break down along that road, and you'll be glad to have a
working phone as there are no call-boxes, and long distances between towns.

When we drive up to Yosemite, or Lake Tahoe, we're often roaming onto
AMPS, though on some more popular roads there is digital coverage.

The point is, in some areas, "the boonies" are not far from the urban
areas.