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  1. #1
    N Hamilton
    Guest
    We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell
    service basically stopped for 2 hours.

    Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that Cingular and all the other providers have been selling
    phones and plans with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity for emergencies.

    AM I being paranoid? If we had a minor or major emergency would cell service get so overloaded that it would stop working in many
    areas? Is there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a free market? Cause if the latter, since cell phones for
    some folks are only means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some day.





    See More: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?




  2. #2
    Jack Zwick
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    In article <[email protected]>,
    "N Hamilton" <no_spamham@no_spamnc.rr.com> wrote:

    > We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off
    > work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell
    > service basically stopped for 2 hours.
    >
    > Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that
    > Cingular and all the other providers have been selling
    > phones and plans with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity
    > for emergencies.
    >
    > AM I being paranoid? If we had a minor or major emergency would cell service
    > get so overloaded that it would stop working in many
    > areas? Is there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a
    > free market? Cause if the latter, since cell phones for
    > some folks are only means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some
    > day.


    It's not cost effective to have such large amounts of spare capacity as
    your desires would require. If you have government mandate it, and
    you're willing to have your bill double, then it could happen.



  3. #3
    HC
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    It's possible they may have had a tower out. Cingular is native to that
    area and they just bought AT&T so there could have been a network anomoly.
    If the problem persist, I would call customer service and complain. But as
    far as the spare bandwidth, that will not happen becuase bandwidth is money.
    "N Hamilton" <no_spamham@no_spamnc.rr.com> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off
    > work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell service
    > basically stopped for 2 hours.
    >
    > Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that
    > Cingular and all the other providers have been selling phones and plans
    > with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity for
    > emergencies.
    >
    > AM I being paranoid? If we had a minor or major emergency would cell
    > service get so overloaded that it would stop working in many areas? Is
    > there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a free
    > market? Cause if the latter, since cell phones for some folks are only
    > means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some day.
    >






  4. #4
    Ralph Blach
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    H''mmmmm my ham radio and did not go down,

    The 442.150 and other repeaters with phone pacthes were up in the
    Raleigh area.

    Get a tech liscense and a handy talkie for these situations

    Works great. I am a cingular customer and noticed no problems in the
    triangle area.

    Chip
    KF4WBK

    HC wrote:
    > It's possible they may have had a tower out. Cingular is native to that
    > area and they just bought AT&T so there could have been a network anomoly.
    > If the problem persist, I would call customer service and complain. But as
    > far as the spare bandwidth, that will not happen becuase bandwidth is money.
    > "N Hamilton" <no_spamham@no_spamnc.rr.com> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >
    >>We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off
    >>work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell service
    >>basically stopped for 2 hours.
    >>
    >>Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that
    >>Cingular and all the other providers have been selling phones and plans
    >>with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity for
    >>emergencies.
    >>
    >>AM I being paranoid? If we had a minor or major emergency would cell
    >>service get so overloaded that it would stop working in many areas? Is
    >>there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a free
    >>market? Cause if the latter, since cell phones for some folks are only
    >>means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some day.
    >>

    >
    >
    >




  5. #5
    John Navas
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

    In <[email protected]> on Wed, 19 Jan 2005
    21:51:14 GMT, "N Hamilton" <no_spamham@no_spamnc.rr.com> wrote:

    >We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell
    >service basically stopped for 2 hours.


    Perhaps some part of the infrastructure was knocked out by weather.

    >Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that Cingular and all the other providers have been selling
    >phones and plans with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity for emergencies.


    Why should they do so? Are you paying more for unused capacity?

    >AM I being paranoid?


    I think you're being unrealistic. Even wired systems get overloaded in
    emergencies.

    >If we had a minor or major emergency would cell service get so overloaded that it would stop working in many
    >areas?


    Perhaps.

    >Is there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a free market?


    Free market.

    >Cause if the latter, since cell phones for
    >some folks are only means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some day.


    That's their choice.

    --
    Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
    John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>



  6. #6
    bamp
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?


    "Ralph Blach" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > H''mmmmm my ham radio and did not go down,
    >
    > The 442.150 and other repeaters with phone pacthes were up in the Raleigh
    > area.
    >
    > Get a tech liscense and a handy talkie for these situations
    >
    > Works great. I am a cingular customer and noticed no problems in the
    > triangle area.
    >
    > Chip
    > KF4WBK
    >

    Do you still have to know code to take the tests? I had a Tech license years
    ago and would like to get one again.

    Surely I could pass theory, I have a commerical general radiotelephone
    license now.

    bamp
    old expired call WA5TZG





  7. #7
    J.J.
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    In 2001 in the wake of the Nisqually quake in Seattle, cellular circuits
    were all tied up and it took 3-4 tries to get a call through. However,
    attempts to do so were even more futile using land circuits. I wonder if
    the cell calls were routed somehow through an unaffected area...

    In any case... from my experience both land- and cellular-based
    communications can get balled up in the wake of a big event.

    Josh



    "N Hamilton" <no_spamham@no_spamnc.rr.com> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off
    > work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell service
    > basically stopped for 2 hours.
    >
    > Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that
    > Cingular and all the other providers have been selling phones and plans
    > with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity for
    > emergencies.
    >
    > AM I being paranoid? If we had a minor or major emergency would cell
    > service get so overloaded that it would stop working in many areas? Is
    > there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a free
    > market? Cause if the latter, since cell phones for some folks are only
    > means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some day.
    >






  8. #8
    Ralph Blach
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    No, to get a tech liscense, you do not have to take a code test.

    To get a general and extra, you just have to pass a 5 wpm liscense,
    which is not to hard. Ham sure comes in handy when the cell phones
    get overloaded.

    Chip

    bamp wrote:
    > "Ralph Blach" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >
    >>H''mmmmm my ham radio and did not go down,
    >>
    >>The 442.150 and other repeaters with phone pacthes were up in the Raleigh
    >>area.
    >>
    >>Get a tech liscense and a handy talkie for these situations
    >>
    >>Works great. I am a cingular customer and noticed no problems in the
    >>triangle area.
    >>
    >>Chip
    >>KF4WBK
    >>

    >
    > Do you still have to know code to take the tests? I had a Tech license years
    > ago and would like to get one again.
    >
    > Surely I could pass theory, I have a commerical general radiotelephone
    > license now.
    >
    > bamp
    > old expired call WA5TZG
    >
    >




  9. #9
    Ralph Blach
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    yes, they do. You can only put so many calls in the air in at the same
    time. If you want real emergency comunications capability, you have to
    get a HAM radio liscense.

    Otherwise, as people in Raliegh found out today, the system get flooded.

    Chip

    J.J. wrote:
    > In 2001 in the wake of the Nisqually quake in Seattle, cellular circuits
    > were all tied up and it took 3-4 tries to get a call through. However,
    > attempts to do so were even more futile using land circuits. I wonder if
    > the cell calls were routed somehow through an unaffected area...
    >
    > In any case... from my experience both land- and cellular-based
    > communications can get balled up in the wake of a big event.
    >
    > Josh
    >
    >
    >
    > "N Hamilton" <no_spamham@no_spamnc.rr.com> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >
    >>We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off
    >>work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell service
    >>basically stopped for 2 hours.
    >>
    >>Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that
    >>Cingular and all the other providers have been selling phones and plans
    >>with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity for
    >>emergencies.
    >>
    >>AM I being paranoid? If we had a minor or major emergency would cell
    >>service get so overloaded that it would stop working in many areas? Is
    >>there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a free
    >>market? Cause if the latter, since cell phones for some folks are only
    >>means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some day.
    >>

    >
    >
    >




  10. #10

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    John Navas wrote:
    > >We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and ... cell
    > >service basically stopped for 2 hours.

    > Perhaps some part of the infrastructure was knocked out by weather.


    I was in Charleston, SC, during the hurricane Floyd evacuation. No
    weather, but the cellular network was saturated to the point where you
    couldn't even register on the network. Everybody sitting in traffic
    must have pulled out his phone to see who he could bore. That was in
    the pre-Cingular days, and they haven't picked up any bandwidth down
    here since then.

    > I think you're being unrealistic. Even wired systems get overloaded

    in
    > emergencies.


    Yep. During that same evacuation I couldn't get a dialtone on the
    landline until well into the evening after everybody had left town (and
    got stuck on the interstate).

    > >If we had a minor or major emergency would cell service get so

    overloaded that it would stop working in many
    > >areas?


    In a word, YES.

    tg.




  11. #11
    John Navas
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

    In <[email protected]> on Wed, 19 Jan 2005 21:19:44 -0500,
    Ralph Blach <[email protected]> wrote:

    >yes, they do. You can only put so many calls in the air in at the same
    >time. If you want real emergency comunications capability, you have to
    >get a HAM radio liscense.


    So you can take advantage of underutilized free spectrum. ;-)

    --
    Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
    John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>



  12. #12
    Ralph Blach
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    John,

    When the tsuamias wiped out all the commuications infrastructure,
    and the only radio transmitter left was a ham station, I'll be the
    people there did NOT think it was under utilitized.

    Anyway, I am a ameatur radio Bigot, I must admit. I love it.
    I opperate Morse code, yes Morse code, that outdated, boring,
    hard to learn language. But I can work the world on 5 watts or less.

    I also do a huge amount of red cross work. When ever we have really bad
    weather condition here that knock down trees, and thus power lines and
    phone lines, I drive around with a red cross volunteer to check on
    people. Very satisfying work. (when this happen here, we end up with NO
    cell coverage to)

    Anyway, for everybody outthere listening, become a ham and have a great
    time.

    Chip
    kf4wbk





    John Navas wrote:
    > [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
    >
    > In <[email protected]> on Wed, 19 Jan 2005 21:19:44 -0500,
    > Ralph Blach <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >
    >>yes, they do. You can only put so many calls in the air in at the same
    >>time. If you want real emergency comunications capability, you have to
    >>get a HAM radio liscense.

    >
    >
    > So you can take advantage of underutilized free spectrum. ;-)
    >




  13. #13
    JohnF
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    I'm not sure how "underutilized" the ham bands are but it's "free" because
    having working ham stations in place is the last best way to get
    communications out of a disaster area when all else fails. I have not had an
    opportunity participate in any emergency situations but would be able to if
    I was needed to in my area. I have listened into a lot of the traffic that
    comes out of disaster areas and a lot of humanitarian information gets out
    that otherwise wouldn't if the ham operators weren't able to use these
    "free" bands. Without having ham stations already in place in these
    locations it might take a long time to set up a system to get information
    out.

    It also happens to be a very rewarding hobby. Morse is my preferance but
    voice communications is a lot of fun as well.

    Navas, is there anything you won't argue about? It just makes you come
    across as an idiot. If you know nothing about a topic you're not required to
    respond to it. Just move on. Just because you "created" this newsgroup
    doesn't require you to make an asinine comment on every thread.

    No need to respond to this since you're in my kill file and I probably won't
    see it anyway unless someone else quotes it in their response.



    "Ralph Blach" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > John,
    >
    > When the tsuamias wiped out all the commuications infrastructure,
    > and the only radio transmitter left was a ham station, I'll be the
    > people there did NOT think it was under utilitized.
    >
    > Anyway, I am a ameatur radio Bigot, I must admit. I love it.
    > I opperate Morse code, yes Morse code, that outdated, boring,
    > hard to learn language. But I can work the world on 5 watts or less.
    >
    > I also do a huge amount of red cross work. When ever we have really bad
    > weather condition here that knock down trees, and thus power lines and
    > phone lines, I drive around with a red cross volunteer to check on
    > people. Very satisfying work. (when this happen here, we end up with NO
    > cell coverage to)
    >
    > Anyway, for everybody outthere listening, become a ham and have a great
    > time.
    >
    > Chip
    > kf4wbk
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > John Navas wrote:
    > > [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
    > >
    > > In <[email protected]> on Wed, 19 Jan 2005

    21:19:44 -0500,
    > > Ralph Blach <[email protected]> wrote:
    > >
    > >
    > >>yes, they do. You can only put so many calls in the air in at the same
    > >>time. If you want real emergency comunications capability, you have to
    > >>get a HAM radio liscense.

    > >
    > >
    > > So you can take advantage of underutilized free spectrum. ;-)
    > >






  14. #14
    Ralph Blach
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?

    In a direct answer to your question, Cingular said no.

    see article

    http://www.wral.com/news/4112661/detail.html

    Both verizon and Cingular admit they do NOT have the capacity to
    cover these kinds of condition. Furthermore they state they have NO
    intention of building it out.

    Cell phones are a convience, NOT an emergency communication device.

    Chip

    N Hamilton wrote:
    > We had a small snow fall in Raleigh area today and with folks getting off work early and schools letting out early, Cingular's cell
    > service basically stopped for 2 hours.
    >
    > Coincidence? I hope. And maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried that Cingular and all the other providers have been selling
    > phones and plans with reckless abandon without providing sufficient capacity for emergencies.
    >
    > AM I being paranoid? If we had a minor or major emergency would cell service get so overloaded that it would stop working in many
    > areas? Is there any govt authority that is overseeing this or are we in a free market? Cause if the latter, since cell phones for
    > some folks are only means of communication, we are gonna be in a mess some day.
    >
    >




  15. #15
    Paw-Paw
    Guest

    Re: Can Cingular handle emergency loads?


    "Ralph Blach" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > No, to get a tech liscense, you do not have to take a code test.
    >
    > To get a general and extra, you just have to pass a 5 wpm liscense,
    > which is not to hard. Ham sure comes in handy when the cell phones
    > get overloaded.
    >
    > Chip
    >
    > bamp wrote:
    >> "Ralph Blach" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >> news:[email protected]...
    >>
    >>>H''mmmmm my ham radio and did not go down,
    >>>
    >>>The 442.150 and other repeaters with phone pacthes were up in the Raleigh
    >>>area.
    >>>
    >>>Get a tech liscense and a handy talkie for these situations
    >>>
    >>>Works great. I am a cingular customer and noticed no problems in the
    >>>triangle area.
    >>>
    >>>Chip
    >>>KF4WBK
    >>>

    >>
    >> Do you still have to know code to take the tests? I had a Tech license
    >> years ago and would like to get one again.
    >>
    >> Surely I could pass theory, I have a commerical general radiotelephone
    >> license now.
    >>
    >> bamp
    >> old expired call WA5TZG


    You have prob. already passed the 5WPM code test- if you have some proof you
    can show the VE, you can take all the writen test, all the way through Extra
    :-)






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