6340i Question

I have had two 6340i phones on the Preferred Nation Family GAIT plan
in Syracuse, NY since August, 2003. The GSM service in Syracuse is
excellent and I am very pleased with this phone.

However, I have noticed in that if my phone switches to TDMA, it
doesn't seem to switch back to GSM without a reboot. For example,
sometimes I can enter a building and the phone switches to TDMA (like
it should) but, when I leave the building and return to a full
strength GSM signal, the phone remains on TDMA. I have even waited 20
minutes before rebooting to see if the phone will switch back to GSM,
but it doesn't. I have heard other people stating that they have had
to reboot to regain GSM and I was wondering if this is just another
quirk with this phone? By the way my firmware is 8.04.

If this is just another phone quirk, I can live with it, as it is not
really a big deal to reboot and I like the convenience of GSM and TDMA
in one phone.

---

› See More: 6340i Question

I have experienced similar behavior with my 6340i. I didn't know if it was
the phone or the GSM network. Mine camped on TDMA more when GSM first went
live in DC. Haven't noticed it doing that so much lately. I figured it was
a result of the new GSM. I have also switched phones recently and have the
latest firmware (8.05.3). Previously I had the 8.04.1 version. But, I have
had a persistent problem when roaming that the phone keeps dropping the
signal and takes 10-20 seconds to recover the signal. This happens
constantly when roaming in most areas no matter how strong the signal.
Spent countless time on the phone with customer service and technicians to
no avail. The last tech I spoke with put in a trouble ticket, but that was
nearly 2 weeks ago and I haven't heard a thing since then.


"JohnM" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have had two 6340i phones on the Preferred Nation Family GAIT plan
> in Syracuse, NY since August, 2003. The GSM service in Syracuse is
> excellent and I am very pleased with this phone.
>
> However, I have noticed in that if my phone switches to TDMA, it
> doesn't seem to switch back to GSM without a reboot. For example,
> sometimes I can enter a building and the phone switches to TDMA (like
> it should) but, when I leave the building and return to a full
> strength GSM signal, the phone remains on TDMA. I have even waited 20
> minutes before rebooting to see if the phone will switch back to GSM,
> but it doesn't. I have heard other people stating that they have had
> to reboot to regain GSM and I was wondering if this is just another
> quirk with this phone? By the way my firmware is 8.04.
>
> If this is just another phone quirk, I can live with it, as it is not
> really a big deal to reboot and I like the convenience of GSM and TDMA
> in one phone.

> However, I have noticed in that if my phone switches to TDMA, it
> doesn't seem to switch back to GSM without a reboot. For example,
> sometimes I can enter a building and the phone switches to TDMA (like
> it should) but, when I leave the building and return to a full
> strength GSM signal, the phone remains on TDMA. I have even waited 20
> minutes before rebooting to see if the phone will switch back to GSM,
> but it doesn't. I have heard other people stating that they have had
> to reboot to regain GSM and I was wondering if this is just another
> quirk with this phone? By the way my firmware is 8.04.

Think about it a little bit.... :-)
When a TDMA phone accesses an AMPS control
channel, there is information on that channel that
tells the phone that the system also supports TDMA,
then the phone can go looking for it.

Some TDMA phones will just try to lock on to a
DCCH two or three times, if that fails, they will
ignore the information on the AMPS control channel
about the existence of TDMA on the system and
they will stay on the AMPS channel until
it looses contact with it and has to re register.

Other phones will not do that.
They keep looking for the DCCH indefinitely.
And when the phone is looking for that DCCH,
it can't monitor the AMPS control channel, so
it will miss any calls that come in while it's looking.

Now you add GSM into the mix.
There is nothing on the AMPS or TDMA channel
that can tell a GAIT phone that the system is GSM capable.

So, when you turn it on, it looks for GSM, then TDMA, then AMPS.
If it locks onto TDMA, why would it keep looking for a GSM
carrier when it already has a solid TDMA connection?
And if it looses a GSM connection, and finds a solid TDMA
connection that isn't wavering one bit, why would it keep
looking for that GSM connection that may never return?
If it keeps looking, it has a chance of missing incoming calls
on the TDMA or AMPS system.
Because the phones can't monitor two channels and two modes at once.
If it's looking, it's not keeping track of incoming call data.

The only time it will look for a new GSM system is when it looses
the TDMA signal.

And if the phones operate like that, then I would be very pleased.
Because the point of having a GAIT phone is being able to get
a call, no mater where you are.
And what good would the phone be if it missed a call when it was
out looking for a nonexistent GSM carrier in the middle of Tim buck two....

:-)

I have a 6340i. Mine does the same thing. It moves to AT&T, TDMA.
I also have FastForward, and this instrument will not work unless I
reboot. I hope AT&T makes a fortune on the charges. I don't think it
will stop otherwise.

Cingular doesn't have a clue - or so they say.


JohnM wrote:
> I have had two 6340i phones on the Preferred Nation Family GAIT plan
> in Syracuse, NY since August, 2003. The GSM service in Syracuse is
> excellent and I am very pleased with this phone.
>
> However, I have noticed in that if my phone switches to TDMA, it
> doesn't seem to switch back to GSM without a reboot. For example,
> sometimes I can enter a building and the phone switches to TDMA (like
> it should) but, when I leave the building and return to a full
> strength GSM signal, the phone remains on TDMA. I have even waited 20
> minutes before rebooting to see if the phone will switch back to GSM,
> but it doesn't. I have heard other people stating that they have had
> to reboot to regain GSM and I was wondering if this is just another
> quirk with this phone? By the way my firmware is 8.04.
>
> If this is just another phone quirk, I can live with it, as it is not
> really a big deal to reboot and I like the convenience of GSM and TDMA
> in one phone.

In article <XVqyb.132643$Ec1.5480496@bgtnsc05-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, [email protected] says...
>
> So, when you turn it on, it looks for GSM, then TDMA, then AMPS.
> If it locks onto TDMA, why would it keep looking for a GSM
> carrier when it already has a solid TDMA connection?
> And if it looses a GSM connection, and finds a solid TDMA
> connection that isn't wavering one bit, why would it keep
> looking for that GSM connection that may never return?
>
> The only time it will look for a new GSM system is when it looses
> the TDMA signal.

There must be a little bit more to it than that. In DFW, TDMA is VERY
strong--according to your logic if the phone switched to TDMA for any
reason it would NEVER switch back to GSM until it was power cycled--that
could be DAYS. Yet that is NOT the case. Of the last couple of times I
caught the 6340i on TDMA the first time it was back on GSM within 5
minutes, the 2nd time must have been even less time. In neither case
did I have to power cycle the phone. In fact the only time I've had to
do that was when I lost GSM at the house--after about 10 minutes I
manually cycled the phone and GSM came back strong. In the first two
examples I was moving. Could a tower switch trigger the rescan? Or
maybe it checks based on a fixed time like on the quarter hour?
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

> There must be a little bit more to it than that. In DFW, TDMA is VERY
> strong--according to your logic if the phone switched to TDMA for any
> reason it would NEVER switch back to GSM until it was power cycled--that
> could be DAYS. Yet that is NOT the case. Of the last couple of times I
> caught the 6340i on TDMA the first time it was back on GSM within 5
> minutes, the 2nd time must have been even less time. In neither case
> did I have to power cycle the phone. In fact the only time I've had to
> do that was when I lost GSM at the house--after about 10 minutes I
> manually cycled the phone and GSM came back strong. In the first two
> examples I was moving. Could a tower switch trigger the rescan? Or
> maybe it checks based on a fixed time like on the quarter hour?

You are forgetting one thing.
It would stay in TDMA until it had to reregister with the network.
That would be when you move out of a cell's coverage and
into another cell's coverage.

It has to scan for another cell to camp on.
And while it does that, it checks to see if their is any GSM
signal available.

When it looks for a system to register on, it starts from the
top of the list, GSM, TDMA, AMPS.
And once it settles on a system, it stays there until
it loses contact with the pilot, or control channel it's monitoring.
once it loses contact, it starts from the top again.

Notice that most people are in a stationary place when
they talk about having to reboot the phone.
The phone never loses the signal from the tower it's monitoring
so it never has to look for a new signal to latch on to.

If the signal is spotty at your location, then the phone will
lose contact with a tower as you carry it around, so
it will find it's way back to GSM on it's own.

Jud Hardcastle wrote:
>
> There must be a little bit more to it than that. In DFW, TDMA is VERY
> strong--according to your logic if the phone switched to TDMA for any
> reason it would NEVER switch back to GSM until it was power cycled--that
> could be DAYS. Yet that is NOT the case. Of the last couple of times I
> caught the 6340i on TDMA the first time it was back on GSM within 5
> minutes, the 2nd time must have been even less time. In neither case
> did I have to power cycle the phone. In fact the only time I've had to
> do that was when I lost GSM at the house--after about 10 minutes I
> manually cycled the phone and GSM came back strong. In the first two
> examples I was moving. Could a tower switch trigger the rescan? Or
> maybe it checks based on a fixed time like on the quarter hour?


I'm in DFW, too. That's one reason why I chose the 6340i, my
experience with the strong TDMA coverage here. How do you know if it's
on GSM, TDMA, or AMPS? I see nothing in the menus or indicators to let
me know.

Thanks,
mdh

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
>
> I'm in DFW, too. That's one reason why I chose the 6340i, my
> experience with the strong TDMA coverage here. How do you know if it's
> on GSM, TDMA, or AMPS? I see nothing in the menus or indicators to let
> me know.
>
> Thanks,
> mdh
>

As you noticed there is no icon on the 6340i to indicate service. There
is a field test mode that will display more info than you want--carrier
id, cell id, etc., but it doesn't work very well leaving it in that
mode.

The easiest way I've found to see if you're on GSM is "menu"+"messages"
then scroll up to "service command editor". If that's greyed out the
phone is on TDMA or amps. You can also go "menu"+"settings"+"call
settings"+"call forwarding" and scroll. Choices like "forward all fax
calls" and "forward all data calls" are also greyed out except when on
GSM. Also on GSM, if call forwarding or voicemail is active, when you
make an outgoing call it beeps and displays "note: call forwarding
active" (at least I've heard it does with voicemail--I had VM removed
since it was incompatible with the "one-number service" I use).

I think the field mode screens is the only way to distinguish TDMA from
AMPS. I've actually only caught it on amps once since getting the
phone--TDMA coverage in rural Texas has gotten much better over the last
couple of years.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

In article <bIwyb.365006$0v4.19283824@bgtnsc04-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, [email protected] says...
> > did I have to power cycle the phone. In fact the only time I've had to
> > do that was when I lost GSM at the house--after about 10 minutes I
> > manually cycled the phone and GSM came back strong. In the first two
> > examples I was moving. Could a tower switch trigger the rescan? Or
>
> You are forgetting one thing.
> It would stay in TDMA until it had to reregister with the network.
> That would be when you move out of a cell's coverage and
> into another cell's coverage.
>
> It has to scan for another cell to camp on.
> And while it does that, it checks to see if their is any GSM
> signal available.
>

Ah so--wasn't sure how much reregistering was happening when switching
cells. Sounds like it's working exactly as it should then. Of the few
stationary users that get switched most won't be using what few GSM-only
features are on the phone--and thus won't notice or care. The few that
are will discover the fact quickly and can reboot if they really need
it.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA