How to ascertain switch ID?

Hello:

I've had an ongoing problem with one of my lines. In short,
one of my numbers goes in and out of Sprint signal, although both
phones are the same model and are used exclusively in the same place
(the other phone is rock solid). As a result, one battery drains
constantly, and when the phone is looking around for signal calls go
to v-mail.

I have determined that it is not a handset problem (same thing
happened with three different, perfectly funcitioning handsets).

I've had four trouble tickets opened and escalated, but when
field operations people report back they can find nothing wrong, so
the close the ticket and I have to start again from scratch.

Someone here helped me to determine that the two phones were
on two different switches, and I have used this information when
dealing with them, with limited success. They changed the number once,
but a tech support agent told me that the new number ended up on the
same switch once again.

They tell me that the switches should not make any difference,
as both phones are fed by the same tower and share the same CSA. They
also dispute my claim that I can identify the switches these phones
are on.

This has been going on for some time, and so I plan to call
back and ask for a new number with a guarantee that the new number
will be on a different switch, ideally the one my phone is on.

I have already been told once that they will not be able to
assign a number based upon the switch. I was told that this is out of
their control, but I plan to persist anyway, as this is the only
difference I can determine between the numbers. The phones, usage and
location are all uniform.

I'd like to be able to find the switch ID's out on my own
after they assign the new number. Can anyone tell me how I might do
that?

Thanks in advance. DGI

---

› See More: How to ascertain switch ID?

David -

The switch info that Isaiah Beard reported back to you on 5/11/2006 is
available at
http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco

I think that just having both phones having numbers with the same area
code and prefix will also put them on the same switch.

Look on other cross-referencing pages of that site to figure out which
other Sprint prefixes in (917) are on the same switch.

If you want more information you can sometimes put the phone in Field
Debug mode and see which cell site sector the phone is using. It's
easier on Samsungs (because you needn't be on a call), but I've done it
on a Sanyo 8100 and maybe it's the same on your Sanyo 4920.

Make a call, then while on the call press ##040793, then Menu,







then choose Save Phone #, then Screen.

Several rows of numbers will appear. The first number on the first row
(2 or 3 decimal digits) is the PN Offset (an ID that's unique within
several square miles) of the cell site sector handling your call.

In a dense city, it's possible that two side-by-side phones will show
different numbers as 2 or 3 overlapping cells might serve you. Even one
phone may cycle through 2 or 3 numbers, so I'm not entirely sure how
this information will help you.

Also on the 8100, the screen shows "CH:" and a 2 or 3 digit number which
is a multiple of 25 (e.g. 50-75-100). This is the PCS CDMA channel in
use. The phone may use a different channel when on a call than when
idle, but when idle, the Sanyo phone only flashes the numbers on screen
for a fraction of a second at a time. In a dense city Sprint may use
3-5 channels.

You can get out of Field Debug mode by powering the phone off and on.


David G. Imber wrote:
> Hello:
>
> I've had an ongoing problem with one of my lines. In short,
> one of my numbers goes in and out of Sprint signal, although both
> phones are the same model and are used exclusively in the same place
> (the other phone is rock solid). As a result, one battery drains
> constantly, and when the phone is looking around for signal calls go
> to v-mail.
>
> I have determined that it is not a handset problem (same thing
> happened with three different, perfectly funcitioning handsets).
>
> I've had four trouble tickets opened and escalated, but when
> field operations people report back they can find nothing wrong, so
> the close the ticket and I have to start again from scratch.
>
> Someone here helped me to determine that the two phones were
> on two different switches, and I have used this information when
> dealing with them, with limited success. They changed the number once,
> but a tech support agent told me that the new number ended up on the
> same switch once again.
>
> They tell me that the switches should not make any difference,
> as both phones are fed by the same tower and share the same CSA. They
> also dispute my claim that I can identify the switches these phones
> are on.
>
> This has been going on for some time, and so I plan to call
> back and ask for a new number with a guarantee that the new number
> will be on a different switch, ideally the one my phone is on.
>
> I have already been told once that they will not be able to
> assign a number based upon the switch. I was told that this is out of
> their control, but I plan to persist anyway, as this is the only
> difference I can determine between the numbers. The phones, usage and
> location are all uniform.
>
> I'd like to be able to find the switch ID's out on my own
> after they assign the new number. Can anyone tell me how I might do
> that?
>
> Thanks in advance. DGI

--

Frank Harris in San Francisco with a A920

On Mon, 29 May 2006 22:33:44 GMT, Frank Harris
<[email protected]> wrote:

>David -
>
>The switch info that Isaiah Beard reported back to you on 5/11/2006 is
>available at
>http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco
>

Thanks so much for all of this. Field operations refuses to
look into this any further, as they have determined that their network
and local towers are all functioning properly. Technical support is
still willing to keep a trouble record open on it, as they agree that
a problem does indeed exist.

The phones are now mm-8300's by the way. In the course of all
this I purchased new phones, thinking that the problem was so deep
and/or arcane that simple diagnostics wouldn't find it. I was wrong.
Three handsets, including two brand new units on that number, all
behaved the same way.

I also had the chance to observe the phone for a long period
today in a location 15-20 miles away from my home and it displayed
none of the behavior that it does in my home/office.

I'm still trying to work with SPCS on this, but they are
stymied and I'm just not adept enough to get very far. I have the
feeling this is the result of new building construction nearby, as the
topping off of the building seemed to coincide with the advent of the
problem.

Thanks again, DGI

David G. Imber wrote:
> On Mon, 29 May 2006 22:33:44 GMT, Frank Harris
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> David -
>>
>> The switch info that Isaiah Beard reported back to you on 5/11/2006 is
>> available at
>> http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco
>>
>
> Thanks so much for all of this. Field operations refuses to
> look into this any further, as they have determined that their network
> and local towers are all functioning properly. Technical support is
> still willing to keep a trouble record open on it, as they agree that
> a problem does indeed exist.

David,

Your number began with 917-541, right? And if I remember correctly, it
was on the "good" switch?

If so, then you should try to get a number for your wife with one of the
following areacodes/prefixes. These are all homed off the same switch
as 917-541:

347-385 347-423 347-581 347-623
347-645 347-661 347-683 347-693
347-724 347-731 646-232 646-242
646-295 646-303 646-337 646-382
646-391 646-425 646-456 646-489
646-528 646-554 646-765 718-413
718-413 718-413 718-781 718-810
718-812 718-813 718-908 718-926
718-930 917-405 917-407 917-482
917-541 917-553 917-554 917-586
917-604 917-627 917-653 917-701

This may help determine, once and for all, if there is a switch routing
issue.

Hope this helps. Take care,
Isaiah

--
E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

Frank Harris wrote:
> David -
>
> The switch info that Isaiah Beard reported back to you on 5/11/2006 is
> available at
> http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco

I prefer to use:

http://quentinsagerconsulting.com/cgi-bin/nalennd.cgi

It provides a bit more detailed info.


--
E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

On Wed, 31 May 2006 13:24:16 -0400, Isaiah Beard
<[email protected]> wrote:


>
>Your number began with 917-541, right? And if I remember correctly, it
>was on the "good" switch?
>
>If so, then you should try to get a number for your wife with one of the
>following areacodes/prefixes. These are all homed off the same switch
>as 917-541:

[snip]

I made the mistake of asking for a 541 prefix for her before
following the trail you began and learning more.

I was told that they were not able to select the exchange. Of
course if I'd given them a wide range of exchanges to choose from they
might have given it a try.

However, for pretty good reasons I think, my wife doesn't want
to change her number yet again. The service people had assumed that by
tying together the CSA's for the two numbers, the exchange she'd be
given would put her on the same switch ID as mine. But they moved her
from 676 to 312, and that traces back to the same switch.

Further, they still insist the switch ID is (at least
theoretically) irrelevant. I don't have the knowledge to argue that.

Thanks again, DGI