what is Field debug?

Obviously I am a newbie. Frank Harris posted this: "Like Bob, I still
have a 3500 charger plugged in, because I use an old, unactivated 3500
in Field Debug mode when I go on a serious cell site search. It's
easier to hold and the display is much easier to read in daylight than
my newer phones. Field Debug mode on a 3500 is Menu-9-0-040793-1. I
know you can get to it on an A740 but I don't have the menus handy. Try
Menu-Settings-Display-0-0404793-1. "

I am wondering what is Field Debug.

---

› See More: what is Field debug?

In Field Debug mode, your phone's display is filled with letters and
numbers indicating various measurements of your phone's connection with
the cell site.

Here's a simplified explanation of some of the measurements:
S - System ID - Sprint region or roaming provider's ID number
D - signal strength on a scale where at -40 you're right next to the
cell site, -70 is very good, -90 is getting weak, and -105 you've lost
the signal. This is followed by a "-" and then a quality indicator
where a low number (2-6) is very clear and 20's is very noisy.
P - each of the cell site's 2 or 3 sectors identifies itself by this number
CH - which PCS channel is in use

To the casual user, none of this is important.

Here's a description of how one person uses it:
http://www.arcx.com/sites/FindingSites.htm

C M wrote:
> Obviously I am a newbie. Frank Harris posted this: "Like Bob, I still
> have a 3500 charger plugged in, because I use an old, unactivated 3500
> in Field Debug mode when I go on a serious cell site search. It's
> easier to hold and the display is much easier to read in daylight than
> my newer phones. Field Debug mode on a 3500 is Menu-9-0-040793-1. I
> know you can get to it on an A740 but I don't have the menus handy. Try
> Menu-Settings-Display-0-0404793-1. "
>
> I am wondering what is Field Debug.

--
Frank Harris in San Francisco with an A680