What happens if I switch my Motorola on Verizon to the "Automatic A" band setting?

[Not2daft]

I was wandering if that would give me better service...or should I set it to the Home only?

[CDMA]

It should normally be on automatic A. If it is set to home only, your phone will not work (roam) on other networks if you leave Verizon's home service area.

actually when i have gotten a phone from verizon it has always been on automatic B. so i was wondering what automatic A does too. i would assume that automatic B is the best setting to have it on if that is what they program the phones to be on when you get them. however when i am at home i usually put mine on home only to stop it from going to roam when i am in a store, etc so i don't get charged roaming in my home area. but when i travel i put it back on automatic B. so hopefully someone can answer what the difference is between automatic A and automatic B.

[BillRadio]

In the old days, you needed to set your phone manually on A or B to find the right channel for your carrier. Today, the Auto A or B setting does nothing more than help your phone be more efficient in finding your home carrier when you lose signal. Verizon is B in all of the west, A in much of midwest, and both in the east.

But the PRL tells the phone what to do anyway. So the A or B does not come into use until your phone can no longer find a signal that matches an entry in the PRL. Then, it will rest on your home channel, A or B, where it is most likely to find your home carrier. In the meantime, it is also scanning the entire PRL for a preferred signal. So, you should have it on your home channel, but there is little problem if you set it on the wrong one.

Choosing the "Home Only" setting limits the phone to your home area, which varies. Set it to Home Only in Detroit, you'll be able to use it in Cleveland. Set it to Home Only in Denver and it will dead at the ski areas.

-Bill

WRONG IT SHOULD BE ON AUTOMATIC B UNLESS U ARE IN OMAHA NEBRASKA.

-VERIZON WIRELESS EMPLOYEE FOR 2+ YEARS

[roamer1]

Auto A/B has no effect on network selection unless you are in an area where your phone can't find any system in its PRL (e.g., Grand Canyon, southeastern Kentucky, or Chambers County, AL.) In such an event, the phone will use the Auto A/B setting to determine which 800 MHz band to use. Generally, you should keep your phone on the same side as your home area (if you're in a PCS market, I recommend using "Auto B") unless you get "no service", then you can try switching to see if you can pick up something.

VZW B-side markets: Western US; Minnesota; Iowa; St. Louis; Houston; El Paso; Indiana; Mid-Atlantic states; Northeast except Connecticut; Illinois except Carbondale
VZW A-side markets: Ohio; Michigan; Connecticut; Carbondale IL; Kansas City; Southeast except Florida, Louisiana, and southern Alabama/Mississippi
VZW PCS markets: Florida; Wisconsin; southern Alabama/Mississippi; Louisiana; all Texas cities other than Houston/Beaumont and El Paso

"Home only" will restrict you to the VZW network with PRLs for most plans (America's Choice, SR National, FreeUp, various local plans -- with AC, that means NO EXTENDED NETWORK when set to "home only") or your home SID (old regional plans, some local plans, etc.)

-SC