WirelessAdvisor.com

ChaosThyre81 · 04-09-2006, 4:39 AM

Hello,

My parents live in Paw Paw Michigan and they're visiting me this weekend. My mom's phone roams on Verizon while they're in the area. But, sometimes it goes from a full signal to no bars and still says it's roaming and then it eventually picks up service again, but it cycles a lot from full service to no service. It doesn't move, sits on the counter plugged into the charger. Not sure why it doesn't just stay locked on the Verizon tower it's roaming on??

Thanks,

M,

MOTOhooligan · 04-09-2006, 12:01 PM

It could be a number of things. Because cell service is just radio waves, there are numerous things that can affect it. Buildings, weather, hills, clouds, usage by other subscribers. The more people using signal from a specific tower, the shorter distance the signal can travel.

I have this same problem at my desk at work. My T-Mobile v620 will have two bars of signal and fluctuate between that and no service and 'emergency only' on Westlink. I used to get some Alltel GSM roaming but now I don't for some reason. The phone does not move but the signal meter moves up and down. I think this is due to tower capacity because I am on a fringe area.

The signal strength meters on phones are pretty much useless, they can flucuate wildly even when the actual signal strength may not be.

What I would suggest is having your mother make sure that she has the most up to date Alltel preferred roaming list (PRL) which is the list of towers stored in the phone. Alltel 'pushes' the PRLs over the air (OTA) but it doesn't always reprogram everyone's phone. If her phone was off at the time of the OTA PRL push, if it was out of the area, if there was just a problem programming the PRL may not have been updated and she will need to dial *228 from an Alltel digital home area. That may fix or at least help with the problem.

It might also be a problem with her phone if she is experiencing this in other areas. But if she isn't have a problem placing or receiving calls, she is probably okay.

ChaosThyre81 · 04-10-2006, 4:49 AM

My verizon phone sat right next to hers. In field test mode, both phones were idle on PN Offset 242. Her phone would go from full service then to zilch, then back. My phone or anyone else who had verizon that was there had a constant signal. Just weird hers didn't being we were all on the same tower? Any thoughts? Maybe it was picking up on a very weak alltel signal? But, if that were the case, it wouldn't say roaming??

MOTOhooligan · 04-10-2006, 10:52 AM

Based on things I have read and heard, I'm no expert on this, but it it probably one of two things in that case.

Either, A, your mother, because she has an Alltel phone, is on a lower priority than native Verizon customers. As the tower gets closer and closer to maximum capacity, her signal decreases because native Verizon customers are using it. Then the usage of the tower decreases her signal increases.

Or, B, her phone is dying and she needs a new one. You may also want to have her power-cycle the phone and update her PRL when she returns to an Alltel system and see if that improves anything.

strunke · 04-10-2006, 3:43 PM

Wait, I just deleted everything I wrote because I completly misread your post haha. nevermind i can't delete it all the way i guess...

mframe · 04-10-2006, 6:59 PM

This does not sound like any kind of problem, just normal behavior. Naturally, when a phone detects its native network, it should stay locked on it, until the signal fades. When a phone is roaming on another network, it will periodically scan for one of its native networks, even if it was connected to a strong roaming signal. The Alltel phone is temporarily breaking the Verizon connection, to look for an Alltel signal. I think the only way to stop that, is to try programming NAM2 on the Alltel phone, with the local Verizon SID as home SID.

COtech · 04-12-2006, 1:47 AM

Suggest a PRL update attempt at their home before your parents' next visit?

COtech

ChaosThyre81 · 04-12-2006, 4:00 AM

Thanks for all your help guys! I also have a Sanyo PM-8200 thru Sprint, is there anyway to force the phone into roaming on the Verizon network just like changing the NAM2 to the Verizon SID? I don't see that option in field test mode though?

Thanks!

M.

Andy · 04-12-2006, 5:25 PM

Unless the phone has a digital roam only setting like some newer phone models I'm not sure if this is possible with Sprint phones.

Studogvetmed · 04-20-2006, 3:41 PM

I'd try looking in your phone settings for "roaming" or something of the like. There it might give you the option of "automatic", "Sprint only", or "roaming only", it does on my LG PM-225, unfortunately, if I select roaming only, it is always analog... Oh well.

So the feature is available on some sprint phones. Look for something in settings for roaming and a sub menu of "set mode" or something like that on your phone.

binarypower · 04-20-2006, 10:54 PM

I'm actually an Alltel employee in the Data Support department (for EVDO and the likes).

The problem isn't in the PRL. SID 21 (Detroit VZW) has been on the PRL list for alltel since the dawn of CDMA. Unless this is a really old phone then it shouldn't be the case.

It sounds like a network issue. Alltel tech support is open 24 hours, open a ticket and (hopefully) Verizon will fix it in a timley matter.

If her phone still does the same thing in her home area then it's a phone issue. The phone should be upgraded to the latest firmware or replaced.

ChaosThyre81 · 04-23-2006, 4:19 PM

The phone is a really old Nokia one. In her home area, the phone works great. Just here in Detroit when I turn the phone on in field test mode, it scans all the PN offsets then finally picks up on one from verizon and locks on with a really strong signal. Then, sometimes when I look at it, it has no bars, still says it's roaming then when I go make a call it just keeps trying to connect, and if I pick my up phone and call it, the phone rings a few times then the Verizon message comes up saying the person you're calling is not available. Don't I'm not what the deal is. My sprint phone is like that, if I'm in an area where the signal is weak, it will say like one bar and when I go to call out, it just keeps trying, then goes into analog then back to sprint. This happens when I'm in Canada on Lake Erie. My phone says it has a strong signal but won't dial out. Someone told me before that my phone is picking up on the towers in the states but there is so much noise and my phone being so far away it will not connect. Any truth in that?

Thanks,

M.

strunke · 04-23-2006, 8:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by binarypower

I'm actually an Alltel employee in the Data Support department (for EVDO and the likes).

The problem isn't in the PRL. SID 21 (Detroit VZW) has been on the PRL list for alltel since the dawn of CDMA. Unless this is a really old phone then it shouldn't be the case.

It sounds like a network issue. Alltel tech support is open 24 hours, open a ticket and (hopefully) Verizon will fix it in a timley matter.

If her phone still does the same thing in her home area then it's a phone issue. The phone should be upgraded to the latest firmware or replaced.

Hey this is off topic but....does Alltel plan on expanding their EVDO at all or are they just concentrating on buying out smaller carriers?

ChaosThyre81 · 04-25-2006, 9:07 PM

"When a phone is roaming on another network, it will periodically scan for one of its native networks, even if it was connected to a strong roaming signal. The Alltel phone is temporarily breaking the Verizon connection, to look for an Alltel signal."

Why does it have to break the connection with verizon to look for an Alltel signal? I ask because say I'm driving and my phone is switching towers, it is actively seeking out other towers to hand off to but it doesn't break it's current connection. So, I'm kinda baffled as to why it has to break it's Verizon connection to scan for an Alltel signal. Especially when CDMA phones have rake receivers, you'd think it could stay locked on verizon and look for another tower at the same time?

Also, if I'm on Alltel and the signal is fading and let's say Verizon is a strong signal in the area, can my phone hand off to Verizon or does it drop the call then roam on Verizon?

Thanks!

M.

alltelwirelesstech · 04-26-2006, 10:10 AM

As far as the dual scan while idle question, I have no idea. the phones should be capable of doing this and i have no idea why no one has ever written it into the programming. As far as the handoff from alltel to verzion, it will depend on where you are. If you are in a ss7 area with alltel, and verzion is ss7 as well and have the same type of switch that you were using with alltel as in that verizon market ( using lucent swicth with alltel then go to VZ lucent swicth and both have ss7 capabilities) the call would hand off. If it does not follow this, the call would simnply drop (using alltel nortel switch then going to VZ lucent) hope this helps

04-09-2006, 4:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
ChaosThyre81 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Detroit, Mi Posts: 207 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Alltell Roaming Question Hello, My parents live in Paw Paw Michigan and they're visiting me this weekend. My mom's phone roams on Verizon while they're in the area. But, sometimes it goes from a full signal to no bars and still says it's roaming and then it eventually picks up service again, but it cycles a lot from full service to no service. It doesn't move, sits on the counter plugged into the charger. Not sure why it doesn't just stay locked on the Verizon tower it's roaming on?? Thanks, M,

04-09-2006, 12:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
MOTOhooligan 1.21 Gigawatts!!!!! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Shermer, Illinois Posts: 6,683 Phone(s): w490, V3t, v620, Q, K1m Provider(s): Voicestream Wireless, Western Wireless Devices: Motorola S805, Motorola HS350 Thanks: 1 Thanked 10 Times in 7 Posts Images: 20	Re: Alltell Roaming Question It could be a number of things. Because cell service is just radio waves, there are numerous things that can affect it. Buildings, weather, hills, clouds, usage by other subscribers. The more people using signal from a specific tower, the shorter distance the signal can travel. I have this same problem at my desk at work. My T-Mobile v620 will have two bars of signal and fluctuate between that and no service and 'emergency only' on Westlink. I used to get some Alltel GSM roaming but now I don't for some reason. The phone does not move but the signal meter moves up and down. I think this is due to tower capacity because I am on a fringe area. The signal strength meters on phones are pretty much useless, they can flucuate wildly even when the actual signal strength may not be. What I would suggest is having your mother make sure that she has the most up to date Alltel preferred roaming list (PRL) which is the list of towers stored in the phone. Alltel 'pushes' the PRLs over the air (OTA) but it doesn't always reprogram everyone's phone. If her phone was off at the time of the OTA PRL push, if it was out of the area, if there was just a problem programming the PRL may not have been updated and she will need to dial *228 from an Alltel digital home area. That may fix or at least help with the problem. It might also be a problem with her phone if she is experiencing this in other areas. But if she isn't have a problem placing or receiving calls, she is probably okay. __________________ Who needs an iPhone when you've got a 2GB memory card, AD2P Bluetooth support and a wireless stereo headset?

04-10-2006, 4:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
ChaosThyre81 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Detroit, Mi Posts: 207 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Alltell Roaming Question My verizon phone sat right next to hers. In field test mode, both phones were idle on PN Offset 242. Her phone would go from full service then to zilch, then back. My phone or anyone else who had verizon that was there had a constant signal. Just weird hers didn't being we were all on the same tower? Any thoughts? Maybe it was picking up on a very weak alltel signal? But, if that were the case, it wouldn't say roaming??

04-10-2006, 10:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
MOTOhooligan 1.21 Gigawatts!!!!! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Shermer, Illinois Posts: 6,683 Phone(s): w490, V3t, v620, Q, K1m Provider(s): Voicestream Wireless, Western Wireless Devices: Motorola S805, Motorola HS350 Thanks: 1 Thanked 10 Times in 7 Posts Images: 20	Re: Alltell Roaming Question Based on things I have read and heard, I'm no expert on this, but it it probably one of two things in that case. Either, A, your mother, because she has an Alltel phone, is on a lower priority than native Verizon customers. As the tower gets closer and closer to maximum capacity, her signal decreases because native Verizon customers are using it. Then the usage of the tower decreases her signal increases. Or, B, her phone is dying and she needs a new one. You may also want to have her power-cycle the phone and update her PRL when she returns to an Alltel system and see if that improves anything. __________________ Who needs an iPhone when you've got a 2GB memory card, AD2P Bluetooth support and a wireless stereo headset?

04-10-2006, 3:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
strunke .:\|Always Covered\|:. Join Date: May 2005 Location: BVR Posts: 1,703 Phone(s): KRZR K1m, SLVR L6, v710, E815, E816(ampd), LG 380, 8600 Provider(s): Alltel, T-Mobile, Sprint, Centennial Devices: Garmin eTrex Vista Cx, Bluetooth headset Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts My Auctions	Re: Alltell Roaming Question Wait, I just deleted everything I wrote because I completly misread your post haha. nevermind i can't delete it all the way i guess...

04-10-2006, 6:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
mframe Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Western MA Posts: 242 Phone(s): AT&T Tilt (8925), Moto V330, Moto E816, Nokia 3590 Provider(s): AT&T, Alltel U Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 1 Post	Re: Alltell Roaming Question This does not sound like any kind of problem, just normal behavior. Naturally, when a phone detects its native network, it should stay locked on it, until the signal fades. When a phone is roaming on another network, it will periodically scan for one of its native networks, even if it was connected to a strong roaming signal. The Alltel phone is temporarily breaking the Verizon connection, to look for an Alltel signal. I think the only way to stop that, is to try programming NAM2 on the Alltel phone, with the local Verizon SID as home SID.

04-12-2006, 1:47 AM	#7 (permalink)
COtech Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 828 Phone(s): HTC Tilt 8925, NEC 525 HDM, Nokia 6340i GAIT, Motorola Select 2000e Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: MP3 players, WWVB wristwatch Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post My Auctions	Re: Alltell Roaming Question Suggest a PRL update attempt at their home before your parents' next visit? COtech __________________ A SLA gets the trouble away!

04-12-2006, 4:00 AM	#8 (permalink)
ChaosThyre81 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Detroit, Mi Posts: 207 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Alltell Roaming Question Thanks for all your help guys! I also have a Sanyo PM-8200 thru Sprint, is there anyway to force the phone into roaming on the Verizon network just like changing the NAM2 to the Verizon SID? I don't see that option in field test mode though? Thanks! M.

04-12-2006, 5:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
Andy Join Date: May 2003 Location: Campione, Italy Posts: 10,285 Phone(s): HTC 6900 Touch, Motorola RAZR V3i Provider(s): VZW, Vodafone D2, Solomo, Swisscom Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Images: 130	Re: Alltell Roaming Question Unless the phone has a digital roam only setting like some newer phone models I'm not sure if this is possible with Sprint phones.

04-20-2006, 3:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
Studogvetmed Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 72 Phone(s): Sanyo-6650 (Katana II) Provider(s): Sprint Devices: iPod, Macbook Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 15	Re: Alltell Roaming Question I'd try looking in your phone settings for "roaming" or something of the like. There it might give you the option of "automatic", "Sprint only", or "roaming only", it does on my LG PM-225, unfortunately, if I select roaming only, it is always analog... Oh well. So the feature is available on some sprint phones. Look for something in settings for roaming and a sub menu of "set mode" or something like that on your phone.

04-20-2006, 10:54 PM	#11 (permalink)
binarypower Shoulda joined long ago! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 3 Phone(s): Blackberry 7250, Blackberry 7130e, UT STarcom 6700, Kyocera Passport Provider(s): Alltel, Sprint Devices: GPS, Stompbox, Kyocera KR1, Aircards Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Alltell Roaming Question I'm actually an Alltel employee in the Data Support department (for EVDO and the likes). The problem isn't in the PRL. SID 21 (Detroit VZW) has been on the PRL list for alltel since the dawn of CDMA. Unless this is a really old phone then it shouldn't be the case. It sounds like a network issue. Alltel tech support is open 24 hours, open a ticket and (hopefully) Verizon will fix it in a timley matter. If her phone still does the same thing in her home area then it's a phone issue. The phone should be upgraded to the latest firmware or replaced.

04-23-2006, 4:19 PM	#12 (permalink)
ChaosThyre81 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Detroit, Mi Posts: 207 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Alltell Roaming Question The phone is a really old Nokia one. In her home area, the phone works great. Just here in Detroit when I turn the phone on in field test mode, it scans all the PN offsets then finally picks up on one from verizon and locks on with a really strong signal. Then, sometimes when I look at it, it has no bars, still says it's roaming then when I go make a call it just keeps trying to connect, and if I pick my up phone and call it, the phone rings a few times then the Verizon message comes up saying the person you're calling is not available. Don't I'm not what the deal is. My sprint phone is like that, if I'm in an area where the signal is weak, it will say like one bar and when I go to call out, it just keeps trying, then goes into analog then back to sprint. This happens when I'm in Canada on Lake Erie. My phone says it has a strong signal but won't dial out. Someone told me before that my phone is picking up on the towers in the states but there is so much noise and my phone being so far away it will not connect. Any truth in that? Thanks, M.

04-25-2006, 9:07 PM	#14 (permalink)
ChaosThyre81 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Detroit, Mi Posts: 207 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Alltell Roaming Question "When a phone is roaming on another network, it will periodically scan for one of its native networks, even if it was connected to a strong roaming signal. The Alltel phone is temporarily breaking the Verizon connection, to look for an Alltel signal." Why does it have to break the connection with verizon to look for an Alltel signal? I ask because say I'm driving and my phone is switching towers, it is actively seeking out other towers to hand off to but it doesn't break it's current connection. So, I'm kinda baffled as to why it has to break it's Verizon connection to scan for an Alltel signal. Especially when CDMA phones have rake receivers, you'd think it could stay locked on verizon and look for another tower at the same time? Also, if I'm on Alltel and the signal is fading and let's say Verizon is a strong signal in the area, can my phone hand off to Verizon or does it drop the call then roam on Verizon? Thanks! M.

04-26-2006, 10:10 AM	#15 (permalink)
alltelwirelesstech Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Arkansas Posts: 451 Phone(s): RAZR Provider(s): Alltel Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Alltell Roaming Question As far as the dual scan while idle question, I have no idea. the phones should be capable of doing this and i have no idea why no one has ever written it into the programming. As far as the handoff from alltel to verzion, it will depend on where you are. If you are in a ss7 area with alltel, and verzion is ss7 as well and have the same type of switch that you were using with alltel as in that verizon market ( using lucent swicth with alltel then go to VZ lucent swicth and both have ss7 capabilities) the call would hand off. If it does not follow this, the call would simnply drop (using alltel nortel switch then going to VZ lucent) hope this helps

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