Is your local Analog cellular network turned off yet?

[Jay2TheRescue]

This thread is for people to report when they notice an absence of analog signal, and to also track when carriers create new PRL's that ban analog roaming. Don't forget to post your location, and which carrier's analog is turned off (if known).

To start, it was mentioned in another thread that analog roaming has been removed from Alltel's new PRL.

-Jay

[TelcomJunkie]

VzW's analog seems to be disappearing slowly here in Los Angeles.

[KyleAndMelissa22]

The following post is also in this thread: VZW Users (Analog-to-Digital?)

...

Analog roaming is now over for Alltel customers.

It looks like Alltel has already made a PRL that erases roaming on Verizon's Analog Network.
With Alltel's newest PRL (20029 & 30029), I cannot use Verizon's Analog netork.

In the older PRLs (up to 20008 & 30008) I was able to roam on Verizon's analog network.

Now, When I try to make a call on Verizon's analog network, I get the following error message:

"Welcome to Verizon Wireless, Please hold, your call is being forwarded to a cellular operator.
You make a credit card, calling card, or collect call. Announcement 13, 0139-025"
And then it just hangs up.

The end is now for Alltel customers who want to roam on analog. Analog roaming is over.
The only analog left for Alltel is it's own, but that will be shutdown soon.

[AL904a]

I just set my Motorola V710 for Verizon to "Analog Only," here, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. (at&t has both 800 channels in this area.) My phone cannot find an analog signal in either "Automatic 'A' or 'B.'"

My Verizon PRL on that phone is 50863.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by AL904a

I just set my Motorola V710 for Verizon to "Analog Only," here, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. (at&t has both 800 channels in this area.) My phone cannot find an analog signal in either "Automatic 'A' or 'B.'"

My Verizon PRL on that phone is 50863.

There has to be some sort of analog signal available in Jacksonville. Do you think Verizon has blocked analog roaming along with Alltel?

-Jay

[AL904a]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

There has to be some sort of analog signal available in Jacksonville. Do you think Verizon has blocked analog roaming along with Alltel?

-Jay

I thought the same thing. That is why I included my PRL in my post.

I will see if I can find an analog signal with an old, unlocked Nokia 6340i (GAIT) phone.

[AL904a]

Originally Posted by AL904a

I will see if I can find an analog signal with an old, unlocked Nokia 6340i (GAIT) phone.

I cannot access that information with my Nokia 6340i. When I insert an at&t SIM card, that card disables my menu choice to select a network. When I insert a T-Mobile SIM card, I gain the ability to select a network. I see at&t and T-Mobile networks, but do not have the ability to see whether an analog signal is available.

That information may be available when I activate "Field Test," but I cannot interpret many of the Field Test screens. Can anyone tell me which Field Test screen, and what to look for?

[RadioFoneGuy]

not sure on Gait if you can toggle back and forth between GSM and TDMA/Analog for the test mode.

Normally on GSM you will see a BCCH or CCCH and you will see a -DB reading such as
-83 which will normally get you full bars. A band GSM will be 133 to about 180 for your channel number.

If you see TDMA you will see a DCCH channel number and it will say camping underneath it.
These numbers tend to be 700 to 1000 for the channel number

Analog you will see ACH it you are on a analog beacon.

On most nokias you can see all this on page 1-1

[AL904a]

On Page 1-1, I see the following:

131 -86 xxx
0 4 x xxxx
18 19 85
CCCH


On Page 21-02, I see:

ACCH
xxxxx
0


There is no other reference to ACCH.

[DanPFW]

I've got an easy way to find out a possible timeframe when a network will be shut off.

Find someone who is using an analog phone and see if they've gotten a letter from their carrier since the FCC is requiring carriers to notify their customers 4 months in advance and again at 30 days before the network is turned off.

Analog-to-Digital Transition for Wireless Telephone Service

I'm not sure if this rule applies to people with analog only plans, but it sure doesn't sound that way. It sounds like if a carrier knows which customers have analog/digital phones activated, they must send them a letter.

Dan

[Alienware_51]

Alltel got rid of there analog around my area last year around late march. Don't know about cell one (at&t now)

[RadioFoneGuy]

Originally Posted by AL904a

On Page 1-1, I see the following:

131 -86 xxx
0 4 x xxxx
18 19 85
CCCH


On Page 21-02, I see:

ACCH
xxxxx
0


There is no other reference to ACCH.

The page 1 you have is GSM 850 A Band. -86 is your power which is almost full bars
the first set of XXX on the top row is your tower power which only show up when on a call.
the 0 on the second row is your radio time slot 0 signifies the controll channel.
The CCCH is carrier control channel.

ACCH could be the analog control channel on that phone, most of the ones I seen were ACH for control and AVCH.

On most Nokias if your press an hold the star key for 5 seconds you will get a description of what the numbers mean.

[Analog man]

got a question for yall, was there digital service in the same area as analog before analog was shut down?

im on vzw in the bay area and my analog seems to be the same, if not being stronger
still can make calls on vzw network, but i got one question, took an un activated phone and forced it in roam, got this error message "We do not reconize your moble number as an autherized user, if your a new customer and receive this recording in error, dial 611 for support....." any one know what company this is? because i can get 4-6 bars with these guys most the time.

[RadioFoneGuy]

Originally Posted by Alienware_51

Alltel got rid of there analog around my area last year around late march. Don't know about cell one (at&t now)

By Law they cant turn it off. They probably removed it from their PRL so only analog only phones can use it. The FCC has been allowing carriers to cut back the analog as its not required to cover as many people as it did before.

I have been on Alltels and Centennials analog. In a couple of the areas I have been Alltel (centurytel area) TDMA.

[Analog man]

well did some reading, by law they must have analog in my area because digital is not fully enstablished in my area. the analog signal is better than the digital. by law there must be some form of cellular tecnology in the area were analog is, if there is, the cellular company may shut off the analog network. the digital signal must be equal or higher before the can phase out amps in my area. sssoooooo, by law i must be able to use the current amps network util they make the digital network equal to the analog coverage wise.


well for all those wondering about analog in there area, i'll break it down.

If you have both analog and digital, and digital service covers the same or greater amount of area, the cellular company may shutdown there analog network

if you have both analog and digital or analog only and analog is covers greater area than digital or analog is the only avalible technology, than by law, analog must be kept running

[RadioFoneGuy]

Originally Posted by Analog man

well did some reading, by law they must have analog in my area because digital is not fully enstablished in my area. the analog signal is better than the digital. by law there must be some form of cellular tecnology in the area were analog is, if there is, the cellular company may shut off the analog network. the digital signal must be equal or higher before the can phase out amps in my area. sssoooooo, by law i must be able to use the current amps network util they make the digital network equal to the analog coverage wise.


well for all those wondering about analog in there area, i'll break it down.

If you have both analog and digital, and digital service covers the same or greater amount of area, the cellular company may shutdown there analog network

if you have both analog and digital or analog only and analog is covers greater area than digital or analog is the only avalible technology, than by law, analog must be kept running

I have been dealing with this alittle lately, be had 2 towers not far from each other so we didnt up grade one from Analog to GSM because there was a GSM tower a couple of miles down the road. But the GSM tower is 1900 so when the analog goes down it wont have the minimum blanket of coverage so we had to upgrade that other tower to 850 GSM.

The requirement are real vague by the FCC. It doesnot have to be the same exact signal level as analog. The limit is -110 signal coverage but most carriers have the handsets to drop the call once the signal goes to -107 be cause the uplink from the phone to the tower goes to crap. Higher numbers are bad, lower good. Full bar is approx around -83-84 depending on phone. So basically your phone could be at the 110 min but not let you register on the network.

[RadioFoneGuy]

Originally Posted by Analog man

got a question for yall, was there digital service in the same area as analog before analog was shut down?

im on vzw in the bay area and my analog seems to be the same, if not being stronger
still can make calls on vzw network, but i got one question, took an un activated phone and forced it in roam, got this error message "We do not reconize your moble number as an autherized user, if your a new customer and receive this recording in error, dial 611 for support....." any one know what company this is? because i can get 4-6 bars with these guys most the time.

More that likely you are on the old GTE Mobility Network. Hit 611 and sees what happens.
The GTE equipment (analog) will be at the same tower as Verizon and usually in the same building.

[Analog man]

wasn't GTE bought off by verizon? if thats the case, i shouldn't get charged for roaming, right?

[RadioFoneGuy]

Verizon was a merger of sorts between GTE and Airtouch and a few others and the joined companies changed their name to Verizon. So no roaming.