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Joe0378 · 07-06-2002, 3:05 PM

My phone can be set for Automatic A, Automatic B, or Home. NYC is Automatic B and I know the difference between A & B, but what is "home"...how is that different from Auto A and B.

ComicalMoodyDan · 07-06-2002, 5:56 PM

I'm not 100% sure but I believe home is most likely the Verizon Wireless Network only. Otherwise the phone will NOT roam off of the Verizon Wireless Network when that setting is turned on.

Airb330 · 07-06-2002, 6:20 PM

Home is just your "home area" only, most likely the state you are in and some local states, really only applies to local plans, for people who don't want to roam.

cryogenic · 07-06-2002, 11:17 PM

Home only means the area in which you roaming indcator is OFF... For example, on a US Cellular local plan, it includes Knoxville TN area and also western NC... If I put it on Home Only, I won't get signal in Western NC because in that area, my roaming indicator is on, even though on a local plan you're not charged for roaming. My guess is that it restricts you to ONLY the SID that's programmed into your NAM1 in your phone as your home area. So even if another SID is still in your "home area" (non-roaming), it will probably not allow your phone to pick up a signal. :-)

Joe0378 · 07-07-2002, 2:46 AM

Thanks for your input. I was never really sure what "Home" meant, but I will just leave mine in Automatic B and watch the roaming signal I guess. Thanks again!

bobolito · 07-07-2002, 8:54 PM

If you set it to Home only, your phone will not work outside this area (NYC, Long Island and North NJ). This option is found only in old phones I believe.

cryogenic · 07-07-2002, 11:10 PM

Bobo.... the V120c has that option, as I recall... so it's not necessarily an option only on old phones... I know also all Audiovoxes have that option as well, along with the option to force A or B carrier only (won't roam onto B if you force A and vice versa), which I REALLY like.

rbw411 · 07-08-2002, 8:54 AM

No... a and b is in reference to the old A and B carriers... A carrier is a carrier that does not have a landline service in the area. (at&t in fl.) b carriers are ones with landline (at the time bellsouth, now cingular) it was when they were bidding on the licenses. So you can use home ( old home calling areas with no roaming) auto a and b switches. I used to change my AT&T phone (2160) from A to B and it would come up with a message from Bellsouth Mobility saying the phone was not authorized to be used and please stay on the line....... Is that an old phone, they (tdma carriers in fl) got rid of that kinda thing a while ago, and went to downloaded lists that would pick which networks the phone was preferred to use at any given time.

cryogenic · 07-09-2002, 12:19 AM

A & B have nothing to do with TDMA or CDMA, as a matter of fact, in some areas, A is CDMA and B is TDMA or vice versa. The FCC didn't care what technology a provider was going to use. Both A&B in my area are CDMA... In Morrisotwn, TN A is CDMA, B is Analog. Anyway, enough about that. You are correct in that providers now prefer the use of a PRL (for CDMA) and IRDB (for TDMA). That's why most phones don't give you the option of FORCING A or B carriers, because that overrides their PRL. My old Audiovox CDM130 allows me to pick one or the other, which comes in handy. This weekend, I was in KY and US Cellular (my carrier) prefers to roam on Ramcell, which is the B-side carrier. Cingular in that area is the A-side carrier and USCC has NO roaming agreements with them in that area. Ramcell had no signal and my phone would not switch to Cingular, so I forced it to the A-side and got perfect signal from Cingular. :-) The only thing that sucked was that both carriers are TDMA and my phone is CDMA, so I was roaming analog.

At any rate, his phone is not old... some phones still allow you to set a preference of which "side" it uses. In his case, if he sets it to Automatic B, it will attempt registration with the B-side carrier first, and failing that, will go to the A-side, then a PCS carrier (based upon how his PRL dictates his phone should roam). If it's roaming on, say, a PCS carrier, when it picks up a B-side signal again, it will switch back, even if the signal from the PCS carrier is 5 bars.

bobolito · 07-09-2002, 7:32 AM

If I am not mistaken, PRL or IRDB tells the phone the order in which it should look for its carrier, for instance aEDFABb which means look for "a" first (800Mhz), then "E" (1900Mhz), then "D" (1900Mhz), and so on. When I go to Connecticut, as soon as I cross the NY/CT border I see my phone search through E, D, etc. until it reaches "b". It finds TDMA carriers in D and F but it's smart enough to reject them and continue scanning because they are not Cingular until finally reaches "b" which is Cingular. The scanning takes about a minute or two because "b" is at the other end of the search order. That's why is important to have the SOC correctly programmed. Phones that don't complete the search and register with the wrong tower or phones that don't include all letters in the search order may get inapropriate roaming charges (i.e. Verizon AC) or get a message saying to hold for an operator.

07-12-2002, 8:35 AM

how does this work, can I change the order or even see what the order is. when does the phone start looking for a new tower, poor signal or roamong agreements.
BTW - My old star-tac (only 800 cdma) had A/B/ HOME. My newer tri-band Star-Tac only has Standard Scan and Home

bobolito · 07-12-2002, 1:33 PM

The search order is determined by your carrier. I don't think we can change that.

Jackson · 07-12-2002, 3:06 PM

I have a v.60c with Verizon and in the network settings screen has the options under the title of SET MODE:
Home Only
Automatic A
Automatic B
And my phone is defalted to Automatic B

Jackson · 07-12-2002, 3:10 PM

sorry, hit reply befor I was done.
The Home Only is the original SID the phone is set up for. For me is the Tampa, Naples, Orlando area. I am currentally in Miami and when I switch the phone to Home Only I get No Service, and I am on the Verizon Wireless network.

ctgrande · 09-09-2002, 6:52 PM

home is your home area which consist of the local area you live in. u would use auto b in most of the usa there are only 2 place i know of you would switch to auto a with verizon wireless and that is omaha nebraska and rock springs wyoming. you can switch your phone from auto b to auto a to home on every single phone verizon wireless sells-verizon wireless retail sales rep for 2 yrs.

scottb · 09-09-2002, 8:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: ctgrande
home is your home area which consist of the local area you live in. u would use auto b in most of the usa there are only 2 place i know of you would switch to auto a with verizon wireless and that is omaha nebraska and rock springs wyoming. you can switch your phone from auto b to auto a to home on every single phone verizon wireless sells-verizon wireless retail sales rep for 2 yrs.

My Verizon service is in Greensboro, NC and my v60c is set to Automatic A. Is this incorrect?

Thanks,
Scott

cryogenic · 09-09-2002, 10:56 PM

No, this is not incorrect... in the Southeastern US, Verizon is the A-side carrier in nearly every market in which they offer service.... You can verify this by going here and checking your market... You'll notice that VZW is a-side in a large number of markets (all of TN, for example, they're A-side, more or less).

09-10-2002, 5:01 PM

To Bobolito : Ericsson TDMA phones let you re-program the search order. Every time Cingular sends me an updated IRDB, they set the search order the same as yours, with cellular "b" side last. They don't seem to realize that in CT and Western MA, they are the b-side system, which should be first. Since in most areas Cingular TDMA is "a" or "b", I just reset it to ba and then the PCS bands. ------ Russ

bobolito · 09-10-2002, 6:48 PM

That's right. I don't know what they put "a" in one end and "b" in the other end. It doesn't make sense. When I go to CT, the phone has to go through the entire search order before it finds "b".

09-11-2002, 6:30 PM

try to make a call out if it goes threw then that is correct if not then switch it to auto b if you want call customer service the east coast is the only area i am unfamilur with-ctgrande

09-11-2002, 6:44 PM

never trust what you read on websites that are not aproved or supported by verizon wireless. the southeastern us is a side is some areas but the rest of the united states is b side.

bobolito · 09-11-2002, 8:53 PM

Verizon is the b-side in the areas where they are also the wireline phone company. In the areas where they are NOT the wireline phone company, they are on the a-side.

09-13-2002, 1:00 AM

again u are wrong

verizon wireless and verizon communications are not the same company

case and point verizon wireless is on b side in seattle however the landline company is att and qwest please explain this if you think you know what u are talking about.

07-06-2002, 3:05 PM	#1
Joe0378 Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 553 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Automatic B / A and Home My phone can be set for Automatic A, Automatic B, or Home. NYC is Automatic B and I know the difference between A & B, but what is "home"...how is that different from Auto A and B.

07-06-2002, 11:17 PM	#4
cryogenic Join Date: May 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 1,443 Phone(s): Samsung A990 Provider(s): Verizon Devices: iriver H10 6GB mp3 player Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Home only means the area in which you roaming indcator is OFF... For example, on a US Cellular local plan, it includes Knoxville TN area and also western NC... If I put it on Home Only, I won't get signal in Western NC because in that area, my roaming indicator is on, even though on a local plan you're not charged for roaming. My guess is that it restricts you to ONLY the SID that's programmed into your NAM1 in your phone as your home area. So even if another SID is still in your "home area" (non-roaming), it will probably not allow your phone to pick up a signal. :-) __________________ Firefox My blog/pic gallery/etc

07-07-2002, 8:54 PM	#6
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White) Join Date: May 2002 Location: in front of my computer Posts: 12,542 Phone(s): iPhone 3G, Sierra 875 3G Aircard Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: WiFi cards/Access points Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts Images: 50 My Auctions	If you set it to Home only, your phone will not work outside this area (NYC, Long Island and North NJ). This option is found only in old phones I believe. __________________

07-07-2002, 11:10 PM	#7
cryogenic Join Date: May 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 1,443 Phone(s): Samsung A990 Provider(s): Verizon Devices: iriver H10 6GB mp3 player Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Bobo.... the V120c has that option, as I recall... so it's not necessarily an option only on old phones... I know also all Audiovoxes have that option as well, along with the option to force A or B carrier only (won't roam onto B if you force A and vice versa), which I REALLY like. __________________ Firefox My blog/pic gallery/etc

07-09-2002, 12:19 AM	#9
cryogenic Join Date: May 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 1,443 Phone(s): Samsung A990 Provider(s): Verizon Devices: iriver H10 6GB mp3 player Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	A & B have nothing to do with TDMA or CDMA, as a matter of fact, in some areas, A is CDMA and B is TDMA or vice versa. The FCC didn't care what technology a provider was going to use. Both A&B in my area are CDMA... In Morrisotwn, TN A is CDMA, B is Analog. Anyway, enough about that. You are correct in that providers now prefer the use of a PRL (for CDMA) and IRDB (for TDMA). That's why most phones don't give you the option of FORCING A or B carriers, because that overrides their PRL. My old Audiovox CDM130 allows me to pick one or the other, which comes in handy. This weekend, I was in KY and US Cellular (my carrier) prefers to roam on Ramcell, which is the B-side carrier. Cingular in that area is the A-side carrier and USCC has NO roaming agreements with them in that area. Ramcell had no signal and my phone would not switch to Cingular, so I forced it to the A-side and got perfect signal from Cingular. :-) The only thing that sucked was that both carriers are TDMA and my phone is CDMA, so I was roaming analog. At any rate, his phone is not old... some phones still allow you to set a preference of which "side" it uses. In his case, if he sets it to Automatic B, it will attempt registration with the B-side carrier first, and failing that, will go to the A-side, then a PCS carrier (based upon how his PRL dictates his phone should roam). If it's roaming on, say, a PCS carrier, when it picks up a B-side signal again, it will switch back, even if the signal from the PCS carrier is 5 bars. __________________ Firefox My blog/pic gallery/etc

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07-06-2002, 5:56 PM	#2
ComicalMoodyDan Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Kingsport, TN Posts: 6,071 Phone(s): Samsung Gravity 2, Samsung Smooth Provider(s): T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless Devices: T-Mobile @Home Thanks: 0 Thanked 20 Times in 15 Posts	I'm not 100% sure but I believe home is most likely the Verizon Wireless Network only. Otherwise the phone will NOT roam off of the Verizon Wireless Network when that setting is turned on.

07-06-2002, 6:20 PM	#3
Airb330 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 3,526 Phone(s): BB 8330 Provider(s): Sprint PCS Devices: iPod Nano (Black), XM Radio Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 3	Home is just your "home area" only, most likely the state you are in and some local states, really only applies to local plans, for people who don't want to roam.

07-07-2002, 2:46 AM	Original Poster #5
Joe0378 Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 553 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for your input. I was never really sure what "Home" meant, but I will just leave mine in Automatic B and watch the roaming signal I guess. Thanks again!

07-08-2002, 8:54 AM	#8
rbw411 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 116 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	No... a and b is in reference to the old A and B carriers... A carrier is a carrier that does not have a landline service in the area. (at&t in fl.) b carriers are ones with landline (at the time bellsouth, now cingular) it was when they were bidding on the licenses. So you can use home ( old home calling areas with no roaming) auto a and b switches. I used to change my AT&T phone (2160) from A to B and it would come up with a message from Bellsouth Mobility saying the phone was not authorized to be used and please stay on the line....... Is that an old phone, they (tdma carriers in fl) got rid of that kinda thing a while ago, and went to downloaded lists that would pick which networks the phone was preferred to use at any given time.

07-09-2002, 7:32 AM	#10
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White) Join Date: May 2002 Location: in front of my computer Posts: 12,542 Phone(s): iPhone 3G, Sierra 875 3G Aircard Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: WiFi cards/Access points Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts Images: 50 My Auctions	If I am not mistaken, PRL or IRDB tells the phone the order in which it should look for its carrier, for instance aEDFABb which means look for "a" first (800Mhz), then "E" (1900Mhz), then "D" (1900Mhz), and so on. When I go to Connecticut, as soon as I cross the NY/CT border I see my phone search through E, D, etc. until it reaches "b". It finds TDMA carriers in D and F but it's smart enough to reject them and continue scanning because they are not Cingular until finally reaches "b" which is Cingular. The scanning takes about a minute or two because "b" is at the other end of the search order. That's why is important to have the SOC correctly programmed. Phones that don't complete the search and register with the wrong tower or phones that don't include all letters in the search order may get inapropriate roaming charges (i.e. Verizon AC) or get a message saying to hold for an operator. __________________

07-12-2002, 8:35 AM	#11
Guest Posts: n/a	how does this work, can I change the order or even see what the order is. when does the phone start looking for a new tower, poor signal or roamong agreements. BTW - My old star-tac (only 800 cdma) had A/B/ HOME. My newer tri-band Star-Tac only has Standard Scan and Home

07-12-2002, 1:33 PM	#12
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White) Join Date: May 2002 Location: in front of my computer Posts: 12,542 Phone(s): iPhone 3G, Sierra 875 3G Aircard Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: WiFi cards/Access points Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts Images: 50 My Auctions	The search order is determined by your carrier. I don't think we can change that. __________________

07-12-2002, 3:06 PM	#13
Jackson Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 50 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have a v.60c with Verizon and in the network settings screen has the options under the title of SET MODE: Home Only Automatic A Automatic B And my phone is defalted to Automatic B

07-12-2002, 3:10 PM	#14
Jackson Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 50 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	sorry, hit reply befor I was done. The Home Only is the original SID the phone is set up for. For me is the Tampa, Naples, Orlando area. I am currentally in Miami and when I switch the phone to Home Only I get No Service, and I am on the Verizon Wireless network.

09-09-2002, 6:52 PM	#15
ctgrande Fresh Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Automatic B / A and Home home is your home area which consist of the local area you live in. u would use auto b in most of the usa there are only 2 place i know of you would switch to auto a with verizon wireless and that is omaha nebraska and rock springs wyoming. you can switch your phone from auto b to auto a to home on every single phone verizon wireless sells-verizon wireless retail sales rep for 2 yrs.

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09-09-2002, 10:56 PM	#17
cryogenic Join Date: May 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 1,443 Phone(s): Samsung A990 Provider(s): Verizon Devices: iriver H10 6GB mp3 player Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Automatic B / A and Home No, this is not incorrect... in the Southeastern US, Verizon is the A-side carrier in nearly every market in which they offer service.... You can verify this by going here and checking your market... You'll notice that VZW is a-side in a large number of markets (all of TN, for example, they're A-side, more or less). __________________ Firefox My blog/pic gallery/etc

09-10-2002, 5:01 PM	#18
Guest Posts: n/a	Automatic B / A and Home To Bobolito : Ericsson TDMA phones let you re-program the search order. Every time Cingular sends me an updated IRDB, they set the search order the same as yours, with cellular "b" side last. They don't seem to realize that in CT and Western MA, they are the b-side system, which should be first. Since in most areas Cingular TDMA is "a" or "b", I just reset it to ba and then the PCS bands. ------ Russ

09-10-2002, 6:48 PM	#19
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White) Join Date: May 2002 Location: in front of my computer Posts: 12,542 Phone(s): iPhone 3G, Sierra 875 3G Aircard Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: WiFi cards/Access points Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts Images: 50 My Auctions	Automatic B / A and Home That's right. I don't know what they put "a" in one end and "b" in the other end. It doesn't make sense. When I go to CT, the phone has to go through the entire search order before it finds "b". __________________

09-11-2002, 6:30 PM	#20
Guest Posts: n/a	Automatic B / A and Home try to make a call out if it goes threw then that is correct if not then switch it to auto b if you want call customer service the east coast is the only area i am unfamilur with-ctgrande

09-11-2002, 6:44 PM	#21
Guest Posts: n/a	Automatic B / A and Home never trust what you read on websites that are not aproved or supported by verizon wireless. the southeastern us is a side is some areas but the rest of the united states is b side.

09-11-2002, 8:53 PM	#22
bobolito iPhone 3G 16GB (White) Join Date: May 2002 Location: in front of my computer Posts: 12,542 Phone(s): iPhone 3G, Sierra 875 3G Aircard Provider(s): AT&T Mobility Devices: WiFi cards/Access points Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts Images: 50 My Auctions	Automatic B / A and Home Verizon is the b-side in the areas where they are also the wireline phone company. In the areas where they are NOT the wireline phone company, they are on the a-side. __________________

09-13-2002, 1:00 AM	#23
Guest Posts: n/a	Automatic B / A and Home again u are wrong verizon wireless and verizon communications are not the same company case and point verizon wireless is on b side in seattle however the landline company is att and qwest please explain this if you think you know what u are talking about.