Nashville - which service is the best?

I live in Nashville, TN and currently have Sprint PCS cellular. There are many things I dislike about them and several I really like. I don't like the fact that my calls drop all the time when I have four lines of signal, their phones seem to be cheap, easy to break and wear out (Samsung - I am on my third one), and their prices are high (although I get a nice corporate discount with them). I do like the fact that I can get off a plane in most major cities and have a signal and use the phone without paying extra costs.

I have been looking at Voicestream but I am concerned about their coverage - their plan costs and features are great!

Any suggestions!?

Confused in Nashville

[ComicalMoodyDan]

VoiceStream might be a good option for you. Tennessee is well covered by a GSM signal with VoiceStream covering the west and middle parts and Cingular covering the Eastern Part. Infact in Tennessee there is more GSM coverage then there is Sprint PCS coverage at this time. However in your post it seems to apply that you travel, if you stick to most major cities you should be ok with VoiceStream however GSM coverage is more limited in the US then with other companies. If you plane hop from major city to major city and stick to the Nashville metro area though VoiceStream should be fine for you.

[roamer1]

VS has fairly solid coverage in Nashville, as do Nextel and SunCom -- but Verizon wins out above everyone else.

Cingular is also good in the immediate Nashville area, but if you travel very far east or southeast of Nashville often you might not be too happy (Advantage Cellular in Tullahoma/McMinnville/Smithville/etc. has rather poor coverage, Cingular in Chattanooga is awful, and Eloqui in Cookeville/etc. is having some technical issues related to their splitting off from US Cellular's Knoxville system.) Cingular was also VERY weak signal-wise south of Nashville away from I-65 (Shelbyville, etc.) last time I was in that area, but they've probably improved.

Do check VS' coverage maps carefully before signing up -- some major cities still have no coverage (but some of them, such as Cleveland OH and Richmond VA, have limited coverage right now, with full coverage to come in the coming months.)

-SC

[PCSfreak]

Hey Anonymous. Your post is interesting. I travel much around this great land carry my Sprint service with me. I'd have to say, if there was a city that I think Sprint covers really well, it'd be Nashville. I've never had a problem. There's great coverage on the major thoroughfairs, from Briley Parkway all around Elm Hill Pike and I believe the downtown area is covered really well. North on I-65 can be annoying--you don't have to drive very far to lose service, at least the last time I was there. But, 24 is covered great. I once made a call starting in Nashville and drove all the way to Murfeesboro and the phone didn't cut out once. I think 40 is covered great too all the way to Knoxville.

If I were you, I would try and pick up a new phone. I was a Samsung man myself and while I would disagree that Samsung makes "cheap" phones, I have found my Sanyo to be far superior for clarity and signal holding ability. It's something to try before going through all the trouble to change providers.

[ComicalMoodyDan]

I've always heard Nashville, TN has good Sprint PCS coverage also. Maybe you should try another phone like PCSfreak stated before you go with somebody else.

[Siren1791]

Thanks for the suggestions TNDAN1, PCSfreak and roamer1 (I posted the message under anonymous because I wasn't registered) I might try switching phones before going to the hassel of switching providers. The Samsung might be the problem since all my phones have been Samsung phones.

The signal dropping occurs mostly in the downtown area by the way... I have a real problem with calls dropping in the downtown area. Signal is spotty for me on I40 around Waverly and then regain it briefly until I get into Paris, TN... I have not taken it all the way to Knoxville before. I24 works fine though.

[Siren1791]

By the way PCSfreak, which SPCS phone do you recommend now? They have several Sanyo phones.

[Airb330]

I was recently in TN (Pigeon Forge), and most of the time my VZW phone was on Sprint, of course it always looks fo the strongest signal, if that's sprint so be it, I don't pay for off-roaming, even though I should lol. Sprint seemed solid even out in the boonies...!

[ComicalMoodyDan]

Well, Pigeon Forge really isn't the boonies each year they attract over 2 million visitors to that area with Dollywood and other attractions being in the city or near by. Also that area is close to the Knoxville metro.

[PCSfreak]

Hi Siren. Sorry it took me awhile to respond. I only visit this site a couple times a week. I, personally, use the 4700. Previously I had used a Samsung 3500 and then a touchpoint. I then gave the touchpoint to my wife and bought the Sanyo. While the TP was better than the Samsung, I've found my Sanyo to be the best so far. Though it's a little bigger than the 5150, I couldn't bring myself to shovel out the $300. As far as voice quality, though, I've been told they're about the same; but, for features, the 5150 blows my phone away. Another good option is Kyocera. I've heard that their quality is comporable to Sanyo, and they're cheaper.

[Jack]

consider the kyocera 2255 larry has one and he likes it

Jack

[roamer1]

The "Verizon in Pigeon Forge" problem will be fixed when they turn up CDMA coverage in the TN-4 RSA on July 1, according to Verizon staff in Nashville.

-SC

[roamer1]

When it comes to SPCS phones, Samsungs (pretty much all of them, except for the I300 Palm phone which isn't all that great with reception, according to the people I know who have them) and the older Sanyos (4500/4700) are tops when it comes to reception. If you don't mind getting a used phone the old Motorola StarTAC 7867 and Timeports (8167, 8767) are even better. I've heard mixed things about newer Kyoceras (the old "Qualcomm" phones such as the 1920 and 1960 were EXCELLENT if basic)... LG's are junk.

-SC