wireless service in Eugene

[Gus Bailey]

Hello all,

I live in Eugene Oregon. I currently have Verizon Wireless service and have for many years. Because of some customer service issues and billing errors, I am thinking of switching to either Cingular or Sprint. Coverage is the most important issue because I use my cell as my business phone as well. I don't have any service issues with Verizon but am wondering about the other two I mentioned. Any input is helpful.

Thank you in advance!

[dalbrich]

You can give either Sprint or Cingular a try, and cancel if the service doesn't meet with your approval.

The best price per month right now is with Sprint. See http://sprint.com/sero and login with "holiday@sprint.com" You need to order with inphonic to get this special pricing (either on the web, or call their 1800 number you can see once you login to the sero website).

Either can port an existing number, although you may want to wait to port until you know the service works well enough for you.

-Dan

PS: I live here in Eugene, and currently use Sprint. Sprint is OK, but more finicky about which phone you choose. See phonescoop.com for handset reviews. Sanyo's tend to come recommended for use on Sprint.

My guess is that Sprint and Cingular are about a wash in terms of in-town coverage. For rural coverage Sprint will roam (free) on Verizon. Cingular has more contiguous coverage-- meaning they will also work and without roaming.

You can also check out my cell phone review website if you like:
http://cell.uoregon.edu

[TProphet]

Dan is 100% right - the phone you choose on Sprint matters a lot. Unfortunately, the phone he uses doesn't have the best reception on the Sprint network, so his experience isn't as good as some other users may have.

The Sanyo 8400 and LG Fusic are probably the best choices for reception right now. I recommend the Sanyo 8400; Sanyo has a very good long-term track record on the Sprint network, while LG doesn't.

Sprint service is only a good value if you choose a SERO plan, but since these plans are open to just about anyone this month, it's definitely worthwhile to go that route. For the money, you really can't beat it.

[larry]

Originally Posted by TProphet

Dan is 100% right - the phone you choose on Sprint matters a lot. Unfortunately, the phone he uses doesn't have the best reception on the Sprint network, so his experience isn't as good as some other users may have.

The Sanyo 8400 and LG Fusic are probably the best choices for reception right now. I recommend the Sanyo 8400; Sanyo has a very good long-term track record on the Sprint network, while LG doesn't.

Sprint service is only a good value if you choose a SERO plan, but since these plans are open to just about anyone this month, it's definitely worthwhile to go that route. For the money, you really can't beat it.

Yeah the LG LX-225 is terrible. I made the mistake of buying one in August 2005 and didn't keep it very long. But not all LG's are bad though. The LX-350 for example was a complete redesign and is a very solid phone with excellent battery life and RF. I got mine in May last year and I plan on keeping it for a long time. Sprint discontinued it so quickly only because they gave it to Disney Mobile to offer.

[dalbrich]

Yes, I kind of had the Charlie Brown experience with Sprint in part because I chose the two worst performing handsets. I have a PPC 6700, and she has the LG 225.

I require a handheld PC for calendar and email, and frankly none of the ones I've tried recently have been stellar performers for holding a weak signal. i.e. Treo 650, PPC6700.

I'm not a really heavy data user, but the occasional use of data is important to me so I don't think I have much better options.

-Dan

Interesting to note: Both the PPC 6700 and Treo's do have an external antenna connector which I do use in my car. The PPC 6700 and Treo 700 can both force roaming as needed (but the Treo 650 on Sprint could not).
I'm kind of hoping the PPC 6800 with EVDO rev A has better RF performance but I'm not holding my breath...

[larry]

I still have my inactive LG PM-225. I keep it around because it has a better field debug mode than my LX-350 (the one and only thing it does better). lol But I've done all kinds of RF comparisons between the two and the LX-350 consistently shows more bars and a higher RSSI level. For example right now I'm looking at both of them side by side and my LX-350 is showing -88 dbs and the PM-225 is showing -92 dbs in the exact same location.

[bradpitcher]

Please make sure to consider the choice between a GSM phone provider and a CDMA phone provider. I believe Verizon and Sprint are CDMA and T-Mobile and Cingular are GSM.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-...m-and-cdma.htm
Go with GSM! I'm with T-Mobile and I've never had a problem with reception anywhere in Eugene, though I do get extremely low data rates all over town.

[Daisy09DO]

How well do Treos work with Sprint coverage??

[dalbrich]

Treo's on Sprint work the same as say Treo's on Verizon.

All this is to say the Treo's aren't known for good reception. In my experience none of the PDA phones are ever quite as good RF wise as really any of the standard phones.

The Treo 700P on Sprint is a nice device, and it can force roaming as needed. Roaming is included on most all current Sprint plans including SERO.

Check the coverage maps carefully, then give it a try. You should have 30 days to cancel service -- but definitely double-check the information yourself.

-Dan