WirelessAdvisor.com

aholzman1 · 01-29-2005, 6:16 PM

I am moving soon to Sisters. I currently have ATTWS GSM service. When in Sisters, my phone roams to T-Mobile. I get good signal & reception on T-Mobile on my Nokia 6620 (Wonderful phone!).

ATTWS (or Cingular) do "not" offer service in Sisters or Bend. Does this mean that T-Mobile is the only choice if I want to remain on GSM service?

How does T-Mobile service/signal/reception etc in Sisters/Bend compare to Verizon or Sprint in this area?

I'm assuming it would be foolish to remain on ATTWS/Cingular but always be roaming???

Thoughts ???

azcellphonejunkie · 01-29-2005, 6:19 PM

I am not familiar with the area, but a note on coverage. You can stay with AT&T GSM and use the T-Mobile coverage if you like. The only thing would be that Mobile to Mobile calls would not deduct from your M2M minutes. When you roam on another carriers network, the M2M calls you are used to making come out of your anytime or night and weekend minutes...

KevinJames · 01-31-2005, 5:50 PM

I was up there with my ATT (now Cingular) phone last year visiting a friend in Bend. We traveled up to Sisters and even farther north. It worked fine.

(It took my wife 2 days to finish "shopping" Sisters. Never again

)

aholzman1 · 01-31-2005, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinJames

I was up there with my ATT (now Cingular) phone last year visiting a friend in Bend. We traveled up to Sisters and even farther north. It worked fine.

(It took my wife 2 days to finish "shopping" Sisters. Never again

)

Hi Kevin;
Making sure I understand ... are you saying you got ATTWS coverage in Bend 7 Sisters? ... or that your phone roamed to T-Mobile and that worked fine?

Thanks /

dalbrich · 02-01-2005, 4:37 PM

Actually, AT&T is one of the better options for Bend/Sisters in terms of digital coverage. If you don't mind having a non-local area code, you could probably keep what you have.

It's unclear if T-mobile will roam on Cellular One NW (which AT&T does, so US 97 south of Bend may be dark to T-Mob customers). You'd have to try it during the trial period if you care. I suspect TMobile will be worst option.

Verizon (reportedly) can now sell Bend local phone numbers despite the fact they have no local service there (this according to a local dealer). Sprint has service there. Failing everything else I'd go for Sprint with Tri-mode phone and F&CA no roaming $5/mo option.

Sprint and Verizon roam on US Cellular in digital mode (where available) and Cellular One NW in analog mode. Verizon charges roaming fees for Cellular One NW.

Actually I'd start out checking both US Cellular, and Cellular One NW which are the old local carriers and see what they offer unless you really need a national provider...

-Dan

PS: Edge Wireless a new affiliate in Oregon is a good option in some places. I don't believe edge has service in Bend though...

aholzman1 · 02-01-2005, 5:06 PM

Great information, thanks. I do need national coverage as I fly everywhere and my daughter is frequently on the east coast. As I also travel to Europe on business, I'm thinking I need to stay on GSM. Thus, I'm leaning to ATTWS/Cingular vs. T-Mobile. In all of my trips to Sisters/Bend, my ATTWS phones (Nokia 6620 & previously SE P800) ALWAYS roamed immediately to T-Mobile. I've never been able to get an ATTWS there and the Nokia has an especially strong signal.

My understanding is that even though I can stay on ATTWS and roam for voice, as I use a fair amount of data ... my phone will NOT get GPRS signal on T-Mobile's network if it is set for ATTWS network connectivity???

Comments/Thoughts welcome -

dalbrich · 02-03-2005, 3:35 AM

My understanding is that even though I can stay on ATTWS and roam for voice, as I use a fair amount of data ... my phone will NOT get GPRS signal on T-Mobile's network if it is set for ATTWS network connectivity???

-> My friends with AT&T data plans have not been charged separately for data when roaming (they have old AT&T national plan with Mmode option). Cingular also does not charge for data when roaming (mediaworks $20 unlimited option).

In addition, my friends with AT&T GSM plans haven't been *anywhere* that GPRS data doesn't work where voice does. In other words, I believe data should work, and you should not be charged. You should give it a try and see what happens. Obviously you may wish to go easy on the data use until you see how it gets billed. You can try calling 611 for infomation, but the new Cingular may or may not be well informed regarding how your AT&T GSM plan will work.

TNDan21 · 02-03-2005, 10:24 AM

Aholzman1 you might want to transfer your account over to Cingular. The advantage to this would be that even if you are roaming on T-Mobile your MTM minutes still apply. With AT&T you have to be on network for minutes to be counted as MTM. Cingular however always counts minutes as MTM if you are receving/making calls to another Cingular/AT&T customer whether on or off network.

aholzman1 · 02-03-2005, 1:53 PM

Another quick question - If I switch my ATTWS/Cingular Nokia 6620 (soon to be unlocked) over to T-Mobile ...

T-Mobile only uses the 1900 band while ATTWS/Cingular use both 850 & 1900 - will T-Mobile "roam" and use the 850 band on ATTWS/Cingular when there is no 1900 band support? The Nokia 6620 phone gets such great 850 signal?

azcellphonejunkie · 02-03-2005, 3:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TNDan21

Aholzman1 you might want to transfer your account over to Cingular. The advantage to this would be that even if you are roaming on T-Mobile your MTM minutes still apply. With AT&T you have to be on network for minutes to be counted as MTM. Cingular however always counts minutes as MTM if you are receving/making calls to another Cingular/AT&T customer whether on or off network.

Really! My M2M minutes still count even when i am on the T-Mobile network? That is great!

KevinJames · 02-03-2005, 4:42 PM

Actually, I was indeed roaming on T-Mobile. Its been several months & I forgot that detail.

see:
http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com//s...ead.php?t=4389 (Oregon hwys 97 and 20)

azcellphonejunkie · 02-03-2005, 4:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinJames

Actually, I was indeed roaming on T-Mobile. Its been several months & I forgot that detail.

see:
http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com//s...ead.php?t=4389 (Oregon hwys 97 and 20)

Got it...

dalbrich · 02-19-2005, 3:19 PM

T-Mobile only uses the 1900 band while ATTWS/Cingular use both 850 & 1900 - will T-Mobile "roam" and use the 850 band on ATTWS/Cingular when there is no 1900 band support? The Nokia 6620 phone gets such great 850 signal?[/quote]

-> There have been reports of T-mob customers roaming on 850Mhz on Nokia 3595 (which supports 850Mhz) -- and the like. From other discussions I've read, they seem not to advertise 850Mhz areas (they simply "happen to work" at least in some locations i.e. Minneapolis area and Western Wireless).

Couple more thoughts for you:
- Oregon tends to be an odd-ball. Over the years stuff that works virtually everywhere else may or may not work here. You do actually have to test and see.

- AT&T GSM roamed on T-mobile through Roseburg area (I5 etc) to connect the section between Lane county line, and Ashland/Medford where AT&T has native service. Here in Eugene, an AT&T phone can manually search and find T-mobile but cannot select that network. In other words, these roaming agreements can be very specific. One would like to generalize and say, wow, AT&T/Cingular GSM can roam on T-mobile in Oregon. The truth is that AT&T/Cingular GSM can roam on T-mobile in specific locations within Oregon.

- If you stick to Bend, Sisters and never venture around Oregon, then T-mobile will be probably just fine. AT&T affiliates provide GSM to much of rural Oregon, which I don't believe a T-mobile customer can use even with a 850Mhz phone (they don't show it on their map anyway, and I've never heard of anyone successfully roaming on say Cellular One NW-- which is what you need to cover US 97 south to K-Falls, or say Crater Lake etc -- if you care).

If you have time, post your results. I'd be especially curious how well things work (or don't) for T-mobile should you go that direction.

-Dan

PS: I have traveled through the area with AT&T GSM, and been surprised how much coverage (albeit roaming) I was able to get.

aholzman1 · 02-21-2005, 3:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalbrich

If you have time, post your results. I'd be especially curious how well things work (or don't) for T-mobile should you go that direction.

-Dan

PS: I have traveled through the area with AT&T GSM, and been surprised how much coverage (albeit roaming) I was able to get.

Will do ... I think that I'm now strongly leaning toward dropping ATTWS/Cingular completely and going direct to T-Mobile.

My wife just got tmo with a v300, which seems to work quite well (contrary to many posted replies). At our home, her v300 on tmo (1900 band) gets even stronger signal than my Nokia 6620 (great phone!) does on ATTWS even with both 850 & 1900 bands. Last night, we were out in the Cornelius Pass/Skyline area west of Portland and I couldn't get signal at all while that lil v300 on tmo got 2 bars and decent call quality. The 6620 typically gets marvelous signal everywhere, so I've got to give the credit to tmo's network, I guess.

I just figured out how to unlock my 6620 ... now that it was successful I'm ready to switch to tmo if that's my choice.

Best ...

n7ryy · 03-14-2005, 12:42 PM

T-Mobile has a site on the BPA tower about a mile south of the Germantown Road and Skyline intersection.
Jeremy

Last night, we were out in the Cornelius Pass/Skyline area west of Portland and I couldn't get signal at all while that lil v300 on tmo got 2 bars and decent call quality. The 6620 typically gets marvelous signal everywhere, so I've got to give the credit to tmo's network, I guess.

OrbiTech · 03-21-2005, 11:14 PM

New to the fourm, my first post. I live in Bend and have both a T-Mobile account and an old ATTWS since 1996 with a Eugene number. ATTWS (now Cingular) will not sell or make any changes even to exisiting users, so you will not be able to stay with ATTWS and have a local number. T-Mobile seems to work pretty good in the CO area, BUT as soon as you leave Sisters going west or Bend going south or east you are done for 100+ miles, no roaming at all. My ATTWS phone will not roam on T-Mobile either. I think I would switch to T-Mobile IF you don't need any boony coverage as T-Mobile is generally very good in any of the larger metro areas nationwide, which is where I am assuming you will be flying into. Also T-Mobile has some of the best rates and the data plans are way cheaper than most if not everyone else. I use them for CSD and PSD. The PSD works very well, the CSD is much more spotty. I have found that even the PSD won't roam, you simply have to be in a T-Mobile area to get internet. BTW, T-Mobile does have some roaming agreements for voice, which has been a new discovery for me.

SHG

OrbiTech · 03-30-2005, 1:59 AM

Follow up to my previous message and some of those wondering about T-Mobile roaming on 850. They do indeed claim that is now working going both east and south from Bend. They only have a few dual band phones now. I am in the processe of upgrading mine now (8290 to a 6010), and expect to be roaming on the old Cell One, now called RCC Unicel next week. If this works as I was told it would by the local dealer (not a factory store though) then T-Mobile just opened up a huge previously dark area in Central Oregon. They are definitely starting to sell the handsets, so if they can line up those roaming agreements a lot of the "metro area only" limitations will vanish.

Shelby

aholzman1 · 04-03-2005, 9:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrbiTech

Follow up to my previous message and some of those wondering about T-Mobile roaming on 850. They do indeed claim that is now working going both east and south from Bend. If this works as I was told it would by the local dealer (not a factory store though) then T-Mobile just opened up a huge previously dark area in Central Oregon.

Great News, thanks! Haven't been south or east yet, will try it with my unlocked 6620 (EXCELLENT phone BTW).

lycos100 · 05-04-2005, 3:20 PM

I am also new to this forum as well as new to Bend (arrived 4 weeks ago from Colorado). I am a recovering corporate lawyer who, back in the old days, used to be wedded to his cell phone. When I packed in that career (4 years ago) I also cancelled my cell account, and I've been without one ever since. Now with a new career (and wife) I've decided its time to go mobile once again. Since arriving in Bend I've asked almost everyone I see with a cell phone who they use and if they like their provider, but almost universally their answer is, "They're just alright." Nobody seems to rave about any providers out here. T-mobile, Unicel, US Cellular and I guess Cingular are all here, but from what I can determine they all have their shortcomings.

Is this true? Are their no kick-a_ _ providers in central Oregon? Nobody with more towers/ better coverage than their competitors? And what do people think about Unicel? It seems like most of these posts are about T-Mobile and AT&T. I need a provider with great coverage in Bend & Redmond, but also when I go down to the Bay Area (by car) to visit my recently widowed mom. Roaming minutes kill me as I'm self employed and email & internet are not that important for me now. I just need a phone that can make/receive a call when I need it to.

Any input and/or suggestions would be very appreciated.

~~Sprint PCS 411~~ · 05-04-2005, 5:53 PM

I would go with Cingular mainly becuase you can take advantage of the Cingular GSM network, Cingular (former AT&T Wireless) Blue network, T-Mobile network and UniCel network. They are all GSM and Cingular allows you to roam on all of them - at least I think.

Another option is to go with Cingular GSM and then get a GAIT phone and have the GAIT option added to your plan so that you can also pick up TDMA and AMPS signals along with GSM.

jones · 05-04-2005, 8:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lycos100

T-mobile, Unicel and I guess Cingular are all here, but from what I can determine they all have their shortcomings.

Is this true? Are their no kick-a_ _ providers in central Oregon?

You're right though,
the GSM coverage in Oregon are distributed
among 3 different GSM carriers which you named above.

Legocrafter · 05-10-2005, 12:46 AM

Having lived in Bend for the past year and a half (and visiting family for the past seven years), I can tell you there are no really strong performers. I moved back to Bend late 2003 when I was still with Verizon. I roamed on US Cellular's network and had zero problems. My parents live way east of town and I had full strength there. Someone posted earlier that there are roaming charges on US Cellular's network, which is not true at all. I had the America's Choice plan and it was free roaming.

Well, in April 2004, I decided to go with T-Mobile because I wanted a local number. Huge mistake. I researched their phones and went with the Motorola V300 based on the glowing reviews. The phone had an awesome battery life, but had some quirky issues, like not being able to make calls while using a car charger. (Ended up replacing the phone twice) Anyway, I had really bad reception in the area. There were quite a few areas where I had dropped calls and the overall sound quality was poor at times. Sometimes I didn't get messages letting me know I had voicemail. And my phone didn't even ring sometimes - calls just went straight to voicemail, even though I had 3-5 bars.

I got really antsy near the end of my 1 year contract (in February) and decided to go back to Verizon, even though it meant a non-local number. I am so happy I did! I was roaming on US Cellular's network without any issues whatsoever. It was wonderful! I just moved to Portland a few weeks ago, so I'm on Verizon's network now.

Sorry for the long story... here's my recommendations based on family and friends who have these carriers:

Unicel - Parents have it now and it's definitely not as good as it was when their network was TDMA. Now that they've gone GSM, they are horrible. Really bad reception, dropped calls, poor voice quality, etc.

US Cellular - Roamed on their network a couple years ago and for the last few months. Definitely recommended if you want a local number. If you want more of a national plan and don't mind a non-local (Portland, Eugene or Seattle) number, go with Verizon. They are the best.

Sprint - I have a couple friends on Sprint and they seem to like it. They've had their issues, but they are more concerned with phone gadgetry than reception or dropped calls.

T-Mobile - I absolutely hated my T-Mobile service while in Bend. When I traveled up to Seattle, it was fine though. It just seems to suck really bad in Bend.

In conclusion, I recommend US Cellular if you want a local number and Verizon if you don't mind a non-local number. Hope this helps anyone looking for phone service in the Bend area!

lycos100 · 05-10-2005, 8:10 PM

Thank you Legocrafter for your informative response. My wife has Verizon (from Colorado) and she loves it too. I have heard that Verizon periodically gives out Bend numbers, at least that's what 2 different Verizon operators have told me... that they only get 100 or so at a time and they run out very quickly. Do you (or anyone else for that matter) know if Verizon does get Bend numbers or if they'll be coming to Bend anytime soon? The manager at Radioshack here in Bend said if its true he'd give me $50.! I guess he's one of the few Radioshacks nationwide that doesn't distribute Verizon.

I'd love to have Verizon in Bend because my wife and family all have Verizon and we could call each other for free.

Thanks.

01-29-2005, 6:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
aholzman1 Fresh Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sisters, Oregon Posts: 19 Phone(s): Nokia 6620 Provider(s): T-Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? I am moving soon to Sisters. I currently have ATTWS GSM service. When in Sisters, my phone roams to T-Mobile. I get good signal & reception on T-Mobile on my Nokia 6620 (Wonderful phone!). ATTWS (or Cingular) do "not" offer service in Sisters or Bend. Does this mean that T-Mobile is the only choice if I want to remain on GSM service? How does T-Mobile service/signal/reception etc in Sisters/Bend compare to Verizon or Sprint in this area? I'm assuming it would be foolish to remain on ATTWS/Cingular but always be roaming??? Thoughts ???

01-29-2005, 6:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
azcellphonejunkie The Cell Phone Junkie Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Cave Creek, AZ Posts: 2,828 Phone(s): Treo 750, HTC Diamond, BB Pearl, iPhone Provider(s): ATT\|Prior: SPCS, Alltel, T-Mble, Nextel, Verizon Devices: Acura GPS, iPAQ rx3100, Bluetooth Thanks: 1 Thanked 10 Times in 6 Posts My Auctions	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? I am not familiar with the area, but a note on coverage. You can stay with AT&T GSM and use the T-Mobile coverage if you like. The only thing would be that Mobile to Mobile calls would not deduct from your M2M minutes. When you roam on another carriers network, the M2M calls you are used to making come out of your anytime or night and weekend minutes...

01-31-2005, 5:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
KevinJames WA's 1st retired mod Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Central Valley NorCA Posts: 2,588 Phone(s): Nokia 6126 Provider(s): the new AT&T Devices: Bluetooth devices--MotoHS820, Garmin Nuvi 660 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? I was up there with my ATT (now Cingular) phone last year visiting a friend in Bend. We traveled up to Sisters and even farther north. It worked fine. (It took my wife 2 days to finish "shopping" Sisters. Never again )

02-01-2005, 4:37 PM	#5 (permalink)
dalbrich Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 99 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Actually, AT&T is one of the better options for Bend/Sisters in terms of digital coverage. If you don't mind having a non-local area code, you could probably keep what you have. It's unclear if T-mobile will roam on Cellular One NW (which AT&T does, so US 97 south of Bend may be dark to T-Mob customers). You'd have to try it during the trial period if you care. I suspect TMobile will be worst option. Verizon (reportedly) can now sell Bend local phone numbers despite the fact they have no local service there (this according to a local dealer). Sprint has service there. Failing everything else I'd go for Sprint with Tri-mode phone and F&CA no roaming $5/mo option. Sprint and Verizon roam on US Cellular in digital mode (where available) and Cellular One NW in analog mode. Verizon charges roaming fees for Cellular One NW. Actually I'd start out checking both US Cellular, and Cellular One NW which are the old local carriers and see what they offer unless you really need a national provider... -Dan PS: Edge Wireless a new affiliate in Oregon is a good option in some places. I don't believe edge has service in Bend though...

02-01-2005, 5:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
aholzman1 Fresh Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sisters, Oregon Posts: 19 Phone(s): Nokia 6620 Provider(s): T-Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Great information, thanks. I do need national coverage as I fly everywhere and my daughter is frequently on the east coast. As I also travel to Europe on business, I'm thinking I need to stay on GSM. Thus, I'm leaning to ATTWS/Cingular vs. T-Mobile. In all of my trips to Sisters/Bend, my ATTWS phones (Nokia 6620 & previously SE P800) ALWAYS roamed immediately to T-Mobile. I've never been able to get an ATTWS there and the Nokia has an especially strong signal. My understanding is that even though I can stay on ATTWS and roam for voice, as I use a fair amount of data ... my phone will NOT get GPRS signal on T-Mobile's network if it is set for ATTWS network connectivity??? Comments/Thoughts welcome -

02-03-2005, 3:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
dalbrich Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 99 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? My understanding is that even though I can stay on ATTWS and roam for voice, as I use a fair amount of data ... my phone will NOT get GPRS signal on T-Mobile's network if it is set for ATTWS network connectivity??? -> My friends with AT&T data plans have not been charged separately for data when roaming (they have old AT&T national plan with Mmode option). Cingular also does not charge for data when roaming (mediaworks $20 unlimited option). In addition, my friends with AT&T GSM plans haven't been anywhere that GPRS data doesn't work where voice does. In other words, I believe data should work, and you should not be charged. You should give it a try and see what happens. Obviously you may wish to go easy on the data use until you see how it gets billed. You can try calling 611 for infomation, but the new Cingular may or may not be well informed regarding how your AT&T GSM plan will work.

02-03-2005, 10:24 AM	#8 (permalink)
TNDan21 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Kingsport, TN Posts: 5,964 Phone(s): LG enV2, Samsung t219 Provider(s): Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile Devices: iPod Nano Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Aholzman1 you might want to transfer your account over to Cingular. The advantage to this would be that even if you are roaming on T-Mobile your MTM minutes still apply. With AT&T you have to be on network for minutes to be counted as MTM. Cingular however always counts minutes as MTM if you are receving/making calls to another Cingular/AT&T customer whether on or off network.

02-03-2005, 1:53 PM	#9 (permalink)
aholzman1 Fresh Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sisters, Oregon Posts: 19 Phone(s): Nokia 6620 Provider(s): T-Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Another quick question - If I switch my ATTWS/Cingular Nokia 6620 (soon to be unlocked) over to T-Mobile ... T-Mobile only uses the 1900 band while ATTWS/Cingular use both 850 & 1900 - will T-Mobile "roam" and use the 850 band on ATTWS/Cingular when there is no 1900 band support? The Nokia 6620 phone gets such great 850 signal?

02-03-2005, 4:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
KevinJames WA's 1st retired mod Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Central Valley NorCA Posts: 2,588 Phone(s): Nokia 6126 Provider(s): the new AT&T Devices: Bluetooth devices--MotoHS820, Garmin Nuvi 660 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Actually, I was indeed roaming on T-Mobile. Its been several months & I forgot that detail. see: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com//s...ead.php?t=4389 (Oregon hwys 97 and 20)

02-19-2005, 3:19 PM	#13 (permalink)
dalbrich Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 99 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? T-Mobile only uses the 1900 band while ATTWS/Cingular use both 850 & 1900 - will T-Mobile "roam" and use the 850 band on ATTWS/Cingular when there is no 1900 band support? The Nokia 6620 phone gets such great 850 signal?[/quote] -> There have been reports of T-mob customers roaming on 850Mhz on Nokia 3595 (which supports 850Mhz) -- and the like. From other discussions I've read, they seem not to advertise 850Mhz areas (they simply "happen to work" at least in some locations i.e. Minneapolis area and Western Wireless). Couple more thoughts for you: - Oregon tends to be an odd-ball. Over the years stuff that works virtually everywhere else may or may not work here. You do actually have to test and see. - AT&T GSM roamed on T-mobile through Roseburg area (I5 etc) to connect the section between Lane county line, and Ashland/Medford where AT&T has native service. Here in Eugene, an AT&T phone can manually search and find T-mobile but cannot select that network. In other words, these roaming agreements can be very specific. One would like to generalize and say, wow, AT&T/Cingular GSM can roam on T-mobile in Oregon. The truth is that AT&T/Cingular GSM can roam on T-mobile in specific locations within Oregon. - If you stick to Bend, Sisters and never venture around Oregon, then T-mobile will be probably just fine. AT&T affiliates provide GSM to much of rural Oregon, which I don't believe a T-mobile customer can use even with a 850Mhz phone (they don't show it on their map anyway, and I've never heard of anyone successfully roaming on say Cellular One NW-- which is what you need to cover US 97 south to K-Falls, or say Crater Lake etc -- if you care). If you have time, post your results. I'd be especially curious how well things work (or don't) for T-mobile should you go that direction. -Dan PS: I have traveled through the area with AT&T GSM, and been surprised how much coverage (albeit roaming) I was able to get.

03-14-2005, 12:42 PM	#15 (permalink)
n7ryy Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: SW Washington state Posts: 70 Phone(s): Blackberry 8100, Treo 700wx, Nokia 6230b, Motorola i850 Provider(s): AT&T, Verizon, and Boost Mobile Devices: LOTS! Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 47	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? T-Mobile has a site on the BPA tower about a mile south of the Germantown Road and Skyline intersection. Jeremy Last night, we were out in the Cornelius Pass/Skyline area west of Portland and I couldn't get signal at all while that lil v300 on tmo got 2 bars and decent call quality. The 6620 typically gets marvelous signal everywhere, so I've got to give the credit to tmo's network, I guess.

03-21-2005, 11:14 PM	#16 (permalink)
OrbiTech I have a weird title! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Prineville, OR Posts: 6 Provider(s): T-Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? New to the fourm, my first post. I live in Bend and have both a T-Mobile account and an old ATTWS since 1996 with a Eugene number. ATTWS (now Cingular) will not sell or make any changes even to exisiting users, so you will not be able to stay with ATTWS and have a local number. T-Mobile seems to work pretty good in the CO area, BUT as soon as you leave Sisters going west or Bend going south or east you are done for 100+ miles, no roaming at all. My ATTWS phone will not roam on T-Mobile either. I think I would switch to T-Mobile IF you don't need any boony coverage as T-Mobile is generally very good in any of the larger metro areas nationwide, which is where I am assuming you will be flying into. Also T-Mobile has some of the best rates and the data plans are way cheaper than most if not everyone else. I use them for CSD and PSD. The PSD works very well, the CSD is much more spotty. I have found that even the PSD won't roam, you simply have to be in a T-Mobile area to get internet. BTW, T-Mobile does have some roaming agreements for voice, which has been a new discovery for me. SHG

03-30-2005, 1:59 AM	#17 (permalink)
OrbiTech I have a weird title! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Prineville, OR Posts: 6 Provider(s): T-Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Follow up to my previous message and some of those wondering about T-Mobile roaming on 850. They do indeed claim that is now working going both east and south from Bend. They only have a few dual band phones now. I am in the processe of upgrading mine now (8290 to a 6010), and expect to be roaming on the old Cell One, now called RCC Unicel next week. If this works as I was told it would by the local dealer (not a factory store though) then T-Mobile just opened up a huge previously dark area in Central Oregon. They are definitely starting to sell the handsets, so if they can line up those roaming agreements a lot of the "metro area only" limitations will vanish. Shelby

05-04-2005, 3:20 PM	#19 (permalink)
lycos100 I have arrived! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bend, OR Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? I am also new to this forum as well as new to Bend (arrived 4 weeks ago from Colorado). I am a recovering corporate lawyer who, back in the old days, used to be wedded to his cell phone. When I packed in that career (4 years ago) I also cancelled my cell account, and I've been without one ever since. Now with a new career (and wife) I've decided its time to go mobile once again. Since arriving in Bend I've asked almost everyone I see with a cell phone who they use and if they like their provider, but almost universally their answer is, "They're just alright." Nobody seems to rave about any providers out here. T-mobile, Unicel, US Cellular and I guess Cingular are all here, but from what I can determine they all have their shortcomings. Is this true? Are their no kick-a_ _ providers in central Oregon? Nobody with more towers/ better coverage than their competitors? And what do people think about Unicel? It seems like most of these posts are about T-Mobile and AT&T. I need a provider with great coverage in Bend & Redmond, but also when I go down to the Bay Area (by car) to visit my recently widowed mom. Roaming minutes kill me as I'm self employed and email & internet are not that important for me now. I just need a phone that can make/receive a call when I need it to. Any input and/or suggestions would be very appreciated.

05-04-2005, 5:53 PM	#20 (permalink)
~~Sprint PCS 411~~ Banned Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 170 Phone(s): Nokia 3200, LG L1400 Provider(s): Cingular Wireless GSM America Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? I would go with Cingular mainly becuase you can take advantage of the Cingular GSM network, Cingular (former AT&T Wireless) Blue network, T-Mobile network and UniCel network. They are all GSM and Cingular allows you to roam on all of them - at least I think. Another option is to go with Cingular GSM and then get a GAIT phone and have the GAIT option added to your plan so that you can also pick up TDMA and AMPS signals along with GSM.

05-10-2005, 12:46 AM	#22 (permalink)
Legocrafter Posting up a storm! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4 Phone(s): Motorola V265 Provider(s): Verizon Wireless Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Having lived in Bend for the past year and a half (and visiting family for the past seven years), I can tell you there are no really strong performers. I moved back to Bend late 2003 when I was still with Verizon. I roamed on US Cellular's network and had zero problems. My parents live way east of town and I had full strength there. Someone posted earlier that there are roaming charges on US Cellular's network, which is not true at all. I had the America's Choice plan and it was free roaming. Well, in April 2004, I decided to go with T-Mobile because I wanted a local number. Huge mistake. I researched their phones and went with the Motorola V300 based on the glowing reviews. The phone had an awesome battery life, but had some quirky issues, like not being able to make calls while using a car charger. (Ended up replacing the phone twice) Anyway, I had really bad reception in the area. There were quite a few areas where I had dropped calls and the overall sound quality was poor at times. Sometimes I didn't get messages letting me know I had voicemail. And my phone didn't even ring sometimes - calls just went straight to voicemail, even though I had 3-5 bars. I got really antsy near the end of my 1 year contract (in February) and decided to go back to Verizon, even though it meant a non-local number. I am so happy I did! I was roaming on US Cellular's network without any issues whatsoever. It was wonderful! I just moved to Portland a few weeks ago, so I'm on Verizon's network now. Sorry for the long story... here's my recommendations based on family and friends who have these carriers: Unicel - Parents have it now and it's definitely not as good as it was when their network was TDMA. Now that they've gone GSM, they are horrible. Really bad reception, dropped calls, poor voice quality, etc. US Cellular - Roamed on their network a couple years ago and for the last few months. Definitely recommended if you want a local number. If you want more of a national plan and don't mind a non-local (Portland, Eugene or Seattle) number, go with Verizon. They are the best. Sprint - I have a couple friends on Sprint and they seem to like it. They've had their issues, but they are more concerned with phone gadgetry than reception or dropped calls. T-Mobile - I absolutely hated my T-Mobile service while in Bend. When I traveled up to Seattle, it was fine though. It just seems to suck really bad in Bend. In conclusion, I recommend US Cellular if you want a local number and Verizon if you don't mind a non-local number. Hope this helps anyone looking for phone service in the Bend area!

05-10-2005, 8:10 PM	#23 (permalink)
lycos100 I have arrived! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bend, OR Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Best Coverage in Sisters/Bend Oregon? Thank you Legocrafter for your informative response. My wife has Verizon (from Colorado) and she loves it too. I have heard that Verizon periodically gives out Bend numbers, at least that's what 2 different Verizon operators have told me... that they only get 100 or so at a time and they run out very quickly. Do you (or anyone else for that matter) know if Verizon does get Bend numbers or if they'll be coming to Bend anytime soon? The manager at Radioshack here in Bend said if its true he'd give me $50.! I guess he's one of the few Radioshacks nationwide that doesn't distribute Verizon. I'd love to have Verizon in Bend because my wife and family all have Verizon and we could call each other for free. Thanks.

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