I have been experiencing dropped calls and consistent signal changing to analog from Digital (I get 4 bars with digital most of time but during the call, it all of sudden switches to analog). I've exchanged phones three times (2 T-720 and 1 A310) and this problem doesn't stop. When I called verizon tech support, they said there is no problem with the tower and confirmed my area is very well covered area. (I'm facing Manhattan, actually the hudson river) Eventually, they reommended to bring the phone to the Verizon store but I am not sure if they can fix it this time. One differene I have noticed with verizon services (I was a royal sprint pcs customer for 4 years till last month when I got really fed up with their customer service) is that, when I make calls, it takes 4-5 seconds until I hear the red blinks in the phone and the ringing tone. With sprint, I didn't feel this long wait till I hear the tones. For verizon subscribers, is it normal to take 5 seconds (sometimes 10 seconds or more) once you press the send button to hear the ring tones? Should I bring my phone to the store again? Thanks!
Hey, Wood... The A310 has been known to switch from digital to analog for no reason quite frequently. I've been able to take care of the problem on my phone by switching the phone to CDMA ONLY mode. To do this, you can follow these steps: 1) Menu -> 0 -> * -> 000000 -> 9 2) Select CDMA-3G Now, if you are in an area where analog is the only service available, your phone will now give you the "no signal" thing. But you can always undo this change by setting the option back to "Normal" if you're traveling or something. To answer your 2nd question, my phone sometimes takes longer than 5 seconds to actually start ringing after I've pressed the send button. I've always assumed that this was due to the phone negotiating for bandwidth on the service, but I don't really know. Sometimes it does this and sometimes it seems instantaneous. My best guess is that it just has to do with the volume of calls the system is handling at the time you're trying to place your call. It does seem to be "normal", but it's never really been that much of an annoyance for me...
Thanks, Hideo! (and another thank you for your helpful postings). I will try the method you recommended. Actually, this digital to analog switching problem was not just limited to A310. I tried two T-720 phones and they were worse. I think (being a layman to this wirless technology) this might have something to do with the signal. Eventually I returned T-720s and got A310 which I believe was a good choice. For my second questions, yes I find that sometimes it is instantly ringing but most of time it gave me 5-10 second waits. Maybe I will ask the verizon tech support next time I call them.
Do you get charged for roaming when your A310 switches to analog while placing a call? The reason I asked is because I made a call on mine where it should not be roaming and when I made the call it was digital,although when I pulled it away from my ear it was in analog and I did get charged for that. Now I have it set to digital only and two times when there was no bars I made a call in a store where it was difficult to get a signal and it read roaming after a couple seconds but no ringing on the other end so I ended the call. Also, a Verizon employee told me that you will get better reception with a candybar phone. Is there any truth to this?
stratfink, I haven't received my first detailed bill yet. However, it would be ridiculous if we get charged for roaming just because it was switched to analog. Do you live in somewhere the coverage is marginal? I live in the core coverage area (NYC) and I wouldn't expect any roaming charges (if there any, I would be mad). I think you get charged for roaming when the roaming signal is solid (instead of blinking) and it says roaming. Hope this helps.
I had this same problem with a t720 that I have. There is one particular place where it always went into analog and my roaming indicator came on. I had the phone for about three months and I never got charged for roaming.
Wood, I am in Ft.Lauderdale,Fl. It is ridiculous about the roaming charge but it was very minimal so I paid for it this time.
Wood, This is most definately not a problem with the phone. This is something more than likely caused by the lack of signal in your area. If you live in Manhatten, then you have to realize that in a metropolis the size of New York, you are going to have MANY service providers. Signals have been known to cross over and possibly cause issues with other phones. But the main thing you are experiencing is more network related than anything. Hideo, There is a MUCH easier way to set the phone to digital only. If you press Menu 0, 2, 2 and set it to HOME ONLY, this will keep you in digital only and not switch to roaming. He is right, however, that if you are in this mode, you will not receive an analog signal at all. Bond007
I believe that the "Home only" setting will definitely keep your phone from going into <U>roam</U> mode, but I'm not sure that it will keep the phone from going into <U>Analog</U> mode. Some parts of Verizon's network are analog, but still considered to be your "home" area depending on what plan you have. I drive through such an area whenever I go to my parent's house across state. The fix I suggested will keep your phone from going into <U>Analog</U> mode, but won't keep it from going into <U>Roam</U> mode. I think maybe we're talking about two different issues in here. Wood's original question delt with switching from Digital to Analog, so I think that my fix was probably appropriate for that. However, your suggestion is probably the proper fix to help stratfink, since the problem there was the phone switching into Roam mode when it was unwanted... That all sound right?
