Problems In the Northeast

Hello ATTformerlover,

The first thing that came to my mind was to ask you how often you turn your phone off/on. If you leave it on constantly, it is possible that the "registration" on the network has expired and hence your issue. To resolve the issue, turn the phone off at least once daily.

If you already do turn your phone off daily, then my 2nd guess would be that you are in a weak network spot when this happens. (I did closely read your post and I am aware you mentioned it happens no matter where you are at.) Do you notice that it happens more indoors than out? If so, then that might be the issue. The internal antennas on the 8260's (in my opinon, though some would argue with me) perform worse than those with external antennas.

Finally, have you tried speaking with other ATT users, both those with and WITHOUT Nokia phones. Do they also get the same issues. If not, then it is probably your phone. However, if they do get the same issues, then you should speak to 611 and report the issue. I do know that ATT is actively upgrading their system to GSM, but that should not affect current users. Still, in the past week I have noted a peculiar situation where my phone drops into analog roaming, something it has never done before. I think it may have something to do with local upgrades, but 611 states I am wrong.

kev

 

Attformerlover,
All those symptoms only point in one direction: You need to get a new phone. Cell phones are very delicate devices and if they drop only one time may be enough to make it malfunction. Now, this doesn't mean that the first time you drop it, it will fail. I've dropped my 8260 only once (as far as I can remember) but it still works like new.
Your problem about returning to the main screen sounds like the phone is failing to pick up an available voice channel. This usually happens when the tower is overloaded with calls and all channels are busy. But in your case sounds like your phone is defective since its also dropping calls drop much too often.

I've had this 8260 for about 1 year now and so far it has been the best Nokia performer when it comes to call stability even when driving in the car with a weak signal. The fact that it has an internal antenna has not proven to me that it is worse at picking up signals. On the contrary, in my case, this 8260 seems to work better than other models that have external antenna. But again, this is in my case so I can only say I love the phone. I have made side by side comparisons using the test screens with other Nokia models and performance has been equal if not better on the 8260 in different areas of NY/NJ. I had a Motorola 8097 and a Nokia 5160 in the past and they dropped calls much more often than the 8260 especially when driving. This can be that either the AT&T network has improved in this area or that the 8260 works better. I tend to believe that the 8260 works better than other models since call quality improved as soon as I got it.

Also, my 8260 never gets powered off. I'ts been on for months and I've never had problems with registration.

Kev,
In general CDMA phones switch to analog on a regular basis for no apparent reason. I've seen this happen with both Sprint and Verizon phones (several different models). This is why many of their customers say that analog signals are stronger than digital signals which is invariably impossible. Although, being a Cingular TDMA customer using the AT&T system in North Jersey for over 4 years, I've never seen my phone go to analog in this area even when the signal is weak. Even if I wanted to force the phone into analog, it wouldn't ...

 

I happened upon this site looking for the best no-roaming fees plan. But since I saw the Nokia 8260 problem, I thought I'd respond. My phone was having the same types of problems for the past few months, and I found that wrapping the top part of the phone with tape helped. It finally got so bad I figured I'd need a new one, so as a last ditch effort, I took it apart, and found that the screw in the top part of the phone (there is only one where the internal antenna area is) had come out and fell into the phone. Once I put the screw back in place, and put the phone back together, it worked fine. It's still working! In fact, I haven't had a problem since. I had dropped that thing so many times, I guess the screw fell right out. Anyway, I suggest you try squeezing your phone together while making a call, and see if it makes a difference. If it does, it may just be a loose screw (!), which keeps the contacts from conducting properly inside. Good luck!

 

welcome attformerlover

I would go and get a new phone. At&T gives you 30 days to try out new equipment

Jack