Switching between GSM/TDMA and AMPS/TDMA With Gait

You 6340i has AMPS capability in addition to TDMA and GSM, so you should be just able to use it, I think... right?

 

You should NOT switch to a TDMA only handset b/c Cingular may not allow you to switch to one. Even if they did, you'll lose your plan (and not be able to switch back to your GAIT plan)

I dont see why your phone wouldnt switch b/t bands

 

Yes, the 6340i has GSM/TDMA/AMPS. You need not do anything. If there is no GSM it will look for TDMA. If no TDMA it will go to AMPS.

You can force the phone to go only to TDMA/AMPS, but there is no need. Search these forums on how to do that.

 

That phone would be my dream-come-true... I live in a TDMA only area, and I work in a GSM area with poor TDMA coverage. New GSM phones won't work at my house. I'm still on my old AT&T Panasonic phone (TDMA & AMPS) thats now going on SIX(!) years. A phone like that 6340 would solve my choppy in-town problems because it has GSM. Do any of you think that Cingular would allow me to switch service to that 6340i if I purchased one on the open market? (without forcing me to a new GSM-only account)
Thats one question I'd love to know the answer to without relying on ignorant sales assistants that are only programmed to sell phones.
Thanks!!
Dennis

 

I don't think Cingular will fully activate GAIT phones anymore. If you purchased a GAIT phone now only the GSM features will be activated. If you already had a GAIT phone activated on your account they would let you continue to use it until they decided that your area no longer supported GAIT. I know some GAIT customers in certain markets had rec'd letters stating that after a certain date the TDMA features of their GAIT phones would be deactivated.

-jay

 

Hi Jay,
Come to think of it thats exactly what happened to my roomate a few months ago. Cingular shut off his access to the TDMA side of his TDMA/GSM phone. (Siemens S46) The result was that his phone service died at the house. Cingular conned him in to a new contract and GSM phone and since then he has no service at the house.
Dennis

 

4 Moths ago, I called cingular and told them I needed the GAIT feature back on my account, as I wanted to use my 6340 again. It was a straight up Nation 2000 GSM Plan. If they were gonna restrict anything, they would have cracked down on me due to my ability to use tons of minutes off-net in such a situation. However, the CS rep promptly added "Gait for GSM" to my account, and it proceeded to begin to work. I go to college in a very small southwest wisconsin town, which only has GSM BEING TESTED by iwireless. It is working, yet, the in-building coverage sucks, and calls are often dropped for no apparent reason. I can force my 6340 to use wither alltel TDMA (which often dropps to analog) or USCC TDMA (which has always been excellent...). USCC TDMA by far works better than any technology in this region, even their CDMA. IK, as I roam on USCC CDMA with my Verizon Phone. Alltel has little bits of TDMA along major roadways, but dropps to AMPS a lot, since Centurytel didnt bother to put up digital at the time they owned that network in a lot of places. Alltel has done a good job overlaying it with CDMA, but its still not quite as good as USCC.

 

cingular and former ATT stopped supporting GAIT or multiband service quite some time ago... yopur device will only work where there is a GSM signal... if there is only TDMA in the spot you are at the device will not work as the registration info is no longer valid...even if you have a multiband rate plan you are on GSM only service... it does not matter what your contract says...multiband service is now and has been for some time *extinct*

 

The Multiband plans from the former ATTWS were discontinued, as you say, but the Cingular Orange GAIT plans are still active (mine works fine, and no extra $5 TDMA fee). It sounds like DennisO (and his roommate) have/had ATTWS plans, still. It might be possible to get GAIT, with an unlocked or Cingular-branded T62u or 6340i, but he would have to get a new (current) plan (and knowledgeable rep).