| Author |
Message |
mcg30342
Posts: 1
Phone Model:
Samsung - Tri mode
Service Provider:
Verizon |
 
Mon Oct 04, 2004 7:27 pm |
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I am due for an upgrade. I do not need business applications, a camera would be nice, but not essential. I travel to rural Northern Michigan (lower penninsula) during the summer, as well as Wyoming - occasionally. Sales staff indicates that the entire network will be digital by 2005. I really need my phone - especially in Michigan (~ 3 weeks). Vast majority of time in Atlanta. Some say I need a tri mode phone. Others say get a digital and reactivate old phone for travel if necessary. Any thoughts? Thank you for your response.
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julieruin
Posts: 6 |
Fri Oct 08, 2004 12:53 am |
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Do yourself a favor and get a Tri-Mode phone.
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PmutcH
Posts: 4
Phone Model:
LG vx3200
Service Provider:
Verizon Wireless |
Wed Oct 20, 2004 6:26 pm |
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what the difference???
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bigdcroxton
Posts: 4
Phone Model:
LG VX6100
Service Provider:
Verizon Wireless |
Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:08 am |
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get a tri-mode and then NEXT time you're due for an upgrade get an all digital or whatever is state of the art at that time.
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D-Ice
Posts: 44
Phone Model:
VX6100 :: SE T610
Service Provider:
Verizon Wireless (US) |
Tue Nov 16, 2004 3:30 am |
what is the diff between digital and tri? 
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AldPixto
Posts: 6
Phone Model:
Kyocera QCP-6035 Palm Smartphone, Motorola v265
Service Provider:
Verizon |
Sun Dec 05, 2004 12:21 am |
| D-Ice wrote: | | what is the diff between digital and tri? |
Since we're in a Verizon forum, digital means the transmitter/receiver in your phone use a technology called CDMA. There are two bands used for CDMA in the US, 800mhz and 1900mhz.
Analog is an older system; the transmitter/receiver use a technology called AMPS in the 800mhz band.
In verizon-speak, a digital phone has CDMA 800mhz and CDMA 1900mhz.
In verizon-speak, a tri-mode phone has CDMA 800mhz, CDMA 1900mhz, and AMPS 800mhz (3 modes).
Some other carriers, like Sprint, used to only offer service in the CDMA 1900mhz band and they called this PCS. These days I think every carrier sells multi-band phones.
Besides AMPS and CDMA there are other technologies called TDMA and GSM. GSM is used extensively in Europe but you need a 4-band GSM phone if you want a GSM phone that will work in the US and Europe. [off topic]
If you travel within the US & Canada then a Tri-Mode phone and Verizon America's Choice plan will give you very good coverage. Some areas of the country, including major roads like Highway 5 in California, do not have digital coverage between larger cities. About 100 miles of Highway 1 south of Monterey/Carmel only have analog coverage - thanks to the old towers that GTE installed.
When you have digital coverage your phone batteries will last longer and your audio will be clearer, but sometimes the only signal that gets through is analog. By having a tri-mode phone you also have the greatest chance of being able to roam on another network if verizon isnt available.
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engineer
Posts: 8
Phone Model:
LG-6100
Service Provider:
Verizon |
Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:56 pm |
I told myself I wouldn't do it. I was NOT going to get involved in another cellphone forum. There are too many idiots and not enough time. (Though a quick check around here does seem to indicate a shortage of idiots.)
But AldPixto, your answer was so outstanding I had to register just to say EXCELLENT JOB! Good advice and a clear and thorough explanation of tri-mode.
I like the "verizon-speak" bit, too. 
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rastafaria
Posts: 15
Phone Model:
LG VX7000
Service Provider:
Verizon Wireless |
Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:33 am |
not that I wasn't aware of the differences, but you sounded like an official who knew his stuff  excellent post i must agree hehe
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Carlos Landa
Posts: 2
Phone Model:
LG-VX4500
Service Provider:
Verizon |
Fri Dec 17, 2004 11:33 pm |
Excellent discussion of digital versus tri mode!
I just got a new phone -an LG-VX4500. I decided on an all digital phone because I stay close to home in SW Ohio, and most of the state is digital. However, reception is poor indoors, and Verizon technical support adviced me to exchange the phone for a tri mode.
Just as digital coverage will increase in the near future, is there any hope that digital signal penetration into buildings will improve?
Thanks!
Carlos
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AldPixto
Posts: 6
Phone Model:
Kyocera QCP-6035 Palm Smartphone, Motorola v265
Service Provider:
Verizon |
Sat Dec 18, 2004 5:07 pm |
| Carlos Landa wrote: | Excellent discussion of digital versus tri mode!
...
is there any hope that digital signal penetration into buildings will improve?
...
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Inside a cellphone, an analog (AMPS) radio will use more power than a digital (CMDA) radio. CMDA has many technical advantages over AMPS that allow engineers to design digital phones that use considerably less power than their analog equivalents. Using less power means smaller batteries, and smaller batteries means smaller and lighter phones.
Taking into consideration the efficiency of digital phones, the FCC restricts digital cell towers and digital phones to lower power transmissions than analog phones. When reception gets poor, if you have a CDMA signal, it should have less noise and no interference when compared to an AMPS signal. But once the digital signal level goes below some threshold it will give up, whereas the AMPS signal will continue to degrade.
The net effect is if your cell service comes from the same tower with both analog and digital radios, and there aren't too many other concurrent analog users, your analog radio will probably work better inside a building because it can use higher power.
Last time I looked the FCC required cell companies to provide AMPS service in their areas until November 2007.
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