Motorola StarTac 7686W

I guess I'm old fashioned, but I really like the Motorola StarTac 7686W phone. I see them all over eBay, usually in the >$50 range, with a good assortment of accessories, in great condition. My question is, are these phones (assuming they were originally set up for Verizon service) compatible with the current Verizon CDMA standard?

I had the old startac, the exact phone you want to purchase. I've been with Verizon since they were Bell Atlantic mobile. Around 2000-2001, they asked me to purchase a new phone, because they were wiping out all of their phones from their network that were purchased before 2001, because of a new phone feature called PRL update, that allows the phone to update its roaming and coverage software list in the phone. Of course I told them no because I wanted to keep my startac, and they told me that I wouldn't be able to travel with it, and they were right; when I traveled with my startac there were very few cities with towers that still supported the phones old software. The startack is a great phone, but it isn't worth keeping especially if you cannot use it when you might have to like in an emergency situation. And that was about five years ago. Within in those five years, verizon has drastically updated their network, so I wouldn't take that chance buying an old phone that probably will not work. I currently have the Samsung SCH-a670 camera/video phone. I love it. It has excellent reception and sound quality. I highly recommend it.

The 7868 is a trimode phone and can still be activated. however, because it may not get the full effect of the PRL update, you may run into roaming problems. Also, even though the Startac was an outstanding phone, any phone with hours of usage will diminish in cal reception quality. the primary driver chip in that phone (or any) does lots of work and will eventually start to work less effectively. any you purchase will have the same issue. Much as you like the startac, it may be time to move forward.

I am actually currently using a 7686W right now on verizon's network (My Motorola T720 Died right after the warranty expired

).

And in fact I can't wait to get a new phone soon.

Anyway, I am a college student in San Marcos, TX (Close to Austin or San Antonio) and have literally traveled all over the state of Texas with this phone. I have not run into any roaming issues. It will even work in Juarez Mexico. My reception is as good if not better than the t720 was and the battery life on this phone is better than the t720 as well. ! (The T720 and I did not get along well together).

The only downside with using a startac on today's network is the inability to send text messages. You can receive them, but not send them. If you plan on purchasing one, make sure it is not too old. This phone is cracked and is in dire need of replacement.

I had one until I switched careers, it was pretty nice, we've since gone through a Nokia 5185 and are now using a LG VX6000. StartTac's were great

I'm not really sure how most of you are doing your research, but your info seems to be a bit off.

First, the PRL is simply a "Preferred Roaming List." So long as your phone is tri-mode (like the StarTAC 7868 is) it will be able to roam everywhere any other Verizon phone can. The PRL is a list of network codes, location codes, etc. telling your device/network when it is or isn't roaming, where it does/doesn't have service, etc. One tri-mode phone will get the same PRL as another tri-mode.

This nonsense about not being able to go places where newer phones can... absolute crap. In fact, many newer phones are only dual-band/all-digital, and can venture into less areas than a tri-mode StarTAC. I've been to several areas around the country (including National Parks) where I'm the only one amongst my friends that has service... at those times, I was using my trusty old StarTAC, and my other friends were using various other devices on various carriers (including Verizon). Those that had all-digital phones didn't have a signal. Gee, let me see... in an emergency, would I want a phone that has a signal and can make a call, even if it is analog, or a phone that has no signal at all?

And on another note about signal... the "bars" you see on your phone... they're not really accurate in telling you whether you can make/receive a call. On most phones, it simply tells you "signal strength." However what matters is the "signal-to-noise" (SNR) ratio. For CDMA phones that's referred to as Ec/Io (EC over I naught). Anyway, I digress... if you really care about watching those bars, you'll notice that a StarTAC has one of the best RF (radio-frequency) receivers out there... most of the time (even in digital-only mode) a StarTAC will pull in signals where many phones can't, especially when you extend the antenna (yes, on most Motorolas, the antenna DOES make a difference). You can test this by watching your signal bars, pull out the antenna, wait about 3 seconds, and look at the bars again... on most Moto phones they'll go up. Now put it back in and see them drop after a few seconds.

Okay, getting back to the thread, someone was worried about not being able to do two-way SMS... well all you need is a firmware update. Go to the Verizon store (a real Verizon store, not a reseller) nearest you and have them flash it. That's what I did about 3 years ago. Not only does it give your StarTAC 2-way SMS, but it also lets you store email addresses in your phonebook (so you can text a message to an email address, not just a phone number).

And what's this about "driver chips" wearing down? Please! I've logged thousands of minutes a month on my StarTAC since 1998 or so, till about two weeks ago. My StarTAC continued to have one of the best voice and call quality (subjective obviously) than any phone any of my friends have owned. I don't switch devices easily... not unless something better comes along (and trust me, I'm extremely picky about the quality of a phone)... so why do you think I've stuck with my StarTAC all this time?

As you can see, most of what this thread has been discussing is full of false information. Hopefully I've set most of you straight, especially those concerned about their existing StarTAC. Is there anything special about my old StarTAC... nope, except that it's tri-mode and flashed with the newest software, it's a run of the mill phone. About two weeks ago I finally upgraded to a Treo650 (and retired my old StarTAC and Palm V). I held out this long because no other phone I've seen or tested performed quite as well as the StarTAC. Now, keep in mind, my phone was/is in great condition... if you've dropped yours one too many times, or you've given it to your dog or baby to chew on, all bets are off obviously.

And one last thing, you might be wondering why you should listen to me over some of the other people in this forum... well, not only have I owned a StarTAC since Verizon was GTE out here in California, but I'm also a wireless software & systems engineer. I've tested many devices over the past several years, CDMA, GSM, TDMA, and iDEN flavors (that includes devices on IS-95, 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, GSM, TDMA, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and iDEN... phones, PC cards, and industrial modems).... I know a little something about this stuff. And not just the devices, but the networks too (I've worked and currently work with every major carrier in US and Canada). I may not be able to answer every question about wireless technology (I'm not an RF engineer), but I do know a great deal about this particular thread of discussion. For those of you who still have a tri-mode StarTAC (like my 7868) in good condition, don't trade it in unless you really are dying for a new phone.

Oh, and before you point out that your StarTAC may be dual-band (1900 MHz and 800MHz, all-digital), just keep in mind that you will still benefit from the PRL in the same way that any other dual-band, all-digital phone from Verizon will.

Motorola StarTac 7686W

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