Still on ATTW Plan with TDMA phone, does GSM improve quality

OK, I am currently thawing from the last Ice Age. I have the Moto v60i on my old digital plan with ATTW. It is TDMA not GSM obviously. I don't use my phone extensively, actually might use it more with less of the not so great reception I experience now. I've enjoed Moto phones over the years, two versions of Startac, and the v60i has been far more sturdy, longer battery life..... Startacs needed battery replacement after a year, the v60i is over 3 years old and still has the original battery. I average 6 hours a month on the phone.
Anyway... back to the point.... I like flip phones. I just prefer the covered kep pad when not in use, but I am not so crazy about the little stubby antennas..... so naturally I am interested in the SE Z520a. I see it is a quad band phone and of course GSM...... Has anyone made this switch from a Moto v60i to the SE Z520a? Or anyone with real Cingular knowledge who would recommend the switch?

I currently have poor reception in my home and buildings.... if I move just a little the reception comes and goes or drops entirely. I saw another review about the loop antenna on the SE Z520a that said if you cover the antenna with your hand or touch it while talking you lose the signal. Is there any truth to that? I know it is not the most expensive phone but it is features that draw me to this phone. A flip with no stub antenna.

Any advice is much appreciated.

what's your zip code? I'll check the coverage in your area for TDMA/GSM

33773
More specifically if it is available I am off or Starkey Rd, between Ulmerton and Park Blvd.

On Tmobiles site I found more detailed than usual coverage maps that showed actual streets.... my neighborhood area was only good for tmobil. Converting good to numeric would be a 2 on a 1 to 5 scale.

Thank you for any info you can provide.
I have the coverage map from Cingular that shows the entire country but how general can you make it? You know what I mean?

cingular has high coverage, no exact bars for you, but high coverage is described as being sufficient for most in-building coverage (depending on structure) but generally, you should have no problems with reception.

on the corner of county rd and starkey, there is a dead spot. not no-coverage, but lower coverage. you'd still get reception. everything else looks good on GSM.

ATTW TDMA signal is nil in your area.

Thank you. About a year ago I started having real issues all along Starkey... no signal at all with me moto v60i tdma. In my house I had mixed bars. Some ok, and some drops... just moving about the house a few feet or so made a diff in reception.

Thank you for your investigation.

I was a little impatient actually, but with the 30 day satisfaction garauntee I feel safe, I migrated to Cingular GSM today and ordered the SE z520a.

I know about the camera issue... no problem for me though.. I have no holes in my pockets so it will only get fabric pictures. LOL

Thank you for your help.

oh yeah.. is that a public system you are using to check the coverage I.E. something on the web or is it private to cell providers?

nope...sorry, it's an internal system. the big map of the US

is the best anyone's gonna get...i know...it sucks.

good luck with the 520...personally it hink it's a pretty cool phone. let us know how your coverage works out.

Well no phone yet. This is not a complaint, I have patience, but is it really as common as they claim? Monday evening I tried to check my order status online. It said their was no information available. I ordered it Friday afternoon. I called the number on the order status page Monday morning from work and they could find no record of the order. They refered me to the E Group. Tuesday I called the egroup number, after retreiving the order status number from my email at home Monday evening. The E group said the order was on hold for credit verification. They said it happened to everybody trying to migrate online from ATT to Cing. I asked why I was not notified earlier. She said an email was sent requesting more information. About 20 minutes on hold, and she finally said everything was fine. No deposit was required. The order will be processed within 24 hours then the phone would be shipped which takes 1 to 2 days. She did not ask me for any information that I did not already provide with the order so I do not know why my call was necessary to process the credit check. Why did they not sort this out prior to my call? When I checked my email Tuesday evening there was not a request for more information. The regular customer service rep I spoke to sort of gave me the impression that the egroup as a contracted group and not a Cingular group. Are they acting the way a Cingular employee would? Are they as dedicated to providing service as they should be. The online ordering confirmation email says it is 1 or 2 business days to recieve after placing the order.. but it is a week if it is true that everyone has to go through the credit verification as she suggested.
Have you heard about that before?

Steva11, thank you for your help. My experience with the attempt at online migration and dealing with customer service after sent me packing. I am Alltel as of this afternoon. I read a few other rants here defending Cing from other reps that said just be patient with them. As if we should wait for them to "Eventually" get around to doing what they need to do. Sorry At&t was much better the few times I had to request info or help. I feel like a can't do any worse now, so I'll take a chance that I can do better.

sorry to hear that. online is tough, but it's not as common as it seems. you know...it just seems like a lot because you don't hear the people with good service posting.

if you want, you can give me your wireless #, and i can see if an order has been shipped, or placed.
or...your name as it appears on your account may bring it up also....if you want.

Still on ATTW Plan with TDMA phone, does GSM improve quality

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