Cingular bad reception - Switching phones improve calls?

I just bought a home that falls in an area receiving marginal service.
If I walk to the corner of the yard it works.it works in odd spots in the house. The phone goes from "No Service" to "Roaming" by just turning around.

Calls apparently come in okay. It's outgoing stuff that suffers.

I have a Cingular/Motorola Razr V3 phone (2 years old).

Would switching to a phone with a more powerful tranceiver help?

How does one research which phones have full 3 watt transmitters?

Thanks

to the best of my knowledge the 3 watt tranceivers went out with analog service. you would have better luck googling cell boosters

its a retransmitter. takes in a weak signal and amplifys it by several db

Thanks,
I read somewhere that 3 watt transmitters were the max FCC would allow. I know nothing of cell technology analog or digital.

My daughters Verizon phone works great at the place and Verizons coverage map shows little-to-no service in the area.

I'm assuming the phone could make a difference.yes?.no?

Would you say all newer cell phones are created equal when it comes to signal strength.transmitting/receiving?

generally speaking the phone makes little or no difference when comparing devices within the same carrier. for the most part its bells and whizzers on the phone

your phone being GSM and hers being CDMA (different technologies) Verizon most likely has a roaming agreement with another CDMA carrier (line sprint for instance) in your area thus allowing a connection. your phone apparrantley does not enjoy that same roaming agreement as it is not the same transmit / receive apparatus. Tmobile and ATT do have roaming agreements in *some* areas but not all.

there is a coverage map at the att website (the link to it is in the ATT FAQ). look at the legend and put in your zip.you will see what kind of coverage (ATT or partner) is predominant in your location

just thought of something. manual network search

From the standby screen, press the Menu key.

Scroll to "Settings", then press Select.

Scroll to "Network", then press Select.

Scroll to "available networks", then press Select.

you phone will search for all available networks in the spot you are in

from there if there is say a Tmob tower showing. try manually registering on that network

That's great info Elmo.

What, if any, are the ramifications of registering with say T-mobile if I'm a Cingular subscriber? Is it just to gain permission to access the tower or does it carry an access fee?

If there isn't a roaming agreement in the area (which you have paid for in your regular contract, so don't worry about it!), you won't be able to connect - you'll get an error message. If you can connect, then you're set. There shouldn't be any fees.

- Jacob M.

Thanks guys!

I tried the "network check" as Elmo suggested but found nothing.

I guess I'm Caveman Cell Guy. I don't understand why I can receive incoming calls and converse with no problems but when I try to initiate a call I get "No Service". If my phone is strong enough to respond to a call and successfully transmit why isn't it strong enough to go out on its own?

Are the retransmitters Elmo spoke of a good solution?
Are they wireless or does the phone have to be tethered to the device?

Thanks again guys, this is a great forum.

the phone could be the problem. try the sim card in another cingular / att phone (even a cheap one) at the same location and see what happens. Perhaps a friend, neighbor or relative will let you try this experiment with their Cingular / att phone. if your sim works in THEIR phone, then issue is with phone. Conversely, if their sim has same issue in YOUR phone, then you've got a double proof that issue is with phone. However, if their sim works in your phone and your sim doesnt work in their phone, then it is a sim card problem or a network problem.

the problem with the phone could be internal damage, a defect of some sort, or (most likely) its age. if it's any of these probs, must replace phone.

the problem could also be a software/hardware issue. the razrs are pretty complex little computers. Try powercycling (turn phone off, leave off for 30 seconds, turn back on). If that doesnt help, try hardshocking (be sure address book is saved to SIM, first, then with phone ON, remove battery, leave battery out for 30 secs, reinsert battery, power phone on). Or, if that fails, try a Master Reset (probably shouldn't do this last option tho unless under guidance of a rep as you may accidentally erase all files not originally on phone).

If you're brave and willing to risk losing ringtones and graphics that did not come with the phone, be sure to save the address book entries to the sim, and follow these online instructions for the master reset. (I'm assuming you have the standard V3 model).

cheers.

Cingular bad reception - Switching phones improve calls?

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