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Cellular forums Home > Archive > Alltel Cellular > January 2006 > E. Virginia Roaming?
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E. Virginia Roaming?
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| DC Photoman 2006-01-02, 5:48 pm |
| I have recently transplanted to the Fredericksburg, VA area, have been with
Alltel since '98 and have Nebraska phone numbers from back then -- so,
Nebraska is our home service area, with the ol' flashing triangle out here.
Have had a new Razr v3c for about a week and really like it, but I've
noticed that the flashing triangle periodically pauses SOLID (while at home
just west of I-95 exit 126) for minutes at a time. This happens during
calls and between calls. The other phones on our account periodically go
from digital to analog in the same area, but always keep the flashing
triangle.
Is it possible that the digital-only RAZR is causing me to roam in this
area? We've lived here 6 weeks, and didn't get any roaming charges on the
last bill, using the other phones.
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| DC Photoman wrote:
> I have recently transplanted to the Fredericksburg, VA area, have been with
> Alltel since '98 and have Nebraska phone numbers from back then -- so,
> Nebraska is our home service area, with the ol' flashing triangle out here.
>
> Have had a new Razr v3c for about a week and really like it, but I've
> noticed that the flashing triangle periodically pauses SOLID (while at home
> just west of I-95 exit 126) for minutes at a time. This happens during
> calls and between calls. The other phones on our account periodically go
> from digital to analog in the same area, but always keep the flashing
> triangle.
>
> Is it possible that the digital-only RAZR is causing me to roam in this
> area? We've lived here 6 weeks, and didn't get any roaming charges on the
> last bill, using the other phones.
The Razr uses a different PRL than your other non-EVDO phones. So far,
no one has interpreted the EVDO PRL, so there may or may not be any
differences. Can you look in the Phone Status section of your Razr's
menu to see what SID you are currently registered on? Are your other
phones also registered on the same SID? From the map, it looks like
you are outside the native Alltel service area in Virginia. Do your
other phones have the latest PRL? The current PRL for non-EVDO phones
is PRL1205.
royc
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| DC Photoman 2006-01-03, 5:48 pm |
| Thanks for the reply, Royc,
My wife and daughter are out of state for a while with their phones, so I
cannot compare their SIDs, and I turned on my de-activated v60i (this is the
phone I upgraded from, to the razr, about a week ago). The v60i shows PRL
905 and I am unable to locate SID in its menu system. The razr's PRL is
36101.
SID numbers for the razr fluctuates somewhat here in the house. I checked
it multiple times and got the following:
NAM: 152 (this number remains constant)
Current: 18 or 170
As the phone periodically changes from solid to flashing triangle, 18 is
indicated only when flashing -- it never displays 18 with a solid triangle.
170 always comes up when solid, though it occasionally indicates 170 when
flashing.
It is also interesting to note that during calls it fluctuates between solid
and flashing triangle for several minutes at a time. An Alltel customer
service rep told me it is impossible to hand off to an out-of-network tower
during a call, that a dropped call would be the result, so this puzzled
them. The same Alltel rep told me that Sprint and Verizon towers were what
Alltel shares with (is this correct?).
I found the 00018 & 00170 SID numbers both listed as Verizon system on an
internet posting (however, the date on the document was 2001). This, and
the fact that it alternates during calls without dropping, gives me some
hope that the solid triangle I'm getting here is false -- my fear is that I
have racked up hundreds of $$ in roaming fees the past week before I noticed
this!
Thoughts?
----- Original Message -----
From: "royc" <clouston@sprynet.com>
Newsgroups: alt.cellular.alltel
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 9:31 PM
Subject: Re: E. Virginia Roaming?
> DC Photoman wrote:
>
> The Razr uses a different PRL than your other non-EVDO phones. So far,
> no one has interpreted the EVDO PRL, so there may or may not be any
> differences. Can you look in the Phone Status section of your Razr's
> menu to see what SID you are currently registered on? Are your other
> phones also registered on the same SID? From the map, it looks like
> you are outside the native Alltel service area in Virginia. Do your
> other phones have the latest PRL? The current PRL for non-EVDO phones
> is PRL1205.
>
> royc
>
| |
|
| SID 170 is Verizon's SID for the Richmond - Norfolk area. SID 18 is
for the Washington DC - Baltimore area. SID 18 is in the PRL and
that's why you see flashing roam when you are on SID 18.
SID 170 used to be in the PRL as flashing roam through PRL904. It was
removed from more recent PRL's because Alltel was experiencing too much
in-market roaming in the Richmond area. If you go to howardforums.com
and search through the Alltel section there you should be able to find
a thread about the loss of National Freedom coverage in your part of VA
in the fall of 2004.
Because this SID used to be in the PRL and was then removed, Alltel may
or may not be actually billing calls from SID 170 as roaming. If you
had an older phone, you could plead that you had an out of date PRL and
get a one-time credit. That story won't fly with a Razr, since it is
brand new.
Can you get a usable signal on SID 18? If so, you should be able to
program your Razr to make SID 18 your home SID. If you put your phone
into "home only" mode, you would not drift over to SID 170
inadvertantly. You must be near the boundary of the two SID's. Both
SID's are B Band, so your phone is switching to the occasionally
stronger SID 170 signal. In "home only" you may have periods of "no
service" when the phone can't see SID 18. You might want to experiment
with different locations around the house to see if you can find a
place where SID 18 is usually dominant. If you start a call on SID 18
and then hand off to SID 170, I don't believe you would be charged
roaming. The originating SID is what's important.
royc
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| DC Photoman 2006-01-05, 5:48 am |
| Thanks, royc,
I spoke to an Alltel tech service guy yesterday and discussed the SID
numbers. He put me on hold, came back and said that 170 is a preferred SID
and that "we're having trouble with the new razrs" displaying the flashing
triangle accurately. He chuckled when I said I was concerned about getting
my next bill and seeing hundreds in roaming, told me that billing would
"automatically see 170 and not bill you for it" ... I am skeptical.
Will play with the home only mode. Thanks for the tip! Will let you know
how it works here.
Thanks
"royc" <clouston@sprynet.com> wrote in message
news:1136340403.751909.242850@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> SID 170 is Verizon's SID for the Richmond - Norfolk area. SID 18 is
> for the Washington DC - Baltimore area. SID 18 is in the PRL and
> that's why you see flashing roam when you are on SID 18.
>
> SID 170 used to be in the PRL as flashing roam through PRL904. It was
> removed from more recent PRL's because Alltel was experiencing too much
> in-market roaming in the Richmond area. If you go to howardforums.com
> and search through the Alltel section there you should be able to find
> a thread about the loss of National Freedom coverage in your part of VA
> in the fall of 2004.
>
> Because this SID used to be in the PRL and was then removed, Alltel may
> or may not be actually billing calls from SID 170 as roaming. If you
> had an older phone, you could plead that you had an out of date PRL and
> get a one-time credit. That story won't fly with a Razr, since it is
> brand new.
>
> Can you get a usable signal on SID 18? If so, you should be able to
> program your Razr to make SID 18 your home SID. If you put your phone
> into "home only" mode, you would not drift over to SID 170
> inadvertantly. You must be near the boundary of the two SID's. Both
> SID's are B Band, so your phone is switching to the occasionally
> stronger SID 170 signal. In "home only" you may have periods of "no
> service" when the phone can't see SID 18. You might want to experiment
> with different locations around the house to see if you can find a
> place where SID 18 is usually dominant. If you start a call on SID 18
> and then hand off to SID 170, I don't believe you would be charged
> roaming. The originating SID is what's important.
>
> royc
>
>
| |
|
| DC Photoman wrote:
> Thanks, royc,
>
> I spoke to an Alltel tech service guy yesterday and discussed the SID
> numbers. He put me on hold, came back and said that 170 is a preferred SID
> and that "we're having trouble with the new razrs" displaying the flashing
> triangle accurately. He chuckled when I said I was concerned about getting
> my next bill and seeing hundreds in roaming, told me that billing would
> "automatically see 170 and not bill you for it" ... I am skeptical.
>
> Will play with the home only mode. Thanks for the tip! Will let you know
> how it works here.
>
> Thanks
>
>
I know that SID 170 is not in the current PRL for non-EVDO phones. See
PRL1205:
http://mallard.rainyday.mb.ca/~dial...el/at_01205.htm
However, the Alltel tech rep might be correct if the billing system
still considers SID 170 as preferred (as it was through PRL904). If
so, you should be OK. I don't like seeing a solid roam indication even
if you will not get charged in your particular area. I will be
interested to hear what your bill shows.
royc
| |
| DC Photoman 2006-01-05, 11:48 pm |
| I tried switching to "home only" ... but, since I've kept a Nebraska number
(since 1998, as they always remind me when I call) my home area is Nebraska
and I get no service at all in home only mode here. Is there some other way
to invoke "network only" reception?
I too am greatly interested in that next bill! In the mean time I will be
very careful that all calls begin with the blinking triangle. Will let you
know what happens.
"royc" <clouston@sprynet.com> wrote in message
news:1136480354.517128.311290@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> DC Photoman wrote:
> I know that SID 170 is not in the current PRL for non-EVDO phones. See
> PRL1205:
>
> http://mallard.rainyday.mb.ca/~dial...el/at_01205.htm
>
> However, the Alltel tech rep might be correct if the billing system
> still considers SID 170 as preferred (as it was through PRL904). If
> so, you should be OK. I don't like seeing a solid roam indication even
> if you will not get charged in your particular area. I will be
> interested to hear what your bill shows.
>
> royc
>
| |
|
| All you have to do is reprogram your Razr to change your home SID from
152 to 18. Here are the instructions on how to do it from:
http://www.allwirelesstalk.com/foru...hread.php?t=333
"Razr v3c Programming Instructions:
1. Enter #073887*
2. Enter 000000 and hit OK when prompted for your security code.
3. Scroll to User Activation and press Select.
4. Select NAM 1
5. Enter appropriate MIN/MDN info."
( ONLY CHANGE THE SID ! )
Only edit the line for your SID. Change it from 152 to 18. Don't
change any of the other lines. All this change really does is tell the
phone whether to display the roam indicator (either flashing or solid)
or not. But once you make that change, using "home only" will let you
lock onto SID 18. Also, your roam indicator will not be displayed when
you are on SID 18.
royc
| |
| DC Photoman 2006-01-06, 11:48 pm |
| I tried this but could not get past step #1... nothing happens after
entering the string. Also tried following the string with Menu (single and
multiple hits) and with Send. Any suggestions?
"royc" <clouston@sprynet.com> wrote in message
news:1136511955.648993.255090@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> All you have to do is reprogram your Razr to change your home SID from
> 152 to 18. Here are the instructions on how to do it from:
>
> http://www.allwirelesstalk.com/foru...hread.php?t=333
>
> "Razr v3c Programming Instructions:
>
> 1. Enter #073887*
>
> 2. Enter 000000 and hit OK when prompted for your security code.
>
> 3. Scroll to User Activation and press Select.
>
> 4. Select NAM 1
>
> 5. Enter appropriate MIN/MDN info."
> ( ONLY CHANGE THE SID ! )
>
> Only edit the line for your SID. Change it from 152 to 18. Don't
> change any of the other lines. All this change really does is tell the
> phone whether to display the roam indicator (either flashing or solid)
> or not. But once you make that change, using "home only" will let you
> lock onto SID 18. Also, your roam indicator will not be displayed when
> you are on SID 18.
>
> royc
>
| |
|
| I double-checked. I found another post that also mentions the same key
sequence:
http://www.allwirelesstalk.com/foru...read.php?t=2084
I'll bet you aren't pressing the sequence fast enough. On my V262, if
I hesitate at all while entering the key sequence for programming mode,
it does not ask for the security code. I sometimes have to try it 2 or
3 times to be fast enough for the phone to let me in.
Try it again and press the keys as fast as you can.
royc
| |
| DC Photoman 2006-01-07, 5:48 am |
| You're right, faster entering did the trick!
Now, geographically, with the phone set on SID 18 home only, what area does
that cover (when traveling, when would I expect to have to change it back to
Standard to get service)? Is it basically the Greater Freedom coverage map
for the Virginia area?
"royc" <clouston@sprynet.com> wrote in message
news:1136598535.264550.277640@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I double-checked. I found another post that also mentions the same key
> sequence:
>
> http://www.allwirelesstalk.com/foru...read.php?t=2084
>
> I'll bet you aren't pressing the sequence fast enough. On my V262, if
> I hesitate at all while entering the key sequence for programming mode,
> it does not ask for the security code. I sometimes have to try it 2 or
> 3 times to be fast enough for the phone to let me in.
>
> Try it again and press the keys as fast as you can.
>
> royc
>
| |
|
| DC Photoman wrote:
> You're right, faster entering did the trick!
> Now, geographically, with the phone set on SID 18 home only, what area does
> that cover (when traveling, when would I expect to have to change it back to
> Standard to get service)? Is it basically the Greater Freedom coverage map
> for the Virginia area?
>
I don't have any maps of SID 18. That SID roughly covers northern VA,
DC and the eastern half of MD and includes Baltimore. Here is a little
more detail from the PRL1205 interpretation:
00018 D/A FR Verizon Wireless
CMA008B Washington, DC-MD-VA
CMA014B Baltimore, MD
CMA468B Maryland 2 - Kent
CMA469B Maryland 3 - Frederick
CMA690B Virginia 10 - Frederick
CMA691B Virginia 11 - Madison
CMA692B Virginia 12 - Caroline
The coverage above is for the cellular "B" band. There is also PCS
coverage on SID 18 for parts of the same areas. Outside of these
areas, you would have to use standard scan. Definitely if you head
toward Richmond or Norfolk from home.
royc
| |
|
| I don't have any maps showing SID 18. It covers northern VA, DC and
eastern MD including Baltimore. Here is the detail from the PRL1205
interpretation:
00018 D/A FR Verizon Wireless
CMA008B Washington, DC-MD-VA
CMA014B Baltimore, MD
CMA468B Maryland 2 - Kent
CMA469B Maryland 3 - Frederick
CMA690B Virginia 10 - Frederick
CMA691B Virginia 11 - Madison
CMA692B Virginia 12 - Caroline
The areas listed above are cellular "B" band. There is also PCS
coverage on SID 18 in part of this area. Anytime you travel outside
this area you will have to switch your phone back to standard scan. If
you travel toward Richmond from home, you will definitely have to
switch to standard scan.
royc
| |
| DC Photoman 2006-01-20, 5:48 pm |
| royc,
Just checked my online bill and was happy to see NO roaming charges. I know
I had a lot of minutes used with a solid triangle pulling off of SID 170. I
still would feel better about it not seeing the solid roam indicator, but am
breathing easier about using the phone around the house.
I have another question... Have read in some discussion threads that the
National Freedom coverage is much smaller for the razr v3c. One post
included this link for a coverage map
http://www.samsungtelecom.com/train...30/coverage.asp ... When I
purchased it I understood it would not do analog, but will it work in
digital CDMA coverage areas or is it really limited to the dark blue area of
the above map??
THANKS for all your insight!
- Alan
"royc" <clouston@sprynet.com> wrote in message
news:1136480354.517128.311290@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> DC Photoman wrote:
> I know that SID 170 is not in the current PRL for non-EVDO phones. See
> PRL1205:
>
> http://mallard.rainyday.mb.ca/~dial...el/at_01205.htm
>
> However, the Alltel tech rep might be correct if the billing system
> still considers SID 170 as preferred (as it was through PRL904). If
> so, you should be OK. I don't like seeing a solid roam indication even
> if you will not get charged in your particular area. I will be
> interested to hear what your bill shows.
>
> royc
>
| |
|
| DC Photoman wrote:
> royc,
> Just checked my online bill and was happy to see NO roaming charges. I know
> I had a lot of minutes used with a solid triangle pulling off of SID 170. I
> still would feel better about it not seeing the solid roam indicator, but am
> breathing easier about using the phone around the house.
>
> I have another question... Have read in some discussion threads that the
> National Freedom coverage is much smaller for the razr v3c. One post
> included this link for a coverage map
> http://www.samsungtelecom.com/train...30/coverage.asp ... When I
> purchased it I understood it would not do analog, but will it work in
> digital CDMA coverage areas or is it really limited to the dark blue area of
> the above map??
>
> THANKS for all your insight!
> - Alan
>
Alan,
Your Razr will work in the dark blue and green areas on that map. It
won't work in the light blue (only analog service available) or white
(no service available). The green areas are simply other carriers'
CDMA digital networks. As long as Alltel has another CDMA carriers's
SID in the roaming list, your Razr can use it. As in the case of SID
170, you can sometimes use a SID that's not in the roaming list too.
The map shows that if you travel west ot the Mississippi River very
often, a tri-mode phone is still a good thing to have. In the eastern
half of the country, it is not quite as important to have a tri-mode.
I'm not ready to give up analog capability yet. In southeastern Ohio,
I still find it handy to have analog capability in remote locations
that are too far from a tower to get a reliable digital signal. If I
can get to a hilltop, analog will almost always work.
I'm glad SID 170 is still billed as friendy roam even though the
indicator says otherwise. I'll have to remember that if I get to your
part of VA sometime.
royc
| |
| The Ghost of General Lee 2006-01-21, 2:48 am |
| On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 08:33:07 -0500, "DC Photoman" <me@home.com> wrote:
>royc,
>Just checked my online bill and was happy to see NO roaming charges. I know
>I had a lot of minutes used with a solid triangle pulling off of SID 170. I
>still would feel better about it not seeing the solid roam indicator, but am
>breathing easier about using the phone around the house.
One question: Where the calls you were concerned about on the online
bill? If they were truly chargeable roaming calls, they could be
delayed by a billing cycle.
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