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I am usually the last one to get the 'word' so this may already be known to everyone.

I tried to use my cell phone last Friday. I only carry it for emergencies basically but do make a few calls. It would ring and immediately cut off.

The guys at the table explained that Analog phones no longer work, 2 weeks ago they changed to digital service only .

A bit of poking around the 'net showed it isn't quite true in detail but in practice it is. The FCC has, it seems, mandated the end of analog service as of Feb next year but until then, the providers are not required to maintain the analog equipment - it goes down, tough.

Glad I found this out before I was out in the boonies relying on it.

Interestingly I tried to call and cancel my contract. No good all day yesterday. The recording basically says 'we are getting so many calls, don't even try 'hold' just keep calling back'. Umpty million people must be trying to cancel.

I tried the unicel.com (note the single 'L') home page but cannot find a way to cancel on line. Lots of 'call this number' though - none worked last night.

Harry K
 
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My Onstar is the same way, no good after the end of the year and no way to upgrade with out upgrading the whole truck.

2001 & 2002 model year GM's folks, you should have gotten a letter several months back. No more Onstar no ore Hands-Free calling :cry:
 
A&d

It's been all digital here for a while. The old analog stuff doesn't even work. We are Unicel here in this area, they have the best coverage HANDS DOWN of any carrier around here. Can you hear that now??? GSM is their system, same at ATT/Cingular. Now that RCC Cellular has been purchased by Verizon, I'm getting rid of them for all my techs in the field, like 30 lines, and going with ATT/Cingular. You might want to look them up. Cheers eh?

Dude
 
I had the same thing happen a few years ago. Two business cell phones cut off and not notice, no nothing. I had to call to find out what was up.

They did send me new phones free, probably because I was so nice about it on the phone!:)


Finally got through today...well, the dealer got the connection for me. Only offer I got from them was to pay anohter month's charge (they require 30 day notice) and offered to sell me a new phone.

Interesting and odd: I asked if the the old phone would still work to call 911. "Yes, it is mandated in law that they must"...Hmmm...so none of the digital equipement will be working but the phone will still work? Riiiigggghhhtt!

Harry K
 
Why not just upgrade your phone? Changing carriers isn't going to help anything. They practically give the new phones away and your service will be a million times better than the crappy old analog. At least then you won't have to wonder if your cell might work while you bleed out.
 
I know that digital is supposed to be so much better, but I sure preferred the analog phone I had as far as reception is concerned. When talking on my digital phone, if signal gets weak, the call gets dropped. On my old analog, it just would fade in and out. At least I could still understand what the person was saying! I switched last year because it was time for a battery and it was over $50. I have much worse signal on digital than analog where I live. But, no company is going to build more towers up here. No profit!
 
Why not just upgrade your phone? Changing carriers isn't going to help anything. They practically give the new phones away and your service will be a million times better than the crappy old analog. At least then you won't have to wonder if your cell might work while you bleed out.

Umm... you must not be from the sticks. Hard to believe I'm sure, but there are places where there is little or no digital service, but there is analog. I'm pretty sure this is what he means by being bummed with no analog. I agree. I've had times on fires when I couldn't hit radio repeaters, there was no digital service but a smidgeon of analog, and was able to talk to dispatch.
 
Why not just upgrade your phone? Changing carriers isn't going to help anything. They practically give the new phones away and your service will be a million times better than the crappy old analog. At least then you won't have to wonder if your cell might work while you bleed out.

Analog is a better service for remote areas, it runs at a higher power therefor has a better range from the tower. The only thing you lose with analog are all the fancy features which you do not need in an emergency anyway. The reason analog is going away is:
1: Everyone wants the features
2: The FCC wants the frequencies back.
 
I could give a crap about the features, I just want a phone that works, ALL of the time!!!!! There are still a lo of places here in KS that you get NO signal, analog or otherwise!!! I work not two miles from a tower, great signal, Cingular/AT&T (this is my work phone even) and got my butt flat ripped this morning because I hadn't responded to two voice mails from the plant manager. I said "What voice mail?", about that time, twenty minuets later, my phone went ape, "You have two new voice messages."!!! Gotta love cell phones!!!:monkey:
 
Cell phones are NOT reliable even if you are downtown NY City, people need to be aware of this. If your boss thinks that just because he left you a message on the phone that you received it he needs to be educated otherwise.
 
Analog phones don't handle the data, but also don't have issues with distance from the base station. Digital carriers will suffer from time delays, and with a clear line of sight to the base station, will show good signal but won't make a call out. Frustrating, to say the least.


If you are serious about getting a phone for the long haul, get on board with a CDMA format. Rumors be going around that GSM is about to be dropped within the US, Voip services and a reported 3meg to the handset data capabilities that are coming in the near future are too much data for TDMA (GSM) formates to handle.

Right now, I'd say go with Verizon.
 
I will have a phone from someone by the time I hit the 'bush' next year. Have to hit Pullman sometime next week and will check then. There is no local dealer here. The Grange was the dealer but quit due to their poor phone response. Local "experts" seem to agree that unicel gives the best service here. I am going to check at the Sheriff's Office and go with what they use. I assume (yes, I know, I know) that they would have the best exprience in all areas of this spread out county.

Harry K
 
Phones on the Palouse

Good Luck with the new phone. Service in this part of the world SUCKS! I have a quad band digital GSM phone and there are places it flat doesnt work. There are times the phone fails to ring and the voice mail takes about a day to show up.

On a side note Verizon has a new store in Pullman (across the street from denny's)
 
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