vB Easy Archive - Strange TyTN Calling Problems in NYC

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Strange TyTN Calling Problems in NYC
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Posted by: xkelly

Just got my Tytn. Still getting used to WM5 from Palm. I like the Tytn quite a bit. Having a problem with calls, however.

I live in Astoria, but work mostly in Manhattan. In Astoria, the phone works like a champ. However, today (my first day with the phone), when I got off the subway in Manhattan, I waited for the phone to find the network for at least 10 minutes. Then I did a shutdown/restart. It found the network--umts cingular. Then... I couldn't call certain numbers, including my voice mail, some calls to me were reported dropped two or three times by friends and associates before making it to voicemail.

When trying to call my mobile number to check voicemail, I would get one of two voice messages to the extent of: That number is not a working number, or that number is no longer in service.

I would call my girlfriend at work, and after a very long time I would either get one ring and drop, or just drop. Same when calling some other numbers.

Hmmm... all the numbers that I had problems with, other than my own mobile, were land lines. Calling mobile numbers seemed to work. I did call a land line or two that worked, however.

When I got back to Astoria, everything was back to normal.

Both in Manhattan and Astoria I'm getting UMTS Cingular.

Any ideas? This is kind of a deal breaker right now. Thanks in advance.

Posted by: 100thMonkey

Its the nascent UMTS system, not the TyTN...lock it to GSM if you want reliable network performance

Posted by: fractured

Quote:

Originally Posted by 100thMonkey

Its the nascent UMTS system, not the TyTN...lock it to GSM if you want reliable network performance

Yep, I did the same thing with my LG CU500. I locked it to 2G only.

Posted by: richy240

I am doing the same with my TyTN in Houston - locked to GSM mode. It isn't the phone; it's the network itself, or the combination of 2G and 3G depending on the problem you're experiencing. Cingular needs to do some more maintenance on their networks before we'll see any improvement from what I've read.

I do however switch back to UTMS (or "Auto" band selection mode) when I want to use Skype or download some podcasts or something that is bandwidth-intensive.

Posted by: xkelly

Sigh... of course. :-) Thanks for the info. GSM it is. Boo.

Posted by: richy240

Pretty sweet, eh? And they're already shoving 3G down our throats via television, and the splash screen of the 8525 has their little fiery ball 3G logo on it.

Why would they play up a service that doesn't even work as it should? (And why would Microsoft do this every few years with their Windows operating system, for that matter?)

Posted by: xkelly

Tell me about it... and why does my handle say my mom bought me this phone? The horror... the horror.

Posted by: jettie1767

I'm using my TyTn in downtown Brooklyn and WTC area with no issues.

Posted by: maevro

A lot of people have Cingular issues when leaving the subway, not just you and not just that phone. I had them once in a while on my 8125, but havent on my E62 yet. I have seen plenty of threads where people say what you said.

Posted by: xkelly

So I guess it's just hit or miss. I'll experiment with both UMTS and GSM, back and forth, then report back.

Posted by: xkelly

Got a hold of Cingular tech support. As already been mentioned here, the problem I'm having has mainly to do with Cingular working out the bugs of their 3G roll-out. She said something to the affect that there are two stations that manage calls for New York--Atlanta and somewhere in Maryland or RI. One can handle simultaneous 3G data with voice, the other cannot... yet. It depends on which stations handles the call. So if my device happens to be doing some UMTS task while a call is being made through a non-3G station... nada.

At least that was my understanding of what was said. She also mentioned that since Cingular has finally completed the rebuilding of their southeastern infrastructure (tropical storm mess), they are focusing on complete 3G integration. When completed, voice/data same time? No prob.

I don't know... make sense to me. We'll see. Hope some of this helped.

Posted by: richy240

Quote:

Originally Posted by xkelly

Got a hold of Cingular tech support. As already been mentioned here, the problem I'm having has mainly to do with Cingular working out the bugs of their 3G roll-out. She said something to the affect that there are two stations that manage calls for New York--Atlanta and somewhere in Maryland or RI. One can handle simultaneous 3G data with voice, the other cannot... yet. It depends on which stations handles the call. So if my device happens to be doing some UMTS task while a call is being made through a non-3G station... nada.

At least that was my understanding of what was said. She also mentioned that since Cingular has finally completed the rebuilding of their southeastern infrastructure (tropical storm mess), they are focusing on complete 3G integration. When completed, voice/data same time? No prob.

I don't know... make sense to me. We'll see. Hope some of this helped.

Does it make sense? Simultaneous data and voice is one of the definitive properties of 3G, or so I thought...

Posted by: xkelly

Quote:

Originally Posted by richy240

Does it make sense? Simultaneous data and voice is one of the definitive properties of 3G, or so I thought...

It only makes sense in the area of a transitional 3G roll-out. Once finished... there better be no excuses. But I won't hold my breath.