vB Easy Archive - Flip Phone With Best Reception?

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Flip Phone With Best Reception?
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Posted by: cotjocky

I have a buddy looking at getting a GSM phone. We work on an ambulance and their is a major catch with cell phones and Ambulances. While in a spot where I can get 4 bars of service up front in the cab, I can move to the back where the patient would be, I would only have 1 bar of service. The walls are seriously thick in the back and makes it hard to get a good signal with a cellphone even when in an area with good coverage. It's very annoying to try and call in patient report on your cell phone and have to yell so the nurse can hear you.

My buddy wants to buy a unlocked flip phone to use with a local GSM carrier and I couldn't think of a better place to ask than the AT&T forum since this is the largetst GSM Provider in our country. The phone has to work on 850 & 1900MHz as our local provider uses both frequencies.

What unlocked GSM flip phone has the best reception in your opinion?

Looking for opinions. Post up.

Posted by: vietalogy

try v3xx

Posted by: cotjocky

Thanks! More opinons please.

Posted by: DukeL

Razr 2 V9 all the way!! I don't even know what 4 bars looks like?

5 bar, 5 star coverage everywhere on mine!!

Posted by: keiri

I say the V9; with 2 bars I can have a full conversation. With 1 I may have to "step outside". It gets reception in a basement where I work that my V3 couldn't.

K

Posted by: smartnewbie

The AT&T phones with the best reception would be the Motorola V3XX, Motorola V9, Nokia 6126, Nokia 6555 (newest and cheapest of them all), or the Samsung A717.

Posted by: WirelessAndy

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotjocky

I have a buddy looking at getting a GSM phone. We work on an ambulance and their is a major catch with cell phones and Ambulances. While in a spot where I can get 4 bars of service up front in the cab, I can move to the back where the patient would be, I would only have 1 bar of service. The walls are seriously thick in the back and makes it hard to get a good signal with a cellphone even when in an area with good coverage. It's very annoying to try and call in patient report on your cell phone and have to yell so the nurse can hear you.

My buddy wants to buy a unlocked flip phone to use with a local GSM carrier and I couldn't think of a better place to ask than the AT&T forum since this is the largetst GSM Provider in our country. The phone has to work on 850 & 1900MHz as our local provider uses both frequencies.

What unlocked GSM flip phone has the best reception in your opinion?

Looking for opinions. Post up.

Welcome to the at&t forums!

Before you want to take the dive into GSM-land, what part of the country do you work in? Maybe some of the others around here can tell you how at&t does in that part of town/state.

One option: Get one of the at&t prepaids (bar or flip) so you can test the waters. See how the signal holds up on a typical run. Besides, most are pretty cheap. Then when your combative ETOH pt who just had "two beers" takes a swipe at your phone with a vomit soaked hand, you'll be worry free.

Well, sort of!

Posted by: cotjocky

Quote:

Originally Posted by WirelessAndy

Thanks for the welcome, but the phone isn't for me. It's for a buddy that works for the same ambulance service that I do. I'm a hard core iDEN guy myself.

As far as my side of the country, I know what the service is like. AT&T service is not that great. Numerous people got dropped by AT&T right at the time of the Cingular buyout for roaming more than 50% of the time. Their is a local GSM provider called FarmersWireless that has far more cell sites than AT&T does where I live. Farmers serves more than a Tri-County are and the ambulance service is based in the middle of their coverage making their coverage the optimum choice. Apparenlty Farmers and AT&T renegotiated their roaming agreement as it use to be no problem to roam where as now, people with AT&T are getting atrocious service due to the phone chosing to roam off absolutely anything before it will roam off of Farmers leaving alot of people with bismal coverage. Verizon has the best National carrier coverage here, but still does not compare to Farmers when it comes to certain parts of the county and in very rural areas. Pretty much, if Farmers doesn't work, nothing works.

I've spoken with other people here that have Farmers and most all that have their service are very happy, but different people praise differnt handsets. My buddy has decided that he does want a flip phone. He does not want a candy bar phone. Since Farmers is a reginal provider, any GSM Unlocked Flip phone that works on the 850 & 1900MHz frequency will work. It doesn't have to be soley a GSM phone sold by Cingular. I know alot of people use unlocked european phones that are quad band on AT&T so I figured this would be the largest market of GSM customers to ask this question. AT&T uses both 850 & 1900MHz where as T-Mobile only uses 1900MHz and alot of units may have not gotten tested by them since 850MHz is not a requirement for them.

The main issue is to find the unit with the best reception as it almost seems as if the ambulance boxes are lead lined because unless you are really close to a cell site, service is always much weaker while in the box doing patient care. In some cases where the VHF radio doesn't get out well, it is vital to be able to make a call on your cell to call in patient care report to the recieving hospital. With this major weakening of RF signal in the box, I was trying to find what GSM flip phone most people thought had the best reception so the calls from this weakened state could be at its most optimum.

All input appreciated!

Posted by: GearTripper

Motorola V3xx

Posted by: walkguru

Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: Opera/8.01 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/3.1.8295/1716; en; U; ssr))

v3xx

Posted by: mo98

v3xx is the best I have experienced so far

Posted by: what_up

For me, it's just one word : V3xx. My friend has been trying to convince me that it's the V9. I love my V3xx. It gets reception everywhere. Amazong PHONE.

Posted by: davistld01

Razr2 V9!!!

Best RF, best construction, best call quality, best flip phone in the AT&T line. No contest.

Posted by: ALCingularUser

I'd say to go with the V3xx. Great phone all around.

You must be up around Fort Payne or Sand Mountain. Is Corr Wireless not an option up there? I haven't looked at their maps in a good while, so I can't recall.

Posted by: cotjocky

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALCingularUser

I'd say to go with the V3xx. Great phone all around.

You must be up around Fort Payne or Sand Mountain. Is Corr Wireless not an option up there? I haven't looked at their maps in a good while, so I can't recall.

Yeah, you are in the right area. That's the issue, if we were looking for Ft. Payne coverage only, AT&T wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, all 911 calls throughout the county don't all happen in Ft. Payne or within 2 miles of the freeway. Cell service has to work on the backside of the county in the ruralest of areas (Sand Mountain, Mentone, etc...). Corr Wireless is just like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Nextel, SouthernLINC and every other carrier known to man besides Farmers and Verizon; their service only extends as far as Ft. Payne and the freeway. Farmers works in more spots than Verizon when it comes to the county overall so therefore it is the best choice for the places we have to go.

It seems like cell companies would realize, 14,000 people live in Ft. Payne, but 65,000 live throughout the county, therefore you can't throw up coverage where they have and expect those other 51,000 people to be happy. Apparently those people don't exist to any cell company other than VZW & Farmers.

Posted by: ALCingularUser

I'm kinda surprised that SoLINC doesn't hit the rural areas. Down in this part of the state, they work in places where just about no other carrier will.

Your friend might want to ask Farmers if they have any plans to get the V3xx any time soon. While I'm sure he can get one off ebay or directly from Motorola, he'll get a better deal going with a carrier. In any case, it can't hurt.

Now, if he REALLY wants something that will work just about anywhere, have him look into the Motorola M900 bag phone. This thing is specifically designed for use in extremely rural areas. Only thing is, it weighs in at a hefty 10 pounds. But remember, this is GSM, so he can swap his SIM around and use the phone that works for him at the time. At work in the boonies, he can use the M900. When work is over, he can use something else.

Posted by: cotjocky

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALCingularUser

I'm kinda surprised that SoLINC doesn't hit the rural areas. Down in this part of the state, they work in places where just about no other carrier will.

Your friend might want to ask Farmers if they have any plans to get the V3xx any time soon. While I'm sure he can get one off ebay or directly from Motorola, he'll get a better deal going with a carrier. In any case, it can't hurt.

Now, if he REALLY wants something that will work just about anywhere, have him look into the Motorola M900 bag phone. This thing is specifically designed for use in extremely rural areas. Only thing is, it weighs in at a hefty 10 pounds. But remember, this is GSM, so he can swap his SIM around and use the phone that works for him at the time. At work in the boonies, he can use the M900. When work is over, he can use something else.

Well, SouthernLINC does usually server the rural areas, but they are new to our area. The only reason we have SouthernLINC where I live is because of the State threatening to drop their account with SouthernLINC unless they put up at least 1 tower in every county in Alabama. They included about 4 more (1 just south of the county line by 5 miles) to give freeway coverage except for the last 20 miles of freeway going to Tennesse. Verizon is already strong where I live so I don't know if they want to come in and compete with that. Word always given to my SouthernLINC rep is that their main focus is and will continue to be South of I-20 because they are trying to improve coverage to keep a lock on a market that at one point was mostly servred by SouthernLINC only. Now that other companies have came in, they are trying to fill gaps and put up T1 locations to keep people from going to other carriers which leaves untapped markets such as mine; high and dry. SouthernLINC's expansion is soo slow, I don't expect them to come in and try to build a real presence in my area for another 5 years. I hope I'm wrong and it's way sooner, but I won't be holding my breath.

Farmers does have the V3 series of Razr so it's not an issue to get that particular model as much as I was just trying to not limit the suggestions people made to soley that of units that AT&T offered as this is the AT&T forum. I was just hoping to get the most popular answer regardless if it was a certain model sold only in Europe. I know alot of AT&T customers use unlocked phones not sold by AT&T.

The M900 doesn't sound too bad. Granted it would suck to carry that thing around, but if he could have another GSM sim just to use in that phone while in that back, that might very well be an awesome option.

Funny thing is, Moto makes a model that looks exactly like that for iDEN! lol... M710.

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...&highlight=M170

Posted by: razrblades

nokia 6555 all the way...

Posted by: pje200

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartnewbie

The AT&T phones with the best reception would be the Motorola V3XX, Motorola V9, Nokia 6126, Nokia 6555 (newest and cheapest of them all), or the Samsung A717.

I have the a717 and nokia 6126 and my wife has the v3xx and I can tell you that the a717 gets better rf than both of them, slightly better than the v3xx and alot better than the 6126.

Posted by: Baldilocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by pje200

I have the a717 and nokia 6126 and my wife has the v3xx and I can tell you that the a717 gets better rf than both of them, slightly better than the v3xx and alot better than the 6126.

Your experience is not what everyone will experience though. A lot of factors can affect RF performance.

I use an N75, V3xx, V8 and had the A717 for a while. Only the Moto's work inside of my house. I get No Network coverage with the N75 or the A717.

As you can see, my experience is different than yours.

Most people will agree that at least on AT&T's network, that the V3xx, V9 are the best RF performers, with the N75 close behind.

Posted by: pje200

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldilocks

I agree that it matters where you are.but in my house side by side my a717 gets 3 bars of 3g while my wifes v3xx gets two, its the same when its in edge the a717 gets about 1 more bar, but there pretty close, the only real difference is my a717 switches back and fourth between 3g and edge about half as often as hers v3xx.listen im not saying the v3xx is not a good phone, but when you compare it to the a717 the a717 is better in almost everything, I will give you some examples= a717 better, screen, battery,camera,earpiece volume, quadband, uniqueness,keypad,build quality (no wobbly hinge). there about even in rf, v3xx has a better processor thats it. you be the judge.

Posted by: georgi55

Can anyone tell me how reception is with V3? Is it Good, with V3xx being awesome, or is it poor?

Posted by: davistld01

I am using a V635 that I bought from a great member, while my V9 is in SoCal for some "surgery"...and I am totally shocked by the amazing reception and call-performance that this phone has. I had a V635 years ago...and had frankly forgotten how good a phone it was!!

Probably the best RF on any Moto that I have ever had. If I wasn't so "in love" with my new V9...it would probably be my main rig.

Posted by: b0stonirishguy

Quote:

Originally Posted by pje200

listen im not saying the v3xx is not a good phone, but when you compare it to the a717 the a717 is better in almost everything, I will give you some examples= a717 better, screen, battery,camera,earpiece volume, quadband, uniqueness,keypad,build quality (no wobbly hinge). there about even in rf, v3xx has a better processor thats it. you be the judge.

While the A717 does have very good RF for a Samsung, I beg to differ on some points. Earpiece volume? Give me a break. Screen? The inside is nice, but the outside is lacking. Uniqueness, keypad, and build quality? Not really. And the quadband issue is minor (a hack can enable 900).

Posted by: b0stonirishguy

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgi55

Can anyone tell me how reception is with V3? Is it Good, with V3xx being awesome, or is it poor?

Both the V3 and V3xx have great RF.

The V3 was Cingular's best RF performer across all markets at one point. Not sure what the latest results show.

Posted by: Radiux36

Just curious, but how is everyone actually coming to the conclusion that the V3xx has excellent reception? By the bars that it shows, or by actually using the phone in known low signal areas?

Reason I am asking is because my V3xx, while a great phone, doesn't always have the best reception. I mean sure, it almost always showing full bars 99% of the time. But as soon as I get down to 2 bars, it begins to break up both ways. Using my Z710i in the same location shows only 1 bar, but i'm able to speak perfectly well with no break ups on either end. It seems to me that the V3xx likes to show a lot of bars, but the performance isn't always the best.

Posted by: davistld01

Ummm...maybe I am the only one, but I had a Platinum V3xx for a very short time and I didn't think it performed all that well...especially in the reception department. In fact, my old-school Razr V3 (the original, first-run V3) was ten times better in the RF/signal-capture area.

Frankly, I returned it to AT&T because I was not at all impressed. IMO, there are many phones that perform as well or better.

Posted by: mo98

You would have to create a lab-type atmosphere (where you can control all the different variables) to get an accurate idea of the best RF performers.

Best thing is to find out what works best for you.

Honestly, I can't tell any difference between my 6131 and V3xx. They both work great.

Posted by: volboi85

My 6555 works great in areas when I have friends with various other ATT phones (a717, 6126, W580i, V9) that can't hold a call. It's good enough to have become my "camping" phone... pretty prestigious honor, imo :-P I don't know anyone with a v3xx though...

Posted by: georgi55

Quote:

Originally Posted by bostonirishguy

Both the V3 and V3xx have great RF.

The V3 was Cingular's best RF performer across all markets at one point. Not sure what the latest results show.

Thanks.

1. The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters.
Stupid idiotic limitation. SPAM!

Posted by: thraven233

I cannot remember the v3xx being that great. I know the KRZR K1 has great reception.

Posted by: Baldilocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by thraven233

I cannot remember the v3xx being that great. I know the KRZR K1 has great reception.

The V3xx definately has better RF reception than the KRZR.

Posted by: thraven233

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldilocks

The V3xx definately has better RF reception than the KRZR.

Well just like you said earlier, everyone will have different experiences.

Posted by: shoman94

The v3xx has been the best for me. I just got myself a razr2 v9 so I will soon see how that fares against it.

Posted by: DukeL

Quote:

Originally Posted by thraven233

Well just like you said earlier, everyone will have different experiences.

The krzr performed flawlessly for me. 5 bars everywhere and no dropped calls whatsoever. Thinking back, that's not something I can say for the v3xx. I forgot about the krzr when I did my initial response. I say the V9 is #1 with K1 in seccond place for reception.

Posted by: thraven233

Quote:

Originally Posted by DukeL

Same here. It even got signal in my machine shed of a school! It was amazing for reception. I couldn't really say that for the v3xx either. In my experience, it just wasn't that great to be remembered for. It always showed no signal, as the KRZR had a signal most of the time.

My town isn't the best for reception, so any phone really is put to the test. The KRZR was a great reception phone. w810i was even better.

Posted by: Baldilocks

If you took a poll on HoFo on those who used both, i would bet money on 95% of people sayin the V3xx is one of the best RF performers Cingular/AT&T has ever had. I would be one of them.

I have had 2 KRZR's and a friend has one and we all experience(d) less bars in more places with them....

Posted by: thraven233

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldilocks

If you took a poll on HoFo on those who used both, i would bet money on 95% of people sayin the V3xx is one of the best RF performers Cingular/AT&T has ever had. I would be one of them.

I have had 2 KRZR's and a friend has one and we all experience(d) less bars in more places with them....

Alright, alright. Just stating my experience. No need to get hostile

Posted by: Baldilocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by thraven233

Alright, alright. Just stating my experience. No need to get hostile

I'm not, not at all. Just speaking from experience- and with the hundred other threads about V3xx comparisons its pretty easy to see where I am coming from.

Posted by: thraven233

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldilocks

I'm not, not at all. Just speaking from experience- and with the hundred other threads about V3xx comparisons its pretty easy to see where I am coming from.

But then again, I can't say I actually remember the v3xx that much. I only used it for a short period of time, before both of them shut off and never turned back on

So I may be wrong about the signal thing.

I miss that phone sometimes. REALLY like the red/platinum one. Wanted to buy one as a backup to the iPhone.

Posted by: ALCingularUser

I have a V3xx, and my fiancee has the KRZR, so I've used both, although I don't have tons of experience with the KRZR, so I can't comment on reception. However, I like the width of the KRZR a lot. The V3xx is just a tad wide. If they could have made it maybe a centimeter slimmer, it would be perfect.

But don't get me wrong; I love my V3xx. I had to send it off for repair a few weeks ago, and it was gone for about 10 days. Had to get by on an old Nokia 3120. Man, I was so happy when my V3xx came back!

BTW, the issue was that the D pad selection button fell off. It's an extremely thin little silver disc. Popped right off.

Posted by: Farmers User

Have you looked into some of the cell amplifiers/repeaters that go in vehicles/homes?. Farmers tried to get WalMart and Lowes to allow them to put similar devices inside the stores, but I don't think the stores wanted them to. Maybe call Barry Williams at FW and ask for some ideas.
But to agree with everyone else. Motos I think rule in this catagory. My old 551 would have a signal in a cave or long tunnel.
BTW Farmers needs to pay us for our endorsements!!! LOL

Posted by: VTECaddict

the 'bad' experiences with the V3xx could have been because of poor 3G coverage, causing the phone to switch between 3G and 2G and possibly drop the call int he process.

Posted by: sin4me

The V9 has the best RF of any phone I've used. Ever. =)

Posted by: walkguru

Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: Opera/9.50 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/4.0.10031/230; U; en))

Quote:

Originally Posted by vietalogy

try v3xx

I concur.

Posted by: jefe

To the OP....I'd suggest that the simplest and cheapest way to get significant improvement in the cell coverage inside the metal box that's an ambulance is with an external antenna. Something like this: http://www.cellphoneshop.net/exanwimastfo35.html

Stick the antenna on top of the ambulance, run the coax in through the back door, and close the door on the cable. Hopefully the doors have a rubber grommet around them and won't cut through or crimp the cable.

Any handset will probably work ok with an external antenna.

In the mean time, I've had good results with my V3xx, as many others have reported. But I think the moto V-551 and V-557 are better yet. They're no longer available from cell providers but can be found new on eBay.

Posted by: switchbak

Let me start by saying I came to this site today to look for an alternative to motorola. My V3 has performed well( great battery life, reception) but is falling apart and the inner screen is nearly unviewable. I just got a V3xx yesterday to replace my V3. I am not impressed. I don't care about the 3G or web or any of that stuff. I would just like a nice flip phone that has great call reception and is comfortable in my front pants pocket. I have to say side by side my old beat up v3 sounded better inside my house. I called and asked for call tag to send back.

I would also like to get some opinions/suggestions on Att flip phone options. Looking around at different customer reviews I see a huge difference in opinions. The power users seem to have the most knowledge but are looking at different things than a regular user like me who just wants a nice small flip phone with good voice reception and bluetooth that works good in the car so I'm ok when the handsfree law goes into effect.

Didn't mean to hijack, probably should start my own thread...

Posted by: VTECaddict

i would say take a look at the nokia 6126 and/or 6555

Posted by: switchbak

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

i would say take a look at the nokia 6126 and/or 6555

Thanks for the response! I'll take a look at those. The more I look, the more undecided I become. Maybe I need to reconsider my preference for flip phone. It's just that I am concerned that I will scratch the display making it unviewable but my v3 display got dust/lint behind the screen so...

Anyway, I started looking at the se 580 and LG shine but I see some unimpressive reviews on those. My primary concerns are call quality battery life and durabilty(including ability to see the display after some mileage)

Still looking

Posted by: switchbak

Maybe I'll test drive this V3xx a little more. Maybe it will grow on me. If I decide I like it I will probably still return this one to att and get one from moto store for better deal and no deductible insurance

Posted by: VTECaddict

definitely give it a few more days. to try out. are you in an area with solid 3G coverage?

Posted by: switchbak

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

definitely give it a few more days. to try out. are you in an area with solid 3G coverage?

I think I'm in a good 3G area but I really only use the phone for voice calls right now