vB Easy Archive - Not 'no service' but rather 'searching' on MPX220??

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Not 'no service' but rather 'searching' on MPX220??
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Posted by: dwcliff703

I have updated my firmware to 1.43 with Cingular on my MPX220 and have had the problem that I will try to use phone and notice that I have no provider listed, but will have "Searching" in the provider area. Of course, I can't complete a call so I've tried to force the phone to search for a signal by switching to 'flight mode' and back, but often find that the option is not there when the phone is hung up in 'searching' mode. I have my network setting set to 'automatically' detect a network, but have the problem in highly populated areas and have to turn of the phone and reboot sometimes several times before getting connected back to "Cingular". Any suggestions? Does the phone need to be warranty exchanged?

Posted by: 4MUZr

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwcliff703

I have updated my firmware to 1.43 with Cingular on my MPX220 and have had the problem that I will try to use phone and notice that I have no provider listed, but will have "Searching" in the provider area. Of course, I can't complete a call so I've tried to force the phone to search for a signal by switching to 'flight mode' and back, but often find that the option is not there when the phone is hung up in 'searching' mode. I have my network setting set to 'automatically' detect a network, but have the problem in highly populated areas and have to turn of the phone and reboot sometimes several times before getting connected back to "Cingular". Any suggestions? Does the phone need to be warranty exchanged?

Whatever I've observed firsthand and read in forums has been inconclusive about learning the cause or solving this problem. On MPX220s it coincided with the timing of the 1.43 upgrades, but seems to have affected other ROMs too. On mine, ever since upgrading, it only happens in-call, to a weak-signal area Cingular user. The call seems to hang before connecting, leaving my Homescreen to say "Searching" where it said "Cingular". Leave it that way long enough, and it settles on "No Service", until rebooted; sometiimes requiring battery removal to resolve. Until rebooted, the right soft-key sticks on "Call Progress", but is inoperative. Some sluggish PDF functionality remains, meaning menu navigation, especially via the "Home" key; after rebooting, everything's normal. I'd like to know who has a MPx220 totally free of this issue, to make comparisons.

Posted by: twong82

Do you happen to have a Sim password on your sim card? I used to have that problem all the time w/ my phone. I tried upgrading to various firmwares but it never fixed it. One day, I took off the Sim password to access my sim and that problem has never come back again. Hope this helps!

Posted by: 4MUZr

Thanks twong82, escpecially for confirming this can happen in other ROMs, but I still don't know what to think of it. I never used a SIM password. dwcliff703, it seems you and I are Blue customers, so unlike twong82 we don't have 64K SIMS/ENS software running. Your phone's set for automatic network selection, and I've been keeping mine on manual. Either way, I read that by design,without ENS, our sets will poll the network in six minute cylcles; to see if a tower-switch is necessary for load balancing. I've seen mine execute the switching smoothly in a local spot where you can walk in a circle and watch the phone switch from "Cingular" to "Cingular Wireless" and back. My home area is dominated by "Cingular" (blue) towers, so that's what I normally see. The only time I've gotten the "Searching" hang is during a failed Mobile to Mobile connection to a weak-signal area. If you feel like exchanging your phone, they should do it happily. If you do, I would love to know if that solves the issue.

Posted by: dwcliff703

I have been using a sim lock and have turned the lock off to see if any change occurs based on twong82's suggestion. I can't really imagine how that would help, but I'll try anything to avoid this problem. I hate to return the unit since it appears that all the replacement units are on the same rom 1.43, but may give that a try if the sim lock change doesn't fix the problem.

Posted by: medenblik

I had this problem on 1.39ROM but never have had a problem with 1.43

Posted by: Omega2008

Out of all the ROM's I have used I haven't had this problem. The problem can be many thins but I believe that the SIM and or the Network is causing this and not the phone. Simply because I used to have this problem with my v600 and it still happened when I put the SIM in the MPx 220 so I knew it wasn't a phone specific problem but rather a SIM or Network issue.

Posted by: 4MUZr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega2008

Out of all the ROM's I have used I haven't had this problem. The problem can be many thins but I believe that the SIM and or the Network is causing this and not the phone. Simply because I used to have this problem with my v600 and it still happened when I put the SIM in the MPx 220 so I knew it wasn't a phone specific problem but rather a SIM or Network issue.

I couldn't agree more. I'll look for a replacement AT&T SIM, but the longer I look at the problem, the more I think network/consolidation issues are a major factor. My current SIM has gone through the same migration, from V600 to MPx220, but for me, the problem I described coincided with the timing of my 1.43 ROM upgrade, which I think is just that -a coincidence.

Posted by: dwcliff703

I followed advice here and turned off my sim lock and never had the problem again with the phone going into a "searching" mode and locking out a signal. In the meantime I had contacted warranty exchange about an exchange for the equipment and after first getting a MPX 200 and then a locked Cingular MPX220 (i'm on cingular blue) I finally got a replacement Cingular blue MPX220. I've left the sim lock turned off and haven't had any problem with the phone hanging in "search" mode. Thanks for the help!