Auto-update time penalty?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Fatfreek - 28 Nov 2003 03:25 GMT

I'm a novice to my new 6340i and just set it to auto-update date and time
yesterday. No visible problem -- till (perhaps) I checked my minutes log at
"my account". There are line items that I can't explain, ST = CL, Num =
111-111-1111, Period = DT, and Duration = 1.0.

They are immediately before (or after -- I can't recall) other calls.

Is it possible that with auto-update set ON, that Cingular goes out and
polls some network clock and that it's costing me a unit of time every time
I make a call just to keep my clock updated?

Any other explanation for this 111-111-1111?

Len Miller

Reply to this Message

HF - 28 Nov 2003 16:55 GMT

> I'm a novice to my new 6340i and just set it to auto-update date and time
> yesterday. No visible problem -- till (perhaps) I checked my minutes log at
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Any other explanation for this 111-111-1111?

I see these too... I see alot of weird stuff on
"myaccount.cingualr.com view minutes" but when they close out the
billing cycle all this satuff washes out and it works out ok [so far!]
Like "Follow Me" calls that no one can explain...

On the auto update of time & date the only problem I have is the
incredible inaccuracy of the time. At least two minutes slow
according to numerous anal retentive atomic clocks I use. I know not
to make a call if the atomic time is 9:00PM 'cuz the phone will read
8:58PM

Reply to this Message

Aboutdakota - 28 Nov 2003 17:58 GMT

>>I'm a novice to my new 6340i and just set it to auto-update date and time
>>yesterday. No visible problem -- till (perhaps) I checked my minutes log at
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> to make a call if the atomic time is 9:00PM 'cuz the phone will read
> 8:58PM

I have been roaming since the beginning of August, and my phone, a T62u,
will often come up with a screen when switching protocols: "The new time
and date is 14:47 on Jan-01-1901". The time seems totally random. As
soon as I click "No" for do not update, another one pops up. The date
is always 01 January, and the most common years are 1970 and 1901. I am
currently in a Western Wireless service area.

AD

Reply to this Message

N9WOS - 28 Nov 2003 18:28 GMT

> I have been roaming since the beginning of August, and my phone, a T62u,
> will often come up with a screen when switching protocols: "The new time
> and date is 14:47 on Jan-01-1901". The time seems totally random. As
> soon as I click "No" for do not update, another one pops up. The date
> is always 01 January, and the most common years are 1970 and 1901. I am
> currently in a Western Wireless service area.

Hehehehehh. hahahaha.........
Guess why that is..................... Na....... I'll tell you why that is.

The phone is reading the time message from the network, and
the computers that operate the cellular system isn't Y2K compatible.

Those two numbers you stated is the most common default
of non Y2K compatible systems, when you feed the a year
code over 2000 to them!

Some systems will default to 1901, because the last digits
will reset to 00,01, or the last two digits of the actual year,
that being 03.

And some computer BIOSs will see that the year
is earlier than the date the BIOS was written,
which can't be possible, so it sets it to 1960,
or 1970 depending on the computer system and BIOS date.

WWireless just got the system where it would work fine
with the problem and let it run, instead of updating everything
to be Y2K compatible..

Hahahahahhaha..... This is too good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to this Message

Aboutdakota - 28 Nov 2003 19:03 GMT

>>I have been roaming since the beginning of August, and my phone, a T62u,
>>will often come up with a screen when switching protocols: "The new time
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
> Hahahahahhaha..... This is too good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can see the whole date issue, sometimes the year is a random year,
like 1987 or 1996. However, I do notice that the time is sporadically
off, sometime sending a message to my phone that it is 15:17, then a
couple of minutes later the time will flash at 3:23, then a couple of
minutes later, I get the same update message with 23:47!

I figure that Western Wirless is probably having minor system trouble,
as it overlaying much of its network with GSM 850, in which a SID
already had AMPS, TDMA, and CDMA. What a mess!

AD

Reply to this Message

N9WOS - 28 Nov 2003 19:30 GMT

> I can see the whole date issue, sometimes the year is a random year,
> like 1987 or 1996.

The ones that update the year to the BIOS date
if they see that the current year is earlier than the
bios date will either update it to 1960, or 1970
for the original IBM PCs, and later generations
that had the original BIOS version written after those dates.

The IBM clones will sometimes update to the
bios date.(I may have not made that clear.)
The other dates like 1987 or 1996 is the
bios dates of the clone computer that default to
the bios date.

>However, I do notice that the time is sporadically
> off, sometime sending a message to my phone that it is 15:17, then a
> couple of minutes later the time will flash at 3:23, then a couple of
> minutes later, I get the same update message with 23:47!

That is a side effect of the above.
When a computer system can't tolerate the actual date, they
disconnect it's time updating system from the rest of the network
and leave it in isn't own virtual time zone. :-)
If it did try to update the time, it would probably crash the system
when it sees the 2003 figure.
And since the date isn't right anyway, why take the time to keep
the hour and minuet clock right?
They would have to set each computer system date manually,
and even if they did, the clocks will drift.
So, for thousands of sites, it isn't worth keeping the right time.

Reply to this Message

N9WOS - 28 Nov 2003 19:39 GMT

> >However, I do notice that the time is sporadically
> > off, sometime sending a message to my phone that it is 15:17, then a
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> and even if they did, the clocks will drift.
> So, for thousands of sites, it isn't worth keeping the right time.

Ow.... and the reason it seems sporadic is the fact that your phone
is probably receiving a signal from two or three, or more towers,
and each tower is set to a different time.
So, as it bounces around the different signals, it keeps getting different
times.

Reply to this Message

Aboutdakota - 28 Nov 2003 20:10 GMT

>>>However, I do notice that the time is sporadically
>>>off, sometime sending a message to my phone that it is 15:17, then a
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> So, as it bounces around the different signals, it keeps getting different
> times.

Yeah. My phonse sees Verizon AMPS (SID 268), Western Wireless AMPS (SID
285), Western Wireless TDMA (SID 285), and Western Wireless GSM (SID
unknown, probably also SID 285).

The phone never had any time issues until the past few weeks. That's
what made me think it's WW's problem as they try to get thier GSM
working properly. A couple of times yesterday, my phone would be in
TDMA mode, then beep and cut out, then say "No Network". After I
restarted the phone, it would say "Cingular Extend" with the GSM icon.
I could not make any calls while in GSM mode.

AD

Reply to this Message

N9WOS - 28 Nov 2003 21:09 GMT

> The phone never had any time issues until the past few weeks. That's
> what made me think it's WW's problem as they try to get thier GSM
> working properly. A couple of times yesterday, my phone would be in
> TDMA mode, then beep and cut out, then say "No Network". After I
> restarted the phone, it would say "Cingular Extend" with the GSM icon.
> I could not make any calls while in GSM mode.

If it only started happening last week, then you
are probably right.

Reply to this Message