Siemens S46 GPRS Calls Constantly Disconnecting

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CHANGE USERNAME TO westes - 16 Oct 2003 11:18 GMT

I am a long time AT&T Wireless customer in the San Francisco Bay Area that
is having problems with the Siemens S46 phone using GPRS for local calls.
In short, the calls get disconnected constantly and the phone has been a
nightmare because of this. I previously used a Nokia 6160, which used
analog and some form of digital (not GSM). The Siemens phone uses GSM and
I think TDMA. So far all of my calls connect using GPRS, which I guess
means I am using GSM?

I don't know if this is a problem with the phone, or a problem with the AT&T
service, or a problem with the GSM protocol. Whatever it is, the phone is
far less reliable than the service I used to have.

I tried using an external antenna, but that doesn't affect the result with
the Siemens S46. With the Nokia 6160, the external antenna made a huge
difference in signal levels. Is GSM just not sensitive to antenna size?

Signature

Will
westes AT earthbroadcast.com

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0?0 - 16 Oct 2003 20:43 GMT

your phone is multiband... ensure that it is in auto scan (will scan TDMA
and GSM)... so that it will pick up the appropriate signal

GPRS is the *data* side of your service

GSM is *one* voice side and TDMA is the other

if ya have trubbles call customer care to walk you thru the scan setting

> I am a long time AT&T Wireless customer in the San Francisco Bay Area that
> is having problems with the Siemens S46 phone using GPRS for local calls.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> the Siemens S46. With the Nokia 6160, the external antenna made a huge
> difference in signal levels. Is GSM just not sensitive to antenna size?

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CHANGE USERNAME TO westes - 19 Oct 2003 02:13 GMT

If GPRS is the data side, why does the Siemens S46 always say GPRS at the
top? I am NOT connected to the Internet when it displays this.

How can I tell if the phone is tuned to GSM or TDMA on the voice side?

Signature

Will
westes AT earthbroadcast.com

> your phone is multiband... ensure that it is in auto scan (will scan TDMA
> and GSM)... so that it will pick up the appropriate signal
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> > the Siemens S46. With the Nokia 6160, the external antenna made a huge
> > difference in signal levels. Is GSM just not sensitive to antenna size?

Reply to this Message

F1 - 19 Oct 2003 07:22 GMT

It is telling you that it has a GPRS signal, (you are data capable) IIRC.

> If GPRS is the data side, why does the Siemens S46 always say GPRS at the
> top? I am NOT connected to the Internet when it displays this.
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> > > difference in signal levels. Is GSM just not sensitive to antenna
> size?

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CHANGE USERNAME TO westes - 19 Oct 2003 08:16 GMT

So how do you determine which service you are connected to for voice? Do
you infer GSM because it has the GPRS signal?

Signature

Will
westes AT earthbroadcast.com

> It is telling you that it has a GPRS signal, (you are data capable) IIRC.

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F1 - 19 Oct 2003 18:59 GMT

GPRS is DATA ONLY. GSM or TDMA is for voice on your model. If you are not
using a data package from ATTWS, you should do into the properties of the
phone and de-activate the GPRS. It will help your battery strength.

Menu > Setup > Connectivity > GPRS off

If you are dropping calls, then see what side of the service you are on.
ATT WIRELESS is GSM, and ATT or HOME is TDMA. You can manually select
either GSM or TDMA (bypassing the sometimes ineffective AUTO mode; it tends
to hold onto a weak GSM signal) by going here:

Menu > Setup > Network > Configuration > User Settings > TDMA only or GSM
only

After selecting which one (TDMA only or GSM Only) you can then easily go
back and forth by hitting the side soft key (upper or lower, I can't
remember) and it will take you right to that menu to select. IF you are in
Auto mode, that key does not work. When about to make a call, you can
easily go to the other band to see if the signal is better. Good luck.

> So how do you determine which service you are connected to for voice? Do
> you infer GSM because it has the GPRS signal?
>
> > It is telling you that it has a GPRS signal, (you are data capable) IIRC.

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David T. - 21 Oct 2003 02:48 GMT

>So how do you determine which service you are connected to for voice? Do
>you infer GSM because it has the GPRS signal?

On the S46, while not roaming

GSM: "AT&T Wireless", and most likely the GPRS indicator (GPRS has to have a
GSM signal, so if you see it, you're on GSM for voice, but if it's not there,
you could potentially still be on GSM for voice)

TDMA: "AT&T", no GPRS indicator

Then there's the whole roaming mess, but let's keep it simple for now

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