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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / Nextel / September 2003One Good Reason?
Can somebody PLEASE give me at least one good reason why I should switch from NexTel to Verizon? Will Verizon ever be able to compare to NexTel in sound quality with their PTT. And what gives with the expensive $59.95 per mo? They would draw more NexTel customers if their plans were more competitive in price. Get a GRIP VZW! > Can somebody PLEASE give me at least one good reason why I should switch > from NexTel to Verizon? Will Verizon ever be able to compare to NexTel in > sound quality with their PTT. And what gives with the expensive $59.95 per > mo? They would draw more NexTel customers if their plans were more > competitive in price. Get a GRIP VZW! Check these out. The first plan by VZW compares to the third plan by Nextel in the Nextel Instant Connect Plans http://www.verizonwireless.com/ics/plsql/pf_plan_detail.intro?p_hdr_id=164506178 &p_plan_category_id=29640&p_section=SHOP http://nextelonline.nextel.com/NASApp/onlinestore/Action/EnterZipCode  SignatureGandalfSC -- Scanned by Norton Anti-Virus And deemed herewith Virus Free Looking at the highest plans you can get... Verizon: 3200 minutes for $219.99. Nextel: Unlimited minutes for $199.99. Decisions, decisions... > > Can somebody PLEASE give me at least one good reason why I should switch > > from NexTel to Verizon? Will Verizon ever be able to compare to NexTel in [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > http://nextelonline.nextel.com/NASApp/onlinestore/Action/EnterZipCode If Nextel covers the area you need to use its phones in, there is no reason to move. INSIDE Nextel's service area, it's far superior to VZW's PTT which is a cluged up mess of data-over-cellular-network crap. Trunked radio systems will always work better for PTT. However, Nextel across the planet is confined to Nextel's tiny footprint, compared to the huge number of systems VZW has bought up from all kinds of carriers. VZW works in the country, where I have to work. Nextel has no presence there in my area, only cities and interstates. 2-3 miles off the interstate and service stops. VZW has AMPS analog celular service on a mature cellular system with a large footprint in the country IF, as I do, you have a powerful 3W AMPS phone to maximize its usefulness. Toy phones on CDMA with 200mw peanut whistle transmitters and tiny antennas only work about 2-3 miles, tops, LESS IN THE TREES. Country towers are 10 miles apart, made for the old AMPS carphones. May I ask why, other than the walkie talkie novelty playing cop, you would want half-duplex, one-sided PTT....especially if UNLIMITED, full duplex, Mobile-to-Mobile with cellular privacy is available at less than half price? I alert this because in Charleston, SC, Alltel is offering a plan with 700 anytime minutes in SC and NC to phones, UNLIMITED M2M between Alltel phones inside SC/NC service area, free nationwide long distance, 100 anytime minutes in all 50 states for traveling, all the usual 3way, call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail, no answer transfer, etc., for only $39.95/mo! That's a helluva deal if you use Alltel phones between your key people on M2M all day. Sure a better deal than PTT on Nextel which is very pricey in comparison! The stock market analysts are telling us to all hang onto our wallets UNTIL number portability causes them all to start cutting each others' throats in pricing and plans, trying to prevent the churning they all deserve. These analysts are warning the stockholders to expect a big revenue cut because of the promotions. I agree.....Sit tight until number portability starts the bidding wars sure to follow before deciding on any new purchases of service or equipment...... >Can somebody PLEASE give me at least one good reason why I should switch >from NexTel to Verizon? Will Verizon ever be able to compare to NexTel in >sound quality with their PTT. And what gives with the expensive $59.95 per >mo? They would draw more NexTel customers if their plans were more >competitive in price. Get a GRIP VZW! Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? > The stock market analysts are telling us to all hang onto our wallets > UNTIL number portability causes them all to start cutting each others' [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > number portability starts the bidding wars sure to follow before > deciding on any new purchases of service or equipment...... You have a link to this? MB , right? >> The stock market analysts are telling us to all hang onto our wallets >> UNTIL number portability causes them all to start cutting each others' [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >You have a link to this? MB >, right? Switch to Channel 36....CnnFn. They were discussing it on TV..... Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? OK just as I thought... MB nospam@home.com (Larry W4CSC) wrote in article <3f6cc459.498491523@news.knology.net>: > >> The stock market analysts are telling us to all hang onto our wallets > >> UNTIL number portability causes them all to start cutting each others' [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air > conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? "Larry W4CSC" > Alltel is offering a plan with > 700 anytime minutes in SC and NC to phones, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > usual 3way, call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail, no answer > transfer, etc., for only $39.95/mo! I agree with Larry's post, but I believe you pay an extra $10/month for the 100 minutes of roaming. At least, that's what the ads in the Raleigh paper say. Still, it's a good deal, because (I suppose) these minutes can be used locally, as well. So, that's 800 minutes a month for $49.95. I have an obsolete plan from Alltel with 500 minutes for the same price. The offset is, my local calling area is from Maryland to Florida and west thru GA, TN, KY. And I get to keep the analog phone. It probably would be worthwhile to switch to the newer plan, but they won't give me the national roaming without changing phones. Grrr. I can change the analog phone (brick or bag) to prepaid service. That would allow me to have an external antenna and high power for really poor coverage areas........Then I could drop the Regional Plan in favor of the NC/SC plan with the 100 minutes roaming. That's nearly two hours of talk time, which is about all I need when I travel for personal purposes. For long conversations, I always use a landline, with one of those cheap calling cards from SAM'S Club. (3 to 5 cents/min, and the minutes never expire.) -Paul- _________________________________________ Confidential to Larry: Hey, you smooth-talking Southern Gentleman. I'll make it worth your while if you come to Raleigh and persuade them to give me the 100 minutes roaming on the analog phone. You pulled off a similar stunt in SC last year. Still got the magic touch? (grin) [Talk-in will be on the 146.88 machine.] _________________________________________ > Confidential to Larry: > > Hey, you smooth-talking Southern Gentleman. I'll make it worth your while if > you come to Raleigh and persuade them to give me the 100 minutes roaming on > the analog phone. Update: Girded up my loins, trotted down the Alltel store, and added a new line of service using a T720. $49.95 gets me 700min + 100min roaming. The roaming coverage is the equivalent of being on the Total Freedom Plan (vs. Alltel's National Freedom Plan). I'm keeping the Regional Coverage analog account for the time being. Once I shut it down, I cannot restart it. So I want to be VERY SURE this will be an adequate replacement. For approximately $55, I can get a magnet-mount dual band antenna with an adaptor for the rear port on the phone. If I find myself in poor signal areas consistently, I might go this route. The T720 has analog and digital coverage, so it should work well now, and even better in the future as towers continue to appear. I see from the instruction book it has the ability to transmit my location if I dial 911. Does anyone know if this is via GPS, or does it use single tower location (or multi-tower triangulation)? By the way, when they called up the master Alltel account to get my personal info, the rep remarked, "Oh, I see you have been a wireless subscriber with Alltel for 122 months. That entitles you to a 25% discount on the phone, plus we waive the activation fee." I chose at that moment not to mention that I also have been with the competition (VZW) for over 170 months. I simply said, "Thank you." Mama didn't raise an idiot! (grin) -Paul- >By the way, when they called up the master Alltel account to get my personal >info, the rep remarked, "Oh, I see you have been a wireless subscriber with [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >-Paul- Any carrier seems so shocked when they see how long you've been a long-term customer. Being the 5th customer of Cellular One of Charleston, my account doesn't even HAVE a start date, long lost.....(c; I've seen 'em come and seen 'em go. Wonder who will buy this pig next? Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? >"Larry W4CSC" >> Alltel is offering a plan with [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >say. Still, it's a good deal, because (I suppose) these minutes can be used >locally, as well. So, that's 800 minutes a month for $49.95. Not here, but maybe in Raleigh. 100 anytime minutes nationwide included for $39.95 in Charleston on the NC/SC plan with 700 anytime mins in SC/NC. >I have an obsolete plan from Alltel with 500 minutes for the same price. The >offset is, my local calling area is from Maryland to Florida and west thru [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >[Talk-in will be on the 146.88 machine.] Tell Danny K4ITL I said hello. Call used to be WB4THE way back when they dumped Danny's Icom HT off the 800' level on WRAL's tower platform while working on his 88 repeater...a long time ago...Of course, Danny being blind, his buds were describing the walkie's decent to him as it went...(c; Damned thing WORKED when they finally found the battery that had bounced off into the weeds. All components were bent over in one direction from the impact and it STILL WORKED!... I'd have to go back to the toyphone on Alltel to get the $39 bargain plan. Not sure about ESN swap after that to put bagphone back online. We went out in the boat, today, but not far enough at sea to tax cellular coverage. The Cap'n's ATT PCS still got calls, even! We went out to calibrate the new autopilot's local fluxgate compass after I installed it all, yesterday. Autopilot works as smooth as glass after calibration and commissioning. We're ready for Bermuda next month...(c; Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? "Larry W4CSC" > Tell Danny K4ITL I said hello. Call used to be WB4THE way back when > they dumped Danny's Icom HT off the 800' level on WRAL's tower > platform while working on his 88 repeater...a long time ago...Of > course, Danny being blind, his buds were describing the walkie's > decent to him as it went LOL. Had not heard that story! I'll pass along your greetings. Danny recently received the ARRL National Technical Award for putting a multi-state linked repeater system into place for emergency use. K4ITL does more WITHOUT vision than the rest of us do with eyesight! -Paul- ________________________________ Some of the towers are 1,500 feet high. Danny is the only one in the work party not distracted by the view. :) >"Larry W4CSC" >> Tell Danny K4ITL I said hello. Call used to be WB4THE way back when [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >multi-state linked repeater system into place for emergency use. K4ITL does >more WITHOUT vision than the rest of us do with eyesight! Danny is one of the truly most interesting individuals I ever met. The HT was an Icom IC-2AT, I believe, the jewel of the Icom rigs way back when this was reported to me. I think this was the tower that fell many years back, but I'm not sure of that. Didn't Channel 8's tower fall while a tower crew was working on it a few years ago? If you have not seen Danny solder a PERFECT solder joint, while carrying on a fast conversation with you simultaneously, you are in for a treat. Anyone who is blind and says they "can't" do something because of it needs to follow him around for a week. He must be an inspiration to anyone without sight. It's uncanny how he can picture making a solder joint with the virtual reality picture in his mind using his nose to smell the joint being formed. God, he builds whole repeater stations he's never seen. Truly amazing feats, all of them. 73, Larry W4CSC/MM Worked quite a few stations from Charleston Harbor on the SC QSO Party, yesterday, with the Icom M802 marine SSB/AT-140 tuning the insulated backstay on my bud's 41' Amel ketch. Can't wait to get her to sea. I'm almost done installing the extensive network of B&G Network Pilot (autopilot), Garmin 185 GPS/Depth sounder, B&G Network sailing instruments, Compaq P4 notebook running The Cap'n nav with a subscription CDROM of the whole planet's charts, Yeoman paper chart/NMEA interface device, Icoms M802 HF/M602 VHF/M59 VHF all GMDSS/DSC interfaced to our network which runs from a 4-port NMEA multiplexer. We commissioned and calibrated the autopilot, yesterday, and this electro-hydraulic beast steers the boat SO smooth it's uncanny! Larry, did you know a ham in my area many years back whose call sign was K1RIP? nospam@home.com (Larry W4CSC) wrote in article <3f6da11d.555016488@news.knology.net>: > >"Larry W4CSC" > >> Tell Danny K4ITL I said hello. Call used to be WB4THE way back when [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > and this electro-hydraulic beast steers the boat SO smooth it's > uncanny! "Yuk Fu" ... > Larry, did you know a ham in my area many years back whose call sign was > K1RIP? Larry: I checked QR ZED. License not active presently, nor in 1993 (the last year available on-line). -Paul- K5PF Vanity callsigns are still $14 for 10 years, I think. Go for it if you got a license...(c; 73 DE W4CSC NNNN AR >"Yuk Fu" ... >> Larry, did you know a ham in my area many years back whose call sign was [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >-Paul- K5PF Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? > Vanity callsigns are still $14 for 10 years, I think. Go for it if > you got a license...(c; [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > AR I'd like to have N5WTF LOL. I talked to someone on a web forum who is a HAM and had someone phone him one night and curse him out for cutting him of in traffic. It occured to me that 10 years ago it wasn't a problem, but not you can look up HAM calls easily on the Internet. I'm considering changing my HAM plate to a personal plate. I saw a guy who had (something)4KMA, not sure what the first number was. There were huge letters down the left side of his T-shirt back with phonetics words trailing out to the right on each one. K iss M y A then very tiny letters you had to get right up to him to read which were ntenna Then in tiny letters like that it said, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Way funny.....(c; K4SEX is the Atlanta Radio Club call. Not sure about club activities... 73, Larry W4CharlestonSC >> Vanity callsigns are still $14 for 10 years, I think. Go for it if >> you got a license...(c; [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >wasn't a problem, but not you can look up HAM calls easily on the >Internet. I'm considering changing my HAM plate to a personal plate. > I> > 73, Larry W4CharlestonSC Larry, I imagine you know my brother, WB4UIV, from the Goose Creek area.... I used to go through the USN repeater on 6.79 from down in Brunswick, GA when tropo was good. I also used to keep in touch with a few folks on VHF/UHF SSB up in that area when I was into weak signal work. Great Hobby 73 David KD4NUE Hello, David. Yeah, Glenn and I have been friends since way before either of us had grey hair...(c; I was a charter member of the original ham club, the Holiday VHF Society way back in the 60's, that put the first 146.94 repeater on the air. Er, ah, are you as big a packrat as we are?....(c; (I don't have warehouses like he does, but believe in the "Every Horizontal Surface Must Be Covered" theory.) Nice ta meet ya! 73, Larry W4CSC >> I> >> 73, Larry W4CharlestonSC [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >David >KD4NUE > Hello, David. Yeah, Glenn and I have been friends since way before > either of us had grey hair...(c; I was a charter member of the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Nice ta meet ya! > 73, Larry W4CSC Larry, I don't think ANYone is as big of a packrat as Glenn is. I am sure that his inventory can meet any need in the field of electronics; if he can locate it. Having said that, I know that he has helped a lot of folks by producing parts that are scarce; to say the least. My inventory is more dynamic; always in motion. I am trying to get rid of the remains of a 2-way shop that I inherited the contents of. Still have remnants of a buyout in late 2001. Still packing in more, but it is moving in and out.. Trying for equalization; and now I am getting interested in modding cell phones. I am sure he and Buggy will be at the Jax. FL hamfest in october. 73, David >I don't think ANYone is as big of a packrat as Glenn is. Or as generous. He is one fine individual, if a little off the deep end at times...(c; I don't say that just because I owe him a few bucks for some cable, either....hee hee. >I am sure that his inventory can meet any need in the field of electronics; >if he can locate it. Having said that, I know that he has helped a lot of [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Trying for equalization; and now I am getting interested in modding cell >phones. It's quite a "collection". I get parts from it all the time.... When he got the engineer's job at TV 24, I told him he didn't need a job. All he has to do is INVENTORY it and put it on a store on Ebay! Oh, he'll be at Jax....buying more...(c; Larry Extremely intelligent life must exist in the universe. You can tell because they never tried to contact us. "Real Estate Agent" <spamblockCaryRealtor@nc.rr.com> wrote in article <p2zbb.2554$vq1.999@twister.southeast.rr.com>: > "Yuk Fu" ... > > Larry, did you know a ham in my area many years back whose call sign was [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > -Paul- K5PF This was an old license, and the gentleman that had it passed away over 10 years ago. I think it was issued in the 50's, and I just thought maybe one of the long time hams out here may have know him. >This was an old license, and the gentleman that had it passed away over >10 years ago. I think it was issued in the 50's, and I just thought >maybe one of the long time hams out here may have know him. FCC doesn't reissue them for two years to give family members time to get them in memory of fallen loved ones. Once that time expires, it's every man for himself. 1x2 calls go quickly, now that it's so easy to get Amateur Extra Class lo-code licenses.... My guy died in 1994 and noone wanted W4CSC until I showed up in 2000. Some friends of mine at WCSC-TV were shocked when they found out...(c; 73 de W4CharlestonSC I remember the one time I was in this guys shack how amazed I was at him using Morse Code. It seemed like he had such a knack for it. nospam@home.com (Larry W4CSC) wrote in article <3f6f740c.674568829@news.knology.net>: > >This was an old license, and the gentleman that had it passed away over > >10 years ago. I think it was issued in the 50's, and I just thought [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > 73 de W4CharlestonSC >I remember the one time I was in this guys shack how amazed I was at him >using Morse Code. It seemed like he had such a knack for it. My friend Johnny Wertz, K4CRF, died a couple of years back. Johnny was the finest CW operator I ever met. He spent all of WW2 sitting in Hawaii copying that CRAZY JAPANESE Morse code at amazing speeds in crypto groups! I've set in Johnny's home while he copied Japanese morse off the radio at 20-30 wpm, translated it into English and told me in English what the guy was saying to him in Japanese. Then, he'd SEND in Japanese code back to the really astonished Japanese ham operators on the other side of the planet. Hell, he could send and receive THEIR code faster than any of them could. He had lots of practice. IN regular Morse, I've seen him copy at 75 wpm in his head and about 80 wpm from a computer keyboard to a manual typewriter. Simply amazing. His right hand knuckles were all damaged from all the years sending from the bug. His front finger knuckle where it met his hand was HUGE and grotesque. He copied some of the messages that were decoded to give valuable information of Japanese military secrets throughout the war. Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? nospam@home.com (Larry W4CSC) wrote in article <3f70f2ce.8740797@news.knology.net>: > >I remember the one time I was in this guys shack how amazed I was at him > >using Morse Code. It seemed like he had such a knack for it. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Larry W4CSC That is quite a skill that he had. I thought of getting a ham license many years ago, but I always wondered if I'd be able to pass the code requirement. It seemed impossible to me that anyone could decipher it. Of course it would probably have been easier for me to learn when I was younger than it would be now. I've always thought that ham radio was one of the best hobbies to have, albeit expensive, but then again, what isn't? >That is quite a skill that he had. I thought of getting a ham license >many years ago, but I always wondered if I'd be able to pass the code [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >of the best hobbies to have, albeit expensive, but then again, what >isn't? You can get the Technician VHF license code-free now. ARRL's old fogies lost that battle. For the rest of them it's still 5wpm, which is pretty simple, but still unnecessary. ITU just fudged under ARRL pressure. Morse is no longer "required" by international regulation and ITU leaves it up to the individual countries whether to require code or not. Read that as ARRL's FCC buddies are still gonna hold the line on 5wpm for a few more hanging-on years. It's absurd and really hurts the hobby. The guys already on the bands have always used the 20 wpm code requirement of old to keep most people OFF the bands. It was a punishment weapon. But, times-are-a-changin'.....code is DEAD. I just wish FCC would abolish the stupid segregated frequency subbands which are also no longer necessary. Code usage drops monthly as the fogies die off. Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? Stanley settled back into the couch, and Larry W4CSC <nospam@home.com> said to him: > On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 07:10:34 -0000, sprintblows@hotmail.com (Yuk Fu) > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >of the best hobbies to have, albeit expensive, but then again, what > >isn't? > You can get the Technician VHF license code-free now. ARRL's old > fogies lost that battle. For the rest of them it's still 5wpm, which [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > 20 wpm code requirement of old to keep most people OFF the bands. It > was a punishment weapon. But, times-are-a-changin'.....code is DEAD. You don't watch ST: Enterprise, do you. No, Morse isn't dead, yet... and that's a *good* thing, for reasons having *nothing* to do with The Old Days. Theoretically, Ham Radio is supposed to be *to train a pool of operators for emergency communications purposes*. Emergencies are *exactly* the sort of time when you might find that Morse on the PTT key of your IC-2AT with a broken mic is *all you can send*. And everyone pooh-poohs that sort of scenario. Sheyah, right; and no one will ever blow up a skyscraper, either. Cheers, -- jra SignatureJay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson In a way that's a shame about code dying off. Wasn't there code before there was voice? It was the heart of the early days of radio. I believe I read somewhere a few years back that the coastal stations in the US were no longer monitoring it for SOS, or something of that nature. nospam@home.com (Larry W4CSC) wrote in article <3f7189b3.484227@news.knology.net>: > >That is quite a skill that he had. I thought of getting a ham license > >many years ago, but I always wondered if I'd be able to pass the code [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air > conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? "Yuk Fu" > Wasn't there code before > there was voice? That is correct. I believe > I read somewhere a few years back that the coastal stations in the US > were no longer monitoring it for SOS, or something of that nature. That's true, world-wide. Ask me how I know. I used to be a professional CW operator for ITT World Communications and for the U.S. Coast Guard. I now sell real estate. (grin) -Paul- Served as CW operator at: NOY..........Coast Guard Radio Galveston NUZY........Campechee Patrol Vessel (Gulf of Mexico) 4YV...........Ocean Station Victor (Mid-Pacific Ocean) KLC...........ITT Radio Galveston NRLX........USCG Cutter Legare NBYG.......USCG Cutter Bering Strait >In a way that's a shame about code dying off. Wasn't there code before >there was voice? It was the heart of the early days of radio. I believe >I read somewhere a few years back that the coastal stations in the US >were no longer monitoring it for SOS, or something of that nature. Most coast stations, especially in developed countries, are now dark. WOM, WCC, and the other RCA Worldwide Communications stations are gone. Monitoring the marine bands, it's very rare to hear the automated tuning transmissions of the Morse codes. SITOR has taken over the channels and even those are becoming less and less as marine commercial interests migrate to satellite email and phones. Even Navy ships have "payphones" on them where the sailors can simply call home from the mess decks, after standing in line of course..(c; A friend of mine, also named Larry, is one of the two Masters of SeaLand "Performance", a 950 ft containership going back and forth from the US to European ports mostly The Netherlands. I sat at the plain old PC in his stateroom office and typed up a message to SeaLand ordering some stuff the ship needed from the dock here in Charleston. After filling in the on-screen form, click SEND and the satellite dome on top of the superstructure aft sent out the burst message to the overhead birds. No Radio Officer, who at that time was getting ready to retire and wasn't being replaced, saving the company over $100K/ship/year. The ship's nice ITT Mackay Marine radio shack was to be closed forever, which I found really sad. But, alas, times change.....ham radio, too. Have you explored findu.com, ham radio's APRS packet radio system? WB4APR, an engineer at the Naval Academy, invented this client and protocol to keep track of lost midshipmen sailing the Academy's boats, automatically. Too bad every pleasure boat doesn't have access to APRS, worldwide. Many lives could be saved. APRS couples ham radio packet digital with a GPS receiver, home weather station and other devices that keeps expanding. Click on: http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/near.cgi?call=WX4CHS which is the station callsign of the National Weather Service ham station here in Charleston. Pick a reporting mobile station, one with a -9 or other high -number from the list near WX4CHS and findu.com will hand you a set of Mapblast maps showing the current GPS position from that transmitting station, right in your browser. APRS can also be used as a communications device with individual messages, broadcast messages, emergency messages from a ham's car straight to the internet over the local VHF APRS packet system and gateways. On HF radio, you'll hear APRS on LSB 10.151 right on the very edge of the 30 meter ham band, giving this worldwide coverage. After you see APRS, go look at ham radio's latest rage invention, PSK31. Simply put PSK31 into Google's search engine and take a tour. This is the most amazing mode ever invented. I can sit here and read three simultaneous conversations from Winwarbler all inside the bandwidth of a single SSB channel bandwidth, 14.070 mostly, from stations that are way too weak to hear with human ears. Each station only occupies 31 Hz of RF bandwidth and most only run about 10 watts of power for worldwide communications to keep from blocking out other PSK31 stations at remote receiving stations by gentlemen's agreement. Ham radio is very alive and well, just moved on to the digital world..... Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? >Larry, did you know a ham in my area many years back whose call sign was >K1RIP? Nope....Neat call, though. When I bought W4CSC I was VERY tempted to get N4SEX, which was open for assignment at the time....(c; Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? This was a call from a long time, old time ham in my area. he even had it for a vanity plate on his car. I believe he got this call sign back in the 50's. He passed away 10+ years ago. nospam@home.com (Larry W4CSC) wrote in article <3f6f1e79.652659357@news.knology.net>: > >Larry, did you know a ham in my area many years back whose call sign was > >K1RIP? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air > conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? >This was a call from a long time, old time ham in my area. he even had >it for a vanity plate on his car. I believe he got this call sign back >in the 50's. He passed away 10+ years ago. I've had several calls since 1957, myself. FCC used to make you get a new call if you moved out of your call number area. Navy kept insisting on moving me around, probably trying to get rid of me...(c; W4CSC aka KN4IM aka WB4THE aka WN2IWH One of my friends has had several calls, too. His wife says he and I are members of the Call-Of-The-Month Club....hee hee Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? >This was a call from a long time, old time ham in my area. he even had >it for a vanity plate on his car. I believe he got this call sign back >in the 50's. He passed away 10+ years ago. You're in New England? That's where the call is from. Al Klein <rukbat@pern.org> wrote in article <nk7vmv0etecogfb7hqgvg7p6bqs91cghm5@Pern.rk>: > >This was a call from a long time, old time ham in my area. he even had > >it for a vanity plate on his car. I believe he got this call sign back > >in the 50's. He passed away 10+ years ago. > > You're in New England? That's where the call is from. It's from MA. > >Larry, did you know a ham in my area many years back whose call sign was > >K1RIP? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Larry W4CSC I worked with W4FCC George for 15 years. He said some folks he called "never answered". John C. N4BKN >I worked with W4FCC George for 15 years. He said some folks he called >"never answered". > >John C. N4BKN I've heard George on the air. I never figured out why everyone behaved themselves that much more...(c; qrz says he was born in 1919. His call is still valid in TN.... Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? >>Can somebody PLEASE give me at least one good reason why I should switch >>from NexTel to Verizon? Will Verizon ever be able to compare to NexTel in [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >Alltel phones between your key people on M2M all day. Sure a better >deal than PTT on Nextel which is very pricey in comparison! May I ask what kind of math you use wherein 39.95 is less than half of 59.95? David Streeter, "an internet god" -- Dave Barry Signaturehttp://home.att.net/~dwstreeter Expect a train on ANY track at ANY time. "I know how France can be: the wine, the cheese, a little Jerry Lewis in the night, la vie sur la [something]..." - Joshua Nankin Larry: > >May I ask why, other than the walkie talkie novelty playing cop, you > >would want half-duplex, one-sided PTT....especially if UNLIMITED, full > >duplex, Mobile-to-Mobile with cellular privacy is available at less > >than half price? David S: > May I ask what kind of math you use wherein 39.95 is less than half of > 59.95? Paul: Well, Darn! Maybe THAT'S why the South didn't win the Civil War. Our math was wrong! ___________________________________ "Save your Dixie Cups, boys! The South's gonna rise again!" ------Old Southern saying >May I ask what kind of math you use wherein 39.95 is less than half of >59.95? Oh, sorry....That's "Marketing Math".....always involves pricing. I watch too much TV....(c; Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? Stanley settled back into the couch, and Larry W4CSC <nospam@home.com> said to him: > However, Nextel across the planet is confined to Nextel's tiny > footprint, compared to the huge number of systems VZW has bought up [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > miles, tops, LESS IN THE TREES. Country towers are 10 miles apart, > made for the old AMPS carphones. Which will cease to work when the carriers decommission the networks, here in another couple of years. I wonder what OnStar is going to do... Cheers, -- jra SignatureJay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson I believe its national coverate.. > Can somebody PLEASE give me at least one good reason why I should switch > from NexTel to Verizon? Will Verizon ever be able to compare to NexTel in > sound quality with their PTT. And what gives with the expensive $59.95 per > mo? They would draw more NexTel customers if their plans were more > competitive in price. Get a GRIP VZW! Forget PTT, that is trivial, you don't PTT when calling 911! COVERAGE should be the foremost thing on anyone's mind when contracting with a cell phone carrier. Remember, low rates and promotions / free phones tend to cloud ones ability to reason when shopping for service. (Sprint and other carriers other than Verizon, Nextel,Cingular and AT$T are good at this) Your families lives could depend on it ! If you have a wife and children, shouldn't they should be equipped with a phone that has the best coverage in the US? > Forget PTT, that is trivial, you don't PTT when calling 911! > COVERAGE should be the foremost thing on anyone's mind when contracting with [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > If you have a wife and children, shouldn't they should be equipped with a > phone that has the best coverage in the US? Would you say PTT is more trivial than a camera phone? I agree .. free phones sound good .. but service is what matters and hands down verizon offers best service network .. and cust service.. Signature80% of success is showing up!-- Woody Allen Scott Stephenson <scott.stephensonson@adelphia.net> wrote in article <8PNbb.1546$qK1.1628382@news2.news.adelphia.net>: > > Forget PTT, that is trivial, you don't PTT when calling 911! > > COVERAGE should be the foremost thing on anyone's mind when contracting with [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > > Would you say PTT is more trivial than a camera phone? > I agree .. free phones sound good .. but service is what matters and > hands down verizon offers best service network .. and cust service.. In your neighborhood, perhaps. In other areas, maybe not. Every system has it's weaknesses. In my office building in Ft. Lauderdale, no one, not even Nextel customers can call out while inside. But the VZW users can. I am sure it is the other way around with other carriers, in other locations but I would NEVER have a phone service that couldn't roam when out of it's coverage area. Nextel users should think about this when they rely on their Nextel phone while on a trip! Nextel phones do not roam! Bravo .. finally someone not pinching pennies to get a bunch of minuttes u will not be able to use ... I had cingular .. sprint .. and even wandered over to tmobile .. but hands down Verizon has best .. customer service and network coverage .. it may be expensive but you get what u pay for ... and me personally i would rather have a phone that works in 97% of the areas I travel with 400 mins than a phone like tmobile where when off there network it becomes a paperweight! (thats how they can guarantee no rmng charges!) Musiq143 Signature80% of success is showing up!-- Woody Allen ********************************** > > Forget PTT, that is trivial, you don't PTT when calling 911! > > COVERAGE should be the foremost thing on anyone's mind when contracting with [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > > Would you say PTT is more trivial than a camera phone? > Ray Dios wrote: > > > If you have a wife and children, shouldn't they should be equipped with a > > > phone that has the best coverage in the US? If ANY of the Carriers gave out maps that accurately showed their true coverage then customers could in fact judge on that basis. Maps are so overly optimistic (drawn by marketing folks) that it makes Verizon's misleading "can you hear me now?" campaign a big success. Poop! Their all that way. Every company has an ad campaign. No. Ptt is a good time saver. I loved it when I had Nextel but I didn't need it. >Would you say PTT is more trivial than a camera phone? Not if it's implemented properly. Verizon isn't quite there yet. >> Forget PTT, that is trivial, you don't PTT when calling 911! >> COVERAGE should be the foremost thing on anyone's mind when contracting with [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> >Would you say PTT is more trivial than a camera phone? PTT is moot with Alltel giving away unlimited M2M for $39 700 minute plans...(c; Who needs PTT when full duplex is UNLIMITED?! Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? >>>Forget PTT, that is trivial, you don't PTT when calling 911! >>>COVERAGE should be the foremost thing on anyone's mind when contracting with [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air > conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? Not really true- with one PTT, I can get a message to my entire group of employees, no matter where I am or they are (group call). Don't think anybody offers this as an easy duplex option. >Not really true- with one PTT, I can get a message to my entire group of >employees, no matter where I am or they are (group call). Don't think >anybody offers this as an easy duplex option. That is its only advantage. I still think anyone needing PTT would be much better off on a trunked radio system with much more powerful walkies that have telephone interconnect than these FRAGILE little toy phones the employees crawling under houses can destroy in a week. I've seen good ol Motorola trunked radios that look like someone drove a Bradley Fighting Vehicle over that still work just fine....even with the top half of the antenna missing and the spring wires sticking out....(c; Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? >That is its only advantage. I still think anyone needing PTT would be >much better off on a trunked radio system with much more powerful [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >the top half of the antenna missing and the spring wires sticking >out....(c; Until you have to go 3 states over. Then you need a cell phone or a short contract with another repeater owner. Unless you're a ham and aren't going to discuss business. :) >>Not really true- with one PTT, I can get a message to my entire group of >>employees, no matter where I am or they are (group call). Don't think [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air > conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? sounds like the Nextel i700 or their new version (i58 I think). Both built to military standards. I used to drop my i700 off my belt quite frequently, and it would bounce about 18 inches in the air. Never had a problem. >sounds like the Nextel i700 or their new version (i58 I think). Both >built to military standards. I used to drop my i700 off my belt quite >frequently, and it would bounce about 18 inches in the air. Never had a >problem. That won't be much of an issue with the fragile V60p. Hey! Maybe THAT's why Verizon has the real estate lady hit with the rake handle and the construction guy hit with the swing! They're trying to show how rugged Nextel iDen phones are!.....(c; Larry W4CSC 3600 planes with transponders are burning 8-10 million gallons of kerosene per hour over the USA. R-12 car air conditioners are responsible for the ozone hole, right? Stanley settled back into the couch, and Larry W4CSC <nospam@home.com> said to him: > Who needs PTT when full duplex is UNLIMITED?! You've never worked with PTT extensively, have you? Full duplex is *not* a complete substitute, by any stretch. Cheers, -- jra SignatureJay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson >PTT is moot with Alltel giving away unlimited M2M for $39 700 minute >plans...(c; Same with Verizon's $39 plan. M2M, N+W are all unlimited. >Who needs PTT when full duplex is UNLIMITED?! Round table? A few words every 5 minutes? There are certain advantages in a few limited cases. Stanley settled back into the couch, and Al Klein <rukbat@pern.org> said to him: > >Who needs PTT when full duplex is UNLIMITED?! > > Round table? A few words every 5 minutes? There are certain > advantages in a few limited cases. I would assert, based on Nextel's commercial success over the past decade, that those cases aren't nearly as limited as you paint them. :-) Cheers, -- jra SignatureJay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson |
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