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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / T-Mobile / October 2004MN coverage
Anyone have any info on how T-Mobile is coming along at increasing towers in MN or the Dakotas? I really liked the plans I had with them, but I was in areas of a lot of analog roam, but now I am reconsidering going back to T-Mobile or maybe the combo Cingular/ATTWS, depending on the GSM service, any help? Capt. Tmobile is definitly better than AT&T GSM. I had AT&T for a year, and it had alot less coverage and signal strength in the metro. Look at t-mobile's coverage map, it seems to jive pretty much exactly with the service I have recieved from them. >Anyone have any info on how T-Mobile is coming along at increasing towers in >MN or the Dakotas? I really liked the plans I had with them, but I was in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Capt. -- http://ripperd.com email: dean (at) the above domain >Subject: MN coverage >From: "Capn" capn@charter.net [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Capt. There seems to be some new roaming coverage in northern mn with Dobson (cellular 1), being tested now but not yet announced. Really filling things in for me, I'm in Crosslake, near Brainerd. Where do you need to use your phone? Jay Is the new coverage 850 or 1900? Mike Schumann > >Subject: MN coverage >>From: "Capn" capn@charter.net [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > phone? > Jay >Is the new coverage 850 or 1900? Mike, Unless you know what they have a lisence for, you probably won't know what the coverage is. None of the phones that I have experience with tell you what frequency band you are working on. -- John S. e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net >Subject: Re: MN coverage >From: "Mike Schumann" mike-nospam@traditions-nospam.com [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >> phone? >> Jay Real simple to tell, works on phones that have 850 available, not on 1900 only phones. I travel all over northern MN, your area alot and ND & SD. I don't mind having another cdma phone for analog roam, but when I had gsm I really liked the service and plans. Thanks for all the info everyone. Capt. > >Subject: MN coverage > >From: "Capn" capn@charter.net [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > for me, I'm in Crosslake, near Brainerd. Where do you need to use your phone? > Jay > There seems to be some new roaming coverage in northern mn with Dobson > (cellular 1), being tested now but not yet announced. Really filling things in > for me, I'm in Crosslake, near Brainerd. Where do you need to use your phone? > Jay Tried it this weekend in Island Lake and North Star north of Duluth, and my T-Mobile SIM won't let me at it. I had a great signal though. The phone symbol has a line through it when doing a network search. The ID is: CC 310 NC560. My SIM is old, Aerial, the phone is a Siemens S56. I tried it Sept 3, 4, and 6th. It would be nice though, since Dobson has better coverage than anybody north of Duluth (at least in Analog and TDMA). >Subject: Re: MN coverage >From: klugja@hotmail.com (John Klug) [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >since Dobson has better coverage than anybody north of Duluth (at >least in Analog and TDMA). Were you in t-mobile coverage area when you tried or only dobson available? Phones seem to behave differently. One nokia 3200 I have only lets me onto dobson if tmo is not available, a 6010 i have lets me select dobson even if tmo is present too. A 3595 I saw couldn't found but wouldn't select dobson, worked after the sim was changed to a newer version, old one said voicestream. The S56 I bought on your reccomendation can select dobson at any time.. Kinda fun playing with the new coverage, sure fills in the areas tmo is lacking. Jay @ crosslake I just thought I'd chime in here with another observation from this weekend from northern WI. We drove across WI where I have never had any coverage before, and sure enough my SE T610 "WorldPhone" still had no service, as I expected. However, my wife, who didn't realize there was no coverage began talking away on her Nokia 3595 while we're driving. I thought she was just fooling with me, but sure enough she was connected to DobsonUSA. Her phone has the 850Mhz band, where the T610 has 900Mhz for the lower frequency. I might add, the Nokia 3595 seemlessly switched back to T-Mobile once back in coverage. This is a BIG deal if it's true, as the whole northern part of the state will now be accessible. So far, I can get no confirmation from T-mobile, but roaming on DobsonUSA 850Mhz GSM service is presently being allowed in this part of the world. BTW at home, we can get 3 different GSM services to show, and if Dobson is manually selected, it only stays for a minute or so, and T-mobile is then chosen. I'm guessing the roaming arrangement is geographical only, not system wide, and somehow the phone forces itself to the "preferred" carrier if there is a choice. > >Subject: Re: MN coverage > >From: klugja@hotmail.com (John Klug) [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > playing with the new coverage, sure fills in the areas tmo is lacking. Jay @ > crosslake > Were you in t-mobile coverage area when you tried or only dobson available? > Phones seem to behave differently. One nokia 3200 I have only lets me onto [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > playing with the new coverage, sure fills in the areas tmo is lacking. Jay @ > crosslake T-Mobile has no signal for me at either Island Lake or North Star. So does the phone list an NC of 560 for you? When in a T-Mobile area my phone lists T-Mobile. It never says DOBSON USA, but instead says CC310 NC560. Is the problem my 1999 vintage SIM, my phone, the area I am in, or when I tried to make the calls? The phone was in continuous "Network Search" mode when I started a "Network Select". >Subject: Re: MN coverage >From: klugja@hotmail.com (John Klug) [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >am in, or when I tried to make the calls? The phone was in continuous >"Network Search" mode when I started a "Network Select". CC310 NC560 and t-mobile are my choices when both T & dobson (CC310 NC560) are available. And I seem to be able to select either manually or do the automatic thing and let the phone decide. I'm not sure where Island Lake or North Star are. I've seen one case of an older vintage sim that would find the Dobson network but not select it, replacing the sim cured the problem. The name of the network is dependant on the vintage sim, vintage phone, and how the phone and sim are programmed. I've seen this dobson network called CC310 NC560, Dobson, Cell 1, Cellular 1, and probably other things too. And like i previously said, have a Nokia 3200 formerly locked to ATT, that seems to have a preferred network ot T-Mobile. Only if that network is missing in a search will that phone let you select dobson. Not sure how much sense this rambling makes. Jay > I'm not sure where Island Lake or North > Star are. I've seen one case of an older vintage sim that would find the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > will that phone let you select dobson. Not sure how much sense this rambling > makes. Jay If it is my SIM, how do I get customer service to give me a new one so I can roam on Cellular One? My sister-in-law was just told by customer service that the national plan includes free roaming everywhere in the continental US except Iowa, and she will have to pay the roaming charges she was billed for making calls there on her national plan which has allowed her free coverage everywhere else. I don't hold out much hope for them. Geography lesson: Island Lake Resevoir is 18 miles due north of Duluth on St Louis County Rd 4 (the Rudy Perpich Memorial Drive) that goes from Duluth to Biwabik (Biwabik is between Hoyt Lakes and Virginia). North Star township is on St Louis County Rd 44 that goes from Island Lake to Fairbanks. Island Lake and North Star have Dobson Cellular One towers, and no other cell phone company. The nearest T-Mobile towers are along US 53, which is 12 miles from Island Lake, and it is about 25 miles to North Star. At any rate, a network search from those places did not list T-Mobile, only NC 560. Just to add that I was able to manually select Dobson near Royalton (between St. Cloud and Little Falls) on Saturday and complete a call without any issues using a Nokia 3595 and a new SIM. I was able to select Dobson even though I still had a T-Mobile signal. > > I'm not sure where Island Lake or North > > Star are. I've seen one case of an older vintage sim that would find the [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > about 25 miles to North Star. At any rate, a network search from > those places did not list T-Mobile, only NC 560. > after the sim was changed to a newer version, old one said voicestream. The > S56 I bought on your reccomendation can select dobson at any time.. Kinda fun > playing with the new coverage, sure fills in the areas tmo is lacking. Jay @ > crosslake Can you get t-mobile gprs to work with the s56? Unfortunately I can't get connected to t-mobile gprs with this phone. I got a new SIM. T-Mobile CS agreed that it could be the SIM. When I got to a T-Mobile store, they insisted Dobson roaming was just shut off, and I didn't need a SIM. I then got one from an independent dealer. I posted this using a clie,bluetooth & R520m I just flexed my tmobile v600 to quadband and roamed all weekend in northern mn. and nw wi. with it on cellularone`s network. If you go to Dobsons home page now and type a twin cities zipcode in, it directs you to cellularones homepage then and pops a tmobile content page up telling you that you can sign up for tmobile to get the coverage. WooHoo!!!!!! Looks like we got dobsons network for good now in Mn and Wi. Quess its time to start flexing peoples v600`s so they have the 850 band on em. >> after the sim was changed to a newer version, old one said voicestream. >> The [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > independent dealer. > I posted this using a clie,bluetooth & R520m What's the link to their web site? Mike Schumann >I just flexed my tmobile v600 to quadband and roamed all weekend in >northern mn. and nw wi. with it on cellularone`s network. If you go to [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> independent dealer. >> I posted this using a clie,bluetooth & R520m http://www.cellularone.com/Home1.asp Type in any twin cities zipcode then and watch tmobile pop up:) > What's the link to their web site? > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >>> independent dealer. >>> I posted this using a clie,bluetooth & R520m > http://www.cellularone.com/Home1.asp > > Type in any twin cities zipcode then and watch tmobile pop up:) Actually, this web site is not Dobson's, but the Cellular one brand (which is owned by Western Wireless, the former Voicestream parent). I see Nextel is on the web site too. If you click on alternate carriers, you get Sprint, Verizon, and Liberty as well. Dobson Cellular one is: www.celloneusa.com Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a non-Dobson zip. The guy at the tmobile store here said that rumour has it, the cellularone roaming in mn/wi will be announced officially sometime in oct. . I was a cellularone customer since I needed the coverage at my cabin also. I wasnt impressed with the deadspots and call drops. Oh well it still adds more service area. Time to slap a yagi on the roof and a 5 watt booster I quess:) >> http://www.cellularone.com/Home1.asp >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a > non-Dobson zip. I had marginal reception at our cabin with my Nokia 5190. A directional antenna did the trick (no amp needed). The phone needs to be connected to the antenna cable, but at least I can move around with loosing a call. My T610, on the other hand, is a complete lost case. Absolutely no signal. Mike Schumann > The guy at the tmobile store here said that rumour has it, the cellularone > roaming in mn/wi will be announced officially sometime in oct. . I was a [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >> Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a >> non-Dobson zip. Here's some details of what I've learned over the past few weeks about T-Mobile roaming on DobsonUSA/Cell One, at least as it applies at the moment in NW Wisconsin and NE MN. 1) Presently, if you have a 850Mhz capable GSM phone and your T-Mobile sim, you can use all of DobsonUSA's GSM coverage. I'm sure this must not be the final version of the agreement, because presently the minutes used are totally free, as they never show up on your bill. (At least on my family plan.) I called CS a few times, and no one would admit any knowledge of the ability to roam on any 850MHz system. 2) DobsonUSA and Cell One are the same. Dobson claims this on their website at www.dobson.net. In fact, my newly purchased T637 show Cell One in the display when I'm connected to what shows as DobsonUSA on my wife's Nokia 3595. 3) As mentioned previously by someone else, the T610 although having great features, does not have stellar reception. Once I found out that the 850Mhz GSM areas were available, I purchased a brand new Cingular T637. The reception is far superior to any other's I've had in the past. BTW, The newer versions of the T616 also are supposed to be equally as good, and either of these will give you the 850Mhz GSM band which the T610 did not. I will be selling my T610 on Ebay. (BTW, I got the T637 there as well. It's a brand new Cingular branded phone, and Cingular supplies them unlocked. My son's Motorola V600 from a Cell One plan also came unlocked.) 4) I have no trouble connecting to T-Mobile's GPRS, or connecting as a modem with my T637, or with a cheaper T306 I got for my daughter. With the SE phones, you can go the the SE website and have it send T-mobile's settings directly to your phone. I works really well. You can also get them sent from the T-mobile site if you "lie" about what phone you have. For example, the T610 settngs will work fine with the T637, and the T300 setting will work fine for the T306. They only have choices for the phones they provide, so use on ein the same "family" of phones. The only thing you will not have is access to t-zones, as they do not send a properly formatted display to any phone they don't also sell. Once in a while it will opo up OK, but mostly you get a blank screen. Everything else in the world seems to work, and their APN gateway is usable as it is, just no t-zone home page with a non T-mobile phone. (at least most of the time) 5) The basic Nokia 3595 which we got for free on our family plan already has the 850Mhz GSM ability, and they seem to be an excellent basic phone with great reception. I'm at the moment a pretty happy camper, as we now have coverage most everywhere we go. We used to be on the absolute edge of T-Mobile coverage, and travel anywhere but west assurred us of no coverage. Vast coverage with the 850Mhz GSM now over northern WI. > I had marginal reception at our cabin with my Nokia 5190. A directional > antenna did the trick (no amp needed). The phone needs to be connected to [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > >> Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a > >> non-Dobson zip. I was at a T-Mobile store in St. Paul a week or two ago. They told me that the Dobson roaming was a marketting test and they weren't sure what the long term future would be. I really hope that they keep this agreement in place. Mike Schumann P.S. Do you have any idea if Dobson has coverage around Luck WI? > Here's some details of what I've learned over the past few weeks about > T-Mobile roaming on DobsonUSA/Cell One, at least as it applies at the [quoted text clipped - 76 lines] >> >> Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a >> >> non-Dobson zip. here's my question then. If t-mo is saying it is a test run, then who is attws gsm going with? Because more of their phones are boasting the 850 signal, and att seems to have pretty good coverage. This is also pre-cingular merge, so is dobson maybe in a deal with att as well? Capt. > I was at a T-Mobile store in St. Paul a week or two ago. They told me that > the Dobson roaming was a marketting test and they weren't sure what the long [quoted text clipped - 86 lines] > >> >> Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a > >> >> non-Dobson zip. From what I am reading, most of the rural carriers that are installing GSM are doing so purely to get roaming revenue. So I suspect that Dobson will provide coverage to any carrier who is willing to pay. Mike Schumann > here's my question then. If t-mo is saying it is a test run, then who is > attws gsm going with? Because more of their phones are boasting the 850 [quoted text clipped - 100 lines] >> >> >> Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a >> >> >> non-Dobson zip. > From what I am reading, most of the rural carriers that are installing GSM > are doing so purely to get roaming revenue. So I suspect that Dobson will > provide coverage to any carrier who is willing to pay. Dobson has had GSM 850 for a year now. They sell it. Their customers have been able to use T-Mobile since GSM began in Duluth MN. AT&T customers have been able to use Dobson's GSM since day one. You are confusing Dobson Cellular One with Western Wireless Cellular One. Western is a CDMA carrier offering GSM to roamers. Dobson is a TDMA carrier offering GSM camera phones, etc to their customers. T-Mobile used to allow you to use most rural GSM carriers when they were all PCS (UNICEL in MN, others in Michigan and Iowa). The problem with Dobson I suppose is that some of their coverage overlaps T-Mobile in Duluth. But Dobson covers rural areas outside of T-Mobiles urban coverage. I suspect that while Western put up PCS for T-Mobile, Dobson can't because they have no licenses. This means T-Mobile would be divided between those that have Cellular/PCS phones, and those that have PCS only, just like AT&T Wireless. Most GSM 850 phones now seem to lack an antenna jack, so what you gain in coverage with GSM 850, you lose because of no possibility of a decent antenna connection. Maybe you are supposed to put a repeater in your car. The V600 motorola offers an antenna jack on the back of it and does 850mhz, being quadband. Its the perfect phone for Mn/Wi coverage(tmo/dobson). I use a short plugin antenna in the boonies that magnetic mounts on the truck. You can flex tmobiles v600 and open the 850mhz that they have blocked in the software on it.I roamed all last weekend in the iron river/port wing area of nw wi. Only once had to use the external antenna. >> From what I am reading, most of the rural carriers that are installing >> GSM [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > you lose because of no possibility of a decent antenna connection. > Maybe you are supposed to put a repeater in your car. > The V600 motorola offers an antenna jack on the back of it and does 850mhz, > being quadband. Its the perfect phone for Mn/Wi coverage(tmo/dobson). I use > a short plugin antenna in the boonies that magnetic mounts on the truck. You > can flex tmobiles v600 and open the 850mhz that they have blocked in the > software on it.I roamed all last weekend in the iron river/port wing area of > nw wi. Only once had to use the external antenna. One more requirement: must work with PALM OS & Bluetooth. It seems that in this newsgroup when the Moto T28 came out, no one could get it to work with PALM. Hence, I have been somewhat satisfied with the r520M outside of the new requirement for GSM 850. The Siemens S56 will send an SMS. Wap works on T-Mobile (gets an error on Dobson). GPRS and the S56 are a work in progress. Dobson's coverage map shows coverage around Luck, WI, but running out pretty soon straight west and down to the south. North and west way up into MN looks like good coverage. > I was at a T-Mobile store in St. Paul a week or two ago. They told me that > the Dobson roaming was a marketting test and they weren't sure what the long [quoted text clipped - 86 lines] > >> >> Of course, it will lead you to the same web page if you give it a > >> >> non-Dobson zip. Okay I give ... what does "flex" mean as used below? Is Cellular-one exclusively 850mhz ? Thanks, B H :I just flexed my tmobile v600 to quadband and roamed all weekend in northern : mn. and nw wi. with it on cellularone`s network. If you go to Dobsons home [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] : dobsons network for good now in Mn and Wi. Quess its time to start flexing : peoples v600`s so they have the 850 band on em. >Subject: Re: MN coverage >From: "Bob H" ylp17410@comcast.net [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >flexing=20 >: peoples v600`s so they have the 850 band on em. Flex is rewriting the software on the phone, t-mo's version has 850 disabled. So if you flex it to motorola's original you get the 850 back. Cell 1 is using 850 gsm in northern mn, wi, mi. Still in testing stages as far as tmo roaming, not announced by tmo in any way. Seems to be working at times and not at others, hopefully part of testing. Not working today in Emily, outing, remer, but is working in Grand Rapids. Flash is similar to flex, upgrade to a new version, etc. The bad part about flexing is it isn't supported by the mfg or by tmo so if it goes bad, you probably wont get warranty support. Of course you dont need to send it in and tell them what you did, just say it's not working, etc. > Flex is rewriting the software on the phone, t-mo's version has 850 disabled. > So if you flex it to motorola's original you get the 850 back. I have a Siemens S56. As far as I can tell, the S56 has only two firmware versions: AT&T and Cingular. How could I flex my AT&T S56 to a Cingular? Generic might be better, but there is apparently no such thing. The reason I ask is that it appears that APN's do not work with the AT&T Siemens phones as a modem, so there is no way to put in internet2.voicestream.com. The Cingular versions take an APN in the dial string. |
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