Nokia 3589i or Startac 7868 - Better Reception?

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Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Currently have a 3-year old Startac 7868 with the display starting to
fade out, and considering upgrading to a new phone. The office which
moved months ago has weak reception on my Startac - sometime one
digital bar, sometimes one analog bar, sometimes searching for signal
- and using a cheap prepaid <$10/mo. cell phone from another carrier
to recieve calls in the office. If calls come thru, they usually get
dropped and if can make a call out depends on which way breath. Does
the Nokia 3589i have any better reception in weak signal areas than
the Startac 7868? Opinions, thoughts? Debating whether to upgrade or
sending the 7868 back to Mot for out-of-warranty repair if the
reception difference is not significant.

PS - Looked at other Verizon phones at website. Reception and 2-way
text messaging are important, having AMPS/analog backup is important
as go on hiking trips or in rural areas sometimnes, having data 1x
access on VZW's National 40-60kps network is somewhat important,
rather stay with better known Nokia or Motorola brand, and not want or
need camera or push-to-talk on phone.

Thanks,
Scott

 

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Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

spurkbik201@yahoo.com (spurkbik201) wrote in message news:<25b9ddf3.0404230902.1d2eee81@posting.google.com>...
> Does
> the Nokia 3589i have any better reception in weak signal areas than
> the Startac 7868? Opinions, thoughts? Debating whether to upgrade or
> sending the 7868 back to Mot for out-of-warranty repair if the
> reception difference is not significant.
>
>

The Nokia has MUCH better digital performance than the Startac. It may
be the best performing digital phone i have used. I have them both and
have donme some comparisons. THe Motorola _may_ have better analog
reception and better voice quality. There's no way to hardwire and
external antenna to the Nokia, just and inductive type.

You can try a comparison yourself. Get the Nokia or whatever
replacemnet phone on a free trial and take it to a fringe area and
make some calls. Then make some test calls in various modes from the
startac to 611. My modern phones (Audivox 9500) beat both my startacs
in most cases. Well, except for voice quality.
The Nokia beats them all reception wise, but only in digital modes.
The analog is a bit anemic.

-
David

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

>Currently have a 3-year old Startac 7868 with the display starting to
>fade out, and considering upgrading to a new phone. The office which
>moved months ago has weak reception on my Startac - sometime one
>digital bar, sometimes one analog bar, sometimes searching for signal
>- and using a cheap prepaid <$10/mo. cell phone from another carrier
>to recieve calls in the office. If calls come thru, they usually get
>dropped and if can make a call out depends on which way breath. Does
>the Nokia 3589i have any better reception in weak signal areas than
>the Startac 7868? Opinions, thoughts? Debating whether to upgrade or
>sending the 7868 back to Mot for out-of-warranty repair if the
>reception difference is not significant.
>Thanks, Scott

Yes, the 3589i has better digital reception than the 7868 and the P8767.

I've found that my P8767 has slightly better reception than my 7868 and had been
using that for the past year or so. Picked up a 3589i and was planning to use it
when camping out in the sticks. It had the reputation of great RF since it's
inception, which is why I picked one up.

In some stores, like the local Wal-mart and BJs, the Moto would cut out in the
back of the store. The 3589i kept going without even a hiccup. That really
surprised me. Now I've gotten use to data usage and will never go back to the
Motos.

The 3589i has an internal and the pull-up antenna (longer than the Moto). When
the pull-up is retracted the internal antenna is still active. This makes the
phone much better when its in your pocket or on your belt clip.

I have not done much of a comparison of the analog section of the 3589i vs the
P8767, but based on what I have read, the Nokia is probably not quite as good.
The Audiovox 9500 seems like the king of analog on recent model phones (although
its been discontinued for some time).
--
Dave
Visit my New England Cell Phone Page at
http://markson.net/cell_phones.htm
(to reply take out the "remove" in my e-mail)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Dave, David, all

Thanks for the encouraging responses. If my local Verizon store does
not have the Nokia 3589i, I'll order online thru VZW website. My 2nd
cell phone prepaid with other carrier use in office is a Nokia so
familiar with interface and already been to Nokia's website to pull up
the manual.

My office on ground floor is 75 feet from the nearest window in
direction of VZW tower. If the 3589i allows me to get rid of the
other carrier prepaid phone, it will be espcially worth it.

As far as the analog reception, its important here to have it in
remote areas even if the 3589i is staticy quality. Usually trips here
out of town are away from the city but only several times a year (5%
of year). Several of the new VZW phones are digital only.

Scott

 

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Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

spurkbik201@yahoo.com (spurkbik201) wrote in message news:<25b9ddf3.0404241652.2657fd1f@posting.google.com>...
> Dave, David, all
>
> Thanks for the encouraging responses. If my local Verizon store does
> not have the Nokia 3589i, I'll order online thru VZW website. My 2nd
> cell phone prepaid with other carrier use in office is a Nokia so
> familiar with interface and already been to Nokia's website to pull up
> the manual.
>
> My office on ground floor is 75 feet from the nearest window in
> direction of VZW tower. If the 3589i allows me to get rid of the
> other carrier prepaid phone, it will be espcially worth it.
>
> As far as the analog reception, its important here to have it in
> remote areas even if the 3589i is staticy quality. Usually trips here
> out of town are away from the city but only several times a year (5%
> of year). Several of the new VZW phones are digital only.
>
> Scott


Scott,
thought that was you...miss your humourous posts.

I actually have the $70 Walmart/Alltel Prepaid 3585i special. Verizon
conversion. Same guts, but Verizon gives you color screen. This
conversion has been discussed a great deal on usenet and the various
forums.

A couple of points. If a Verizon signal is not present and Sprint is
in your PRL, the Nokia _quickly_ finds it. That speedy and smart
network aquisition is just remarkable.
I'm sticking with the AVX 9500 for 100% analog roaming partners
though... and it's a much better made and more functional phone,
outside extreme fringe areas.
Case in point... out in the woods, while the Audiovox was getting a
great analog signal, the Nokia homed in, and was able to make use of a
faint Sprint signal, through wet forest canopy. Pretty amazing.
So, if there's any chance of getting a digital signal, since Verizon
has overlayed so much, or happens to include Sprint in some of the
PRL's, the Nokia is THE fringe, digital, trimode phone IMO. The Nokia
is able to pull in a Verizon or Sprint signal equally adeptly.
I was working in the fringe burbs yesterday, at a friends house and
could roam this entire 2 story house with a usable Sprint signal much
of the time, with the Nokia. His late model Mot 120e, just got "called
Failed".

-
David