Last updated: 6/2/01

I have found, noticeable performance differences, between different brands, and types of phones.
(Not all phones (even the same brand and model type) are the same, and sum are easier to use, than others.)
What, Phones work well?

 
First, the short story.
I've gone through, 3 Sony CM-1300 (defective by design) and 3 or 4 Qualcomm's QCP-860 (firmware and some hardware problems).  I've ordered a Motorola ST-7868, too see if it's any better?


The, long story, full.
I got wireless service, back last century ;=)   I think August of 1999?  My first phone was a Sony CM-1300. Vary user friendly!  That's the goo news, the bad news is that it rf wise, didn't work so well. Sony probably made there own user interface PCB (the RF Deck, I think, is the same as the Qualcomm (now Kyocera) QCP-820.).  Theirs seem to be a vary noticeable, weak signal performance, differences, between my Sony and a Sony CM-500(QCP-800), or a QCP-860. Specifically, if I tried to use it down town Soquel, or any where the signal is week, the CM-1300 would regularly drop calls, couldn't reliably make or receive call, but the above mentioned performed minimally exeptalbly?  I tried to return it to the service provider under there 30-day-trial plan, they said that it was the Network, not the phone. The provider was not a corporate store but a resaler. They said that they had loaner, but that it would take up to 4-6 week to get the loner, i.e., I'd have to do without (but still pay the bill, for service not renders).

I finally determined that it was, mostly a phone problem (50% a phone problem, 25% a network problem, and 25% location problem). I found out, I could send back the Sony through the GTE Corp. Store, and I did. When I used a Sony CM-500, the above mentioned location worked ok. I sent back the Sony 1300 three times, for the same problems.  Each time it took 5-8 week for the to send me a refurbished phone.  I threatened to use the "Lemon Law" to deal with the defective phone.

Evenly they gave me a new Qualcomm QCP-860.  And this begins yet another adventure ;=(    The first 860, had firmware problems, but the RF deck seem to work much better, than the 1300's.  This phone at the end of a call, 1 of 10 times or so, would show the call info and the banner scrambled together, and did some other strange things (erratic operation). I called Qualcomm (they are (for phones) Kyocera, now) they said for me to go to the nearest GTE Tech center, and they have software to up grade the firmware to the most current revision.  So I did. They ether didn't have the HW/SW to to fix it, or there was a policy not to.  Instead they exchanged my new phone for a refurbished one with up-dated (v2.14?) firmware. This one had a bogus PRL (Preferd-Roamer-List, GTE way to prevent u from roaming on to non-in-system (non GTE) cell sites, even when NO OTHER GTE is available, (Cell One, or whom ever, is). They tried to say that "your not sispose to set the phone to "Auto" (Manual sez to), but use "Home" instead. So I call Qualcomm back, they said yes, use "Auto", and that they SHOULD have the HW/SW to reprogram the PRL, that even if I send in the phone that they couldn't reprogram it, because it was a Service provider created file, and they didn't have it. And that this phone vision's PRL was "read-only" - couldn't be changed in the programing mode. I presued this till there gave be another phone that had the proper PRL.  That's #3. And it had a occasional problem that the phone lock-up, and required to be reset (PWR+Send+1?).  At first it was every 30 days or so, then every 10 days or so, eventually, every day then I sent it back, for repair. After 4-6 weeks I got a refurbished unit back, with my memory erased, the entire 80 or so names and numbers in the phone book gone... This phone went for 4 weeks, then the display went intermittently blank, would come back if I flexed the phone :=(    That was number four, or was that five %=(

I finaly got 860 phone #5, back. It seem to have a better rf deck than the other 4. Like the other 4, it is alittle crunchy sounding, and high frequence (audio) is rold off, everybody is bassy sounding. Otherwize, seems to work ok...

I've ordered (9/00) a Motorola StarTac 7868w, we'll see how this one works???


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