Network mode choice

Motorola v325

Does anyone know what "automatic a" and "automatic b" settings are and the
advantages of either? This is in menu,settings and tools,system,system
select,set mode.

On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:06:31 -0700, "Terry" <TrukkerTerry@aol.com>
wrote:

>Motorola v325
>
>Does anyone know what "automatic a" and "automatic b" settings are and the
>advantages of either? This is in menu,settings and tools,system,system
>select,set mode.

Usually the phone uses the Preferred Roaming List (PRL) that tells the
phone to use a particular signal over another. The phone scans the
available frequencies and compares the System ID (SID) against the
ones in the PRL. The Verizon ones are Priority 1, Extended Network
partners are in lower priorities, and roaming partners are in the
lowest priorities.

The 800 (rather 850) MHz cell band has an "A" and "B" band (The A band
comes first, the B band comes second.. its a little more complicated
than that, but I won't go into that here). The 1900 MHz PCS bands
(digital only) are "C" through "F".

When the phone needs to roam *AND* the SID of the signal it finds is
NOT in the PRL, the phone will then look at the "Auto A" or "Auto B"
function to determine which signal the phone should use. This is a
throwback to the old AMPS (analog) days.

So does it really matter what you set it to? Not really anymore except
in certain rare cases when the phone needs to roam onto a partner that
is NOT in the PRL. Most of the time, setting it to "Auto B" makes
sense since in most areas Verizon is in the 850 MHZ "B" band. Yes,
Verizon is also in the "A" band in some areas (Atlanta, GA for
example) and in some areas they are in the 1900 MHz PCS band.

I have read on here that at the Grand Canyon that you should put the
phone into "Auto A" to roam onto Alltel (an Extended Network partner)
but I don't know if that is the case anymore or not.

If you want to know more about what a PRL is and a PRL list, look at
these sites:

http://www.mountainwireless.com/prl.shtml

and

http://www.rainyday.ca/~dialtone/

I also have a Motorola V325. Its a pretty good phone. There are some
neat tricks that you can do with the phone. Let me know via E-mail if
you're interested.

Dave

dmine45 at yahoo dot com

DD:

Your reply to Terry's question was perhaps the sigularly most useful
answer I've seen posted in this or any other newsgroup. Thank you so
much!

I'd take you up on your tips and tricks with the Motorola V325 if I had
one. It would likely be the one I would select if my V265 were to
experience an untimely demise as it's the only tri-mode phone VZ offers
anymore. So far the V265 works well and I have no plans to get rid of it
even though my contract's up in January.

B

Diamond Dave <dmine45.NOSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:gfukj25gfh58l5g0ajdgfdsdvkevdd27o9@4ax.com:

> On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:06:31 -0700, "Terry" <TrukkerTerry@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Motorola v325
>>
>>Does anyone know what "automatic a" and "automatic b" settings are and
>>the advantages of either? This is in menu,settings and
>>tools,system,system select,set mode.
>
> Usually the phone uses the Preferred Roaming List (PRL) that tells the
> phone to use a particular signal over another. The phone scans the
> available frequencies and compares the System ID (SID) against the
> ones in the PRL. The Verizon ones are Priority 1, Extended Network
> partners are in lower priorities, and roaming partners are in the
> lowest priorities.
>
> The 800 (rather 850) MHz cell band has an "A" and "B" band (The A band
> comes first, the B band comes second.. its a little more complicated
> than that, but I won't go into that here). The 1900 MHz PCS bands
> (digital only) are "C" through "F".
>
> When the phone needs to roam *AND* the SID of the signal it finds is
> NOT in the PRL, the phone will then look at the "Auto A" or "Auto B"
> function to determine which signal the phone should use. This is a
> throwback to the old AMPS (analog) days.
>
> So does it really matter what you set it to? Not really anymore except
> in certain rare cases when the phone needs to roam onto a partner that
> is NOT in the PRL. Most of the time, setting it to "Auto B" makes
> sense since in most areas Verizon is in the 850 MHZ "B" band. Yes,
> Verizon is also in the "A" band in some areas (Atlanta, GA for
> example) and in some areas they are in the 1900 MHz PCS band.
>
> I have read on here that at the Grand Canyon that you should put the
> phone into "Auto A" to roam onto Alltel (an Extended Network partner)
> but I don't know if that is the case anymore or not.
>
> If you want to know more about what a PRL is and a PRL list, look at
> these sites:
>
> http://www.mountainwireless.com/prl.shtml
>
> and
>
> http://www.rainyday.ca/~dialtone/
>
> I also have a Motorola V325. Its a pretty good phone. There are some
> neat tricks that you can do with the phone. Let me know via E-mail if
> you're interested.
>
> Dave
>
> dmine45 at yahoo dot com
>
>

On Sun, 22 Oct 2006 13:20:16 GMT, Bruce <not@home.info> wrote:

>DD:
>
>Your reply to Terry's question was perhaps the sigularly most useful
>answer I've seen posted in this or any other newsgroup. Thank you so
>much!
>
>I'd take you up on your tips and tricks with the Motorola V325 if I had
>one. It would likely be the one I would select if my V265 were to
>experience an untimely demise as it's the only tri-mode phone VZ offers
>anymore. So far the V265 works well and I have no plans to get rid of it
>even though my contract's up in January.
>

Contact me off list.

The V325 is also a tri-mode phone. VZW no longer offers the V265 or
V276. Motorola had a lot of problems with these, and the V325 was the
solution. AFAIK, the V325 is still being offered, but not for much
longer.

Soon, I don't know if you can get a tri-mode phone anymore. It seems
that all the new phones are CDMA only.

Dave
dmine45 at yahoo dot com

Thanks DD. Very helpful. I am interested in the T&T but don't want to put
my real email address out.

Thanks, Terry


"Diamond Dave" <dmine45.NOSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:gfukj25gfh58l5g0ajdgfdsdvkevdd27o9@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:06:31 -0700, "Terry" <TrukkerTerry@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Motorola v325
>>
>>Does anyone know what "automatic a" and "automatic b" settings are and the
>>advantages of either? This is in menu,settings and tools,system,system
>>select,set mode.
>
> Usually the phone uses the Preferred Roaming List (PRL) that tells the
> phone to use a particular signal over another. The phone scans the
> available frequencies and compares the System ID (SID) against the
> ones in the PRL. The Verizon ones are Priority 1, Extended Network
> partners are in lower priorities, and roaming partners are in the
> lowest priorities.
>
> The 800 (rather 850) MHz cell band has an "A" and "B" band (The A band
> comes first, the B band comes second.. its a little more complicated
> than that, but I won't go into that here). The 1900 MHz PCS bands
> (digital only) are "C" through "F".
>
> When the phone needs to roam *AND* the SID of the signal it finds is
> NOT in the PRL, the phone will then look at the "Auto A" or "Auto B"
> function to determine which signal the phone should use. This is a
> throwback to the old AMPS (analog) days.
>
> So does it really matter what you set it to? Not really anymore except
> in certain rare cases when the phone needs to roam onto a partner that
> is NOT in the PRL. Most of the time, setting it to "Auto B" makes
> sense since in most areas Verizon is in the 850 MHZ "B" band. Yes,
> Verizon is also in the "A" band in some areas (Atlanta, GA for
> example) and in some areas they are in the 1900 MHz PCS band.
>
> I have read on here that at the Grand Canyon that you should put the
> phone into "Auto A" to roam onto Alltel (an Extended Network partner)
> but I don't know if that is the case anymore or not.
>
> If you want to know more about what a PRL is and a PRL list, look at
> these sites:
>
> http://www.mountainwireless.com/prl.shtml
>
> and
>
> http://www.rainyday.ca/~dialtone/
>
> I also have a Motorola V325. Its a pretty good phone. There are some
> neat tricks that you can do with the phone. Let me know via E-mail if
> you're interested.
>
> Dave
>
> dmine45 at yahoo dot com
>