all digital on AC?

[Guest]

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

hmmm

exactly how much coverage under the Amerricas Choice plan is analog?
how many years away are we from having an all digital network that
satifies the needs of those of us who traverse the boonies of southwest
VA or WV? anyone here think its still important to go trimode with AC?

sorry about the double post, btw.

rbh martin

 

[Mike]

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

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 16:28:10 GMT, "rbh martin"
<rbhmartin@hotmail.spam.comcom> wrote:

>hmmm
>
>exactly how much coverage under the Amerricas Choice plan is analog?
>how many years away are we from having an all digital network that
>satifies the needs of those of us who traverse the boonies of southwest
>VA or WV? anyone here think its still important to go trimode with AC?

I'm very familiar with this area, at least as of about a year ago.

It depends on where you go. If you mean the Roanoke area, VZW has a
very solid digital signal in most of that part of Southwest Virginia.
I've used it as far out as U.S. 460 at the VA/WV border.

WV has digital service with AC partner U.S. Cellular in the
Beckley/Bluefield area, but there's virtually no service on 460 from
the VA border to about 2 miles before I-77. That may have changed
since I was last there.

If you go west of Pulaski on I-81, you're at the mercy of Alltel,
which should have fairly decent digital coverage along the major
highways...until about Abingdon, which will give you VZW native
coverage out of the Tri-Cities area. If you go east of Roanoke, it's
again Alltel (digital) in places like Lynchburg and Charlottesville.

Off the major highways and away from VZW's native area, all bets are
off.

Give us an idea where you're talking about in SW VA and W. Virginia.

Mike

 

[Guest]

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

>Give us an idea where you're talking about in SW VA and W. Virginia.

you hit the nail on the head. rte 81 to rte 40 is 60% of my travel.

rbh martin

 

[Mike]

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

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:10:52 GMT, "rbh martin"
<rbhmartin@hotmail.spam.comcom> wrote:

>>Give us an idea where you're talking about in SW VA and W. Virginia.
>
>you hit the nail on the head. rte 81 to rte 40 is 60% of my travel.

Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!

What area are we talking here?

Mike

 

[Guest]

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

Mike <inundated9@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:10:52 GMT, "rbh martin"
> <rbhmartin@hotmail.spam.comcom> wrote:
>
>>>Give us an idea where you're talking about in SW VA and W. Virginia.
>>
>>you hit the nail on the head. rte 81 to rte 40 is 60% of my travel.
>
> Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!
>
> What area are we talking here?

I-81/I-40 intersect somewhere in eastern Tennessee, I believe.

--
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[Scott]

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

Mike <inundated9@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<q6ud8052bmbei3i07tgtavq2s3jp4qmgch@4ax.com>...
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:10:52 GMT, "rbh martin"
> <rbhmartin@hotmail.spam.comcom> wrote:
>
> >>Give us an idea where you're talking about in SW VA and W. Virginia.
> >
> >you hit the nail on the head. rte 81 to rte 40 is 60% of my travel.
>
> Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!
>
> What area are we talking here?
>
> Mike

I just traveled I-81 from Roanoke to I-78 in PA last week and had
digital service all the way. USCC in WVA, VZW everywhere else.

 

[Guest]

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

"Steven J Sobol" <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote in message
news:68-dnUa11ZL1gRrdRVn-hw@lmi.net
> Mike <inundated9@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:10:52 GMT, "rbh martin"
>> <rbhmartin@hotmail.spam.comcom> wrote:
>>
>>>> Give us an idea where you're talking about in SW VA and W.
>>>> Virginia.
>>>
>>> you hit the nail on the head. rte 81 to rte 40 is 60% of my travel.
>>
>> Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!
>>
>> What area are we talking here?
>
> I-81/I-40 intersect somewhere in eastern Tennessee, I believe.

If you are talking about ROUTE 40 (I assume that is what rte means), It
basically runs east to west from Maryland/thru baltimore alongside I-70 to
Hancock, then west again along I-68 (next to PA) then into west virginia
(for a short distance), but never goes into Virginia itself.

 

[Mike]

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

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 20:14:16 -0500, Steven J Sobol
<sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote:

>> Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!
>>
>> What area are we talking here?
>
>I-81/I-40 intersect somewhere in eastern Tennessee, I believe.

The original message only mentioned VA and WV, so I was puzzled.
And he said "Rt. 40", so I was trying to find a U.S. or VA/WV state
route.

Actually, you could also get from 81 to 40 by way of U.S. 220 through
Roanoke, Martinsville and into Greensboro, NC. I've actually DONE
this route. Service is pretty good, except for a patch of Alltel
analog between the NC line and just north of the Greensboro metro
area...that may have been converted to digital by now.

If he meant 81 to 40 near Knoxville, TN, I can't remember off the top,
but I believe 81 is all VZW digital from the Tri-Cities area to that
point. His only possible analog hole would be between VZW's Roanoke
and Tri-Cities areas, and I seem to recall Alltel covered most of that
in CDMA even before I left.

Mike

 

[Guest]

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

Mike <inundated9@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 20:14:16 -0500, Steven J Sobol
> <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote:
>
>>> Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!
>>>
>>> What area are we talking here?
>>
>>I-81/I-40 intersect somewhere in eastern Tennessee, I believe.
>
> The original message only mentioned VA and WV, so I was puzzled.
> And he said "Rt. 40", so I was trying to find a U.S. or VA/WV state
> route.

It *could* be US 40, which intersects I-81 in Maryland. I'm assuming it was
I-40, though. I'm assuming it's a major federal highway and not a state
highway.

--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, Apple Valley, CA PGP: 0xE3AE35ED
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
Domain Names, $9.95/yr, 24x7 service: http://DomainNames.JustThe.net/
"someone once called me a sofa, but i didn't feel compelled to rush out and buy
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[Guest]

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

Peter Pan <Marcs1102NOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote:

> If you are talking about ROUTE 40 (I assume that is what rte means), It
> basically runs east to west from Maryland/thru baltimore alongside I-70 to
> Hancock, then west again along I-68 (next to PA) then into west virginia
> (for a short distance), but never goes into Virginia itself.

Some people use "route" for Interstates too. Here, everyone says "highway"


--
JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, Apple Valley, CA PGP: 0xE3AE35ED
Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net
Domain Names, $9.95/yr, 24x7 service: http://DomainNames.JustThe.net/
"someone once called me a sofa, but i didn't feel compelled to rush out and buy
slip covers." -adam brower * Hiroshima '45, Chernobyl '86, Windows 98/2000/2003

 

[Guest]

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

hi

>81 to 40 near Knoxville, TN, I can't remember off the top,
>but I believe 81 is all VZW

yup, 60 % of my takes me through roanoke, down into TN and on to nashville.
i hity bad spots down below roanoke. i also go across WV on 64 an sometimnes
down 79 down through to charleston. lots of bad spots there.

is it vastly improved in these ares to have analog capabilities in these
areas or is there just no cell service to speak of?

thanks

rbh

 

[Guest]

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

Eastern TN is excellent coverage. Digital.

"Mike" <inundated9@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fg9e8097qq3u6ef6ldtl5j5oi561jo6os2@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 20:14:16 -0500, Steven J Sobol
> <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote:
>
> >> Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!
> >>
> >> What area are we talking here?
> >
> >I-81/I-40 intersect somewhere in eastern Tennessee, I believe.
>
> The original message only mentioned VA and WV, so I was puzzled.
> And he said "Rt. 40", so I was trying to find a U.S. or VA/WV state
> route.
>
> Actually, you could also get from 81 to 40 by way of U.S. 220 through
> Roanoke, Martinsville and into Greensboro, NC. I've actually DONE
> this route. Service is pretty good, except for a patch of Alltel
> analog between the NC line and just north of the Greensboro metro
> area...that may have been converted to digital by now.
>
> If he meant 81 to 40 near Knoxville, TN, I can't remember off the top,
> but I believe 81 is all VZW digital from the Tri-Cities area to that
> point. His only possible analog hole would be between VZW's Roanoke
> and Tri-Cities areas, and I seem to recall Alltel covered most of that
> in CDMA even before I left.
>
> Mike

 

[Scott]

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

Mike <inundated9@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<fg9e8097qq3u6ef6ldtl5j5oi561jo6os2@4ax.com>...
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 20:14:16 -0500, Steven J Sobol
> <sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote:
>
> >> Great...except I can't remember where Rt. 40 is!
> >>
> >> What area are we talking here?
> >
> >I-81/I-40 intersect somewhere in eastern Tennessee, I believe.
>
> The original message only mentioned VA and WV, so I was puzzled.
> And he said "Rt. 40", so I was trying to find a U.S. or VA/WV state
> route.
>
> Actually, you could also get from 81 to 40 by way of U.S. 220 through
> Roanoke, Martinsville and into Greensboro, NC. I've actually DONE
> this route. Service is pretty good, except for a patch of Alltel
> analog between the NC line and just north of the Greensboro metro
> area...that may have been converted to digital by now.
>

This patch of Alltel service depends on what kind of phone you have.
If you have a phone that sports analog, you might get the analog
signal. If you have an all-digital phone, you should have a digital
signal the whole way (or 99% of the way).

My v60i would switch to analog, my A530s had a signal 99% of the way.



> If he meant 81 to 40 near Knoxville, TN, I can't remember off the top,
> but I believe 81 is all VZW digital from the Tri-Cities area to that
> point. His only possible analog hole would be between VZW's Roanoke
> and Tri-Cities areas, and I seem to recall Alltel covered most of that
> in CDMA even before I left.
>
> Mike

 

[Mike]

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

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 02:21:32 GMT, "rbh martin"
<rbhmartin@hotmail.spam.comcom> wrote:

>yup, 60 % of my takes me through roanoke, down into TN and on to nashville.
>i hity bad spots down below roanoke. i also go across WV on 64 an sometimnes
>down 79 down through to charleston. lots of bad spots there.

I didn't have much luck with service on I-64. I got spotty service
that was pure digital near places like Clifton Forge and Lexington,
but weak analog elsewhere. Again, this was over a year ago. WV
service is pretty bad outside the "metro areas" (Charleston,
Beckley/Bluefield/Princeton). Charleston is Alltel,
Beckley/Bluefield/Princeton is U.S. Cellular. Where the service is
there, it's good, but the state's terrain and low population outside
cities conspires to make service outside those areas pretty weak.
Even service along 77 between the aforementioned Alltel and U.S.
Cellular "main" areas is pretty weak on a tri-mode phone, due to those
factors.

The "bad spots down below Roanoke" is presumably in the Alltel service
area from just past Pulaski to just before the Tri-Cities area (around
Abingdon is where VZW's Tri-Cities service kicks in). I used to get
digital service in much of this area, but not all of it.

>is it vastly improved in these ares to have analog capabilities in these
>areas or is there just no cell service to speak of?

Analog signals on tri-mode phones are usually weak, unless you're
fairly near towers. I think Alltel, especially, has analog signals
intended for use by 3W bag phones (Larry, put DOWN that keyboard .
I'm not sure how much of an improvement you'd get with a tri-mode
phone, but my *general* thought is that it's better to have a weak
signal you might be able to latch onto, than no signal at all. And my
LG 4400 can be kicked into "digital only" via a programming menu, if
I'm concerned that it's try to grab a weak analog signal over a
digital signal.

Mike