Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Nashville, TN USA
Posts: 125

Visor Phone Reception

I'm just curious. I may have gotten a dud phone. I'll call Tech Support in the AM. But ever since I got my phone it keeps loosing the signal. I can't even get through a conversation without it dropping the signal completely. And before you state the obvious, it's not my provider (Powertel). We have the same service on my wife's phone and it works fine in the same locations.

Any suggestions? Any body else having this problem?

Rats, I was really enjoying having the latest toy in cubeville.

T

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"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." Benjamin Franklin

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Detroit-ish
Posts: 18

Yes - I am also having signal problems.
My old Nokia 5190 (cheap!) worked great - never dropped a call. But, with the VisorPhone, even when it's reading four bars of signal strength (in a known "good" location), my calls routinely drop or break up.
I was also having audio problems - the people I was talking to were having all kinds of trouble hearing me (low volume, static, hum/buzz).

Handspring has replaced my VisorPhone - no effect;
replaced my Prism - better audio quality (probably a bad mic in the Prism, headset quality was OK), but same signal problems.

<sigh>

I won't recommend the VisorPhone (even at $49!) to my Visor-using friends; but (apparently), I'm still willing to suffer along...

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Aloha State, Honolulu, HI
Posts: 35

Sudden No Service with Voicestream?

I have the same problem as well. I find myself tilting my head in different positions to "hear" the other person clearly. Otherwise, I know I can move my phone into a position to where I can barely hear the other party speaking.

Reception on the VisorPhone is horrible.

I have another problem, in which I am trying to switch my unit with Handspring. Approximately 2-3 times a week, my VisorPhone would get No Service. It seems like the No Service issue can go on forever, until I power the phone off, then power it back on(which causes me to get service).

Keep in mind, I live and work in an area that has excellent signal strength(3 bars). And I do have two co-workers who live near me who both use Voicestream on Nokia phones, and they never do get an abrupt No Service.

Just doesn't make any sense. I wish the VisorPhone was engineered better.

Anyone else experience this No Service problem?

Please let me know,

Stan

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Weston, MA
Posts: 11

Hmm...interesting. Overall, I get decent reception except when I'm in a few of the buildings on my university's campus (they seem to block cell phones in general) and when I'm at home. I would've liked to ditch my home phone in favor of a cell phone exclusively, but since I don't get reception at home there goes that idea...I'm using Voicestream, and I'm hoping some *****ing might let me get out of the contract with them, so that I can try to use Cingular

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Nashville, TN USA
Posts: 125

New Visor Phone on the way.

Just finished my call with Tech Support.
Yes I did a soft reset.
Yes I did a hard reset.
Yes I reinserted the battery.
Yes I know it's not my service providers signal strength.
NO. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME A NEW BATTERY. The problem even occurs when the phone is plugged into the charger.
Yes, thank you. Send me a new phone and I'll try that.
Hopefully I'll have more luck than Stan.

T

__________________
"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." Benjamin Franklin

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 47

Could It Be your Provider?

I've had my VP a little over a week now, using cingular in the SF Bay Area - all over the place. Even roamed to Reno in I-80.
- have had none of the "drop out" problems you mention.
- that's why I ask if it could be location or provider related.
Just a thought.

[FYI - I've had my own set of prbolems, but drop out hasn't been one of them]

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Nashville, TN USA
Posts: 125

Thanks for the reply.
The reason I believe it is phone specific is that my wife has a Nokia with Powertel (same provider as the phone). Her phone has a built in antenna (i.e. not visible extrernaly), and she can call from the Wal-Mart parking lot and doesn't have any problems. I call from the same parking lot & the signal drop. To rule out sun flares or any such thing, I've even tried both at the same time. Visor drops, Nokia doesn't.
Maybe Handspring should have Nokia make their next phone?

__________________
"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." Benjamin Franklin

Registered: Jan 2001
Location:
Posts: 40

Re: Visor Phone Reception

quote:

---

Originally posted by Travis
I'm just curious. I may have gotten a dud phone...
Any suggestions? Any body else having this problem?

---

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 60

No problems with reception in NYC with Voicestream

Sorry to hear about the reception problems some of you are having. I have had no problems here in NYC on Voicestream. The only places where I don't get reception is deep inside certain building at work where no one ever gets a signal with any carrier and I never did with my AT&T service in the past. Voice and data have been great. In fact I am quite impressed with the sound quality; it is noticeably better than my AT&T service on my old Nokia 5160. The SMS service works great too. I have even used it for AOL IM messages and to send and receive E-mail without any problems.

This really is the best thing since sliced bread!!

By the way, It looks great in my new Vaja case. It is the best I've ever owned, and I've been through quite a few cases.

Joel

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Aloha State, Honolulu, HI
Posts: 35

VisorPhone sucks

I did call Tech Support at Handspring and I talked to them, and they were more than happy to send a "new" unit to me via FedEx. Anyhow, the tech support representative insisted it's the poor Voicestream service. This contradicts why my 2 co-workers(who I work with and live very close to) who use Voicestream on Nokias never experienced such a problem as "abrupt no service."

The Tech Support representative did take my credit card in case I don't return a VisorPhone back to Handspring. He said I have 30 days to return the other unit to them. This means I get to "check out" the "new" unit for 3 weeks or so. I believe Handspring likes to send refurbished units to replace already broken ones? Now that is gonna be a new horror story.

I'll keep you all posted.

Stan