Hi guys, I thought I'd pass along an update.
Someone on the DC404 list (where I'm also discussing this) said he'd had good success buying refurbs from Amazon, EBay, CraigsList, etc. I said good point about refurbs. I'll consider that if I have to buy one. I may have gotten a break though and resurrected the old phone enough to keep using it. I did all of the following. Something made things better than they were before. I don't know what. a) I powered down and removed the battery for 2 minutes. (hard to believe that fixed it) b) I found an area with a strong signal and I did *228 send then option 1 to refresh provisioning data. I did this again. c) I did *228 send then option 2 to refresh the roaming data. I did this again. Regarding *228, I believe *22899 send does 1 and 2 automatically. I've been told or read somewhere that this is not necessary on 4g devices and not to do it on 3g smart phones as it might screw things up. I don't know if that's true. d) I talked to a phone rep, and they resynchronized the phone with the switch (whatever that means). e) I found a store with tech support on site on Northpoint Parkway in Alpharetta (unlike the one in Cumming). They reflashed the firmware for me. Something worked. I've now made 70 test calls to from the phone and 20 to the phone and it seems to work. Gonna test it for a while and see if it's reliable enough to keep using. For now, I've got better things to do with the cash than replacing a phone I don't need to. Of course, if we have to buy one, we will. Sincerely, Ron "Damon L. Chesser" <[email protected]> wrote: >On 04/05/2014 09:53 AM, Wolf Halton wrote: >> >> I wish the feds would just nationalize the whole system. These >> companies do so poorly, if you imagine the goal to be customer >> connectivity. It would save the NSA a lot of money, too. >> > > >What! Because every thing else they do is so well run? > >Straightalk for the win. Uses Verizon towers, I think. >http://www.straighttalk.com/wps/portal/home/shop/phones#.U0ATNqbodHZ > >I use a google Nexus 4 and unlimted everything for about $45/month. > >It may cost you $45 for a phone and some amount for a one month plan to > >find out if it does work in your boonies or not. Works in my boonies, >every where I have been. > >Wife is with T-mobile (Motorola clam phone from 5 years ago, just >ported it ) and $35 pay as you go plan > >Somewhere there is a site that shows cell towers and there is an app >that shows cell towers for droids. > >The MetroPCS, Straightalk, and all the other budget cell guys are >busting up the large carrier lockin plans. More and more people are >buy >phones at real costs and just buying pay as you go plans. > >If your services is GOOD, then why do I need a contract? Treat me >well, >I will stay. Right now, the budget carriers are being very disruptive. > >HTH > > >> On Apr 5, 2014 9:35 AM, "Charles Shapiro" <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >> Verizon hates you and wishes you harm. >> >> I'm about to enter the bloody fray for a smartphone, but of >course >> I want to put my own build on it. I'm seriously considering >> switching to T-Mobile, just because I think their attitudes >toward >> My Kind might be a little less hostile. Verizon appears to >> believe that they own your phone and its contents. They have a >> history of acting on that belief. >> >> -- CHS >> >> >> On Sat, Apr 5, 2014 at 6:43 AM, William Bagwell >> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >> On Saturday 05 April 2014, Ron Frazier (TECHC) wrote: >> > We leave and go to Walmart. We talk to them about prepaid >> Verizon phones. >> > They have two more phones to show us, as it turns out. We >> buy one (for >> > only $38), without assigning it a phone number, as far as I >> know. >> > However, the cash register did say something about >> activating when they >> > scanned the bar code. I don't know what that did. >> >> As much as I hate Walmart, this was my first stop last time I >> needed a phone. >> Grandfathered in to an old Cingular plan and blessed to have >a >> chip that has >> survived three phones so far. Four if count the one I >borrowed >> for a few >> days... >> >> Walk in with chip in a plastic bag and ask for an AT&T phone >> that uses it, >> pay money and leave before they can sell me something else:) >> -- >> William > > >-- >Damon L. Chesser >[email protected] >http://www.linkedin.com/in/dchesser > > -- Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9 Mail. Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen. (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to call on the phone. I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy mailing lists and such. I don't always see new email messages very quickly.) Ron Frazier 770-205-9422 (O) Leave a message. linuxdude AT techstarship.com _______________________________________________ tech-chat mailing list [email protected] http://lists.linuxmoose.com/mailman/listinfo/tech-chat
