Feeling Cingular

Comments

1. chopchopturtleboy says:
   May 1, 2007 at 5:04 am

   I hear Justin’s pain. My Cingular Nokia 6102i hates most all audio devices, including:

   - Radio Shack Pro-95 police scanner
   - Sony alarm clock radio
   - Conference room speakerphone
   - B&W CM2 stereo speakers

   When driving around, I can tell whenever my phone switches cell towers as it tkktktktttt’s through the Pro-95. I have to use strategery when placing my phone anywhere close to the alarm clock on my nightstand, or else it will wake me up when sqwaking with the network. My co-workers constantly give me the stink-eye in meetings and love to say “Is that your phone?” when the conference call speakerphone starts alerting all to an incoming call. And, now, I can’t get too close to my home stereo for fear of having a Justin-esque asplosion on my sweet, sweet B&W’s.

   And my old AT&T TDMA Nokia 6560 never made a peep.
2. Red_Eye says:
   May 1, 2007 at 11:56 am

   Since I had been originally thinking my wifes radio was defective I hadn’t thought to see if it was her Cingular phone. I contacted them yesterday about obtaining a replacement and they basically said tough luck. You can pay full price for a new phone or whatever.

   From: Cingular Wireless Email Customer Service [mailto:XXXXXXX@cingular.com]
   Sent: Monday, April XXXXXXXXXX
   To: XXXXXXXXXXXXX
   Subject: Re: Cingular Wireless Customer Email – XXXXXX – [TECH]
   (XXXXXXXXXXXXXX)

   Dear Mr. XXXXXXXXX,

   Thank you for contacting Cingular Wireless with your questions regarding
   the replacement of your handset due to the interference received on your
   car radio when the service is used. I do apologize for the
   inconvenience this issue has caused you and I will be happy to assist
   you today.

   The signal for wireless phones is, in essence, a radio signal and can be
   affected by the same structures and interference that would block a
   radio station signal. Please know that network signal strength can
   depend on a variety of factors, including weather, terrain, building
   structure interference, call demand and your device and when the service
   on the handset is used near a radio which is being played, the
   interference that you are hearing will most likely occur. This can also
   happen when using the handset near a microwave. Because of the many
   factors that can affect cell phone signal strength, we are not able to
   guarantee 100% coverage and we would not be able to allow an early
   upgrade due to this issue.

   As your handset will not be eligible for the equipment upgrade process
   until 09/16/05, if you wish to make the purchase of a new handset at
   this time you would need to do so at full retail cost. As this type of
   purchase cannot be made through your online account due to the pricing,
   you would need to either visit your local retail store, or call Customer
   Service at 1-800-331-0500 for assistance. The representative that you
   speak with would be able to advise you of the current retail pricing at
   the time of your inquiry. Since the equipment pricing is subject to
   change at any time, we are not permitted to quote the pricing via email.
   Again Mr. XXXXXXX, I do apologize for the inconvenience and frustration
   this issue has caused you.

   We encourage you to visit our web site, http://www.cingular.com, often to view
   current and previous monthly statements, make payments and to shop for
   new product and service offerings. If you have any further questions or
   concerns please do not hesitate to contact us. We do appreciate the
   fact that you have been a valued customer with us since 12/16/05! Again
   Mr. XXXXXXXXX, thank you for contacting Cingular!

   Sincerely,

   XXXXXXXXXXXXX
   Cingular is now the new AT&T
   Online Customer Care Professional
3. mainfr4me says:
   May 1, 2007 at 9:07 pm

   This is why when I mix sound I try to tell everyone to turn their phones off (band, techs, everyone near the equipment. Not that we’ve had issues, but at least it reduces the possibility. On older equipment I’ve heard the noise pretty good, but a lot of the newer equipment has an easy time with it or no issues at all.
4. MrFlashport says:
   May 2, 2007 at 4:25 am

   If you think a GSM handset causing a buzzing in your audio system is bad, imagine the amount of interference Nextel’s iDEN cell sites are causing our nations’ 800MHz public safety radio systems…it’s akin to a loud roar of a jet engine in your ear and trying to listen to your grandma’s clock radio from across the room. So now we’re shuffling the whole band and it’s going to magically fix it…iDEN is an old early 90′s technology and no one considered the effects of it on existing radio systems.

   Ergo, GSM (2G) dates back to the late 1980′s, and an old air interface like this was developed when not every 9 year old had cellphones and yakked on them for hours on end. We also didn’t have masses of electronics around the house. One must also take into consideration that older consumer electronics built “back then” was usually over engineered compared to todays stamped out everything on a chip in an el cheapo plastic case design.

   FYI CDMA transceivers (such as those used by Verizon, Sprint PCS, Alltel, US Cellular, Cricket and Metro PCS to name a few) don’t cause RFI to devices because their transmitters don’t pulse rapidly and they are spread spectrum in nature so their RF output is spread across 1.5MHz (CDMA2000) channels. CDMA was chosen for the 3G GSM standard as an air interface, so theoretically a Cingular 3GSM phone operating in a 3GSM areas shouldn’t wreck your precious speakers.

   Or you could just follow the manufacturer’s instructions and not place radio transmitting equipment near your audio amplifiers, TV’s or speakers.

   Cellphones are just two-way radios…do remember to turn them OFF in hospitals, near blasting caps, or when near a terrorist bomb or explosive device.
5. El_Fez says:
   May 18, 2011 at 1:27 pm

   Small claims court?