K750i working with Cingular: Spotchy Connection

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ikjadoon

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Hi. I have a K750i, thankfully unbranded and updated with firmware R1CA021 America_2. Sony Ericsson has been the best supporting me with this problem. Bravo, Sony, Bravo!

Well, as you know the K750i does NOT include the 850 band, a band supposedly used heavily with Cingular. I actually contacted Cingular and they have confirmed that in my particular area they use the 1800 and 1900 band, bands which this phone clearly has.

The phone sometimes will "see" the Cingular Network, usually 2-3 bars. I have made several calls, when I do get reception. I don't expect anything more, though my previous phone, the K700i, recieved near Quad-Band reception. I thought that this phone may have a problem with it's internal antenna and Sony has so far sent me 3 K750i's, and all with the similar problem. When it does not see the Cingular Network, I have 4-5 bars, but instead of saying Cingular as the Operator logo, I see instead " Emerg. calls only". I have unable to make a call, I have not yet tried to dial 911, though I may test it.

What I am really confused is how my old K700i got good to great reception, but this phone has somewhat limited coverage, if any. Sometimes when it reads "Emerg. Calls Only" I can manually select Cingular as my network and I will get some reception.

What is wrong? I have wondered, would one of those Phone Antenna Boosters work? I have been battling this problem for many months now, but all I have done is just get many replacement phones. The local Cingular person said that there may be an internal setting that is stopping me from acessing their network, but then why have I been able to get reception and make calls?

I know this is probably an extremely stupid question, but there isn't a way to add a band? I am pretty sure the answer is no, but I guess I just need another person to fully kill and bury this little hope.

Any help will be greatly appreciated and thank you just for reading this sob story.

~Ibrahim~
 
Those cell phone antenna boosters won't work. They're pretty much a gimmick. However, what you can do is get an external antenna for your phone. I don't have my K750 anymore, so I don't remember if it has a jack for it. Another thing you can do is get a 2-watt amp for it. You can use any search engine and some sites will be brought up.

Adding a band can't be done in terms of software, that is a hardware issure. And even if you try to mess with the phones hardware (which you probably don't want to do), you will be voiding the warranty.

I don't like telling people that you're SOL. But for using the K750 here in the US, you are. Like you said calls are spotty, and you'll be like that guy in the early Verizon commercials; moving around and asking "can you hear me now?"...very embarrassing. I had one before and I would've loved to keep the phone. But after the 'wow' factor was gone, and no matter how many features it had, it became very frustrating when all your calls are not clear. I later sold it (grudgingly) and got a W600i. Probably the best thing you can do is sell your K750i and get a W810i. Or if you still lean on the look of the K-series, you can wait for the K790a...I know I am. Sorry about that, but I hope that helps you out.
 
That is OK, no need to be sorry. Yeah, the W810i is pretty much the equivlant of the K750i except that it has a different case which has no camera cover, comes with a 512MB stick, and a very cool pair of head phones.

I really hate having to move around the phone to even get a weak signal. I don't think I will get the W810i, though. I might give this K750i to someone oversea relatives, they might be able to get some better luck out of it.

I'm with you: I am saving up for a K790a.

I've looked at some of those external amplifiers, but I not sure how to say this. It just doesn't look cool to have an external antenna on a phone....Kind of weird. I've read about "retuning" a band to another band, but, of course, that would void any warranty. I may try it later, as it ends in 90 days, but probably not.

Again, no need to feel sorry. It has been in the back of my head, that it won't work. I guess I can live with "spotchy" connection until the K790a is released, maybe a slight while later for a lower price. Hey, my birthday is coming soon, lol.

I actually had a K700i as a gift, and when that broke, SE came and upgraded me to a K750i. While it may not get/recieve calls it still is a pretty good MP3 player and a great camera. Games aren't that bad, still trying to beat Aero Mission 3D on Beginner. I think I need more practice. Again, thank you for your help!

~Ibrahim~
 
Whoa...SE upgraded your phone from a K700 to a K750? Were you under warranty when that happened? They couldn't offer me any help when I had my issues with my K750. But then again, that was almost a year ago. Their support now is awesome, they'll help you out in every way. I was thinking the same thing about the external antennas. I'm currently changing a new housing for the W600 so that it almost looks like an odsidian black W900...now that would have been my perfect phone.
 
Well, it is a bit of a long story. I originally had a K700i whose joystick was not working correctly, so I sent it in. A few months later, I get a call telling me that the screen is broken. I'm confused, why wouldn't they tell me the screen was broke when they got it? Up until that phone call, I was *always* told that my phone was being repaired, they were just awaiting some parts. I wrote a nice (emphasis on "nice") letter to them, to which they told me there weren't any K700's left, just Z520as. I personally don't like flip phones, so I declined. I, almost jokingly, asked if there were any K750i's. I'm sure you know the large difference between a K700 and a K750. They said yes and so here I am... Oh yeah, the support is a load better now. Good luck with the new housing!

~Ibrahim~
 
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