staying connected

[Jason Persoff]

I also have Sprint service and am pretty pleased about it. Here's a link to how I use my PocketPC to storm chase: http://www.swiftmobileweather.com/News/Chasing the Tempest Oct-Nov 2007.htm). This includes how to tether it and where to get the external antenna. I also don't use an amplifier (yet).

For those using PocketPC's and tethering, make sure you have the latest OS update for the Flash ROM. That's very important since it changed the PPC's ability to allows data roaming off the Sprint network (key for taking advantage of whatever service you can pick up!).

As for Mike's comments above: many phones have a soft reset button or a way to soft reset beyond just powering it down. This usually gets rid of any glitches immediately (rather than having to wait an hour). If you have a Smartphone you can download programs that will enable your ability to soft reset easily. The difference between a soft and a hard reset is a hard reset completely resets the phone to its original manufacturing specs (taking away any customization you have made) whereas a soft reset gets rid of all volatile memory and reboots the OS.

I hope this helps! Data for me last year was great--I was connected on almost every country road in the TX panhandle. Each year that coverage expands an amazing amount!

 

[Bob Schafer]

I went to a Sprint store in Pueblo CO in January with the intent to purchase a data card with an external antenna port. The rep in the Sprint store told me that I could not get such a thing compatible with XP and the "Express" card slot in my new HP laptop. (I intended to remove Vista and load XP, but have since changed my mind.) David now tells me that this is typical, i.e. that the Sprint rep didn't know what he was talking about.

So, I talked to a Verizon rep at another store who informed me that I could get broadband at home (11 miles from Holly CO) as well as have XP compatibility and an external antenna port with a Verizon card. I bought it and signed on the bottom line.

Well, on Sunday I attempted to connect in Perryton TX, and continued to attempt to get data all the way from there to Seiling OK, then down to I-40. I got NOTHING across all that real estate. I was also using an amp/external antenna from Gordon (I never did get an antenna to plug directly into the express card). That's not the fault of Gordon's equipment, just a complete lack of Verizon service in that broad area.

I could swear Verizon is supposed to have at least SOME service in the NE TX PH and NW OK, albeit roaming service at dial-up speeds, but.... nada.

I still don't regret going with Verizon, and wouldn't change my mind, because of getting 1.2Mbps at home without having to be paying for another service. I stayed pretty well connected once I approached, and got south of, I-40.

 

[David Drummond]

Yeah, I have found MANY times Sprint reps, especially in the store and even more so in the reseller stores, don't have a CLUE when it comes to the data cards. Almost all of the card offerings now from Sprint except the USB one's are express slot cards. Most of those reps have no interest in selling you anything but a new phone and a contract on it, since that's the best commission.

I went in to the local Sprint company owned store and had my old data card and my new one that I purchased on eBay just to the activation switched out. They were very uninterested in helping me until he looked up the account and went WHOA that's a big account! (It's activated on the TV Station's account). Took less than 5 minutes after that! LOL

 

[Tony Cook]

This Alltel issue may be a deal breaker for me. I've been thinking of signing up as price wise they seem to be best because they have month to month if not day to day tethering. I thought it was comparable to Sprint because supposedly they all have agreements to share towers, etc. If connectivity is an issue though I might be better off going with the (much) higher Sprint option that seems to work really well for Drummond.

Tony, you should contact Alltel data support and see if they can tell you anything intelligent about this error message and situation. Let us all know what you find.

Okay, I called tech support again, and got the same blurb about checking the options on ControlPanel->InternetOptions->Connections->Alltel->Settings dialog page. The support person did say that you need at least two bars for data. I think I had at least two bars when I was getting the "Invalid username" error, but not 100% sure.

Another thing that happens on my laptop sometimes is that I cannot get the Dialing program to restart. In other words, I go to NetworkConnections, and under Dial-up, I have an entry for Alltel which brings up the dialing program. I click that entry, and the program won't start (no reaction at all- no error messages, nothing). This just happened a few minutes ago, and has happened a couple of times during chases this year. I have to reboot the system to fix it, which is an extreme annoyance during a chase, since I typically have Delorme, GR3, and about 5 firefox sessions going.

I will say that Alltel has performed almost flawlessly the last two years in the state of Texas, with the exception of some areas just NW of Austin in the Hill country. Tethering in general is just a pain, and it ties up the phone line, but it's SO much cheaper than the $60/monthx2 years. Still can't quite convince myself to switch.

TonyC

 

[Bob Hartig]

Every once in a great while I'll get the username or password invalid on this server message at home, where I know I'm good. It would last a looong time...They told me to try and leave the battery out of the phone for an hour. Every single time I've had this problem at home, this has fixed it.

Thanks for sharing that, Mike. It's valuable info for me, anyway. I love the price and the no-contract arrangement of Alltel's tethering, but the dropped connections can be a hair-tearer, particularly the kind you've mentioned. It DOES last forever! Nice to know I'm not the only chaser who's lost a few follicles over this, and even nicer to learn of an actual, proven solution.

I'd go for a Sprint aircard in a heartbeat if I could afford it, but unfortunately, right now I'm working with an Alltel tethering budget.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Thanks for sharing that, Mike. It's valuable info for me, anyway. I love the price and the no-contract arrangement of Alltel's tethering, but the dropped connections can be a hair-tearer, particularly the kind you've mentioned. It DOES last forever! Nice to know I'm not the only chaser who's lost a few follicles over this, and even nicer to learn of an actual, proven solution.

I'd go for a Sprint aircard in a heartbeat if I could afford it, but unfortunately, right now I'm working with an Alltel tethering budget.

Well the Alltel tethering plan, imo, really does work great. If it's not, it's usually a computer issue, or this sprint tower thing. The other thing is the phone problem that I mentioned. I hope your phone has the soft reset option that Jason mentioned. That sounds like it would make this infrequent issue that much more of a non-issue. I don't see how to do this "soft reset" on my RAZR V3M yet.

 

[Bill Tabor]

I had the same problem all yesterday afternoon in S/SE OK. This was from a tethering setup, not a card. The exact error message I was getting from my dialing program was:
"691 Access was denied because the user name and/or password was invalid on the domain."

I had the same thing happen on March 3rd in Southern MS. Very frustrating...

TonyC

Yeah I was out chasing yesterday most of the time using my Verizon Expressnet connection which is 1xrtt, but around Mineral Wells I got a similar, if not the same error message as you Tony. It simply was unable to connect. I switched to my Verizon Quick 2 Net connection and it worked fine but of course much slower. Quick2Net is a digital 14.4 packet switched connection. I suppose I should review the Verizon maps. Anybody else have issues yesterday? What does this crazy error mean?

 

[Bill Tabor]

The support person did say that you need at least two bars for data. I think I had at least two bars when I was getting the "Invalid username" error, but not 100% sure.

Hmm...that could be it. I believe I was in a somewhat hilly rural area at the time and bars were low- I'd say 1 or 2 bars. Perhaps I need a digital cell amplifier.

 

[Bill Tabor]

I went in to the local Sprint company owned store and had my old data card and my new one that I purchased on eBay just to the activation switched out. They were very uninterested in helping me until he looked up the account and went WHOA that's a big account! (It's activated on the TV Station's account). Took less than 5 minutes after that! LOL

Interesting. I wonder if I need to sign up for a contract with Sprint if I don't have to purchase and finance the phone with them? I wonder if I bought it separate off Ebay or Craig's list if I could then just connect it to their service? Perhaps they would even let me do a more flexible month to month on data? What do you think?

 

[Ben Holcomb]

That sounds too customer advantageous. I doubt they would go for it. I know Verizon will not let you do that even if you own the phone. You have to sign at least a 1 year agreement.

 

[Gordon Spencer]

Did I hear someone say Amplifier !!!! , LOL

Hmm...that could be it. I believe I was in a somewhat hilly rural area at the time and bars were low- I'd say 1 or 2 bars. Perhaps I need a digital cell amplifier.

 

[Tony Laubach]

Did I hear someone say Amplifier !!!! , LOL

Hehehe... actually the April 3 chase was the worst in terms of connection issues, even with the amplifier. While I would quickly go uot to say I was in a very rural area southeast of Wichita Falls (along with 90% of the active chasing community), I was also having issues getting a solid connection along I-35 just south of OKC (where I believe Sprint is suppose to have super-ultra-high-speed).

Thursday was by far the worst time I had with maintaining a connection, and I don't have any place to point as to why that would've been. The amp's light was on, but no one was home I guess. With that, I say I have found my first big hole for data; the area surrounding Forestburg, Texas.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

Well, after a 2100 mile, 4 day chase episode, I will post my findings on using AT&T Data Service. I use a Sierra 881 Data Card with USB connection. I also use a 3 foot USB extension cable so I can sit the 881 on the dash. No amp and no external antenna.
I left Birmingham, AL, went through mid MS and into S. LA and back into mid LA on the first day. I lost connection for less than 3 minutes somewhere back in the woods of S. LA.
From there the next day, headed through SW AR, N. TX, and SE OK. Service was exceptional, even in really rural areas. No lost connections at all.
The next day was spent in S. OK, and N. TX chasing. Throughout the entire day, I was exceptionally happy with the connection. In one rural area about 90 miles NW of Dallas, between Jacksboro and Sunset, I lost connection for about 3 - 5 minutes. As soon as I went up and down a few more hills, I again had connection for the rest of the day.
Day four was spent from West TX through N. LA through mid LA, Mid MS, and through S. Central AL and then back to Birmingham. The only time I lost connection was in Vickburg, MS right after the tornado hit. I guess the connections were lost due to the storms, as this was on I-20.
All in all, I was very pleased with the service. Obviously there are many more areas to check with my next few trips into OK, KS, NE, etc, but so far so good.

 

[J Kinkaid]

Dennis have you ever have any issues with having signal but not being able to get data with your att card ? I have has issues with ATT in MS in roaming areas receiving data even with 5 bars mainly on Highway 98 west in a known roaming area and also again outside of Mccomb,MS

 

[Bill Tabor]

Did I hear someone say Amplifier !!!! , LOL

Yep true. If I knew which solution provider I was going to go with I'd buy one. Maybe it doesn't matter as long as you know it is EVDO?