Monty Solomon <SOLOMON@mis.arizona.edu> (07/14/90)
Some friends and I are looking to buy several cellular phones. Which are the best portables? Best transportables? What is the best way to evaluate the quality of cellular phones? Many of the stores here have tie-in deals where you must use a particular cellular phone company for at least three (3) months. Aren't these tie-in deals illegal? The phones are much cheaper when bought this way due to the subsidies from the phone companies. Thanks for any and all advice and comments. [Moderator's Note: The tie-in deals are only illegal in California, although some such deals, like one Ameritech had (still has?) with Fretters is pretty obnoxious and should be illegal in my opinion. Obviously if you expect to get the cellular company to subsidize your purchase, you should expect they will want a commitment to their service. But there are so many cellular phone agents around, surely you can find one selling phones you like requiring commitments to the carrier you prefer to use. PT]
flak@mcgp1.uucp (Dan Flak) (07/17/90)
There have been several enquiries in this newsgroup on "what is the best cellular telephone to buy"? You do not buy just a cellular telephone. You buy a cellular telephone company. Each area is serviced by two cellular companies. Check out which one suits you best. Ask to see their coverage area. After they show you a map covering the entire state, then ask them to show you a map of where their cell sites are located. Generally speaking, the fewer cell sites they have, the more holes they will have in their coverage, the less reliable their system will be (blocked and dropped calls) and the worse voice quality will be. Pay particular attention to those geographic areas you use most. Take a look at their features. Do they have 24 hour per day customer care? What are their "peak hour" windows? Ask them to explain their "roaming" agreements. (If you plan to stay local, roaming won't be as important to you as to someone who travels out of the area a lot). If at all possible, ask people what they think about their service (take this with a grain of salt, people are 16 times more apt to gripe than to praise). As for the hardware, you are open to a lot of choices. Almost any reputable company will make good hardware. There are some brand names you should avoid. Ask whichever company you decide to go with (call them direct, don't rely on a resaler's word) what they think of brand so-and-so. It's amazing how the same few brands always wind up on the bottom of everybody's list. Have your mobile unit installed professionally. If you are serious about having the best service possible, get a roof mounted antenna. You may get away with a glass mounted antenna if you stay within well covered areas at all times. What is best for you depends very much on what your needs are. One company may have great coverage everywhere except where you need it. The other company may have spotty coverage, but cover the areas that are important to you well. You may need a 3/4 wavelength antenna on the roof of your car, or you may remain so well within the coverage areas that a portable, laying horizontal six inches above the pavement in the map case of a metal door on your car will work. (Mine does! As an engineer, I am stumped as to why I receive a signal at all under those conditions). The choice of the cellular carrier, and the quality of the installation are far more important than what type of terminal equipment you buy. Dan Flak - McCaw Cellular Communications Inc., 201 Elliot Ave W., Suite 105, Seattle, Wa 98119, 206-286-4355, (usenet: thebes!mcgp1!flak)