Nokia 2280 CDMA handheld range - any better?

[Bruce Graham]

I do 4WD and cycle outback touring and need good handheld CDMA coverage.
My wife has a Nokia 2280 which has a pull-up antenna and it has worked
really well for us. I think the pull up antenna adds a bit of range. A
patch cord and external antenna is not practical on the bike. Now, I
think the Nokia 2280 has been replaced by the 2112. I couldn't see a
pull up antenna on the 2112. Is the 2112 range as good as the 2280 or
should I buy one of the last 2280's still in stock?

Thanks - Bruce

[Nick]

Bruce

I agree the CDMA Nokia 2280 does appear to have excellent range.

We recently up at Cradle Mountain (Doherty's Hotel) where there was only a
one bar CDMA signal on each of 2 Nokia 2280 phones, 1 on Telstra CDMA
prepay the other an Orange phone roaming on Telstra CDMA.

Both were able to support perfect phone calls one one bar (to my amazement)
but it did require 3 things to be done namely:

1. pull up antenna;

2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing towards
the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones faced
north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and, lastly
and most importantly

3. when holding the phone ensure that your fingers are holding only the
bottom of the phone and don't have a finger over the top of the back of the
phone. Believe or not this made the difference between having a perfect call
on one bar and no call, the clue to doing this coming form the 2280
handbook.

Now it might sound like rubish but this worked perfectly on both phones.

My my wife also had a Samsung CDMA phone at Cradle Mountain but even with
its antenna raised it did not regoister a signal.

Doherty's Hotel is at the start of the national park once you go futher in
towards the other hotels you get no signal.

In terms of whether any of the newer phone are as good I don't know but
artermy experience in Tas I will be hanging on to it as long as I can.

Nick

"Bruce Graham" <jbgraham@nowhere.com.au> wrote in message
news:MPG.1c4730f19a1f7e629897fb@news.optusnet.com. au...
> I do 4WD and cycle outback touring and need good handheld CDMA coverage.
> My wife has a Nokia 2280 which has a pull-up antenna and it has worked
> really well for us. I think the pull up antenna adds a bit of range. A
> patch cord and external antenna is not practical on the bike. Now, I
> think the Nokia 2280 has been replaced by the 2112. I couldn't see a
> pull up antenna on the 2112. Is the 2112 range as good as the 2280 or
> should I buy one of the last 2280's still in stock?
>
> Thanks - Bruce
>
>

[Michael]

> 1. pull up antenna;
>
> 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing
towards
> the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones faced
> north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and,
lastly
> and most importantly
>
> 3. when holding the phone ensure that your fingers are holding only the
> bottom of the phone and don't have a finger over the top of the back of
the
> phone. Believe or not this made the difference between having a perfect
call
> on one bar and no call, the clue to doing this coming form the 2280
> handbook.
>
> Now it might sound like rubish but this worked perfectly on both phones.

Point 2's probably rubbish but 1 and 3 are very sensible.

> My my wife also had a Samsung CDMA phone at Cradle Mountain but even with
> its antenna raised it did not regoister a signal.

Either faulty or crap quality

[The Family]

My $35 (approx) Hyundai Gulliver worked fine from Doherty's - 2 bars. I
think I've paid an additional $15 in recharges over the 4 years or so that
I've owned it. Thanks Telstra! But the 'unlimited' monthly service plan is
about to change :(



"Michael" <michael@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:oW6Dd.106289$K7.88124@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>> 1. pull up antenna;
>>
>> 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing
> towards
>> the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones
>> faced
>> north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and,
> lastly
>> and most importantly
>>
>> 3. when holding the phone ensure that your fingers are holding only the
>> bottom of the phone and don't have a finger over the top of the back of
> the
>> phone. Believe or not this made the difference between having a perfect
> call
>> on one bar and no call, the clue to doing this coming form the 2280
>> handbook.
>>
>> Now it might sound like rubish but this worked perfectly on both phones.
>
> Point 2's probably rubbish but 1 and 3 are very sensible.
>
>> My my wife also had a Samsung CDMA phone at Cradle Mountain but even
>> with
>> its antenna raised it did not regoister a signal.
>
> Either faulty or crap quality
>
>
>

[Bruce Graham]

In article <dR5Dd.106176$K7.22487@news-server.bigpond.net.au>,
nick345@mpxa.com.au says...
> Bruce
>
> I agree the CDMA Nokia 2280 does appear to have excellent range.
>
> We recently up at Cradle Mountain (Doherty's Hotel) where there was only a
> one bar CDMA signal on each of 2 Nokia 2280 phones, 1 on Telstra CDMA
> prepay the other an Orange phone roaming on Telstra CDMA.
>
> Both were able to support perfect phone calls one one bar (to my amazement)
> but it did require 3 things to be done namely:
>
> 1. pull up antenna;
>
> 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing towards
> the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones faced
> north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and, lastly
> and most importantly
>
> 3. when holding the phone ensure that your fingers are holding only the
> bottom of the phone and don't have a finger over the top of the back of the
> phone. Believe or not this made the difference between having a perfect call
> on one bar and no call, the clue to doing this coming form the 2280
> handbook.
>
> Now it might sound like rubish but this worked perfectly on both phones.
>
> My my wife also had a Samsung CDMA phone at Cradle Mountain but even with
> its antenna raised it did not regoister a signal.
>
> Doherty's Hotel is at the start of the national park once you go futher in
> towards the other hotels you get no signal.
>
> In terms of whether any of the newer phone are as good I don't know but
> artermy experience in Tas I will be hanging on to it as long as I can.
>
> Nick
>
> "Bruce Graham" <jbgraham@nowhere.com.au> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1c4730f19a1f7e629897fb@news.optusnet.com. au...
> > I do 4WD and cycle outback touring and need good handheld CDMA coverage.
> > My wife has a Nokia 2280 which has a pull-up antenna and it has worked
> > really well for us. I think the pull up antenna adds a bit of range. A
> > patch cord and external antenna is not practical on the bike. Now, I
> > think the Nokia 2280 has been replaced by the 2112. I couldn't see a
> > pull up antenna on the 2112. Is the 2112 range as good as the 2280 or
> > should I buy one of the last 2280's still in stock?
> >
> > Thanks - Bruce
> >
Nick

Yes, I was regularly making calls on wifes Nokia 2280 with just the
antenna indicator showing (no bars) on a cycle trip from Melbourne to
Longreach last year. The range was often better than the Telstra
coverage maps by a big margin. My experience agrees with all of your
hints for getting maximum range, including head orientation. It seems to
me that the head might be working as a reflector, especially if you place
the phone a few inches into space away from your ear. I'm not sure about
that tho. Of course, the other trick is to get as high as possible, like
standing on the roofrack of a 4WD or climbing a tree.

I'd still like to hear of more comparisons with the newer 2112 or any
others before I buy.

Bruce

[Michael]

"The Family" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:41dd06e8$1@duster.adelaide.on.net...
> My $35 (approx) Hyundai Gulliver worked fine from Doherty's - 2 bars. I
> think I've paid an additional $15 in recharges over the 4 years or so that
> I've owned it. Thanks Telstra! But the 'unlimited' monthly service plan
is
> about to change :(

All good things must come to an end, number one

[Paul Day]

Nick <nick345@mpxa.com.au> wrote:
> Both were able to support perfect phone calls one one bar (to my amazement)

Yeah, I've noticed that too. You're in the middle of nowhere, it's
barely showing one bar, you think "there's no way this'll get through,
let alone be audible" but pull out the antenna and sure enough, it's
perfect quality.

PD

--
Paul Day Web: www.bur.st/~paul GPG Key ID: 7FF655A8

[Paul Day]

Michael <michael@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing
> towards
> > the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones faced
> > north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and,
> lastly
> > and most importantly
>
> Point 2's probably rubbish but 1 and 3 are very sensible.

I disagree. The first half of point 2 is definitely sensible. You're
ensuring the signal from the phone is horizontally polarised, just like
the base-station's antennas are. This will definitely increase the
strength of the signal received by the base. Regardless of how small
that gain might be, in a DX situation it might be all that's needed to
get the call through.

PD

--
Paul Day Web: www.bur.st/~paul GPG Key ID: 7FF655A8

[Paul Day]

The Family <someone@somewhere.com> wrote:
> My $35 (approx) Hyundai Gulliver worked fine from Doherty's - 2 bars. I
> think I've paid an additional $15 in recharges over the 4 years or so that
> I've owned it. Thanks Telstra! But the 'unlimited' monthly service plan is
> about to change :(

I keep mine on a $0/month Southern Cross Telco
(http://www.sctelco.com.au/Mobile%20new.htm) plan. Calls costs are quite
reasonable, I'm not paying for it the months I'm not using it and don't
need to remember to refill a pre-pay.

Haven't had any experience with them before this, but so far they've
been ok.

PD

--
Paul Day Web: www.bur.st/~paul GPG Key ID: 7FF655A8

[Michael]

"Paul Day" <nospampaul@nospam.bur.st> wrote in message
news:1105091886.24385@sweep...
> Nick <nick345@mpxa.com.au> wrote:
> > Both were able to support perfect phone calls one one bar (to my
amazement)
>
> Yeah, I've noticed that too. You're in the middle of nowhere, it's
> barely showing one bar, you think "there's no way this'll get through,
> let alone be audible" but pull out the antenna and sure enough, it's
> perfect quality.

thats because you have a GSM mentality

[Albinus]

Nick wrote:

> Both were able to support perfect phone calls one one bar (to my amazement)
> but it did require 3 things to be done namely:

That's the beauty of CDMA - even with no bars showing a clear call can
usually be made, unlike the majority of circumstances with GSM. Also,
signal strength can't be compared from phone to phone well without
engineering menus, as different phones have different ratings in bars
from incoming signals.


> 1. pull up antenna;

So many people don't do this - although the effect can be only marginal
at times, one advantage on a long call with an extended antenna is
longer talk time, due to the lower power the transmitter has to operate at.


> 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing towards
> the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones faced
> north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and, lastly
> and most importantly

Not necessarily - with an extended antenna, its radiation pattern is
omnidirectional, despite your head being partly in the way the signal
isn't really affected that much. However, many phones with internal
antennas (which are directional) can be made to perform better in fringe
areas by doing what you have described. Also by taking the case off - a
surprising amount of signal (around 5dBm IME) is blocked by the leather
case.


> 3. when holding the phone ensure that your fingers are holding only the
> bottom of the phone and don't have a finger over the top of the back of the
> phone. Believe or not this made the difference between having a perfect call
> on one bar and no call, the clue to doing this coming form the 2280
> handbook.

That's also a good point - because if your fingers are coming into
contact with the antenna assembly, it reduces the antenna's
effectiveness, as some of the signal is lost in your finger, as heat,
instead of being radiated out.


Albinus.

[Rod Speed]

"Paul Day" <nospampaul@nospam.bur.st> wrote in message
news:1105092027.133945@sweep...
> Michael <michael@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> > 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing
>> towards
>> > the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones faced
>> > north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and,
>> lastly
>> > and most importantly
>>
>> Point 2's probably rubbish but 1 and 3 are very sensible.

> I disagree. The first half of point 2 is definitely sensible.
> You're ensuring the signal from the phone is horizontally
> polarised, just like the base-station's antennas are.

Nope.

> This will definitely increase the strength
> of the signal received by the base.

It may help not having to go thru the ape's head to a small extent.

> Regardless of how small that gain might be, in a DX situation
> it might be all that's needed to get the call through.

[RockyRoad]

> > My $35 (approx) Hyundai Gulliver worked fine from Doherty's - 2 bars. I
> > think I've paid an additional $15 in recharges over the 4 years or so that
> > I've owned it. Thanks Telstra! But the 'unlimited' monthly service plan
> is
> > about to change :(

I'm still using the Hyundai Gullible also. Got it when Telstra was
pushing them cheap with their first CDMA pre-paid plan (can't remember
the name).

Yes, it will be sad to get switched to Pre-Paid Puss, where there is a
minimum cost per 6 months.

Is there an alternative CDMA Prepaid? I only use it as a backup.

--
Rocky Road - in Oz

[Bruce Graham]

In article <41df5e51$0$25649$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>,
albinus@spam-this.com says...
> Nick wrote:
>
> > Both were able to support perfect phone calls one one bar (to my amazement)
> > but it did require 3 things to be done namely:
>
> That's the beauty of CDMA - even with no bars showing a clear call can
> usually be made, unlike the majority of circumstances with GSM. Also,
> signal strength can't be compared from phone to phone well without
> engineering menus, as different phones have different ratings in bars
> from incoming signals.
>
>
> > 1. pull up antenna;
>
> So many people don't do this - although the effect can be only marginal
> at times, one advantage on a long call with an extended antenna is
> longer talk time, due to the lower power the transmitter has to operate at.
>
>
> > 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing towards
> > the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones faced
> > north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and, lastly
> > and most importantly
>
> Not necessarily - with an extended antenna, its radiation pattern is
> omnidirectional, despite your head being partly in the way the signal
> isn't really affected that much. However, many phones with internal
> antennas (which are directional) can be made to perform better in fringe
> areas by doing what you have described. Also by taking the case off - a
> surprising amount of signal (around 5dBm IME) is blocked by the leather
> case.
>
>
> > 3. when holding the phone ensure that your fingers are holding only the
> > bottom of the phone and don't have a finger over the top of the back of the
> > phone. Believe or not this made the difference between having a perfect call
> > on one bar and no call, the clue to doing this coming form the 2280
> > handbook.
>
> That's also a good point - because if your fingers are coming into
> contact with the antenna assembly, it reduces the antenna's
> effectiveness, as some of the signal is lost in your finger, as heat,
> instead of being radiated out.
>
>
> Albinus.
>
Thanks everybody for an interesting thread so far. In terms of my
original question about the superiority or otherwise of the Nokia 2280, I
only got a few data points, so it is not conclusive and I'll continue to
use my wifes 2280 in the bush for now rather than buying another one.

If anybody has further opinions on best CDMA handset (for range), I'd
still be interested. I couldn't find much by googling.

Bruce Graham

[Paul Day]

RockyRoad <Rockyroad@invalid.com.invalid> wrote:
> Is there an alternative CDMA Prepaid? I only use it as a backup.

See my post elsewhere in the three about Southern Cross Telco. They
resell it as a $0/month plan with reasonable call costs.

PD

--
Paul Day Web: www.bur.st/~paul GPG Key ID: 7FF655A8

[RockyRoad]

In article <1105193362.627254@sweep>,
Paul Day <nospampaul@nospam.bur.st> wrote:

> RockyRoad <Rockyroad@invalid.com.invalid> wrote:
> > Is there an alternative CDMA Prepaid? I only use it as a backup.
>
> See my post elsewhere in the three about Southern Cross Telco. They
> resell it as a $0/month plan with reasonable call costs.

Do they use the Telstra CDMA network?

--
Rocky Road - in Oz

[kubalister]

RockyRoad wrote:
> In article <1105193362.627254@sweep>,
> Paul Day <nospampaul@nospam.bur.st> wrote:
>
>
>>RockyRoad <Rockyroad@invalid.com.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>>Is there an alternative CDMA Prepaid? I only use it as a backup.
>>
>>See my post elsewhere in the three about Southern Cross Telco. They
>>resell it as a $0/month plan with reasonable call costs.
>
>
> Do they use the Telstra CDMA network?

YES
http://www.scmobile.com.au/index.htm

[Paul Day]

RockyRoad <Rockyroad@invalid.com.invalid> wrote:
> In article <1105193362.627254@sweep>,
> > See my post elsewhere in the three about Southern Cross Telco. They
> > resell it as a $0/month plan with reasonable call costs.
>
> Do they use the Telstra CDMA network?

Yup, they just resell Telstra CDMA and Telstra GSM.

PD

--
Paul Day Web: www.bur.st/~paul GPG Key ID: 7FF655A8

[thegoons]

To buy one cheaper, buy a Telstra Prepaid Plus pack with Nokia 2280 +
starter pack. Use up the credit, call them up and ask them to terminate the
service, then do an ESN change on the other CDMA service (number) you wish
to keep.

"Bruce Graham" <jbgraham@nowhere.com.au> wrote in message
news:MPG.1c4a6df5c9390332989800@news.optusnet.com. au...
> In article <41df5e51$0$25649$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>,
> albinus@spam-this.com says...
>> Nick wrote:
>>
>> > Both were able to support perfect phone calls one one bar (to my
>> > amazement)
>> > but it did require 3 things to be done namely:
>>
>> That's the beauty of CDMA - even with no bars showing a clear call can
>> usually be made, unlike the majority of circumstances with GSM. Also,
>> signal strength can't be compared from phone to phone well without
>> engineering menus, as different phones have different ratings in bars
>> from incoming signals.
>>
>>
>> > 1. pull up antenna;
>>
>> So many people don't do this - although the effect can be only marginal
>> at times, one advantage on a long call with an extended antenna is
>> longer talk time, due to the lower power the transmitter has to operate
>> at.
>>
>>
>> > 2. ensure phone is held upright with the back of the phone pointing
>> > towards
>> > the direction of the base station, (I ensured the back of the phones
>> > faced
>> > north AT Cradle Mountain were I estimated the base station was) and,
>> > lastly
>> > and most importantly
>>
>> Not necessarily - with an extended antenna, its radiation pattern is
>> omnidirectional, despite your head being partly in the way the signal
>> isn't really affected that much. However, many phones with internal
>> antennas (which are directional) can be made to perform better in fringe
>> areas by doing what you have described. Also by taking the case off - a
>> surprising amount of signal (around 5dBm IME) is blocked by the leather
>> case.
>>
>>
>> > 3. when holding the phone ensure that your fingers are holding only the
>> > bottom of the phone and don't have a finger over the top of the back of
>> > the
>> > phone. Believe or not this made the difference between having a perfect
>> > call
>> > on one bar and no call, the clue to doing this coming form the 2280
>> > handbook.
>>
>> That's also a good point - because if your fingers are coming into
>> contact with the antenna assembly, it reduces the antenna's
>> effectiveness, as some of the signal is lost in your finger, as heat,
>> instead of being radiated out.
>>
>>
>> Albinus.
>>
> Thanks everybody for an interesting thread so far. In terms of my
> original question about the superiority or otherwise of the Nokia 2280, I
> only got a few data points, so it is not conclusive and I'll continue to
> use my wifes 2280 in the bush for now rather than buying another one.
>
> If anybody has further opinions on best CDMA handset (for range), I'd
> still be interested. I couldn't find much by googling.
>
> Bruce Graham

[Michael]

"RockyRoad" <Rockyroad@invalid.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:Rockyroad-8B1894.21262908012005@nasal.pacific.net.au...
>
>
> > > My $35 (approx) Hyundai Gulliver worked fine from Doherty's - 2 bars.
I
> > > think I've paid an additional $15 in recharges over the 4 years or so
that
> > > I've owned it. Thanks Telstra! But the 'unlimited' monthly service
plan
> > is
> > > about to change :(
>
> I'm still using the Hyundai Gullible also. Got it when Telstra was
> pushing them cheap with their first CDMA pre-paid plan (can't remember
> the name).

Telstra TopUp, with the $10 per month access fee, $0.33 per day