loggenrock
New Hampshire
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Joined: 06/28/2007
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I liked the other posters question - what PROGRAMMING is updated??? I use *228 monthly to update roaming - but what programming changes are we talking about? ST
2003 Roadtrek 190P Chevy 3500, and a pair of Limmers...
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pulsar
Lewisville, NC
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Joined: 12/30/2001
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Here is what Verizon posts on their web site:
"Failure to program your phone will result in an inaccurate roaming indicator display of your calling area and may cause additional charges."
and
"By performing this update your phone will stay on the Verizon Wireless network and/or digital service whenever possible. Also, for most price plans after 2/1/2002 the phone roam indicator will turn off/on in accordance to the price plan you have chosen."
I agree that one should periodically update their PRL.
Tom
2002 Adventurer 32V - Workhorse chassis
1998 CRV toad - manual transmission
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BillArf
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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For those curious about Option 3 when you dial *228 on your Verizon cellphone:
Select option 3 to change your own ESN... just call it from the Verizon cellphone you "want to use" and tell it your phone number.
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Gene&Ginny
North Kingstown, RI
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BillArf wrote: ... Use *22899 which updates PRL AND updates programming in one easy step...
Just tried it and phone showed "programming update". 40 seconds later it showed programming complete or some such thing. When I pressed ok it rebooted the phone. I got a little nervous when it showed "searching for service" for about 30 seconds, I thought I broke something but it all came up ok. I think my evdo and tx both show more bars than before.
Thanks Bill
Gene and DW Ginny
2008 Toyota 4Runner 4.7L V8 w/factory towing option
2002 Sunline Solaris Lite T2363
Reese Dual Cam Straight Line HP Sway Control
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Deus Ex Machina
Central New Jersey
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Question, does an updated PRL mean that you card will prefer a Verizon tower with 3G server, over a partner tower that has no 3G but has a stronger signal?
I've run into the problem at some campsites where my card would prefer a partner tower over a Verizon one, just because the signal was a bit stronger. Of course, the end result was that the Internet crawled at a snail's pace becuase the partner tower wasn't 3G.
If this is the case, I'll be sure to force the PRL update whenever I set up camp.
Paul
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daverich
Northwest Missouri
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Thanks Bill.
I just did it.
That is what is so good about this forum. You can get all kinds of good information.
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beesnana09
Nevada
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What exactly is a "PRL"?
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pulsar
Lewisville, NC
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beesnana09 wrote:What exactly is a "PRL"?
I will take a stab at your question. Note that most of my information comes from a short, perhaps 5 minutes, conversation with a Verizon engineer. Also, that discussion was more than a year ago. Since I suffer from CRS, you should assume that part of this information may be distorted.
'PRL' stands for "Preferred Roaming List." Thus, a PRL is a database. The PRL is divided into geographic regions. Each division contains a priority list of frequencies that a cellular device should scan, and a priority list of carrier identifiers.
In different regions of the country, a particular carrier will use different frequencies. The PRL tells a device which frequencies it should scan first. The identifiers tell it which carriers to prefer.
As an example, suppose has a Verizon phone and is in a region that has no Verizon tower, a weak signal from an Alltel tower, and a strong signal from a Sprint tower. (Yes, I know that Verizon has bought Alltel, but I had to come up with something to use in the example. Pretend that the purchase wasn't made.) Since there is no Verizon tower, the phone will look at the PRL to decide whether it should try to connect to the Alltel tower or the Sprint tower. Suppose that the database tells the device to prefer Alltel. Then, the device will attempt to connect to the Alltel tower, even though the signal from the Sprint tower is stronger.
A PRL could also have "negative" information that would tell the device not to connect to a particular carrier's tower.
OK, that's my story.
Tom
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ata3001
Niagara Falls, NY
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I just tried 228 & 22899. All I get is a message from Verizon that the call cannot be completed as dialed..... Hmmmmm
Ron & BJ
2008 Dutchmen Freedom Spirit FS180 (24 FT) w/full factory dark tinted glass & front window
2007 Dodge Ram 4 WD, Quad Cab, Big Horn Edition, 5.7L Hemi w/tow pkg, 3.92, Prodigy
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mavapa
Rome, Ga, USA
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Joined: 11/08/2002
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ata3001, are you dialing the * in the number (*228)?
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