Forcing 2g on the 6280?

[ATZ]

Hello all,

I recently upgraded my 6630 on three as they rang and offered me a free 6280, I stupidly agreed. Now on my old 6630 I had lots of problems with reception until I downloaded the FTD application from symbian-freak.com, best thing I've ever done as I got flawless reception everywhere by forcing it to use GSM only.

I recived my new 6280 y'day and after reading round was worried although I've had no bugs as of yet and its operating on V3.36 on three!!

My problem is, (as when I first got my 6630) reception is far too variable at home - house has thick stone walls, it keeps trying to find full 3G when GSM will suffice and its sapping the battery with its constant switching between 2G and 3G. So question is: Is there anyway of forcing the network protocol on it? I've yet to find anything :(

Some general thoughts on the handset also (good and bad):

> I do not like the S40 operating system, not as intuitive as the S60.
> Some fun features are not present on the 6280 such as Video Editing.
> The gallery set-up is annoying, due to small onboard memory most media has to go on the memory card, effectively rendering the gallery pointless.
> The camera is a large step up in class from the 6630 - video is awesome, having a flash is a good bonus also.
> Not having the use of the front camera other than for video calling is a wasted asset imo.
> Slide mechanism is smooth, although too much play in the top slider, feels a little loose? Not what i expected from Nokia. Samsung D600 I played with today felt solid in comparison
> Display is crystal clear - very impressed.
> Not being able to customise the Navigation key is again annoying.
> Pre loaded 3 marketing shite takes up precious onboard memory.
> Tried my camera's 1gb SD card in it - worked fine. Bonus - Could be good for some mp3's
> I like the phone design - a lot classier than my lollypop 6630.

Overall my first impressions have left me confused as what to do??? I like to have good reception, and currently this phone has no set up to ensure that, I tempted to send it back, stick with my modded 6630 and wait for the N80 but I do love the looks, design, and camera!!!!

Think I'll give it a few more days yet. Does anyone know if the N80 will be available on three? If so will it have the capability of forcing the network so i can choose when to have it fully online?

Cheers for any help guys

A

[petencl]

I wouldn't put it past 3 to remove the lock to 2G/3G function! On my T-Mob 6280 it's Settings->Phone->Network Mode (Dual/UMTS/GSM).

[3GsINgH]

yep that function has been removed...theres no program avail for s40 that will let u choose gsm i dont think. Only way to solve this is to get it flashed to generic software if that can be done yet. N80 should be on 3 although not sure if you can force that onto 2g. The program you used as well as netmonitor and field test didnt work on my n70 so i dont think it will work on n80. may have to wait for a program to be made for that type of S60. or wait for generic firmware.

[Ben]

Welcome to Talk3G!

Unfortunately I don't have much good news either.

It'd probably be best to cancel the upgrade and stick to the 6630 if signal is a dealbreaker. That software version has also been pretty extensively discussed here as being riddled with faults, so you're probably not doing yourself many favours by holding onto it.

Consider porting out to a different network maybe? All the hype at the moment is around Flext, so if you have good T-Mobile coverage that could be the way to go. Whatever network, though, if you prefer S60 then the N80 is the handset to watch - hopefully just a few weeks away now.

[Orwell]

i have been looking around i was looking at the and was all set to order the 6280 this week but with the issues of dust and software i was umming lol then came various sources proclaming the release of the N80 in the next 2 to 3 week although waiting is hard i'm sitting it out i suppect the n80 will have a whole range of it's own faults let u all know as soon as i get it :)

[3GScottishUser]

None of the 'integrated' networks (02, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange + MVNO's) bother to restrict handset frequency selection. Why would they? They dont really care what technology you use to make calls etc as long as its using their network.

The problem with 3 is that they have to restrict using 02's GSM as much as possible to keep costs down and we all know the problems that causes. Even in pretty good signal areas the UMTS reception can be very variable and switching from 3 to 02 and vice versa means roaming and callls dropping. This is an important factor worthy of some serious consideration when choosing a network and cannot be resolved with any particular handset, indeed newer models supplied by 3 UK appear to have enhanced software designed to defeat the workarounds that previously allowed customers to use 02 exclusively.