Poor reception in area

[F34R]

According to the coverage map, I am covered... I guess what it doesn't tell you is how well the coverage is.  I assumed I'd get at least a half decent signal.  However, that just isn't the case.

I'm bouncing from 95-107dBm, and can't hold a 3G signal.  It just keeps switching from 1X to 3G at a random pace.  I've tried in zip code 29843 and 29812, both barely ever having a single bar.  Knowing that the visual signal bar isn't always accurate, I've monitored the -dBm number for a couple of hours; having serious issues with the signal quality.  

This is inside, outside, driving around, etc.  The phone is set to "Automatic" as far as the network is concerned.

Anything else I should do?  I just got the phone yesterday, coming from Alltel (HTC Touch Pro).  I wanted a newer phone, but I certainly don't want to have an awesome phone like this at the sacrifice of signal/service quality.

Thanks.

[FramCire]

From your cell dial *611 for tech support.

Tell them and ask if you need to update your PRL and possibly go to a hybrid one.  Alltel customers have had some problems and a simple reprogram might be enough.  (It wasnt enough for me, but my signal was slightly better than yours to start)

The update, due out within 3-4 weeks, might fix it as well.

If that doesnt work, post here, there are other possibilities.

[F34R]

Well I called tech support.  A very helpful Abby talked me through a few things I had already done from browsing various forums.  However, we went into some type of EPST mode or something like that, and changed a number.  It seemed to help a litle, but I won't really know until I get home to test the phone out there.

[FramCire]

Did they try the hybrid PRL (*288 or something but they have to set up the hybrid BEFORE you do it or it updates to a different one)?

Also, rumors have the update at this week.. who knows.... send me a message here Friday and lets see how you are doing!

[skull791]

Hybrid PRL what is that? I have same problem with reception and verizon never offer me hybrid prl when I call them. Can some one please explain and how do I get it ?

[AZSALUKI]

dial ##778 send

select edit mode

enter 000000 as the password

this gets you into the epst settings. you can play with cdma and prl. i can't give you any more help than that as i know nothing about the prl. i did however, change my cdma settings. i set my home page, home orig, and roam orig to "evrc-b" (not evrc) and it helped me with call quality. you have to hit menu and commit changes after you make any changes in this area.

[F34R]

Just got off the phone with a very helpful tier two support guy.  We didn't really go over anything new, he reviewed what had already been done basically.  I explained the issue again, and he sent out a new phone.

He stated that according to their own maps, I should be holding a decent 3g signal, and especially where I work I should be too.  Hopefully the new phone will solve this issue, and it doesn't turn out to be the map is wrong lol.

They didn't do the hybrid prl.  When I mentioned that to him, he explained that it would only help if I were former Alltel, bought by Verizon.

[F34R]

Unfortunately it doesn't look like it was a phone issue, unless this new phone has the same issue.

Not sure exactly what to do from here.  When at work, my friends original Droid stays at 2-3 bars, 3G.  This phone.. lucky to get -100dBm and stay that way on 1x. 

Any other suggestions?

[AZSALUKI]

let me ask you this....does your friends droid actually have a better signal? i mean, are you dropping calls or cutting out? the reason i ask is because one of the known issues of the inc is that the signal indicator is not accurate. by this i mean it may only show 1 or 2 bars and no 3g, but you have no call quality issues and your browsing is as fast as other devices that show 3g or 3-4 bars. i've been at one bar, but didn't drop a call or even cut out. in fact, i never have (yet) on my device and my download and upload speeds are pretty good. and my bars are always all over the place and my 3g icon comes and goes constantly.

[F34R]

I haven't had that many calls so far, but the calls aren't dropping that I have had.  Internet and data usage are a severe problem for me though. 

I've been keeping an eye on the signal in the "Settings" > "About Phone" > "Network" - "Signal Strength"...

Leaving the phone in the same exact position can net these results:

http://a.imageshack.us/img695/9307/img00201201008140652.jpg

http://a.imageshack.us/img84/4387/img00200201008140652.jpg

http://a.imageshack.us/img807/5648/img00199201008140652.jpg

He's getting -89dBm, me being right next to him with -105+dBm.

His speed test - 800+kb/s (100KB/s)

Mine - 120kbs (4.5KB/s)

[stevenet99]

I too have been experiencing problems with the reception of my incredible. It has been very frustrating as I recently switched from T-Mobile to Verizon because of poor reception in my new area with T-Mobile. I chose this phone thinking it would work great and I would be very happy with it. The phone has been great besides the reception issue. I have talked with tech support and they did a service report or something like that for my area to see if there were issues with my area. The results came back that the reception isn't great but it's moderate. Well I am lucky to get 0-1 bars of 3G. I am also lucky to get 1 bar of 1x. They phone is constantly switching back and forth between the two and always causing problems with calls.

I have had many calls that cut in and out where I have trouble hearing the other person. I have also had dropped calls. I got Verizon to send me a replacement handset and am having the same problems. I have done the PRL update several times with no positive results. I also tried some other option changing the settings from EVRC to EVRB which I found out about in a different thread; those results were the same as well. I have had friends stop by with other Verizon phones and they make calls just fine and hold on to at least 2 bars of 3G if not 3 bars at times.

I went into a corporate store and saw the incredible in between the droid x and Motorola droid and noticed the the other two holding full 4 bars of reception perfectly fine and the incredible at 2 most of the time sometimes bouncing to 3 for a sec and back to 2 bars again. I was hoping for the update to be here this week in hopes they would have included a fix for this problem. I am about to call them to try to get them to let me switch to one of the Motorola droids instead (even though I prefer the HTC) because I'm so sick of the reception problem. If this isn't going to be fixed then I guess I'll have no choice but to get one of the motorolas so that I can use the phone for it's main purpose....calls! I don't know what else to think or any other way to go about this frustrating issue. I am disappointed HTC and Verizon!

[24c]

I am not at all happy with my Incredible's phone quality either. Upgrading from the Motorola RAZR2  to the Incredilbe was a huge mistake as far as call quality.

[stevenet99]

So I talked to Verizon and told them this was rediculous and that I just can't use my phone very much for it's main purpose in the area I live (FOR MAKING CALLS). I convinced them to let me trade straight up for the Droid X. This phone gets 4 bars of signal to the Incredibles 2 bars and that is why I am switching to the X instead. Though I'd rather keep the Incredible I pretty much have no other choice. Especially since tech support told me that the 2.2 update would not fix any signal issues. Sorry I can't provide you with a solution to the signal quality but the solution I had to go with was a different model device.