On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 10:27:07 +1000, Barry OGrady
wrote:


Not analog, only digital phones.


in my part of the country ( farmland central california ) analog
cellular service is still alive and kicking. ( and necessary )
my tri-mode phone is most often in analog mode when I'm
away from town. ( a lot ) there are a lot of digital service gaps
here and zillions ( it seems ) of little independent
area service providers ( especially in the foothills areas )
, which nearly always seem to cause my phone to go to
analog mode.
I have 2 old motorola 5 watt bag phones that I carry for emergencies
.... one in the boat and one in the tow car too. both are only analog
and they still log onto the networks and I could use them for
emergency calls if I wanted. I suspect that we will eventually go
mostly or all digital some day .... but area coverage around here is
VERY difficult given the way the mountains and foothills
inter-react with RF transmissions. it looks like it will be some time
before digital is able to cover the whole area by itself. tri-mode
service is nearly mandatory , here, if one wants good coverage
away from towns and the freeways. if you only travel on the freeways
and " hang " around the mega metros , then digital is adequate for
most.



k............