Hello,
I really don't understand this radio stuff and googling didn't help much.. I didn't know whether this was the best forum for the question but it seemed like the most appropriate...
I had some questions (a couple academic and one practical):
1) What exactly is the radio (is it like a FM radio receiver and sender, but for the phone)?
2) Does changing the radio essentially change the frequency it tries to talk to the cell towers?
3) I'm on t-mobile uk what radio should I be using - http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Rhodium/Shipped_Roms doesn't list t-mobile uk.
4) Is there essentially a best radio for each country/network combination?
Thanks a lot in advance,
Chris
The different radios are simply updates to the drivers that operate the cell, gps, wifi, bluetooth, etc.
The frequencies stay the same.
The latest radio ending in .91(my sig) or the latest Tmo radio .88 should suit your needs.
I am on Tmo in the US so I know what works good for me, may be different for UK
Usually the chef of your favorite ROM will have a recommended radio in description.
You could always try one for a couple days and see which one gives best reception and battery life between .88 an .91
Hope that helps
Thanks I'm giving 88 a go. Get more reception bars but internet seems super slow. It feels strange that there are different drivers for different networks.
So, I just got a new HTC Desire Z NAM to work with AT&T. I was wondering if anyone knew the best radio to use on my Desire Z and in the New York area.
bump, anyone ?
Try one and see. Even if someone else is in NY with the same carrier as you, they might be in a slightly different area and/or use their phone a different way. So what is good for them might not be so good for you, and vice versa.
It's easy to flash a different radio version and see how well it works for you, because you can easily flash back again if you don't like it.
I have read for a while and I have found nothing that will make me 100% sure for what I need.
I'm interested in buying this phone as it's similar to the Sprint Evo Shift but will work with the new GSM network my carrier has with HSPA+ (at least for 7.2mbps as far as I've read).
So, I know the DZ will work as my carrier uses 850/1900 for HSPA, but I've seen that people with AT&T in the US buy the DZ (not the G2 as T-Mobile uses other frequencies).
My question is, what's finally the difference between both phones? Is there a hardware difference that makes them operate on different frequencies or is it only related to the flashed radio?
It's confusing to me as many people in the forum assure in other threads that the phones are exactly the same, but if people with AT&T spend more for the canadian version makes me think it's a HW issue.
Thank you and regards
Frequency compatibility is set in hardware, and can't be modified with software. You need to buy the phone that is compatible with your carrier's 3G network. As you suspected, this is the reason why AT&T customers (like myself) have paid premium prices for the Bell Canada version of the Z, the only version of the Vision that is fully compatible with AT&T's 850/1900 MHz 3G network.
Aside from frequency compability, the Z and the G2 are essentially the same phone. The G2 has a keyboard button for .www and .com (its a Tab key on the Z). But that's really it. Of course, the Z has Sense, but that is software, and you can flash a Sense ROM if you want.
redpoint73, thank you very much. I have the Evo Shift right now that works on the 3G CDMA network, but my provider just released the 4G HSPA+ GSM network and since then, I feel 3G speeds are getting lower every day and the network isn't as stable anymore as it used to be.
I was about to buy the T-Mobile version, but now I'm confident that I need the Bell version... Will have to wait for a good deal on Ebay. Too bad that HTC has only these options with keyboard, I really like my Evo Shift, but I'm getting speeds as low as 380kbps for download while users with HSPA+ are getting up to 4mbps...
Are you sure that GSM phones even work on Sprint? My understanding is that the your phone needs to be Sprint branded, otherwise they will not have an ESN number to activate in the system.
BTW, please click the "Thanks" button, if my post helped you.
No, I'm in Mexico, my carrier is Iusacell. They used to be a CDMA network, the first 3G network in Mexico built more than 10 years ago, most of us used to buy Sprint phones as they were the best to port to this company, however now they are starting their GSM network and it looks as if they're starting to leave the CDMA network out of the priority, so I'm looking for a phone that will work. I have done my research and they use the 850/1900 frequencies for HSPA+, so most US/Canada phones will work but not T-Mobile.
Thank you...
mschmiedel said:
No, I'm in Mexico, my carrier is Iusacell. They used to be a CDMA network, the first 3G network in Mexico built more than 10 years ago, most of us used to buy Sprint phones as they were the best to port to this company, however now they are starting their GSM network and it looks as if they're starting to leave the CDMA network out of the priority, so I'm looking for a phone that will work. I have done my research and they use the 850/1900 frequencies for HSPA+, so most US/Canada phones will work but not T-Mobile.
Thank you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, I understand now. That makes a lot more sense. You didn't mention your carrier (or country), but mentioned Sprint, so I assumed that was your carrier.
Right now, it seems that indeed the Bell Canada version of the Desire Z is best fit for what you want (same conclusion that I came to a few months ago).
Redpoint, don't forget the partitions are different on the phone also. The DZ has smaller partitions (system at least) than the G2. This hasn't been an issue... yet, given than every custom so far has been well below the stock size of even the DZ. With the new sense though, things are going to only go up in size for those ROMs. That being said it still shouldn't be an issue.
KCRic said:
Redpoint, don't forget the partitions are different on the phone also. The DZ has smaller partitions (system at least) than the G2. This hasn't been an issue... yet, given than every custom so far has been well below the stock size of even the DZ. With the new sense though, things are going to only go up in size for those ROMs. That being said it still shouldn't be an issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard for me to forget it, since I wasn't aware of that :-/
Whats the exact breakdown of the difference in system partitions?
That's actually opposite of what one would expect, since the Sense ROMs take up more memory.
Yes, I hadn't mentioned my carrier earlier. Now my issue is that shipping from Canada to Mexico is prohibitive (more than 90USD), so maybe I will have to stay with the AT&T inspire... Will have to use Swype or something similar as an alternative to the physical keyboard.
mschmiedel said:
Yes, I hadn't mentioned my carrier earlier. Now my issue is that shipping from Canada to Mexico is prohibitive (more than 90USD), so maybe I will have to stay with the AT&T inspire... Will have to use Swype or something similar as an alternative to the physical keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to recommend the Inspire, even though you seemed to need/want a physical keyboard. It looks like a great phone.
The Desire Z is my 3rd smartphone, and all have had physical keyboards. But for my next, I am seriously considering going without the physical keyboard. I can't stand typing on a touch screen by the "traditional" method. But I've found that with Swype, I can type as fast, maybe even faster than with the physical keyboard. I've been finding myself using the physical keyboard much less than I thought I would.
Yes, I really like Swype too, but I have some issues with it. I write moste messages in Spanish, but I also use English and German. Changing languages is not as easy as I think it should be. But well, the main issue for me is that Swype always uses special charecters in Spanish/German (ñ, á, ä, etc.) which is nice on Emails, whatsapp, etc. but is a big problem with SMS texting as carriers in Mexico don't support these characters (it's really stupid) so messages sometimes get messed up completely.
I think that's the main reason why I like the physical keyboard. I have had many smartphones (mogul, touch, diamond, touch pro, motorola droid, htc evo and now the evo shift). I really hated the droid's keyboard, but the shift is really nice to use. Will have to get used to using on screen typing again... I think it's not worth paying 500 bucks for the Desire Z due to shippig if I can get a brand new Inspire for less...
Regards
redpoint73 said:
Hard for me to forget it, since I wasn't aware of that :-/
Whats the exact breakdown of the difference in system partitions?
That's actually opposite of what one would expect, since the Sense ROMs take up more memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, didn't come back to this thread yesterday. I'm not sure of the exact breakdown for the partitions. I know the system is smaller and a couple others vary. There's an old thread somewhere on here with the details though.
whats the best baseband you can get on Gnex for wind mobile? sorry if tis b een asked before did a quick search but didnt really find anything... anyways right now i have UGLK1 *stock 4.0.1* but i plan to flash JB through custom rom
Hi Ed,
I too am on Wind Mobile in Toronto (mostly downtown and just east of the DVP areas). I was using the UGLA4, which was the radio the phone came with but switched to the XXLF1 radio with matching RIL. I've found that the radio reception is very good, and arguably better than UGLA4.
I'm sure you've seen the thread but if not, you can find pretty much all the available radios and ril files here
Best radio is to download the latest ones and experiment to see which one is best for you. One radio is good for one person but another person it may be different.
Different for each person. Just try them and see what's best. I'd start with the latest 4.1 radio xxlf1
Hi all,
I checked the forums and while I did find a link to the radios available, I'm a bit cautious as I know the incorrect one could potentially brick my phone.
I have a fairly new international M8 unlocked(S-Off). I purchased Metro(which I know piggy backs off of Tmo) prepaid plan and all works great EXCEPT the data speeds are very sluggish..like 2-3mb in an area that should be giving me much more based on friends who have Tmo as well as their coverage maps. If it was CLOSE I wouldnt mind- but its not.
My question is - what do I need to do to ensure that I get the absolute right radio to flash? I have a custom rom but I know its got nothing to do w that- my understanding is its the phone and the service provider... but, I saw a few different tmobile radios (I'm assuming since I'm using Metro that should be acceptable?) I just dont know which to choose.
I am out of ideas, otherwise, for the data speeds, as I've tried both Metros and Tmobiles APN settings, and neither made a difference.
Thoughts?
For starters, you're in the wrong forum. This is the m7 forum c:
Wonderful. Any way to move it? I dont know how that happened. Sorry guys.
A moderator will move it in some time. Don't worry, it happens to the best of us.
Indeed, moved...
Thanks much. Any help would be appreciated. Also if there are any other suggestions besides updating the radio I'd be happy to try them but I don't see much else outside of APN settings which I've tried w no success.
Anyone?