T-Mobile settings for finding other towers

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

ok, so here's the deal.

My T-Mobile service works good around town, but not at all at some (most) locations up north.

I had a very helpful sales rep at Sams Club in Apple Valley tell that I change the settings to have the phone search for another carriers tower when I can't get a T-Mobile signal.

I have complained to T-Mobile about their lack of coverage up north and nobody has ever told me about this feature.

The setting is called "Operator selection". Mine is under "phone setting". Change it from automatic to manual and it will bring up a list of available towers in the area.

You would think that "automatic" would do just that, but it in that mode it only searches for T-Mobile towers. Go figure.

To switch to manual network selection, perform the following steps:

1. At the main screen, press the Menu key.

2. Scroll to and select Settings.

3. Scroll to and select Phone.

4. Scroll to and select Operator selection.

5. Scroll to and select Manual. The handset searches and displays the available networks.

6. Scroll to and select the desired network.

NOTE: The handset can detect and attempt to register on a manually selected network inside T-Mobile calling area (regardless of coverage), but roaming networks are typically restricted and will not accept or register T-Mobile Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards. Manual network selection can only occur in areas where T-Mobile does not own GSM spectrum.

[LMITOUT]

What you need to do is call your customer service department and ask to have your phone's PRL updated.

PRL= Preferred Roaming List

[knoppers]

is your phone a older one? if so, it won't get new carriers outside of t-mobiles towers. I have a phone thats about 3 years old, and it switches over to cingular when I am in the northern part of the state. t-mobile partnered with cingular, but a older phone will not be able to switch over when you are out of t-mobiles range.

[Skeeter21i]

If your phone is a quad band phone it should search out towers automatically. I've never had a problem with any of my T-Mobile phones picking up other GSM towers while traveling.

[Big Dave2]

I had to get a new phone 3 or 4 years ago because the one I had wiuld not roam when I was up north. They sold me a quad band phone and all has been well ever sence.

The problem I have now though is that I cannot retrieve my voice messages when I am roaming on a different service provider besides T-Mobile.