well around here, nextels reception is hit and miss, and pretty much everyone I know with an i730 hates the reception it gets.

my latest gripe with moto isn't the reception, but build quality of the 860, the flip hinge is flimsy, the finish wears and chips easily....the phone just feels cheap

 

At first I had a 205 and than went to a 530 and just recently a 560 and have had zero problems with any. I do however know a few people with high end phones that would get the same reception as fm radio in the middle of the ozarks.

 

why'd ya have 3 phones in 3 years?

 

I can't explain it other than Nokias typically have good reception. That is why I bought the 6010's. They are kind of basic phones, but they are known as the RF King. Kind of the benchmark. I have to agree, I only had one dropped call in almost a year. Even with no bars showing, it holds the call.

 

Most modern digital phones max out around 0.6 of a watt. The power output varies according to the signal the cell site sees from the mobile phone. If the site sees a low signal a command to step up power is sent to the mobile until max pwr is reached, if a strong signal is seen power is stepped down. The power output is only half of the battle, in order for the phones to work they need to have a useable signal both ways uplink (mobile to site) and downlink (site to mobile). It will always be hit or miss as far as coverage goes as it depends on the location of the site in use and your distance from it. Nextel has been plauged for years with poor coverage which can also be seen in the amount of sites Vs other major carriers in the same geographic area. With their recent merger with Sprint that may or may not get better. There is no real way to know if a particular service or carrier will work in your location due to there being so many variables that effect signal strength. The best thing you can do is stay with a major carrier as they usually have more sites than smaller or regional carriers and are always adding to that number, ask your friends what they have and where it does and does not work and avoid contracts that lock you in for a period of time if service is poor at your work or home locations. I have always liked Nokia and Motorola phones in general but there can be a bad model or a bad phone in any group, again asking other people what they have is a good idea.

 

Original 205 took a swim 2 months after I first starting using Nextel, bought the 530 from a friend of mine that was disconnected and bought insurance. I used that phone forever and 2 days and decided that it looked beat up and I wanted a new one so I upgraded to the 560. Sold the 530 to my little brother.

 

nokias are famous for their good reception, usually better than all other phones, but it all depends on distance from the cell tower, and sometimes you just might be having network problems

 

A good friend of mine runs a website called Phone Scoop. He rates phones and has reviews and news about them, and was even featured in WSJ about a year ago. I always check in or give him a call when I'm looking at new phones...lots of good information there.