01" Ls 430 Integrated Cell?

[spottedlizard]

I have a 01" Ls 430 with the integrated cell phone. Unfortunately it is set up with a sprint pcs phone and I want to use cingular. Does anyone know how to do this? Can I just get a different cradle for a cingular phone or does it have to utilize the phone provided? And, if so; can that sprint phone be connected to cingular? It's not a GSM phone so I am thinking this option is a no go. Anyway, any input on this subject you guys might have would be helpful.

[silvermate]

do a search

this topic has been beaten to death around here. ;)

[1990LS400]

You might try using the search feature of this forum but I doubt if you are going to find information you will like. From what I have read, the parting of Lexus and Sprint seemed like a fairly nasty divorce. You could ask Cingular about using a Sprint phone on their network - their response could be entertaining!

I was offered a "free" Lexus phone by a friend for my 2000 LS in 2003 while my car was still well within the original basic warranty. The local Lexus dealer would not discuss helping me activate it. If fact I was told that they had discarded all documentation and parts for Lexus phone systems. The only phone system they supported was the Bluetooth setup on the later LS430. My point is that I doubt if you will get any help from Lexus. But it does not hurt to ask.

There might be hope if you could find a guru phone hacker who could adapt a Cingular phone to your 01 LS. But I think that is a real long shot and that it could be very expensive and produce marginal results at best. If you have Nav, it would be a shame to not be able to dial POI's through the phone. I suspect that your options are 1) keep your Sprint phone working as long as you can, or 2) abandon the Lexus phone system and install an aftermarket phone kit - probably Bluetooth.

It is relatively easy to interface aftermarkets phone kits so at least they mute your audio system when a call is in progress.

I'm not a fan of Sprint although their service seems to be better here in their home town than in the rest of the U.S. If I go up a few floors, I can see their "World Headquarters" from the window - the local joke is that it will make a great medium security prison when Sprint is gone.

It would be helpful to others here if you would post the outcome of your quest!

[SW03ES]

A Sprint phone won't work on the Cingular network, totally different types of service Sprint is CDMA and Cingular is GSM. I think you're outta luck here.

[1990LS400]

Steve,

Cingular may not want to talk about it much, but its network is still a combination of GSM, TDMA and analog. My wife's and my Cingular phones support all three protocols and spend a lot of time in TDMA and analog when outside metro areas.

It is interesting that the lack of GSM coverage in much of the U.S. isn't keeping Cingular and other carriers from pushing GSM-only phones. But a friend of mine was surprised a few weeks ago when a Cingular employee pursuaded him to keep his GSM/TDMA/AMPS phone rather than get the latest GSM-only camera phone.

Hopefully, there will be a lot better GSM coverage before analog goes away in a few years. Cingular's GSM coverage is getting a better all the time although there are still whole states with relatively little GSM coverage.

Those interested might want to take a look at the recent Consumers Reports magazine article about the limited GSM coverage in the U.S. Not much of a problem if you live on the coasts but a real pain if you live in the midwest and venture outside cities.

[SW03ES]

Oh sure, they still have to support the older TDMA systems.

Thats the drawback of the GSM coverage. Their customer support, equipment, pricing are all much more attractive than the CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint, but the GSM coverage just dies if you're out of a certain range. Thats the only thing keeping me from hopping onboard with Cingular. I don't travel out of metro areas a lot but I do occasionally (my family IS from WV), and when I do not having ANY service even roaming is not attractive.

I really don't think Cingular would be able to support a CDMA phone though.

[ArmyofOne]

Oh sure, they still have to support the older TDMA systems.

Thats the drawback of the GSM coverage. Their customer support, equipment, pricing are all much more attractive than the CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint, but the GSM coverage just dies if you're out of a certain range. Thats the only thing keeping me from hopping onboard with Cingular. I don't travel out of metro areas a lot but I do occasionally (my family IS from WV), and when I do not having ANY service even roaming is not attractive.

I really don't think Cingular would be able to support a CDMA phone though.

←

no, they dont, cingluar is all GSM except for a TDMA V60 from motorola.

HOWEVER, if the phone is analog, call SBC. they still support analog phones. (i think its SBC anyway)

what brand is the phone? nokia? motorola (probably) if motorola, post a pic of the label, and imight be able to tell you exactly when it was made and what kind of service it is.

[1990LS400]

I do not understand what "Army" meant when he said that Cingular is "all GSM".

Cingular uses three protocols in the U.S.: AMPS (Analog), TDMA and GSM. Portions of Cingular's GSM network supports GPRS.

TDMA is still a "huge deal" for Cingular and will be an important part of their network for a very long time. See: http://www.cingular.com/business/network/0,,,00.html

Cingular has many millions of customers who have non-GSM phones. I must know a dozen people who still use a Nokia 5100 series TDMA/AMPS. My wife stopped using her's a few weeks ago and is now using one of my Nokia 6340i GSM/TDMA/AMPS phones - mainly because it is lighter and its infrared capability makes it easier to maintain/backup the phonebook with/to a PC that the 5100 which requires a USB cable.

Like other carriers, Cingular will not be dropping AMPS for at least several more years. See: http://tap.gallaudet.edu/FCC/AnalogElim.htm

I think it is safe to say that all the shaded areas of this map represents Cingular's current GSM coverage area: http://www.cingular.com/download/GPRS_coverage_410.pdf

Lots of the non-shaded areas have excellent TDMA and AMPS service from Cingular. For example, in Iowa where we spend lots of time, there is very little GSM, but great service from Cingular via AMPS and TDMA.

[SW03ES]

What Jim is saying is Cingular is still capable of supporting TDMA hardware. Companies can't just switch what they run overnight you have past customers with phones that they aren't interested in upgrading. This is why Sprint and Verizon can share phones for instance, Sprinmt upgraded to 3G but they still provide service for their old 1X phones.

They legally must do this, it was big news a couple years ago when carriers were finally allowed to start dismantling their Analog networks.

[ArmyofOne]

I do not understand what "Army" meant when he said that Cingular is "all GSM". 

Cingular uses three protocols in the U.S.:  AMPS (Analog), TDMA and GSM.  Portions of Cingular's GSM network supports GPRS.

TDMA is still a "huge deal" for Cingular and will be an important part of their network for a very long time.  See:  http://www.cingular.com/business/network/0,,,00.html

Cingular has many millions of customers who have non-GSM phones.  I must know a dozen people who still use a Nokia 5100 series TDMA/AMPS.  My wife stopped using her's a few weeks ago and is now using one of my Nokia 6340i GSM/TDMA/AMPS phones - mainly because it is lighter and its infrared capability makes it easier to maintain/backup the phonebook with/to a PC that the 5100 which requires a USB cable. 

Like other carriers, Cingular will not be dropping AMPS for at least several more years.  See:

<a href='http://tap.gallaudet.edu/FCC/AnalogElim.htm' target='_blank'>http://tap.gallaudet.edu/FCC/AnalogElim.htm</a>

I think it is safe to say that all the shaded areas of this map represents Cingular's current GSM coverage area: http://www.cingular.com/download/GPRS_coverage_410.pdf

Lots of the non-shaded areas have excellent TDMA and AMPS service from Cingular.  For example, in Iowa where we spend lots of time, there is very little GSM, but great service from Cingular via AMPS and TDMA.

←

they arent dropping the service, they still supprt it (they have to), but the only sell GSM phones, with the exception of the TDMA V60 from the company i work for.

Cingluar may not have AMPS coverage the area he needs it. AMPS coverage is very spotty.

they also support the TDMA netowrk, but the do not have CDMA network capabilites, neither 1x, 2x or 3g CDMA. thats what i was saying.

when steve said this:

I really don't think Cingular would be able to support a CDMA phone though

i replied with:

no, they dont, cingluar is all GSM except for a TDMA V60 from motorola.

HOWEVER, if the phone is analog, call SBC. they still support analog phones. (i think its SBC anyway)

what brand is the phone? nokia? motorola (probably) if motorola, post a pic of the label, and imight be able to tell you exactly when it was made and what kind of service it is.

in other words, cingular doesnt support CDMA. and they wont for awhile if at all.

[SW03ES]

I doubt they ever will. I would like the ability to roam on a CDMA network in a Cingular phone though as that would remove my reservations about going GSM.

We're just all saying the same thing in different ways LOL

[spottedlizard]

do a search

this topic has been beaten to death around here.  ;)

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I did a search and didnt find anything that pertains to me and my situation. There seems to be an answer through dogboy for 90-95's but I haven't see anything for 01'

[spottedlizard]

Well it looks like everyone has been updated on cingular and their coverage areas but I guess no one has any answers to my predicament. I attached a picture of the phone in case anyone was curious. I will let you all know what I decide to do... there is a solution to everything!

[ArmyofOne]

Well it looks like everyone has been updated on cingular and their coverage areas but I guess no one has any answers to my predicament.  I attached a picture of the phone in case anyone was curious.  I will let you all know what I decide to do... there is a solution to everything!

←

that doesnt look liek a motorola. if it is though, please post a picture of the label (usually behind the battery) and i will be able to tell you what carrier it was with originally.

[spottedlizard]

Well it looks like everyone has been updated on cingular and their coverage areas but I guess no one has any answers to my predicament.  I attached a picture of the phone in case anyone was curious.  I will let you all know what I decide to do... there is a solution to everything!

←

that doesnt look liek a motorola. if it is though, please post a picture of the label (usually behind the battery) and i will be able to tell you what carrier it was with originally.

←

Yeah, it's not a motorola......its made by qualcomm. I spoke to a tech at lexus and that phone is the only one that will communicate with the car in the way it does. I might be able to hook up another car kit but the features will be limited, so whats the point. I am going to just hook the damn thing up with Sprints most basic plan and only use it in the car; it's just too sweet to disavow!!!!