I own the 8830 from Verizon. I like it very much. However from the very first unit I have had this strange phenomenon occur:

For example if the signal strenth is at 4 bars (full bars), every 30 seconds to 2minutes or so, the signal strength will drop down to one bar, then back up to four bars, then back down to one bar and up again to four. It will do this anywhere from one to 4 times or so. Then it will remain at full bars again and stay there for anwhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and then it will start the same thing all over again (from 1 bar to 4 bars to 1 to 4), then stay at four bars again for a while (30 sec to 2 min. or so)this happens repeatedly

I went back to verizon with it and this is my third different 8830 handset. Each one does the same thing. I have called Verizon and each time I call they keep closing the trouble ticket with some ridiculous answer, like bad equipment, etc...

My brother has the 8703e from Verizon and it doesn't do this, and my other friends and neighbors who all have other Verizon wireless model phones don't have this problem. Just for the heck of it I even changed my handset back to the 8703e and it was fine.

So here I am with my third 8830, and this phenomenon keeps ocurring.

Let me make some things clear. This happened on each 8830 right out of the box, with no third party or after market hardware or software used.

Other than this intermittent fluctuation I don't seem to have any real problems with making calls etc... I never lose service completely. I have monitored the change from the status screen and it does change from -80db to -130 db, so it IS indeed a fluctuation.

Why only on the 8830? Can anyone else tell me if they have noticed this happen on their unit? You might have to watch the signal strength meter for a few minutes to catch this 'phenomenon' (for lack of a better word) I cannot get Verizon to give me an answer. their ridiculous answers insult my intelligence. I am turning to this forum for help and advice on what this is and why it only happens on the 8830. Am I the only one who is having this?

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8300/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

It's a known bug in the 8830 software, and has been discussed in several threads here.

You can install the Sprint 8830 software on it and it won't have that "problem" anymore.

Thanks for the quick reply. I can't believe it,, for two months I thought that I am going 'batty' and Verizon is just plain moronic. Well I am not batty, but Verizon is just plain ridiculous. Like they are not aware of this?

If it were not for your kind and quick response I might still be fighting it out with them.. as long as I know what the answer is,,, I am going to either live with it til the next verizon update, if they even address it (since their support doesn't acknowledge it) or go to the sprint software if it will work ok.

Thanks a million. I didn't see the other thread about this or I would not have repeated it...

Thanks again
Howard

penguin3107 is there a detailed procedure/instructions for installing the Sprint software on the VZW 8830? Thx.

You don't need the Sprint software anymore. The latest VZW software has this fixed. Update to that if you haven't yet.

Thank you for that info; I have the latest VZW Device OS on my 8830 since the day it was released.
After having exhausted all other options, I am trying to see if the Sprint software resolves this issue -
http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...g-network.html

Anyone else have a walkthrough of how to install the Sprint software on the VZW 8830? Thx.

The Sprint software won't fix the issue you have. What you're describing in the other thread is not the "signal meter" issue from what I can understand from your description. If this happens EVERYWHERE you go then it's probably either the phone itself "radio on it" or if it's localized to one area you may be (like just at home) you might just be in a crappy area. One thing you can try is to dial *22899 and let it do the PRL update. See if that improves things.

Am only trying the Sprint software as a last resort to uncover possibly hidden bugs with the VZW software; I've had the latest PRL 50888 for a while now, no difference.
Anyone have a walkthrough of installing the Sprint software on the VZW 8830?

Trust me when I say there's nothing the Sprint software has that the lates .271 VZW software doesn't. There's also some small fixes the VZW software has that Sprint's still doesn't have. Before the latest VZW software, the Sprint version was the one to have, but now... not so much. I have run both, the VZW one is slightly better. Only thing you'll notice with the Sprint one is that the sound through the speakers while in Media Player is a little more bassier and fuller sounding (a plus in my book), but the ringer is worse on the Sprint version (a big minus in my book).

One thing to consider... If the signal strength changes coincide with data transmission, it's not necessarily a problem at all. It could be due to the fact that EVDO runs on a different channel than voice and they may actually be coming from different base stations. The signal meter is fluctuates as the device radio switches from one to the other.

Why do people obssess over signal meters on their devices!?! Its not like these things are scientific. Their purpose is to give you a general perspective on the availability of service. If you're device is working well where you need it, simply ignore the meter.

With CDMA Blackberry devices, there are two options available for signal meters: RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) and the alternate which displays a representation based on two variables: RSSI and channel signal to noise ratio. The latter--apparently used by Verizon's software package--varies wildly as its measuring signal availability and anticipated call quality. Remember that CDMA is a noise-based air interface. The more users on a channel, the lower the transmission quality.

has nothing to do with the 8830's software.

It's specific to EVDO blackberry's on VZW, all the way back to the 7130e.


search the forum for my post on erratic signal

And you'd be wrong. This specific problem with the bouncing meter on the 8830 with software .66 is a software glitch. VZW's own release docs for the new .147 software even specifies this fix.