Kyocera 650 versus 5220, my observations

rdef · EVDO Newbie Joined: 21 May 2005 Posts: 1

I purchased a 5220 about two weeks ago, and being disappointed with its ability to pull in a signal, I exchanged it for the Kyocera.

Based on the reviews that I have read, I hoped the Kyocera would pull in two maybe three bars at my home in South Orange County, CA. The 5220 consistently pulled in 0-1 bars, so I expected better than that with the new card.

Well, the fact is that, for me, the Kyocera does no better job than the 5220. It pulls in 0-1 bars just like the 5220.

For those of you that are considering "upgrading" to the Kyocera...

My .02 worth.

tmgoethe · EVDO User Joined: 31 May 2005 Posts: 56

Perhaps not all cards perfomr the same, but I just got the Kyocera and it is pulling in a better signal and faster speeds than my PC 5220. Maybe I had a bad 5220 and got a really good Kyocera. The antenna does seem flimsy, though.
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Thomas M. Goethe

Michael · Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:15 am Post subject:

They guys at Kyocera are sending us a KPC650, so that we can provide better support. It should be arriving early next week.

I will do some tests comparing the PC 5220 vs. KPC650 and let you know what I find.

One thing you have to keep in mind, is that you cannot just watch the number of bars and make that your only factor. There are different ranges of signal strength for each bar. For example, a weak 3 bar will be slower than a very strong 3 bar. There is a good report in this thread:

http://www.evdoforums.com/about222.html
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tmgoethe · EVDO User Joined: 31 May 2005 Posts: 56

I did some benchmarking on the Kyocera 650 vs. the 5220. In a poor signal location, I got an average of 355 down and 37.4 up on the Kyocera. I got 238 down and 48 up on the 5220. This was using the site at http://test.lvcm.com/. I did three tests on the Kyocera, left the laptop in the same location and switched ESN's on the desktop, and ran them three times on the 5220. I had one odd, very slow upload speed on the Kyocera of 26.8, but overall, the 5220 did seem quicker going up. That would be odd, one faster going up and the other faster going down. I am not using Venturi, as I found it to be problematic and easier to do without.

The Kyocera is getting a couple more bars than the Audiovox, but we really have no idea what that actually means.

I used VZW Access for both cards. There was some info indicating that it optimized the connection better than the MCS software, so it seemed fair to test both cards with the same software. Too bad it won't let you keep both installed at the same time. You have to run the wizard to change cards so that it can detect which one to use. This was the version that came with the Kyocera card.

This was as scientific test as I could muster and I had limited time, so I won't likely have a chance to repeat it. It would be interesting to see what the results would be on 1xRTT.

I have not tried the Kyocera on QNC. I have apure data plan and I would get billed extra for it!

Thomas M. Goethe
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Thomas M. Goethe

temporary · EVDO User Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 42

What is QNC [mentioned in the post above as needing extra billing]

Michael · Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 3:48 pm Post subject:

QNC = Quick Connect Network

It only gets your 14K data speed (1/2 speed of dialup).

For those with OUT a data plan, you can use QNC at 14.4k and it counts towards your voice minutes.

If you are looking at a Data Card, you would not use QNC.
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temporary · EVDO User Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 42

Thanks Michael!!

Zorog · EVDO Heavy User Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 135

If you are looking for the best performance with the Kyocera 650 in a poor RF environment, you need to use the dual (diversity receive) external antennas. Don't run too long on your cables, though, as the loss will cancel out your gains.

If you chose to try a single external antenna with the 650, be careful to insert the LEFT port for diversity receive gains. It's not documented, but here's how the 650 works:

When you insert an external antenna in the LEFT port (look closely, it's black), you actually have 3 receive antennas and the little "lift up" remains as your transmit.

When you insert an external antenna in the RIGHT port (look closely, it's white), it engages a plunger that disconnects BOTH internal antennas - so your single external antenna is used for both transmit and receive. You may want this for a single external antenna configuration.

The best solution is (2) external antennas.

By the way - This will not "boost" your power levels, it just increases performance. (Up to 20%, especially in a moving environment.)

netnut · EVDO User Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 36

Zorog,
These dual antennas you speak of, do you know where I might purchase them? Every VZW store in the Puget Sound is out of any antenna connector for the 650. I can't seem to find any online either.

I bought the card for use at home, though without an external antenna the card is useless to me. I can't connect at all at home. I have a ticket open with the VZW Performance group to investigate why I get no reception on the card even though I am less than 2 miles from the nearest tower with EVDO.

Thanks,
Bryan

Michael · Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:38 pm Post subject:

The KPC650 antenna adapters are currently on a huge backlog. We had them in stock up until 2 days ago. They may be on backorder for 2-4 weeks. Although, they may trickle in here and there.
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netnut · EVDO User Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 36

Thanks Michael. Though that won't help me. The clock is ticking on my 15 days. I started the service on the 6th. I am going to return it and cancel the service if I can't get my signal any better after the truck roll to look at the performance at my location. They are supposed to get back to me on Tues. with the findings.

Does not make sense to pay for service I can't get.

Thanks,
Bryan