Changing PRL?

[theforerunner]

I found this in the mods sticky, [HOWTO] Change PRL on Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V (5/06/2011) - xda-developers

Is this still "up to date", seeing as the rom this sticky suggested for me to use is apparently so old it was amazing that i found it in the first place, im just wondering if this is even legit.

Is it possible to utilize verizon or sprint towers on a VM phone without risking the usage of your phone on any network whatsoever?. Im in an area where just a mile form my house, 3g coverage is available, so if i could get on a sprint tower i would probably get 3g in my home. I use Wifi at home all the time so i dont know why i would really need it, but hell, if i can have it, why not right?

 

[jdcnosse]

I found this in the mods sticky, [HOWTO] Change PRL on Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V (5/06/2011) - xda-developers

Is this still "up to date", seeing as the rom this sticky suggested for me to use is apparently so old it was amazing that i found it in the first place, im just wondering if this is even legit.

Is it possible to utilize verizon or sprint towers on a VM phone without risking the usage of your phone on any network whatsoever?. Im in an area where just a mile form my house, 3g coverage is available, so if i could get on a sprint tower i would probably get 3g in my home. I use Wifi at home all the time so i dont know why i would really need it, but hell, if i can have it, why not right?

The PRL doesn't affect the ROM, so you should be able to change the PRL under any ROM.

But you're only able to utilize Sprint towers on a VM phone with a Sprint PRL. VM doesn't allow roaming, so flashing a verizon PRL would give you no service.

I'm not sure your question though, you're asking if you can use Sprint towers on a VM phone without using your phone on their network?

 

[Takenover83]

Virgin Mobile uses Sprint Towers.

 

[theforerunner]

Im Just wondering if doing this would make my coverage better or not, or possibly hurt my coverage. I read something about how future updates of the tower software or something might block people who do this, but idk.

Also if this does work, is there a new, updated method to getting the same results?

 

[jdcnosse]

Im Just wondering if doing this would make my coverage better or not, or possibly hurt my coverage. I read something about how future updates of the tower software or something might block people who do this, but idk.

Also if this does work, is there a new, updated method to getting the same results?

I've had a Sprint PRL for at least 4 or 5 months now...nothing has happened yet.

Besides it's pretty easy to flash back the VM PRL...

Updating your PRL could improve your coverage if there is a closer non-VM Sprint tower that you have access to that you didn't before with the VM PRL. The only way it could hurt your coverage is if the PRL has deleted a tower near you, forcing your phone to look for further away towers.

Unfortunately there's not really an updated method...once you get your MSL and find out how to connect to QPST, it's pretty easy to connect your phone, launch QPST, and flash the new PRL.

 

[theforerunner]

So pretty much, that guide i posted earlier is the only way to go about doing it. You said worse that could happen is that you get forced to access a tower that father away, so if thats so and it happens, cant i just reverse the process and go back to the VM priority towers?

Sprint - Nationwide Coverage

if you type in area code "49660", it shows that im right near 3g coverage area but im in the "off-network roaming" which aparently is just as good as 3g but certain sprint services, which i dont have anyway, wont work. would this be better for me than the VM network, here ill get a link to VM coverage map as well for comparison.

Cell Phone Coverage - Check Cell Phone Coverage | Virgin Mobile (49660)

It looks like the same coverage areas, but the quality of such is different... like the areas of "on-network" coverage from sprint are simply "no coverage" areas for VM, so if anything doing this might increase my service area, if not make my 3g coverage any better?

 

[TavisC]

I'd be interested in doing this as well. Sprint has good coverage around me, but the VM coverage is so so at best. Sorry for the question, but its my understanding that doing this would allow my phone to connect to non-VM sprint towers, right? So I'd get better coverage? I just want to understand the risks and benefits before I do this.

 

[theforerunner]

from what i understand, yes it does just that. I know that VM service goes through sprint towers, but i think we are rated second when it comes to connections... Something like, if you are only in an area where sprint priority coverage is, sprint users get the connection over you, so say the band is full, and you are on a call, then when a sprint user makes a call, it will push you off and disconnect you.

According to the coverage maps on both VM and sprint web sites, it seems like the areas that are considered to be "no coverage" on VM are actually covered by sprint but its just regular not 3G. (at least in my area)

So in theory, switching the PRl would be a lot better. and it seems like the only down side to it all is that one day, the sprint company may change the technology to fix this exploit and it will bump you off of their towers. And if im reading into this right, you can fix this just by switching back to your default settings.

 

[TavisC]

Thats how I understand it as well. I'm still debating if I want to do it though. Have you tried it yet?

 

[theforerunner]

No i was thinking about trying it soon, but i got side tracked with this musc app, now im starting to have issues with the funtionality of my long press on the main screen of my phone, cant long press anything, i get the little vibrate but no options appear.

 

[jdcnosse]

So pretty much, that guide i posted earlier is the only way to go about doing it. You said worse that could happen is that you get forced to access a tower that father away, so if thats so and it happens, cant i just reverse the process and go back to the VM priority towers?

Sprint - Nationwide Coverage

if you type in area code "49660", it shows that im right near 3g coverage area but im in the "off-network roaming" which aparently is just as good as 3g but certain sprint services, which i dont have anyway, wont work. would this be better for me than the VM network, here ill get a link to VM coverage map as well for comparison.

Cell Phone Coverage - Check Cell Phone Coverage | Virgin Mobile (49660)

It looks like the same coverage areas, but the quality of such is different... like the areas of "on-network" coverage from sprint are simply "no coverage" areas for VM, so if anything doing this might increase my service area, if not make my 3g coverage any better?

I'd suggest zooming in and seeing exactly where you have coverage. I've been up to Manistee (I'm actually from GR ) and I still get coverage inside the town, but yes any roaming coverage on Sprint you won't get on VM. Most of the time updating your PRL will either give you better coverage or it'll stay the same (ie you're already connecting to the closest/best tower).

I only mentioned that if they delete the tower out of the PRL, then yes your service will go down...but I don't know of any time they'd do this except after buying/selling towers.

In the instructions they provide how to make a backup within QPST, that way you can go back to the default VM settings if you so wish.

 

[theforerunner]

Right i assume that the coverage areas would be the same, as per the exact same coverage shapes on each of their maps, only they seem to be graded differently as far as what type of conection is available there. I had sprint in the past and i pretty much had no problem getting service either inside or around the outsides of town like to the north and down 55 to the east, those are dead spots for most other cell companies but the sprint map shows regular coverage there, i dont think its considered a roaming area either, unless im misunderstanding the terms.

 

[theforerunner]

So let me clarify something real quick, you cannot roam on the VM phones even if your on the sprint towers right? so if you are in the "roaming coverage" areas of sprint and you have your prl set to use sprint towers, will you still get coverage or will it be considered roaming, so you end up having no service, just like you would on VM?