To check the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) Type-
*#06#
Information you get from the IMEI-
XXXXXX XX XXXXXX X
TAC FAC SNR SP
TAC = Type approval code
FAC = Final assembly code
SNR = Serial number
SP = Spare
To check the phones Software revision type-
*#0000#
Information you get from the Software revision-
V 05.31
18-02-99
NSE-3
1ST Line = Software revision
2ND Line = The date of the software release
3RD Line = Phone type
To enter the service menu type-
*#92702689# (*#WAR0ANTY#)
Serial number (IMEI)
Production date (MM/YY)
Purchase date (MM/YY) You can only enter the date once.
Date of last repair (0000=No repair)
Transfer user data to another Nokia phone via Infra-Red
Clock Stopping
To check weather your SIM Card supports clock stopping type-
*#746025625# (*#SIM0CLOCK#)
Revealing the Headphone and Car-Kit menus
Please note that if you do these next tricks, the new menus can't be erased without retoring the factory default settings. To do these tricks you need to short-circuit the pins on the bottom of the phone next to where you plug in you charger.
1. To activate the "Headset" menu, you need to short-circuit pins "3" and "4". After a short time the word "Headset" will be shown in the display. Menu 3-6 is now enabled.
2. To activate the "Car" menu, you need to short-circuit pins "4" and "5". After a short time the word "Car" will be shown in the display. Menu 3-7 is now enabled.
THE REBOOT TRICK
This should work on all software versions of the 6110.
1. Go to the Calendar (Menu-8)
2. Make a note or reminder.
3. Enter some text into the edit box.
4. Hold "Clear" until the whole text is cleared, then press "Back".
5. Press "0". The main screen will now be showing but a space appears on the screen. (you can't see it)
6. Enter 4 digits (e.g. 1234).
7. Use the down arrow to move the cursor to the left side of the numbers and the space (Down arrow twice).
8. Now enter 6 digits and press the call button.
Wait for a few seconds, the screen should start to flash and reboots. It should alsowork on other menus like the "Profiles" menu.
EFR CALL QUALITY
To activate EFR (Enhanced Full Rate) Enter the code-
*3370#
This improves call quality but decreases batterylife by about 5%
To deactivate it, Enter the code-
#3370#
THE JAMES BOND TRICK
If you short-circuit theleft middle and right pins on the bottom of the phone with all connections touching each other, the Nokia software hangs! The profile "Headset" will be activated. Before you do this just activate the "Automatic Answer" in the headset profile and set the ringing volume to "Mute". Now you can use your phone for checking out what people are talking about in a room. Just place it under a table in a room and call it. The phone receives the call without ringing and you can listen to what people are saying.
NETWORK MONITOR
There is a hidden menu inside your Nokia phone. If you want to activate it, you'll have to re-program some chips inside of your phone.
Check your software version. You can only continue if you have v4.33, v4.73 or v5.24.
Take apart the phone.
De-solder the EEPROM (ATMEL AT 24C64).
Read out the data with an EEPROM programmer and save it to a file (Backup).
If you have v.33 or v4.73, change the address "03B8" from "00" to "FF".
If you have v5.24 then change the address "0378" from "00" to "FF".
Write the new data to the EEPROM and solder it back to the phone,
Power on your phone and you should have "Netmonitor" enabled.
The Network Monitor gives you the following information.
Carrier number
MS RX Level in DBM
Received signal quality
MS TX power level
C1 (Path loss criterion, used for cell selection and reselection). The range is -99 to 99.
RTL (Radio link timeout).
Timeslot
Indication of the transmitter status
Information on the Network parameters.
TMSI (Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity).
Cell identification (Cell ID, Number of cells being used).
MCC (Mobile country code)
MCN (Mobile network code)
LAC (Location area code)
Ciphering (On/Off)
Hopping (On/Off)
DTX (On/Off)
Discard cell barred information
CHECK SIM-LOCK
Note - If you bought your Nokia on UK Vodafone or UK Cellnet you do not need to check this because they both transmit on GSM900, and they don't lock the phones. However if you bought your phone on UK Orange or UK One2one your phone may be blocked. The reason is that they both transmitt on GSM1800. To make a call on GSM1800 you need what is known as a "Dual band" phone. A dual band phone is able to transmit on both GSM900 and GSM1800, so they lock the phones so you can't use it with any other network simcard. If you find that your phone is locked you can try different software to unlock it. (we havn't found one that works yet), or you can ask your service provider who will gladly exchange the 10 digit code for about £35.
This is how to check the status of the 4 different locks. Aslo don't try entering the wrong number, because after 3 times it will block the phone for good.
There are 4 different locks on your Nokia phone.
COUNTRY-LOCK
NETWORK-LOCK
PROVIDER-LOCK
SIMCARD-LOCK
The code to read out the sim-lock status of your phone is
#PW+(MASTERCODE)+(Y)#
# = DOUBLE-CROSS
W = PRESS "*" THREE TIMES
P = PRESS "*" FOUR TIMES
+ = PRESS "*" TWO TIMES
MASTERCODE = 1234567890
Y = NUMBER 1 TO 4
The master code is a secret code. The code has 10 digits, To read out the sim-lock status you can enter every combination you want!
"Y" Shows the status of the network-lock. Here you can enter a number from "1" to "4". The "4" is for the sim-card lock.
SIM-LOCK CHECKS
#PW+1234567890+1# = GIVES PROVIDER-LOCK STATUS
#PW+1234567890+2# = GIVES NETWORK-LOCK STATUS
#PW+1234567890+3# = GIVES COUNTRY-LOCK STATUS
#PW+1234567890+4# = GIVES SIM-CARD-LOCK STATUS.
Volume Adjustment in Noisy Environments
Applies to: 6190, 6310i Updated: 19-Mar-2003
Quite a few Nokia models (beyond the two listed above) have a great feature that makes these phone much more useable in noisy environments (such as crowded shopping malls or while walking down a busy street). When the phone detects that you are in an especially noisy area it boosts the volume of the earpiece by upwards of 5 dB (this value is an educated guess). It doesn't even matter if you already have the phoned cranked up to full volume, as the level will still be boosted.
On recent tests I performed with the 6310i, the extent to which this feature worked was amply demonstrated. I stood on the Mavis bridge over Highway 403 in Mississauga during rush hour, which is a pretty noisy place to be. Just to speak with someone standing next to you, it would be necessary to raise your voice to the point of almost shouting. I then called 611 on Fido to listen to the front-end recordings. As many Fido users know, these recordings are not especially loud, and it is even worse in Mississauga, as that area is served by Nortel equipped sites, which are noticeable fainter than the Ericsson sites still found in many other places in Southern Ontario. Despite all that, the phone boosted the volume high enough that I could hear every word spoken without straining to do so.
Can I Change the Volume with Field Test Mode Activated?
Applies to: 6188, 6185, 6160, 6120 Added: 14-Mar-2000
At times it appears impossible to change the earpiece volume during a call if Field Test Mode is activated. Unlike the 6190, none of the other 61xx models have volume controls on the side. They instead rely on the cursor up/down buttons on the main keypad. When in Field Test Mode, pressing the up and down buttons merely moves the phone from one screen to another. However, there is a mechanism in the phone to switch it between adjusting the volume and moving through the Field Test screens.
This screwed me up when it first hit me, but I have now figured out how the mechanism works. If you find you cannot adjust the volume in a call with Field Test Mode activated, then do this: press a key, then press and hold the Clear soft key for a second or two. This will toggle the mode back and forth between volume and moving through screens.
Why does the 6185/6188 Signal Strength Meter Make no Sense?
Applies to: 6188, 6185
There are essentially two things that we can display on a signal strength meter. The first is RSSI, which is short for Received Signal Strength Indicator (or something like that). This is a simple measurement of the signal strength with no consideration given to noise or other problems that may plague the signal. For non-CDMA systems this is probably a reasonable measurement, even though noise does play a roll in diminishing the performance of all phones.
In CDMA however, signal strength alone does not necessarily tell us how good the call will be. How many of you have had poor audio using a CDMA phone when it shows a 2 or 3 bar signal? In this case the strong signal did not translate into good audio. Most companies choose to display the more traditional RSSI on their phones, since they obviously believe it makes more sense to the end user.
The second thing we can measure is the Carrier-to-Interference Ratio (or Ec/Io). This measurement essentially ignores the overall strength of the signal and instead concentrates on how much better the desired signal is to the noise that conspires to interfere with it. Nokia chose to use this method for its 61xx CDMA models.
With this in mind, it is therefore possible to observe a low meter reading in an area where you know the signal is strong, and get a high reading in an area where the signal is weak. This doesn't completely explain the weird behavior of the 6185/6188 meter, but I have a possible explanation for the sudden drops to no bars that it makes. When the 6185 changes to a different PN Offset at idle it drops the meter to zero until it can establish the new Ec/Io. I think Nokia will likely "fix" this in the future, while having the meter retain its old reading until the new one can be calculated. This won't give users heart attacks by making them think the signal has disappeared.
So is the use Ec/Io a good idea then? In my opinion: yes and no. The information it provides is far more relevant to the type of call you'll end up with than pure RSSI, but it is foreign to most cell phone users. So on one hand it gives us truly useful signal quality measurements, but at the same time it confuses the hell out of us when we see 2-bar readings while standing next to a cell site. It also fluctuates quite a bit over time, even when the phone remains stationary. I don't know if Nokia will change this in future firmware revisions, but much depends upon the public's overall reaction to this "strange" new idea.
Changing the Banner on Your Display
Applies to: 3390, 6190, 5190, 6188, 6185, 6160, 6120, 6310i
You can't change the banner on a GSM model per se, but you can do something even better. Many of Nokia's phones allow you to upload what is called an Operator Logo. This is a 14x72 pixel graphic image that takes the place of the network name of your screen. On phones without IR or Bluetooth, you'll need a data cable and a copy of some appropriate software such as LogoManager. Yes the 6310i can do this too, though I'm not sure why there appears to be any doubt over this.
Unfortunately, Operator Logos do not always work. It's never been completely clear why, but the blame seems to fall on certain SIM cards. Whether this is true or not, you may find that your phone doesn't display the graphic image even after you have followed the instructions to the letter.
The 3390 can receive Operator Logos over-the-air as SMS, and you also set what is known as a Screen Saver. This is a full screen graphic image that appears while your phone is "idling".
Changing the banner on your 6188 and 6185 phone is fairly simple. Do the following:
1) Type *3001#12345#
This will put your phone into programming mode, and you'll be presented with the programming menu.
2) Select "NAM1"
3) Scroll down to "Alpha Tag" and select that
4) Enter a new tag, then press OK
5) Power down the phone and power it back on again
NOTE: This apparently does not work on all of the newest 6188 models with firmware version 441. On some of these phones, there does not appear to be a way to modify the banner. If I find a way to do this, I will certainly pass it along. Your 441 phone may or may not have Alpha Tag menu item.
Changing the banner in the 6160 and 6120 is a little more complicated. I don't own either of these phones, so the following instructions are courtesy of Peter Tsang:
1) Type *3001#12345#
This will put your phone into programming mode, and you'll be presented with the programming menu.
2) Select "NAM1"
3) Select "PSID/RSID"
4) Select "P/RSID 1"
Note: Any of the P/RSIDs will work
5) Select "System Type" and set it to Private
6) Select "PSID/RSID" and set it to 1
7) Select "Connected System ID"
Note: Enter your System ID for Rogers, which is 16401 or 16423. If you don't know yours, ask your local dealer for it.
8) Select "Alpha Tag"
9) Enter a new tag, then press OK
10) Select "Operator Code (SO)" and set it to 2050
11) Select "Country Code" and set it to 302 for Canada. Sorry I don't know the code for the US.
12) Power down the phone and power it back on again
I don't know how much of that actually has to be done to change the tag, but unless I hear otherwise, I will assume that you must do each and every item as outlined.
