Main page

1. What is it ?
2. Do I need it ?
3. Does my phone use more power with NetMonitor enabled ?
4. How to activate it ?
5. Which NetMonitor version can be activated in my phone ?
6. Does NetMonitor activation void warranty ?
7. NetMonitor menu in my phone has different number than 10. Is it normal ?
8. NetMonitor menu in my phone has 11 number, hovewer previous position has 9 number. Is it normal ?
9. How to use it ?
10. Can I damage my phone ?
11. Glossary
12. Description of the individual tests
13. You can also use a program...
14. Can I use NetMonitor without SIM card inserted, without PIN number entered or when SIM card is not active ?
15. How can I disable NetMonitor ?
16. Do I need to disable NetMonitor before sending my phone to the service ?
17. Is it possible to re-activate NetMonitor after disabling it ?
18. Is NetMonitor available in analog Nokia phones ?
19. Does NetMonitor allow to use phone like broadcast station ?
20. I don't have all described tests in my phone. Why ? Can I increase their number ?
21. Does NetMonitor allow to identify place, where is my interlocutor ?
22. Does NetMonitor allow to identify place, where am I ?
23. What are NetMonitor codes ?
24. Is it the truth, that in phones with additional hardware changing frequency band NetMonitor doesn't work correct ?
25. Where can I find description of FBUS/MBUS protocol and commands connected with NetMonitor ?
26. I have non existing networks on the list of forbidden networks...
27. How to check frequency band (900 or 1800 Mhz), where phone work in this moment ?
28. Can I use DLR-2/DLR-3 cables for activating netmonitor ?
29. Can I activate netmonitor using Init File Editor (Nokia 9110) ?
30. Can I force phone to use one frequency band (900 or 1800 Mhz) only ?
31. How to change settings in tests ?
32. My phone has very short snandby time - it is possible to see the reason of it ?
33. Is netmonitor available in English version only ?
34. Information sources
35. Additional information
36. Does using/activating netmonitor cost anything ?
37. Does using netmonitor is legall ?
38. Which entries on SIM card are used in netmonitor tests ?
39. Can I activate netmonitor in 3310 using soft working with 3210 ?
40. After activating netmonitor/BTS TEST my phone can't find network...
41. Netmonitor shows different battery capacity than info on it...

Test 8

In Nokia 6185/6188 it looks like follows:

CDMA TADD TDROP TCOMP TTDROP WW1 WW2 WW3

AMPS 1STBY_RX7244 XNRML_RX006C X_N_RX_O004C X_N_RX_F0020

CDMA TADD - threshold to add a new active PN (raw value ex: 28 = Ec/Io at -14 dB), [TDROP] : threshold to drop an active PN (raw value ex: 32 = Ec/Io at -16 dB) TCOMP - an other threshold to add an active PN when a candidate PN becomes stronger than an active PN TTROP - timer to drop a PN when power of this PN goes below TDROP WW1 - value of the seach window for the active PN WW2 - value of the seach window for the neighbour PN,[WW3]: value of the seach window for the remaining PN.

In Nokia 6210:

CCCH Ts  01234567 Rx  xxxxxxxx Tx  xxxxxxxx mCh x mPw xx

9600/14000   TS for Rx TS for Tx MainCh/PwrLv

it is connected with data transmission. In line with Rx and Tx you see, which Time Slots are used for it (for receiving and transmiting).

When phone doesn't use HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data), only one time slot is used both for transmiting and receiving (it's visible also in test 1 then).

When use HSCSD, only this test gives full information about it... You can check here, what can be maximal theoretical speed for downloading and uploading data (number_of_used_slots * 9600 or number_of_used_slots * 14000)...
mCh seems to be "main" time slot among them used for transmission (one that seems to be always used for both ways - probably can be viewed as the slot that would be used if no HSCSD were used, and all other slots are "extra" slots to increase number of sent/received data). It seems to be displayed in test 1 too...
mPw seems to be the power level for the "main" time slot (it seems to be displayed in test 1 too - units are the same).... The power levels for all 8 individual slots can be found in test 9.

First line shows channel displayed in test 1 too. It's available in new firmware only (5.02).

Test 9

In Nokia 6185/6188 it looks like follows:

CDMA 006 330 270 047 062 062 342 102 030 062 062 062	AMPS 1PT_1_OK724E RPT_1_FA0042 TIME__2_0000 MER2HIGH0002
CDMA Tracked PN Offsets (lines 1,3) and EC/SO (Energy per chip per noise). An EC/SO of 062 likely means not really usable? lower numbers are better strengths). See test 2 for PN offset information.

In Nokia 6210:

mCh x mPw xx  xx xx xx xx  xx xx xx xx

MainCh/PwrLv PwrLv TS 0-3 PwrLv TS 4-7

and is connected with HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data) and shows power levels for each time slot used in data transmission (more info about data transmission in Nokia 6210 is visible also in Test 8). Units here seems to be the same to units in test 1 (power level used for "main" time slot in transmission is displayed also there).

Test 10
Network information (concern current or recently monitored network)

TMSIaaaaaaaa T321:bbb/ccc PRP:d  ee ff  ggggg  hhh

TMSI(hex) T3212ctr/tim PaRP DSF AGC   AFC   Ch

• aaaaaaaa - TMSI: a number assigned to each phone logged to the network (it can be done, for example, after power on, a call, sending/receiving SMS, requesting some services, PLU). Value from the SIM card (each new number is written there) in hexadecimal format. If assigning this number fails (for example because transmitter was turned off in test 45 or SIM card is not active), 'xxxxxxxx' is shown here and the phone displays 'No network coverage' message (when you try to make a call).
• bbb - value of the so called T3212 counter: the phone periodically informs the network about its location (makes a PLU). 'bbb' counter means time from last update and can be a value from 1 to 'ccc' (where 1 means 6 minutes, 2 - 2 * 6 min = 12 min, etc.). This counter is also cleared after each connection, sending/receiving SMS or requesting a network services - for example call diverting (but the counters from test 64 don't change). The value doesn't change (it's always equal 0) with not active SIM card.
• ccc - max T3212 counter value: period of time, after which the phone sends information about its location - makes a PLU (range from 1 to 240, where 1 means 6 min between updates and 240 means 24 hours (240*6min)). This value is received from the network (if it is 0, the network doesn't require information about phone location). For Polish networks Era GSM and Plus GSM it's equal 30 (3h), for Idea 2h. Displayed normally even, when SIM card is not active.
• d - Paging Repeat Period, sometimes called DRX (Dincontinuous Receive): period of time, after which the phone turns its receiver on to check whether someone is calling us (range from 2 to 9 - the higher, the longer time between these checks so the phone uses less power: PRP=2 means about 0.95 s, a PRP=9 equal 4.25 s.). Interesting thing is that max standby times are usually calculated by the manufacturers for this parameter equal 9.
• ee - DSF (Downlink Signalling Failure). If it is negative, 0 is shown. Max value of this parameter is 45. When the phone uses TCH channel, xx is displayed.
• ff - AGC (Automatic Gain Control) - automatic gain control of the phone receiver. The stronger the signal from BTS, the lower this value. It is displayed correctly only when the phone uses TCH/SDCCH channel (for example: during a call) and can be a value from 0 to 96 (dB ?).
• ggggg - in some English descriptions it's "VCTCXO AFC DAC control" - a value between -1024 and 1023. In help it's described as AFC (Automatic Frequency Control) - automatic adjusting phone's receiver to the frequency of the signal transmitted by BTS. The more this value differs from 0, the more frequency corrections have to be made by the receiver (it depends on the channel used in communication with BTS - see test 1) to "match" the BTS.
• hhh - CH (channel): number of channel used in communication with cell (decimal)

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

Pagrepp. d T:aaaaaaaa T3212: bbb

PagRepPer. TMSI T3212

In Nokia 3110 this test looks like follows:

TMSI:aaaaaaaa T3212:bbb/ccc PRP:d  ee ff w gggg  hhh z

TMSI(hex) T3212 ctr/tim PagRP DSF AGC S AFC   CH  B

If the phone after power on wasn't logged to any network, some default values are displayed here (except for TMSI).

Some of these values can be also found in Nokia service programs (for example in WinTesla - in menu "Testing" / "RF Information").

In test 64 you can check, how many times your phone has sent an information about its location. If you have sent an SMS, you can check (exact to 6 min), when you did it (if it wasn't earlier than value 'ccc' for your network) - check 'bbb' parameter value.

And here is this test for Nokia 6185/6188:

CDMA 414 084 222 062 060 062 420 366 252 062 062 062	AMPS 1X_XSTBY000D SYNC_LOS0031 DEC_SAME0000 VOTED_BT0000
CDMA Tracked PN Offsets (lines 1,3) and signal strengths.

Test 11
Identification of the currently used (last monitored) network

CC:aaa NCbbb   LAC:ccccc   CH : deee   CID:fffff

MCC    MNC LocAreaCode  ServChannel    CellId

• aaa - MCC (Mobile Country Code): code of the network home country (260 for Poland) - decimal.
• bbb - MNC (Mobile Network Code): network code (different for networks with the same MCC - for example, in Poland: 01 for Plus GSM, 02 for Era GSM and 03 for Idea).

  Generally values here are decimal. Sometimes are exceptions (when and why ?) and you can find hexadecimal value here: if you will convert it into decimal and result treat as hexadecimal value (convert it into decimal value again), you will have decimal value of this parameter (for example, 3F hex=63 dec; 63 hex=99 dec).

  When you use phone working in PCS 1900 system (for example, Nokia 6190), this number can be 3-digit long. It's decimal (always ?). If it consist of two digits, you will see "?" instead of last (for example, you will see "37?" for "37")

• ccccc - LAC (Location Area Code): code of the current cell area (decimal or hexadecimal). The size of this area (with the same LAC) depends on the network. After changing LAC, the phone makes Location Update.
• d - H, if frequency hopping is enabled (otherwise empty). This information can be also found in test 1 and test 12.
• eee - CH (channel): number of channel used in communication with cell (decimal)
• fffff - CID (Cell Identifier): number of the current cell (each cell in given area has its own unique ID number) - shown decimal or hexadecimal.

LAC and CID format (if they're displayed decimal or hexadecimal) depends on your phone's model and its software version (for instance: Nokia 3210 and Nokia 5110 with newer software display decimal values, while Nokia 5110 with 4.59 (and older) firmware and some previous models (like Nokia 3110) use hexadecimal format).

GSM phones recognize the network using MCC and MNC codes (list of these codes can be found at http://kbs.cs.tu-berlin.de/~jutta/gsm/gsm-list.html). Network names shown on phone's display (like 'ERA GSM', 'Plus GSM' or 'Idea') are stored in phone's memory (they're set by the producer - cellular network doesn't send any name, just these two numbers). In order to correctly recognize a new network, you must upgrade the firmware of the phone (or it won't display network name). Some older phones, like Nokia 2110i (or newer models without firmware upgrade) display names like PL-03 (they recognize that MCC=260 is Poland (which has international code PL), but they don't know the network name - only its MNC). One (?) text name can also be changed using appropriate programs:

• WinTesla - from main menu "Dealer"/"Operator Settings"
• program from http://www.mobil.cz/triky/nokia000511.html (works with Nokia 3110/8110)

In Polish version of this manual the description of BTSes contains URLs of pages with BTSes lists - with their locations, LAC and CID (for Polish networks).

If the phone after power on wasn't logged to any network, some default values are displayed here.

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

aaa eee bb LAC:  cccc CellI:ffff

MCC CH MNC LocAreaCod CELL IDent

In Nokia 3110 this menu looks like follows:

CC:aaa NC:bbb   LAC:cccc   CH :deee w CID:ffff  z

MCC     MNC  LocAreaCode  ServChannel S CellId    B

And here is for Nokia 6185/6188:

CDMA 162 054     062 062 186 084 062 051	AMPS 11_BETTR0000 SYNC_SAM0000 MSG__BTR0000 SFLG_BTR0000
CDMA Tracked PN Offsets (lines 1,3) and signal strengths (only, when phone is in CONV state)

Test 12
Parameters of currently used (last monitored) network

CIPHER :aaa  HOPPING:bbb DTX    :ccc IMSI   :ddd

CipherValue HoppingValue DTXValue IMSIAttach

• aaa:
  • OFF: phone doesn't transmit
  • A51: phone transmits, data are coded using A5/1 algorithm (more complicated version)
  • A52: phone transmits, data are coded using A5/2 algorithm (a version designed for use in some "doubtful" countries - potential future enemies (like Iraq)). It's easier to decode and crack, but still secure (not cracked) - but I can be wrong !

• bbb - informs, whether frequency hopping is enabled (ON) or disabled (OFF)
• ccc - informs, whether DTX is used (ON) or not (OFF) by phone
• ddd - informs, whether IMSI attach is allowed (ON)

All the values in this menu are updated only when the phone uses TCH channel.

If the phone after power on wasn't logged to any network, some default values are displayed here.

More information about A5/1 and A5/2 algorithms can be found at www.scard.org/gsm/.

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

CIPHER aaa HOPPIN bbb DTX    ccc

CIPHERING HOPPING DTX ON/OFF

In Nokia 3110 this test looks as follows:

CIPHER :aaa HOPPING:bbb DTX    :ccc w IMSI :ddd z

CipheringValu HoppingValue DTXValue S IMSIAttachB

In Nokia 6185/6188 in AMPS it looks different:

1IN_FAIL0044 DYN_FAIL01C7 MIN2_FAI0045 DYN2_FAI01CB

Test 13
Information about DTX in currently used (last monitored) network

aaaaaaaaaa  DTX(DEF):bbb DTX(BS) :ccc

DTXMode DefaulDTXSta DTXValFromBS

• aaaaaaaaaaaa: information, whether the phone uses DTX:
  • DTX:ON - yes, it uses
  • DTX:OFF - no, it doesn't use
  • DTX:DEF - yes or not (depends on default setting - bbb parameter)
  • NOTALLOWED - the phone cannot independently decide to use DTX or not (BTS doesn't allow this)

• bbb - default DTX setting: ON or OFF.
• ccc - DTX value from BTS (on uplink - a channel used in communication in direction phone-BTS):
  • MAY - BTS lets the phone "decide", whether to use DTX or not
  • USE - BTS forces DTX usage
  • NOT - BTS doesn't allow to use DTX

If the phone after power on wasn't logged to any network, some default values are displayed here.

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

cccccccccc MS DEF:bbb dddddddddd

DTX STATUS DEF STATE BS PARAM

• cccccccccc - the same to aaaaaaaaaa. Values: "DTX  ON", "DTX OFF", "DTX DEF" lub "NOTALLOWED"
• dddddddddd - the same to ccc. Values "MS MAY USE", "SHALL USE" or "SHALL NOT"

If BTS allows this (if the last parameter's value is MAY), you can decide whether to use DTX or not by entering this menu in a direct mode.

Test 14
By entering this menu in direct mode, you can change aa parameter value from 01 (default) to 00 (or vice versa).

SCREENING    INDICATOR    IS aa

Use menu to    change  Screening  indicator

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

SCREEN IND SET TO  aa

CHANGE SCREENING  INDICATOR

Test 15

In Nokia 5190/6190:

aaa bbb cccc ddd eee f gg hh ii jjjjjjjjjj

CH RxL TxPwr MdSt SAT DCC ST   TxA RxA   CS STATE

When you don't have additional module (it's between "main" phone and battery), you will see "AMPS display not available" here. After connecting it you will see values connected AMPS:

• aaa - channel used for communication with cell (0 during standby)
• bbb - level of received signal in dB
• ccc - level of the transmitted signal (0 during standby)
• eee - SAT, x during standby
• f - DCC (Digital Color Code) on the ACCH channel (0-3, - = not locked), x during standby
• jjjjjjjjjj - cellular state:
  • IDLE - standby
  • CALL GOING - exchange of data required to make call
  • IN CALL - during call
  • PCH INIT - scanning available paging channels ? (for example, after call)
  • CCH INIT - scanning control channels ?
  • ACCESS - accesing network ?

and 6210:

Tx27178506 ReTx42645758   Rx27178505 RTRq27178504

Sent frames Re-transmis. Rec. frames Re-send reqs

In Nokia 6250 help is the same to help from 6210, but screen with values is EMPTY.

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

xxx SIM yy LAC:  zzzz wwwwwwwwww

MCC    MNC LocAreaCod Upd status

Values here can be different from these in test 11. They're taken from file Location information (6F7E) on SIM card.

• xxx - MCC
• yy - MNC
• zzzz - LAC (hexadecimal)
• wwww - state of Location Update
  • Updated - value from SIM (bits b3 - b1) 0 0 0, meaning: done Location Update in Location Area, which is shown on the screen
  • NotUpdated - value 0 0 1, meaning: Location Update not done or didn't end with success
  • PLMN Not A - value 0 1 0, meaning: LPLMN not allowed
  • LA Not All - value 0 1 1, meaning: Location Area not allowed
  • Reserved - value 1 1 1, reserved for future use
  • Undefined0 - value 1 0 0, undefined value
  • Undefined1 - value 1 0 1, undefined value
  • Undefined2 - value 1 1 0, undefined value
  • LA NotRead - file wasn't read from SIM

Test 17

USERS OF NOKIA 6210 HAVE TO READ FIRST NOTES WRITTEN ON THE END OF DESCRIPTION FOR THIS TEST. IN OTHER CASE THEY CAN DAMAGE THEIR PHONES.

This menu lets the phone test one concrete channel used in communication with cell (the phone doesn't seek channel with the strongest signal, but uses the channel chosen by you: you can use channels 1-124 for GSM 900 and 512-885 for GSM 1800). Each GSM network has its own assigned channels from these ranges (which means that each two networks in one country can't use the same channels - for example, in Poland Plus GSM cannot use Era GSM channels and vice versa).

You can enter numbers of channels belonging to any network (if you enter a channel of forbidden network, you will see all network parameters, but obviously you won't be able to establish connection (except for emergency calls)). After enabling this test your phone won't be able to make handovers.

To enable this test, proceed as follows (sometimes this procedure doesn't work - but turning the phone off and then on often helps; I don't know why):

• save (change) desired channel number on position number 33 of the SIM card's phone book in decimal format (not in phone's memory!) - if you save '0' there, this test will be inactive! However, this step is not necessary, if this number was stored there earlier - you can check this with 33# code). Remember, that phone checks used format. Here are some examples of correct entries: "1", "700".
• go to test 17
• once again enter test 17 directly
• switch your phone off and then back on

To disable this test:

• enter test 17 directly
• switch the phone off and back on (sometimes it isn't needed - phone should disable test, when loose signal on this channel; but it's better to do that to avoid potential problems)

Some interesting results can be achieved, when (guess why ?):

• you enable this test
• then you switch test 19 to REVERSE
• turn off the test, but not the phone (by entering test 17 one time in a direct mode)

In this case the phone "jumps" from one channel to another and monitors channels of different networks - you can see LAC and CID codes of the cells. Furthermore, the phone cannot log to its home network (though it displays parameters of its channels). Several times I got "Insert SIM card" or "SIM card rejected" messages - it may be some bug in firmware. After turning the phone off and then on everything works fine.

The above tip can be used for fast battery discharging (however your phone won't be accesible in the network). If you want to check some informations about different than your network, you can use different tip too: select the test, where will be displayed interesting for you information about this network go to the manual network selection (for example, Menu 4-2-4-2 in Nokia 5110) select interesting for you network wait few seconds (some time is required to start logging into this network) and press "Quit" (NOT (c) key) or wait, until phone will display any message (for example, that logging wasn't successfull) press fast (c) key to leave phone's menu Information about interesting for you network will be displayed during few seconds...

I heard about some cases, when this test turned itself spontaneously on after loosing the signal by the phone. I didn't experience this, but if this has ever happened to you, just save 0 on 33rd position of the SIM card's phone book.

Since Nokia 51xx/61xx phones don't allow choosing the position for the phonebook entry, I want to suggest: check whether you already have some number stored on this position (using 33# code) if the phone displays 'Invalid location', you have to add new entries to the phonebook until you hit this position and the phone doesn't display this message (repeating 1st step after each new entry) after displaying the number, you have to find out who's number is this. You can do it in two ways: just recall (or check the whole phonebook) turn off the transmitter in test 45 and call this number (the name assigned to this number will be show on screen - you will also find it on the 'Last dialed' list) edit the phone book (this position) - you can change the name or the (channel) number if the phone asks you, whether to replace the old number or to save it on new location, choose the former option To store number on chosen location you can also use other Nokia phone (for example 2110), other cellular phones or appropriate software. For example: in Nokia Cellular Data Suite you can export list of phone numbers to file, open it in editor, change and upload to phone. It's simple, isn't it ?

• aaa - can be set to "ON" or "OFF"

This test can be very usefull when: you want to use some particular cell (for example to test whether it is possible to use a cell located 20 km away) you'd like to avoid roaming (which is much more expensive) - for example when you are close to the border (and the phone constantly logs to the network of the neighbor country, because it has a stronger signal) - you just switch your phone to the channel used by your network... other available network has very strong signal (for example -85 dBm) and the signal of your home network is very weak (-100 dBm) - your phone can have serious problems with logging to your network until you use this test you want to monitor the state of some very weak channel - I received some mails, that the lowest measured with this method signal strength was -118 dBm

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

Number of channel must be saved in 98 position of B memory.

Many users of Nokia 3210 say, that in this model there are problems with enabling and disabling this test - part of firmware connected with it has probably some bug(s)... I read even in one newsgroup such post (here is in translation):

Few people after enabling test 17 made reclamations in service, that phone doesn't work. The most interesting is (I'm sure, that in one case) reclamation was taken into consideration !!!! - phone was exchanged !!!

In new models (Nokia 3310, 6210, 6250, 8210) it's a little different:

...but you can use it very similiar (to enable):

• enter it directly. You should see:

  BTS TEST REQUESTED   CH :  bbbb

  where instead of "bbbb" parameter you should see value read from position 33 from phonebook from SIM card (or "xxxx", when value there was wrong, SIM card was not ready, etc. - of course, you will not enable this test then).

• restart phone - "aaa" parameter should change to "ON"

To disable this test you should:

• enter directly into it
• restart phone - "aaa" parameter should change to "OFF"

BE CAREFULL IN MODEL 6210 WITH THIS TEST In firmware 4.27 (older probably too, I don't know, if it's corrected in newer) phone can display CONTACT SERVICE after using it or there could be different problems with it. Here are three known examples:

• after enabling test everything was correct. After writting number 0 and resetting phone (it was one method for disabling this test in older models) CONTACT SERVICE was displayed. User put SIM card into another phone, changed 33 position in phonebook to CORRECT channel number (1-124, 512-885), put SIM back to 6210 and normally used it (second 6210 with the same symptoms wasn't repaired after making it).
• in this concrete example Nokia 6210 displayed info about finding channel 79. User written its' number in phonebook on 33'th position. After third reset of phone CONTACT SERVICE was displayed. SIM card was put into Nokia 5110 and channel number was changed to 76 (this channel was visible in this phone). When SIM card was put back into Nokia 6210 phone, it was possible to enable it. In this test phone displayed 'BTS TEST ON CH:79' (channel 79 was also visible in test 3).
• after enabling this test phone was restarted. After entering PIN it hanged, "Code accepted" was displayed and it squeaked. And the same problem was visible after each reset. User disabled netmonitor via cable. After it phone phone very often wasn't able to find network and user had to disable it. Solution was disconnecting battery for about 1 hour. Problems with finding network were visible during about next 2 weeks.

Test 18

This menu allows you to turn on constant backlight of the screen and keyboard (LIGHTS ON). This can be used for very fast battery discharging. We can also use it as a flashlight - for example to check a schedule, your location on a map, to be visible on the road :-), etc. But there is one condition: any of the NetMonitor tests must be visible on the screen. If you turn this test on and then back off, the light will go out (it won't react on key presses) for several minutes (good for games - saves battery)... The light can be also constantly enabled, if you connect a car kit (or simulate it - check test 75) and "Light" setting (Menu 2-5 in Nokia 5110) will be set to "All". This will work without NetMonitor (and any of its test) enabled!

Changes to this menu can be made by entering it directly.

• aaa - can be set to either "ON" or "OFF" (default)

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

Test 19

Each operator before giving a new or repaired base station (BTS) for normal use, tests its cells. GSM phones read this information and avoid using these cells. However, using this menu, you can set your phone to use such cells, too (DISCARD option) - sometimes it allows you to "improve" the coverage and range of your network . If you want your phone to use only such barred cells, just set this menu to REVERSE (but you won't be able to make or receive calls if there are no tested cells in your neighborhood - good phone lock ?). ACCEPTED means that your phone uses only normal cells, which are allowed for use (it works like any other phone).

Information about cell status is broadcasted on BCCH channel as a CELL_BARRED parameter value. The settings of this menu can be changed by entering it directly (but if you have previously enabled test in test 17, current cell may have other status than the chosen here (for example: you chosen barred cells only, but the phone uses a normal one)).

New settings are applied during next signal quality measurements (you can advance this by making a call, forcing the phone to search for a network or by holding the antenna with fingers for certain amount of time).

Sometimes your phone may not be able to find cells with particular status - it will show parameters of the cells with such status belonging to other network (once I've set this menu to REVERSE and the phone started displaying data of barred cells in forbidden for my SIM card network, because there were no tested my home network cells in my neighborhood). Information about cell status can be found in test 1 to test 5.

In Nokia 2110i/2140:

Test 20
Information about battery and phone charger mode

aaa   bbbbb Tccc     ddd Ceee    Wfff gggg    hhhh

BatVol ChMod BTemp ChTime ChrgVol Pwm  BTyp  BFDC

• aaa - battery voltage (V/100 - for instance 7.19V is displayed as 719). Range 0.00 - 9.99 V. When value decreases, your battery is more discharged - you have less standby/speech time to next charging...
• bbbbb - information about battery charging:
  • xxxxx - charger not connected or charging disabled
  • BatCk - checking battery charge level (after each TCH channel usage (a call) when charging NiMH battery)
  • BSIFa - charging interrupted (battery BSI (Battery Size Indicator: one of battery connectors connected with ground (BGND) to resistor inside battery - phone measure its opór and can read battery type)) measurement failed)
  • CelBr - charging interrupted (one or more cells broken inside battery)
  • ChaCk - EM checks charger
  • Charg - charging
  • ColdC - charging a cold battery
  • ColdM - battery is cold, maintenance charging
  • CurFa - charging interrupted (charger current measurement failed)
  • DisCh - discharging
  • Faile - error
  • FastC - fast charging
  • FullM - battery full, maintenance charging
  • F_Che - checking fast charging process
  • HotM  - battery is hot, maintenance charging
  • I_Che - initialization of charging parameters test (then the phone displays 'Charging')
  • InitC - charging process initialization
  • L_Che - checking parameters of LiIon battery charging
  • LiAFu - fff parameter (Pwm) level is higher than max limit for a full battery
  • LiDCH - DCH charging (some kind of maintenance charging ?) of LiION battery
  • LiFul - fff (Pwm) parameter exceeded the max limit for a full battery during given period of time
  • LiHot - charging hot (warm) LiION battery
  • LithC - charging LiION battery
  • LiTxO - charging LiION battery, transmitter active (connection in progress)
  • LNFTx - charging LiION battery (but the phone uses as much power, as it receives from charger), transmitter active (connection in progress)
  • M_Che - maintenance charging process test
  • MaBFD - maintenance charging (BFD)
  • Maint - maintenance charging
  • TmpFa - charging interrupted (phone's wasn't able to read natê¿enie of resistor NTC inside battery connected to BTEMP and BGND battery connectors and wasn't able to calculate battery temperature)
  • TxNoF - charging NiMH battery (but the phone uses as much power, as it receives from charger), transmitter active (connection in progress)
  • TxOnC - charging NiMH battery, transmitter active (connection in progress)
  • VolFa - charging interrupted (error checking voltage from charger)

• ccc - battery temperature (for example T+27 means +27 degrees centigrade). Sometimes (when the phone was turned off and not used for a long time (no connections, low power consumption), this parameter can match outdoor temperature (so you will have a thermometer). If you need a temperature in Fahrenheit degrees, you can use following formula: F = 32 + 9C/5 (where F and C are Fahrenheit and Celsius degrees). The temperature of LiION battery is also given in test 23.
• ddd - charging time in hours (first digit) and minutes (2 last digits). This counter is cleared when charging process begins (but not always - it doesn't happen if:
  • previous charging process wasn't complete
  • mains parameters don't meet some requirements

  I have also experienced that Nokia 6110 doesn't clear this counter after changing the battery (for example from LiION to NiMH). It continues after connecting the charger and stops when the battery is full or when you disconnect the charger.

• eee - charging voltage (V/100). The battery isn't charged with a direct current, but with a pulse current (this indicator constantly changes). Range 0.0 - 18.7 V. When charging is complete, maintenance charging begins.
• fff - Charge control output (decimal - range 000 - 255)
• ggg - capacity of the battery in mAh (some English descriptions and NetMonitor help in Nokia 3110 write, that it's BSI battery multiplied by 4): in case of LiION battery you will find here the same value as on battery casing in NiMH batteries this value can differ even by 200 mAh and change depending on the temperature (it it connected with battery's memory effect ?). Unfortunately, it doesn't change always immedietaly after changing battery... See also question Netmonitor shows different battery capacity than info on it...
• hhhh - this counter lets us calculate remaining charging time: when charging current is less than predefined limit, this timer will be started. If timer reaches 0, charging will be stopped (it should be according to some English descriptions, but I observed it very rarely).

In Nokia 3110 this menu looks as follows:

aaa  bbbbb  Tccc   ddd  Ceee  Wfff w gggg hhhh z

BatVol ChMode BTemp ChrTime ChrgVol  Pwm S 4BSI BFDC B

• bbbbb - in N3110 this field can additionally contain NOTCH (no charging)

In Nokia 9110 this menu looks as follows:

aaa   bbbbbb Tccc    ddd i Ceee  Wfff  gggg   hhhh

BatVol  ChMod BTemp   ChTime ChrgVol Pwm BTyp    BFDC

• i - information, whether travel charger is connected (1) or not (0)

Fast charging (FastC in NetMonitor) means charging with bigger current and with clever charger it doesn't damage your battery.

When battery charging is ended, maintenance charging starts (it's normal, that phone uses some energy and battery's discharging process starts; still connected charger can complete energy losses).

In Polish version of this manual you can also find links to some pages in Polish language explaining some topics connected with charging and batteries.

For curious people: some of the data, which are displayed here, can also be found in Nokia service programs (like WinTesla - menu "Testing" / "ADC Readings...").

This test allows us to check the charger. You can also verify some of the battery parameters like: capacity efficiency (of the battery cells) voltage (if you are - say - on a trip, here you can check whether battery voltage is suitable for your flashlight)

Test 21
Charging parameters (I noticed, that these values are correct only after making a call while charging - they change only then (after ending call display last registred values))

aaaa  bbbb    ccc   ddd   eee   fff

MTDif MPDif BUpV  BDownV AverV SumMF

• aaaa - difference between measured and required charging voltage
• bbbb - difference between measured voltage and the result of the previous measurement, fraction is not displayed
• ccc - the highest measured voltage in battery (with charging battery and using it in the same time it can change)
• ddd - the lowest measured voltage in battery
• eee - average voltage
• fff - the sum of the parameters from test 22 (range 0.00 - 9.99, for example 1.53 is displayed as 153) - my own observations show, that DerivCount (Eaaa) parameter is not counted here. If this counter reaches 1.00 or 0.99, 'Battery full' message is displayed and bar indicator on the right side of the display stops.

Test 22
Charging parameters and indicators

Eaaa  Cbbb   Dccc  Rddd   Ieee  Afff   Tggg  Vhhh

DeriC ChAm  VDif VDrop   VDTi AvDif  Temp Volt

• aaa - DerivCount
• bbb - ChargeAmount
• ccc - VolDiffToMax
• ddd - VolDropCnt
• eee - VolDiffTime
• fff - AverDiff
• ggg - temperature
• hhh - voltage

Here you can find several charging parameters and indicators. All these fields (except for DerivCount) range is from 0.00 to 1.00 (dot is not shown - for example 0.23 is displayed as 023). After disconnecting the charger these fields can contain various values. Letters E, C, D, R, I, A, T and V are displayed when the number is shorter than four digits.

I received info, that in some (all ?) Nokia 6150 phones with firmware 4.13 (LiION battery) there are ALWAYS displayed these values (is it bug in this version of firmware ?):

E251  C254   6399  6896  I255  A256  1024  8447

Test 23
Information about the battery

aaaa  bbbb  cccc  dddd eee fff gggg hhh iiiijjjj

TxOn   TxOff ChCur  Stdby Age CAP Curr Tmp CmAhTarg

• aaaa - voltage from the battery when transmitter is active (a.aaa mV)
• bbbb - voltage from the battery when transmitter is inactive (b.bbb mV)
• cccc - charging current (c.ccc mA). If the charger is not connected, 0 is shown. In Nokia 3210 ALWAYS equal 0 (I think, that firmware in this model has some bug).
• dddd - expected voltage from the battery in standby mode (d.ddd mV). You can check whether your SIM card 's clock can be stopped in test 51.
• eee - estimate battery age (0 - new, 100 - old) for LiION batteries (the value of this counter is probably based on measurements of work/discharging time of the battery and its capacity (shown in test 20); this is only a reference!) or 33 for NiMH batteries.
• fff - battery charge level in percent (in older phones, like Nokia 5110, 25 - 1 bar, 50 - 2 bars, 75 - 3, 100 - 4 bars on the right side of the screen; in never, like Nokia 6210 - 100 - 6 bars, 80 - 4 bars, 60 - 3 bars, 40 - 2 bars, 20 - 1 bar). This indicator (and parameter) is very inaccurate during charging process (it reaches 100 almost immediately) - better use ii and jjj parameters then.
• gggg - temporary power consumption indicated by PSM (according to some English descriptions in decimal parts of mA; I think that this field shows values in mA - see on calculation of approximate battery work time below)
• hhh - LiION battery temperature (also shown in test 20 - sometimes both these indicators are different) or 0 (for NiMH battery)
• iiii - how many mAh were "loaded" to the battery until now. If it is approximately equal to jjj, the latter parameter raises (or charging is complete). This parameter is cleared after each use of TCH channel (for example: after a call) while charging (with NiMH battery) - you can use this tip to extend charging time almost ad infinitum. I noticed it with Nokia 6110 and LiION battery (when I turned off and on phone during charging process) too. This value is updated every 14 seconds (Nokia 5110 with standard charger).
• jjjj - battery capacity value (in mAh) by which next charging stage is complete (see description of the previous parameter). I noticed, that it's cleared during LiION battery charging (when I turned off and on phone during charging process) in Nokia 6110.

For curious: some of the data, which are displayed here, can also be found in Nokia service programs (like WinTesla - menu "Testing" / "ADC Readings...").

Here you can check your battery type (LiION or NiMH).

Approximate power consumption (this can be changed and modified by many other factors) while using individual channels (Nokia 5xxx and 6xxx):

• during transmission (TX parameter value - phone transmission power - can be checked in test 1) - using SDCC and TFR channels (Nokia 6110):

  TX	power consumption (gg parameter)
  over 19	92
  16-18	99
  14-15	105
  13	114
  12	123
  11	136
  10	151
  9	173
  8	198
  7	232
  6	269
  5	300

  Conclusion: battery work time depends in a very high degree on the network parameters (most advertising materials contain standby time measured for the phone transmitting with lowest power (highest TX)).

• AGCH: 310 mA in Nokia 5110 and 6110
• CCCH i CBCH: Nokia 6110 phones with older software (like 4.73) show 20 and 34 accordingly. I don't know whether this is caused by some bug in their firmware (these values are most probably given in mA/10) or the power consumption is really that high (because Nokia 5130 shows 34 too). Anyway, I checked, that Nokia 5110 (and 6110 v5.31) phones display 3 mA while using CCCH channel. I think that turning off "cell broadcasting" (if it is not supported by your network) can be very "profitable" for your phone (longer standby time etc.) - look here). When the phone collects BTS identification data (for BTS, which will be now used - has stronger signal than previous - see C2 description for details), this value changes to 220 mA (but only for a short while).
• NSPS: 55 in both Nokia 5110 and 6110 (is this value in mA or in mA/10 ?)

Turning on backlight takes 90 mA more, and while charging another 17 mA should be added.

In Nokia 3210 these data are different for different person (does it depend on firmware version, frequency ?)

standby	reading BTS identification data	turning on backlight
52 mA	90 mA	+155 mA
8 or 9 mA	?	+159 or +160 mA
53, sometimes (rarely, during short time) 8 mA	93 mA	+158 or +159 mA
8 mA	?	+154 mA

If you know the power consumption, you can calculate approximate battery work time: 900 mAh / 225 mA = 4 hours of talk time (on average) Please note, that when using SDCC channel the phone initially uses full power and the gradually reduces it. 900 mAh / 5,45 mA = 165 hours of standby time (on average) Remember, that the phone makes PLU even in standby mode.

Test 24

3476    3481 BSI:     551 ET:        9   111      1

V_inst V_avg BSI value Elapsed time RST_m  RST_h

This is probably meaning of these parameters:

• bbbb - (Voltage average ?) average value of voltage from battery ?
• ccc - (Battery Size Indicator) info connected with battery
• dddd - how many minutes phone work from enabling ? (minutes)
• eeee - (Rest Standby Time minutes ?) does phone estimate here, how long phone can be in standby up to next charging ? (minutes)
• ffff - (Rest Standby Time hours ?) does phone estimate here, how long phone can be in standby up to next charging ? (hours)

Test 25

0      1 10059  5664    641     1      0

Chrgtp #Bars alpha zeta     phi noblw  nobcr

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Marcin Wiacek (WWW)
Last modification: 5 January 2002