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Phone Test Modes DocumentationMost cellular phones have what technicians call field test mode", which displays the signal strength more precisely, as negative numbers instead of bars; closer to zero means a stronger signal (zero means youre standing on a cell tower).
Field Test Mode consists of several different screens on a cell phone that will display a variety of diagnostic information. Field Test Mode allows a user or a field technician to gain access to much more information than the simple signal bar indicator on the phone.
One can observe received signal strength (RSSI-Received Signal Strength Indicator). This is measured in dBm and is always shown as a negative number, even though some phones do not show the - character on the display. The higher number means better received signal and closeness to the tower. Example: -70 dBm is higher then -90 dBm.
One can observe the transmit power of the phone, this is usually displayed in dBm for CDMA phones. TDMA, GSM and iDen phones use a numerical figure that indicates the power level as it is cut back from the phones maximum power.
Another useful tool is the ability to monitor the channel number and operating frequency band. In some cases the uppercase letters from A to F represent the PCS band (1900 MHz), and lowercase letters a and b represent the cellular band (800 MHz). All other phones will show only the letter P or C to represent the 1900 or 800 MHz band respectively.
Click here for a Complete list of cell phone test modes
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