Onstar renewal

[pandew]

GM owners, how many of you have renewed your onstar service after your free year is done

[waldo238]

How many of the vehicles have analog phones in them? The FCC is allowing carriers to shut off their analog systems this year. When this happens the vehicles with the analog phones will not work any more. Just something to think about. Most carriers will be shutting down analog in the second quarter.

[Snownyet]

I renewed mine, for us the insurance discount almost makes it an even wash. To my knowledge Onstar Phones are satellite not cellular.

[waldo238]

quote:Q. What different types of equipment do OnStar-equipped vehicles have?
A. OnStar-equipped vehicles have one of three types of equipment:

Analog-Only: OnStar-equipped vehicles with analog-only equipment were designed to operate only on the analog cellular network and there is no digital upgrade available. Vehicles with this equipment will no longer be able to receive OnStar services beginning January 1, 2008. At this time, service is available only through dual-mode (analog/digital) equipment. (Refer to Question #4 for additional details.)

Analog/Digital-Ready: OnStar-equipped vehicles with analog/digital-ready equipment operated on the analog cellular network, but can be upgraded to dual-mode (analog/digital) equipment if available for that vehicle (while supplies last). Beginning January 1, 2008, OnStar service will not be available on these vehicles unless the OnStar equipment has been upgraded to dual-mode (analog/digital) equipment.

Dual-Mode (Analog/Digital): OnStar-equipped vehicles with dual-mode (analog/digital) equipment operate on both the analog and digital cellular networks and will not require an upgrade in connection with the cellular industry's transition to the digital network.
Close

This is directrly from the Onstar web site.

[Parrothead]

We renewed ours. We like it. Have had it in other vehicles. Only older vehicles need to worry about the analog vs digital.
Happy trails.......................

[Steve and Brenda]

We renewed. Worth the piece of mind when the local cellular system is not reachable.

[snfexpress]

We like ours, especially because we use the call forwarding from my cell phone to the truck phone, using Verizon's family share plan. The reception is better off the truck phone in fringe areas.

Also, we had a 2005 analog unit and were told that if we renewed for 3 years, we could have our GM dealer, at no cost to us, swap it out for the digital unit.

[Dave e Victoria]

Dn-Star communication is cell phone. The only thing satellite is the GPS receiver. And, as Waldo said, go look at the On-star support page to see if yours will still work.

We are on our second On Star equipped truck and wouldn't be without it. I lover the on board diagnostic service and like the hands free cell phone service.
Dave

[TLightning]

Guess I'm the only dissenter. I specifically ordered my truck without OnStar...had it before and never used it...there are now very few areas without cell coverage.

I did get the XM Radio, however!

[Mudchief]

We did, It works much better than the hand held units. The hand held unit only has about 1/2 watt of transmit power while the OnStar has 3 watts of transmit power.

[Mac]

We have it, love it, renewed it!

mac

[waldo238]

quote:We did, It works much better than the hand held units. The hand held unit only has about 1/2 watt of transmit power while the OnStar has 3 watts of transmit power.

What you say is true but only for the analog units. Digital phones however only transmit 6/10ths of a watt in power. This is why you can have fewer towers to cover the same distance, a digital signal will travel further.

[RKassl]

We renewed the first year we had to pay for it. But that was it. We have to cell phones and I just coudldn't see giving them $100.00 + bucks. I would rather save this for our fuel costs.

[Mudchief]

Last summer when traveling through Arkansas we stop to eat along side the road. When we got ready to go the engine run great but would not pull. I had no check engine light showing. I pushed the blue button and was transfered to a technician who ran a test and told me my EGR valve was stuck open. He told me how to reset it a temporary fix until I could get it to the shop to have it replaced. My wife had a problem with her car and they told her she had low pressure on the fuel rail. Then told her to check the gas cap and sure enough it was loose. That is what I like about OnStar.

[Sunseekers]

We discontinued our service with onstar after having it for 3 years of "false coverage on our part" We kept it so we would have coverage when our cellphone didn't work. Bottom line on that is if your cellphone won't work neither will onstar!
I locked the keys in the truck while in Kimberly, Oregon and they could not help me (I made the call from a land base phone).
The locksmith said he has never worked on a more difficult vehicle to get into. He stated it would take him 30 seconds as he got into a Ford in 15 seconds. Well, 45 minutes later he got us in!
Onstar did pay for the locksmith services.

[Snownyet]

I disagree on the the onstar not working when cells wont, thats why I thought it was sattelite service. A few years ago I was 4 hours north of Montreal canada , deep in the Quebec bush. No lan lines, no homes, no cell service and only 1 road to travel. Onstar was crystal clear!!

[waldo238]

These Onstar devices will also boost signal in a week area, but trust me they are not satellite. I have been in the cellular business on the switching side of the business for 20 years. Read one of my previous post or better yet go to the onstar site. Infact the service is provided by Verizon http://solutions.vzwshop.com/onstar/
This is from the manual:

OnStar Information Page 37

Inoperative if Cellular Signal
Is Marginal or Unavailable
Since OnStar uses cellular technology for
communication with the OnStar Center, it can only
be operated in geographic areas where cellular
coverage is available. Although nearly all of the
North American population lives and works in
cellular coverage areas, there are various rural and
mountainous areas where coverage is marginal or
does not exist. Cellular service is also subject to
transmission limitations caused by atmospheric
conditions. OnStar service is only available in the
48 United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada.
If a request for service occurs outside of these areas,
communication may not be available, and the
OnStar Advisor may not be able to help you.

Inoperative if Communications
Service Is Inactive or Inoperative
OnStar uses a dedicated cellular communications
service and will not operate if, for some reason, a
cellular carrier has deactivated cellular service.

Inoperative if Cellular System Is Busy
In any area, the local cellular system can only
handle a limited number of cellular calls at a given
time. Once volume has reached the maximum limit,
additional callers are denied access. If this situation
occurs when there is an OnStar request for services,
the OnStar system will automatically redial (a few
times for an OnStar service or indefinitely for an
Emergency button press).