Audiovox CDM89xx Series Phones

This site is dedicated to the Audiovox CDM89xx Series. Although there are links for the CDM8600, there is limited support.
This site was created by a Verizon Wireless customer in the New England Area (USA)
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The 9155GPX was the best dam phone for security that Audiovox ever put out. The 8900, 8910 and 8940 are seriously lacking in security.
We Should Demand a Security Software Update.
I can't believe that this problem still has not been fixed.

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USEFUL LINKS (All Links On This Site Will Open In A New Window)

News Release For The 8940 Mobile Tech News

Audiovox Curitel PST tool V4.8 (8300, 8500, 8600, 8615, 8900, 8910) Screenshot

CDM8900 CODES (These also work for the 8940)

##20022002 - NAM programming Be Careful!

##2773 - Debug - Field test mode.
Rx = Receive power measured in dB.
Tx = Send power measured in dB.
P_Rev Protocol Revision = 6 is 1x, 4 is regular CDMA.
Ec = A measure of how strong individual connections from the tower are compared to everything that the tower is transmitting. Compares the pilot signal to the overall level of traffic, but this is a good indicator of how your connection compares to the overall level of traffic from the tower. -3 dB to -8 dB is usually a “good” Ec. When Ec gets larger, like -10 dB or -15 dB phones will start having trouble maintaining their connections, even with full signal. C = Channel. B side carriers start on 384. Will increase by 1.25MHz or 41 channels.

##7738 - Change P_Rev. Allows you to force CDMA (Select Rev 4)
##2283 - Set the data port baud rate
##2240 - S/W test
##2250 - RFNV Contents. Tons of options here. I have no idea what they do.
##1111 - EFS space (This doesn't seem to work on the 8900. The screen loses resolution and freezes)
##2222 - RF stuff displayS CDMA Automatic Gain Control and Low Noise Amplifier data
##1122 - Test ringtone, vibrate, and colors. Adjust contrast and stuff.
##1133 - Be careful! Resets the phone back to factory settings.
##1144 - Change the length of the keypad tones. Navigation keys don't work here, use the numbers to change values.

#7623 (#ROAD) Roadside assistance. I'm not sure what they do, but I'm sure it will cost you.
#5625* (#LOCK*) Unlocks keypad and tells you the code (very useful for sure)

##2769737 (##BROWSER) Internet Options. This is where you can change uplink IP port
##27732726 - Software tests and stuff. Displays the date/time of firmware. Lots of cool stuff in here.
##27752345 - Battery info and modification. Be careful!

2539** - Changes authentication key. This is the A-Key or Authentication Key. Don't mess with it!

**1004 DM Mode Enable (harmless but I'm unsure what it does, maybe don't try just in case)
**1005 DS Mode Enable (same as above)


DISABLING THE "VERIZON WIRELESS" BANNERS  (8600, 8900) Finally fixed with the 8910 and 8940, with an option to disable.    

What you will need:
- A data cable to your PC Radio Shack Catalog #17-760 The cable may have an in-line serial converter or it may be a straight through cable. Update *** It seems that you may have to purchase the Future Dial Software Kit at this link and start by selecting Wireless Phones. I guess Radio Shack doesn't like the term Cellular Phone or Cell Phone.

Picture of the Cable that works for me. (Works with 8900, 8910, and 8940)

- USB Drivers For The Cable (http://www.futuredial.com/support/usbdrivers/Drivers.htm)
- BitPim
- The eri_binary.bin file

The Verizon 8600, 8900 and 8940 displays a "Verizon Wireless" banner on both the outside LCD and the inside display. The outside banner cycles every 5 seconds between "Verizon Wireless" and the time/caller (8900 only). The 8940 displays the banner all the time and does not flash. This 'feature' makes it difficult to quickly identify the time or who is calling unless you are lucky enough to look during the 5 seconds that "Verizon Wireless" is not displayed. The flashing "Verizon Wireless" banner is actually an Enhanced Roaming Indicator (ERI). It will only display "Verizon Wireless" if you are within Verizon's digital network. If you are roaming or on another network, it will display "Roaming" or "Enhanced Network". By applying this patch, the "Verizon Wireless" display will be removed, but the phone will still display "Roaming" or "Enhanced Network" if you are not on Verizon's digital network.

Several Verizon stores have confirmed that they can remove the "Verizon Wireless" banner (ERI) if you request it. Their approach will remove the banner entirely, whereas this fix will only remove it when you are on Verizon's digital network (you'll still get roaming indicators). If you don't have a cable, go to your local Verizon store and request a non-ERI PRL. While you're at it, demand a credit for your time and inconvenience - we want Verizon to know that we're sick of them limiting phone functionality so that they can inundate us with marketing.

Connect to your phone with BitPim, as instructed above.
Backup the eri_binary.bin file from the nvm/eri directory on your phone (Right click... Save...). If something goes bad, just restore the original file to the phone.
Download eri_binary.bin to your computer.

ERI_BINARY.BIN (Original, this one shows the banner all the time.)
ERI_BINARY.BIN (This one will only show the banner if you are roaming or on the extended network) I used this one for the 8900.
ERI_BINARY.BIN (This one will only show the banner if you are roaming)
ERI_BINARY.BIN (This one will not show you anything) The 8940 has this option built in the phone menu's (Menu....6.....4)

Right click... Save As... DO NOT VIEW THE FILE IN YOUR WEB BROWSER THEN SELECT FILE... SAVE... This file is the patched file that will get rid of the ERI on both the inside and outside of the phone. DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE. DO NOT SAVE THIS FILE WITH A TEXT EDITOR. IT IS A BINARY FILE AND IF YOU SAVE IT WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN A HEX EDITOR, IT MAY RUIN YOUR PHONE. Using BitPim, replace the eri_binary.bin file on the phone (nvm/eri/ERI_binary) with the file you just downloaded by right clicking on the file and selecting Overwrite... then browsing to the new file. Reset the phone by either right clicking on the / at the top of the BitPim window and selecting Reboot Phone OR by simply turning off then on the phone. The banners will be gone and will only appear if you are roaming or on Verizon's extended network. Now you don't have to look stupid for 5 seconds when someone asks you what time it is.
 

HOW TO SAVE PICS & TONES FOR FREE

Verizon Pix Message Q&A:
Q: How do I send myself a pix message?
A: Log onto VZWPix.com. They have Flash demos to show you how to use the site.

Q: When I receive my pix message, why does it ask me to go to VZWPIX.com to retrieve it?
A: There are a few reasons
- When sending msgs from Vzwpix.com, make sure you only enter your phone number, not number@vzwpix.com
- When sending msgs from Vzwpix.com, make sure you enter a subject
- Call Verizon and tell them you can't receive pix msgs, and the customer service will walk you through the troubleshoot

Q: Is Vzwpix.com really free?
A: Almost. Verizon will charge you for the airtime it takes to send the data to your phone. I believe it is rounded up to the next minute. If you don't have any pix messaging plan, then receiving a pix msg will cost you 25 cents. Otherwise, it will just come out from your plan allowance.

Background:
- Since we can not write to the file system directly, we will let the phone do the work, and replace the file with the ones we need.

What you will need:
- A data cable to your PC (Radio Shack Catalog #17-760) The cable my have an in-line serial converter or it may be a straight through cable.

Picture of the Cable that works for me. (Works with 8900, 8910, and 8940)

- USB Drivers For The Cable. (http://www.futuredial.com/support/usbdrivers/Drivers.htm)
- BitPim
- 1 pic and 1 mid on your phone. These are your "seed" files. You will use these over and over so make them small. You can use these, they are only 2k each. Seed.jpg / Seed.mid

Instructions:
Step 1: Send a dummy pix msg to yourself
- For this trick to work, you need to get a picture/midi onto your phone first
- Log onto VZWPix.com, and send yourself a pix msg with a picture AND a midi file or you can use your computer and Outlook Express.
- With Outlook or Outlook Express you can send both files at the same time as attachments.
- Email a small gif and/or small mid file to your cell phone. You can do this by addressing the email to yourphonenumber@vzwpix.com.
- Make sure you can see the picture and hear the midi when you receive the message (Menu->3 Messaging->4 Inbox)

Step 2: Save Picture/Ring tone into Media Gallery
- Read the message (Menu->3 Messaging->4 Inbox)
- When the message is on screen, hit Menu (left button) and 4 (Save Media)
- You should be able to use the cursor keys to highlight the Midi/Pic you want
- At this point, you can hit Name (left button) to rename the Midi/Pic. Remember that the new name will only last until you exit the inbox. (This is a good thing!)
- After the object is changed to the proper name, hit OK to save the picture or midi
- This should save your Picture/Media in the Media Gallery. It will also update download_sng.txt and nvm\nvm\nvm_hei properly
- Don't delete this msg. You can lock the message with the 8940 so it won't get deleted.

Step 3: Replace Picture/Ring tone with New Picture/Ring tone
- Make sure BitPim is working (see above threads for more details)
- Make sure you check on the View file system in the View menu
- IMPORTANT! Make sure you make a backup of the file system first before you modify your system
- Remove the rubber stopper at the bottom of the phone. If you have had your phone a while this might have already fallen off and is lost for good!!!
- Plug the USB cable into the telephone
- Plug the USB cable into the computer
- Start BitPim
- Select the File system tab page
- Click on the + sign next to the / directory, expand MMS directory, expand OM directory. You may have to try this more than once for the phone and bit-pim to connect.
- You should see the midi/picture file you have just saved on the phone
- Right click on the file, select Overwrite...
- Find the midi or the picture file that you want on the phone, select it

That's it! Now you should be able to go to Media Gallery and listen to your new ring tone (Menu->6 Media Gallery->3 Tones). Or see your new pix (Menu->6 Media Gallery->1 Images->1 Graphics). To add more pictures/ring tones, you can either

- Use BitPim to replace the same file that you replaced in step 3
or
- Repeat from step 2 and create more entries in Media Gallery. When you Save Media, name it with a different name. Once the file is in your Media Gallery, you can rename it by high light it in the pic/tone menu, and hit Menu (left button), and 3 Change Title. As long as you have the original pix msg, you can create as many entries in Media Gallery as you want.

You only have to send 1 single message with a tiny mp3, jpg, and gif (animation).. you just spent 25 cents. Then every time you want to add another ring tone, wallpaper, or animation, just save one of the files from the message with a different name and then over write it. Very easy. (Works for the 8900, 8910 and the 8940)

DISABLING THE SHUTTER SOUND ON THE CAMERA (This option is already there for the 8940)

Overwrite camera/CameraState.dat (new file is attached) and restart phone

WITH THE LATEST SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THE 8900 THIS HAS BEEN FIXED. YOU CAN NOW SELECT "SOUND OFF" OPTION FROM THE MENU....CAMERA....TAKE PIX.....MENU....SELECT OPTION 4 (SOUND OFF)

Hex dump:
02000000010000020000000401 - Sound Off
02000000010000020000000301 - 3 Shutter is selected

Attachment: CameraState.dat (Right Click and Save Target As)


SPEED DIAL VOICE MAIL

You can program your Speed Dial #11 to call your voicemail, and enter your password. Here's what I did:

I created a Phone Book entry for myself. In the Mobile Telephone Number I put *86TTXXXX# (the Xs being your password.)

The 2 Ts are Timed Pauses. You press the left Softkey to get to the menu to chose that, and I just chose it 2 times then did my password and #. So what I get is it dials VM, pauses for 2 seconds until I can hear my voice start to speak, then you hear the next 5 key presses (XXXX#) and a pause, which takes you straight into new voicemails. (The last "1" is not required to access my voice mail so I only have to do my password and # key)

I had to use multiple timed pauses to get mine to work, if you can get it to work with 1 timed pause between, do that instead.

One other thing...for those who actually use the voice dial function, this can also be programmed with a voice tag. My voice tag for it is "Voice Mail." You have to set your voice tag, then key all the above functions in, but it works. http://www.wirelessadvisor.com/waforums/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=37261

USING VOICE DIALING

You don't program voice dialing in the phone book, you do it in Voice Services - Menu... Voice Services... Voice Dial... Add... (Menu... 9... 4... 2). To enable voice dialing, press and hold Send for 5 seconds. You can also turn it on automatically when you open the phone by selecting Menu... 9... 6... 5... and enabling Active Flip - however, this is often a pain as the VR will start every time you open your phone.

Not confirmed but this was in the forum: (I ONLY SEE MORE CORPORATE GREED HERE)

In order to standardize charges for Voice Mail retrieval across the country, beginning with your April 2004 billing statement, accessing your Voice Mailbox from your wireless phone by dialing *86 SEND or by dialing your wireless phone number will be deducted from your general airtime allowance minutes or your night/weekend allowance minutes depending upon the time that your call is placed. Mobile-to-Mobile minutes do not apply to Voice Mail retrievals. Voice Mail access exceeding your airtime allowance minutes will be billed at the airtime rates
specified in your wireless service agreement. Depending upon your price plan, toll and/or long distance may also be charged when you access your Voice Mailbox. Accessing your Voice Mailbox from a landline phone will not incur airtime charges.

USING FREE WAP (GOOGLE)

1. Dial, ##BROWSER (end key)

2. Go to http://www.publicproxyservers.com/index.html or http://www.proxy4free.com/index.html or http://tools.rosinstrument.com/proxy/ and get 2 IP's with port 80 or 8080.

3. set the "UP Proxy IP" for "UP Link1,2,3" to "AP1-IP" and "AP2-IP" where ap1 is your first IP and ap2 is your second IP. Be sure to enter the ports for each also!

4. Set the "Host Config" "Host Name" to whatever you choose to use! I've gotten:

wap.google.com
wap.yahoo.com
wap.ebay.com

5. enter the "Port Number" under "Host Config" to whatever port 80 or 8080 according to the UP Links that you chose!

6. delete the "Auth ID" and "Auth PW"!

7. open your web browser!

To put in periods hit the send key. I set my home page to http://www.google.com/wml

The only problem I see here is that the phone resets itself whenever I turn it off and it goes back to the openwave home page, which is a huge problem!!! (Does not affect the 8940)

BE CAREFUL IF YOU ORDER "MOBILE WEB" FROM VERIZON. They claim the first month is free then they charge you $4.99 per month. If you do not use this feature often then don't order it up front. It takes about 3 month for them to remove it from your bill. You can use mobile web for free during your "free" minutes

Playing games
Unfortunately, this BREW enabled phone has been stripped of all of it's games by Verizon. For now, use Get It Now and support the game developers. There is currently no known way to get free games onto the phone (though we're working on it).

Killing the clown (Finally gone with the 8940)
Unfortunately, the annoyingly ugly clown that appears in the sub-LCD when you start the phone is part of the firmware and is probably there to stay unless Verizon updates the firmware to get rid of it (not likely).

Muting the phone (Missing on the 8940) These people just don't have a clue.
You can toggle etiquette mode by holding down the * key for a few seconds. To silence the phone when it is ringing, just press one of the volume buttons on the side of the phone.

Verizon Services Numbers:
Enter these numbers then press SEND

*611 - Call Verizon customer service. I've nearly worn these keys off my phone. ;-) FREE CALL 24/7

411 - Information. You can actually get all sorts of cool things (restaurant listing, movie listings, etc.) from these guys, though they give you the wrong phone number about half the time. It costs $1.25 plus airtime for each call.

#MIN or #646 - Stay on the line a few seconds to receive a text message displaying last bill date and total, total peak minutes, total off-peak/night minutes, total weekend minutes, total peak mobile2mobile minutes, and total off-peak mobile2mobile minutes. No more checking my balance online. This is a free text message.

#BAL or #225 - Same as above.

#VG or #84 - Voice Gear. A pay service that allows you to dial numbers and access information (stock quotes, sports scores, directory assistance, etc.) with your voice.

*VM or *86 - access voice mail. Press # during your greeting, then follow the prompts. Airtime charges apply.

*228 - Select option 1 to update/program your phone. I don't think this really does anything. It does NOT update your phones firmware. Select option 2 to update your preferred roaming list (PRL). This tells your phone which wireless systems to use and which ones not to use. Update this every few months, especially if you travel - it may save you a lot in roaming charges if your phone is using someone else's network when a new Verizon tower is in the area. Your phone will automatically reset when it is done.

*67 +10 digit number - Disable caller id for your call. The party you're calling will see 'Unavailable' instead of your number.

*72 + 10 digit number - Start call forwarding. Calls will be forwarded to the number you enter if you do not answer after 2 or 3 rings or if you are currently using the phone.

*73 - End call forwarding.
 

Missing features on the CDM8940 - No  more etiquette mode, what the hell are they thinking? Now I have to adjust the ringer volume when I go somewhere that doesn't like ringing cell phones.

CDM8900 / 8940 PARTIAL REVIEW.

- Security issue: When you assign a contact as a secret telephone number in the phone book, you're required to enter the security code in order to call it or view it. But if you go to call history, by merely pressing 'Send' button, the number shows up unprotected, along with the string of numbers (if you have it set up with pauses) that might be sensitive info. That's extremely lame. My CDM9155GPX protected numbers in call history and also protected incoming calls by displaying "SECRET". THIS IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST ISSUE I HAVE WITH THIS PHONE. This still has not been fixed. I'm guessing that Audiovox and/or Verizon can't fix it for this phone. I will replace this phone soon with something that offers more security.

Unfortunately the 8940 still has this problem. I guess I didn't learn the first time. The Audiovox GPX9155 still kicks ass for security.

- Security code: When you update programming software by pressing *228, your security code is reset back to what it was set to originally; which is your last four digits of the phone number. That's very annoying and retarded. This doesn't seem to affect my CDM8900 or CDM8940

- Lock On Power Up Setting: I cannot get this option to stick. This is another big security issue. The security issues alone make this phone a total piece of crap in my opinion. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN FIXED WITH THE LATEST SOFTWARE UPDATE. (Does not affect the 8940.)

- Ringer Volume: This has to be the worst phone ever for ringer volume. Both the 8900 and the 8940 suck. Most Motorola's seem to kick ass in this catagory.

- Volume control: You CANNOT change the volume during a phone call which is programmed in the contact with string of numbers (pauses). This is EXTREMELY annoying. Also, if you try to enable the two-way speakerphone while in the middle of string of pauses mode, you won't be able to continue the string of numbers with pauses. (Sounds rather confusing, but I'm sure few know what I'm talking about)

- Grammar: This is very bizarre. Embarrassing. Some confirmation dialogs, after you complete different tasks are misspelled. WTF???!!! I understand the phone might have been made and software written in another country... but pushing the phone to the market so fast and not confirming correct spelling of things... F***ING STUPID!!! Press 'Send' button to view call history (but make sure you have absolutely nothing in the history)--it will say "No calls exists!" Ebonics? This is only one example. There are MANY more! Gallery is not spelled "Gellery"!!! (Seems to be fixed with the 8940.)

- Two-way speakerphone usage: Can't use the two-way feature while the phone is closed. That's inconvenient. Motorola is superior on this one. You can, however, use this phone while closed, BUT the earpiece has to be plugged in.

- Two-way speakerphone quality: Garbage.

- Voice-activated dialing list isn't connected to the address book. This is really stupid.

- The battery power level meter isn't very well calibrated: the power meter display gradually drops from 4 bars (full), to 3, to 2, but then the battery level seems to go from 2 bars to dead very quickly (overnight). Both the 8900 and the 8940 really suck when it comes to battery life.

- Earpiece interface: When earpiece is plugged in, it's constantly on. I can hear myself through the microphone while I talk, barely, but enough to keep the battery draining. This is the only way to use the phone while it's closed, by the way.

- The flashing banner between time and "Verizon Wireless: What's wrong with these people? This can be fixed using a new eri binary file. But if I would have known that this could not be disabled in the options menu I may have never bought this phone to begin with. (Fixed with the 8910, 8940 at least there is an option to disable this stupid default behavior.)

This phone is an overpriced, over hyped, bling-bling fashion accessory. I like the phone, I liked it even more when I paid only $70 for it right at Verizon Wireless corporate store, but I hate the phone because of the little stupid problems/malfunctions. This phone was actually "FREE" when all the rebates were said and done. I see no reason why this phone should cost more than $49.00 anyway. Again the security on this phone is terrible. I think this is another case of some company pushing a product to the market way too fast, just to jump in this particular class of products with certain features.

This phone is so close to being the perfect phone. WE JUST NEED A GOOD SOFTWARE UPDATE TO FIX ALL OF THESE LAME ISSUES. I SUGGEST COMPLAINING TO AUDIOVOX BY SENDING E-MAIL TO THEM ASKING, OR DEMANDING A SOFTWARE SECURITY UPDATE!!!

I'm very disappointed in Audiovox.

I called Verizon Wireless, bitched about it and they said there is nothing they can do. CORPORATE GREED!!! I have also been in contact with Audiovox and they are absolutely no help either MORE CORPORATE GREED.

Between Audiovox and Verizon you can say the customer clearly comes last. They did a better job with the CDM8940 but they still haven't got it right.

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103906 01/17/06