United Mobile sim card trouble

[happy2007]

I have an unlocked Palm Treo 680. When I put the United Mobile sim card in the phone and power up it asks for the pin. I've put the pin in many many times as well as every number on the card (pin2, puk, puk2, phone number, portions of phone number). Every time it would give me a messge: incorrect pin the number of tries I have left before it would need the puk is 3. No matter how many tries I made with a 4 digit pin it would say I had 3 more tries before needing the puk. I found that if I put in an 8 digit number (the "correct" pin is 4 digits) it would reduce the number of tries before puk. If I then put in a 4 digit pin it would increase the number of of tries before puk back to 3. I eventually got tired of this little game and decided that since my phone/united mobile sim card seemed to like 8 digit numbers so much I'd get it to the point where it had to use the 8 digit puk number to get the thing going. So in three consecutive tries I put in 8 digit numbers, each time reducing the number of tries before puk. Now it told me I had to use the puk. I put it in. It seemed to like that. Then it asked me to reset my pin. I gave it a code and it asked me to reverify my pin, so I did. It gave me a message that my pin didn't work and asked me again to reset my pin. So now I'm back in a pin loop again. This time it didn't like 8 digit pins, even though I was supposedly making up my own. I tried, 4 digit pins, tried the pins, puks and phone numbers United Mobile gave me. Nothing. I took the battery out, the sim out, put them back in. When I powered up again it requested the puk again and said eventually the sim would be permanently locked if there were too many tries with the puk. I put the puk number back in and now I'm back in the loop of trying to get it to accept a pin. I've called Palm, AT&T (my USA service provider), and United Mobile. They all blame each other for the problem. AT&T assures me the phone is unlocked because of the lack of unlock message when the United Mobile sim is in.

This is not a cheap phone and should work for this!
Also, I've got two United Mobile cards, 423 and UM+ (Jersey). Neither will accept the pin and have the same problem, but I've only taken it to the puk stage with the UM+ card.

Also, this phone has a qwerty keyboard with the digits in the middle so I discussed with Palm the possibility of it not putting in digits but letters. Since I got to the point where I am, using the puk and trying to redo a password, I can see that it is using numbers/digits, not letters.

HELP! Has anyone got any ideas?!

[Bossman]

Assuming you are typing in the SIM PIN that's somewhere on the sim card, make sure you are in numeric entry mode. It should indicate so somewhere on the screen. I know you said you are. But, on my samsung blackjack, you have to hit the 'num' key to get in numeric mode. Not sure if the Treo 680 is the same. The phone is definitely unlocked.

[happy2007]

Bossman, thanks for answering. I'll try anything. Before I got in the present puk loop I couldn't tell whether I was in numeric mode or not. But now I can (there's a dot at the bottom of the screen and it's on) and I am. The good news is that I'm very familiar with the phone. That's what's got me so puzzled too. Of the three companies, I don't think it's my current US provider (AT&T) that might solve my problem. It's either Palm or United Mobile, I think. Now if I could just convince one of them. I'm beginning to think it's the phone. Anymore help or ideas would be so appreciated.

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by happy2007

It's either Palm or United Mobile, I think. Now if I could just convince one of them. I'm beginning to think it's the phone. Anymore help or ideas would be so appreciated.

Didn't you think to use a 'dumbphone' instead of 'smartphone' for a moment in order to remove a PIN request at all? Anyway, IMHO it's rather a Treo problem.

In my Pocket Loox T830 (with Windows Mobile) PIN can be entered either via the touchscreen or the keyboard. The keyboard, however, works in a specific mode. E.g. non-digital input is not allowed but the keyboard is not switched to the numeric mode - I must press the FN key before pressing any numeric key, otherwise no input at all.

Anyway, smartphones aren't smart at all when they have to deal with sophisticated callback SIM applications. E.g. my Loox with UM+ accepts calling *137* codes only whereas old Siemens C35 works perfectly

[happy2007]

Brilliant! That's my next task. I'll put it in my Mom's cheap, dumb phone that I unlocked for her and will try to disable the pin request on the sim. I think I'm going to have to learn about this *137* thing too. It's supposed to be so easy and it's just not. Thank you for another way to try.

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by happy2007

Brilliant! That's my next task. I'll put it in my Mom's cheap, dumb phone that I unlocked for her and will try to disable the pin request on the sim. I think I'm going to have to learn about this *137* thing too. It's supposed to be so easy and it's just not. Thank you for another way to try.

About dialing with *137*destination_number# code read my posts here:
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/trou...sim-t2627.html

The general "algorithm" of dialing with UM+ SIM is the following:
1) Try dialing "directly" in the international format e.g. +12345556789.
2) If it fails, in the menu of your phone find the extra 'United Mobile' submenu provided by the SIM. Dial the number via an appropriate option of the submenu.
3) If it fails, dial *137*12345556789# just as you would dial a 'normal' number.
4) If it still doesn't work, change the phone

[happy2007]

IT WORKED!!!! Thank you so much Przemolog! I borrowed Mom's phone, put the UM sim card in, put in the pin, set it to bypass the pin. Put the UM sim in my phone and wah lah! No more sim headache. With all I had done I was suspecting it was the phone. My only other option, according to Palm, was for them to send me new phone and go through the headache of getting the unlock code from AT&T, etc. No time for that, I'm out of the country in a week!

I'm going to read this info you have on how to dial and print it to take with me. I don't want to test it in the states because of the high cost.

Thanks again. I've been noodling with this for a week!

[snaimon]

Originally Posted by happy2007

IT WORKED!!!! ... and wah lah! .

or voila for those of us who don't do accents. Let's try to be respectful of other languages!

Glad it worked.

Stan

[mert123]

przemolog can you please help me i am in the same situation. can you give what to do step by step. i read the stuff you said but i didnt understand anything please help.

[inquisitor]

@mert
If direct dialing fails, dial by entering the desired phone number in the following format:
*137#+12121234567#
and then pick up.

You only need to prefix *137# to the number and attach a hash at the end.