Troubleshooting my cell phone

[TelePlay]

I'm talking to the customer service agent. They won't let me talk to an engineer -- I asked. Grrr.....

Is the closest tower right next to your house? Are the antenna on the closest tower well above your house? Cell antenna are directional and have a flat propagation pattern. It can be difficult to connect to them when standing at the base of a tower and more difficult if inside a house at the base of a tower which will attenuate the signal even more, one to two bars.

[JorgeAmely]

How many bars are getting on your cell phone?

[old_stuff_hound]

At home, 0-2. Out & about, generally 4-5 most places in town. Before the trouble started, I generally had 3-4 at home, indoors....

Thanks for all the suggestions! I really didn't intend this to be an actual discussion about the cell phone (which would be off-topic for this board), but rather I was just tickled about using my oldest phone while trying to figure out the problem with my newest! :-)

Cheers!