Review of Sony Ericsson's GC83 EDGE card

If you absolutely positively have to have your laptop connected to the internet at every possible second and don't mind paying $80 a month for it, then this one's for you. What we have here is a picture-rich review of the Sony Ericsson GC83 PC Card, which'll hook you at a decently fast speed (the reviewer got 176-192 kbps, average is 100-130), sports quite the appealing interface and, best of all, is free (after a rebate which you'll probably either lose or forget to send in). Plus it comes with an aluminum case you could put use to put stuff into.

[RW @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

There are problems with the CG83 antennas breaking and no replacements.
http://tinyurl.com/6onxf

A company is attempting to fill the void with a replacement antenna.
http://www.meritie.com/article/articleview/331/1/1

[RW @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

A length of 65mm(2.6")long AWG 20 wire [.75mm (.03") in diameter] will serve as an emergency antenna for Sony-Ericsson's CG83 PC Card when you break the factory one.

You need strip only less than 1mm (.040") of one end to fit in the Sony-Ericsson type 237 connector center conductor.

You need to support your new antenna by wrapping some tape around the end that goes into the PC card's connector to create a wedge against its outer 2.5mm (.1") dia. connector, which has no electrical connection for this application.

Bend the wire in an 'L' like the original antenna, plug it in, and surf.

[McGroarty @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Does anyone know if this is for web (port 80) use only, or if other services are allowed?

How would they react to something like 200 megs of traffic each night?

[Phil Chapman @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

This card works FLAWLESSLY on the Macintosh Powerbook G4 - I get over 300kbps. The Tech people all said "It won't work", but it does, indeed!

[deven @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

most everytime i use this card it crashes my computer (computer shuts completely off)- i have been on the phone a number of times with company trying to resolve this issue- i have all the current software updates and my computer is a 1 year old Fujitsu Lifebook N3010- $2000.00 laptop so i dont thnk it is a computer issue - BUT who knows - it only happens with the card in , not when on DSL

[George E. Nicholson III @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Recently while using my laptop with the GC83 card and accessing the intenet using AT&T wireless, I have noticed a "chirping" sound as the catd is accessing the site coming from the laptop. It stops after disconnecting from the site. My computer support staff thing that it may be interference caused by a weak signal or other signals in the area where I am using the card. Would this be correct or do I have a defective card?

[Phil Chapman @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

The "chirping" noise you hear from the speakers is picking up RF from the card. It will also do this with your "regular" cellular phone - just hold your phone near your computer when it's ringing or transmitting. This is why we ALWAYS encourage headsets or earbuds for cellular phones - the RF is microwave radiation, and can cause brain tumors.

[Lance @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Hey Deven, why would you need a wireless card for your notebook if it already has an imbedded wireless modem?

As for your computer completely turning off out of the blue, i get that whenever i try burning a DVD. If you find a solution to the reason for that shutting off, can you please email me at [e-mail]

[Will Howery @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Deven,

I also get a complete reset when the card is aquiring a signal. This happens about 80% of the time. I'm running Windows NT 2000. Anyone else having this problem, or knows of a resource conflict?

Thanks, Will

[Ted @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

can an external wilson trucker antenna be hooked up to the card to get a better signal when using it in fringe areas, of which i'm in alot.

[Missing Antenna @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

RW, what do you mean by "Sony-Ericsson type 237 connector center conductor". Are you referring to the a Sony-Ericsson phone that uses the same connector? Or are you referring to an industry standard connector type that is used by the antenna?

[John Robison @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

my sony ericsson card (GC83) works wonderful out here in the middle of nebraska but of course want more speed at times the att folks told me someone is selling anntanes that will pickup the speed any body heard of them?????

[Carlo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Where can I buy an "unlocked" Sony Ericsson GC83 in the USA?

[Luanne Housworth @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Cingular ordered this Sony pc card over 10 days ago and they say they can't find one, apparently in the whole world. How did you purchase this card, where, and how long for delivery? I am now in Atlanta GA.
Thanks Luanne

[Mark C. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I have this service too but I don't seem to be able to access my hotmail account nor can I send mail through my yahoo account. Any suggestions? I have a Compaq Presario 2100 notebook computer.

[steve @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

what kind of connector is on the GC83..??? I need to make an adapterto hook it up with my Wilson antenna on the roof of my car...or is this even a smart move.?? Will I gain anything or will it be sucked up in cable loss. thanks Help me out folks. I love this card by the way !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[steve @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

what kind of connector is on the GC83..??? I need to make an adapterto hook it up with my Wilson antenna on the roof of my car...or is this even a smart move.?? Will I gain anything or will it be sucked up in cable loss. thanks Help me out folks. I love this card by the way !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave M @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

RSE-6701 is a adapter for the GC82 and GC83 PC card to connect a external antenna. SMA jack to S/E plug.

[PatricK @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Has anyone successfully added an external antenna using an adapter to increase reception in fringe areas? If so, could you help with choosing the right equipment?

Thank you for your help.

[Tom Herron @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

My GC83 Edge purchased from AT&T in October is slower than a herd of turtles. I have tried it in my Sony Vaio lap and my Compact EVO N600c . Very slow in both. Have downloaded updated software. Any ideas ?

[Tom Herron @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

My GC83 Edge purchased from AT&T in October is slower than a herd of turtles. I have tried it in my Sony Vaio lap and my Compact EVO N600c . Very slow in both. Have downloaded updated software. Any ideas ?

[Sean Younk @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I am considering buying this card! I was confused to read the begining of the article posted here which made mention of $80.00 a month. I could not acess the rest of the article. Is there a monthly fee to use this, or is there a cheeper way to go wireless on my laptop on the road?

[Sean Younk @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I am considering buying this card! I was confused to read the begining of the article posted here which made mention of $80.00 a month. I could not acess the rest of the article. Is there a monthly fee to use this, or is there a cheeper way to go wireless on my laptop on the road?

[Rob @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

The $80 (or $79.99 per month to be exact) is the cost of "Data Connect Unlimited" from "Cingular Wireless". The card is free after a mail in rebate, when activated on a 2year contract.

[doc @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Can anyone provide information on a signal booster device for my edge card....works great in a big city....where I live in the country, only get 1....maybe 2 signal bars....not enough.....thanks for the assistance...

[Dennis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I am using a Wilson Trucker antenna with this card with good success traveling on the Mississippi river and tributaries. Would prefer a satelite link but can't afford it.I am quite happy with this. It is a good value for me.

http://www.alternativewireless.com/index.html has antennas and adapter connectors for this..

Had a Sierra Air card from Sprint before and it was poor in speed and coverage, like a bad dial-up connection.

[G-Money @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I have an unlimited data plan with my pocket pc phone with AT&T. If I put the sim card in the GC83 and connect, will I get charged extra data or will AT&T now see my laptop as just another phone? I know if I use my phone as a modem, I get charged by the bit but if I download direct from my phone it is unlimited. Any ideas?

[Ralph Buckley @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Has anyone used this with a g4 powerbook? Also, what speeds are people getting with a download tester?

[tomawesome @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

thx for the info RW (3/31/04). I've got the same problem and found that a twisty tie meets the specs quite adequately. I was able to push it in enough to get a connection and then used some packing tape to immobilize it against the laptop body. looks ugly but matches the user :)

[Dave Kay @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I purchsed the GC83 but is locked to ATT. Is there a way to unlock this for use on any GSM service?
Dave Kay
o

[patra @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

>My GC83 Edge purchased from AT&T in October is slower than a herd of turtles... //look for ManagerGuide-FixTCP-R1C - Utility for IT Managers to set TCP Window Size to 42300 globally http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=global&lc=en&ver=4001&template=ps1_1_3_3_1&zone=ps&lm=ps1_1&pid=10152&fid=6593&esi=true .

[Clark Wanner @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Have had CG83 since December, thru Cingular, quite like it. Only problem is the antenna jack is prone to weaken and mine broke off inside. I made the mistake of buying another GC83 on e-bay, but was too dumb to research before buying; got one for att wireless, and the sim card for cingular will not work to unlock it. Got a nice paper weight now, as Cingular wants me to buy a new card from them (they don't have sim cards for the att GC83's - how convienient!) just be careful with your antenna when istalled. I have an external wilson antenna also for mine, wilson has the adapter cable available on their website. Make a huge difference in signal strength. I put a piece of vinyl(electrical) tape over the jack when installed to hold it in place, this tape sticks nicely to the notebook without leaving residue when removed. Good luck

[albert yee @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I have ATT service and a GC82. I need to take a long trip to Europe and so am thinking about getting a GC83. Am using a Mac powerbook G4. Question 1. Will my ATT SIM card work on the GC83? 2. Will Quicklink Mobile 2.1 work for GC83? Thanks.

[beckye connell @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Must have four to five bars to work efficiently. At three the internet constantly pops on and off. Forget it at two. Also, just because you can see a cell tower, it doesn't mean you will get cell coverage for the card. My carrier is Cingular - don't know if that is part of the problem, but I have a lot of trouble holding enough bars to work well.

[david parnell @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

The antenna is one of the worse designs that I have had to deal with. If the antenna tip breaks in the modem (and it will) Sony Ericsson will not cover it under warranty. You will have to purchase another one if you want to continue using GPRS. I would recommend requesting the Sierra Wireless 750 from ATT/Cingular (they do offer it)-great product compared to the GC8X. Antenna design is far better. Sony Ericsson doesn't seem to want to improve their product.

[BP @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I have the same issue with the card shutting down my system. Tried everything from software to hardware....(running XP PRO) no luck, talking to microsoft right now, I'll let you know..

[BP @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I have the same issue with the card shutting down my system. Tried everything from software to hardware....(running XP PRO) no luck, talking to microsoft right now, I'll let you know..

[BP @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Talked to MS and they want me to do a "clean boot-if no luck- advance clean boot- if no luck the a hardward boot"... So I will get back to you all someday when I get this accomplished.

[chris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

where does one acquire a wilson trucker antenna?

[chris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

where does one acquire a wilson trucker antenna?

[Ron @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I recently purchased an edge card from cellone. We live remotely and so it was our best internet choice. The performance is acceptable except that there is constant static (interference, chirping, whatever you'd like to call it) as the card transmits or receives data. I've muted my speakers but this does not help at all.

I'm running windows xp on a 800 mhz celeron. We also have a 1.2 ghz pentium machine and it works fine there.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[David Lingenfelter @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I have this card in a Dell 700m and it works perfectly. I've found that some areas do not have accelerated GSM so I select the non-accelerated GSM mode. (just a compression difference?).

My question is - can I leave the card in the machine with no antenna without damaging the output stage. I'd like to just store the card in the laptop and add the antenna when needed.

This of course would cause quite an impedance problem for the output stage. Anyone doing this without card damage?

[Jay @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

DO NOT BUY THE GC83 CARD that was for an ATT system and then try to use it on CINGULAR (or with a CINGULAR SIM CARD. It will not work. Even though everyone says that the companies are together they are not.

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

these cards are cheap on ebay see this sellers products http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/sunsunsun

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

these cards are on ebay cheap! see this sellers page & products http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/sunsunsun

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

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[David @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

these sony ericsson gc83 cards are on ebay cheap & they work! see this sellers page & products
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/sunsunsun

[Ron @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

Just a follow up to anyone who has the same interference problem that I had (post #41 above). My Cellular One rep sent me an antenna from Wilson Electronics (part #355011) and that solved my problem. I still get interference if I hold the antenna close to the computer, but at a distance it works fine.

-Ron

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

SEE THIS EBAY SELLER FOR UNLOCKED GC83 CARDS YOU CAN USE A SIM CARD FROM CINGULAR / AT&T / ROGERS/ T-MOBILE see http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZsunsunsun

[Eric @ Dec 19th 2005 2:39AM]

I got and unlocked GC83 card off ebay but do not have the dirvers. If anyone has them or knows where I can get them, I would appreciate the help. I can't even find them on sonyericsson.com.
Thanks!