I've posted a few times about low "earpiece volume" and I've found out the problem - at least my problem. I'm a dummy.
It's simple, but I've missed it all this time. Before making a call, I'd make certain to press the volume key "up" several times to make sure the "earpiece volume" was maxed out and when the volume was still too low I'd switch it over to speakerphone so I could hear the person on the other end of my call. In which case I'd usually then have to lower the volume 'cuz the speakerphone is VERY loud. I usually use a headset of one type (wired-stereo) or another (Bluetooth) and the volume just isn't an issue at all this way. It is so loud through a headset that I usually have the volume almost set to it's lowest. Turns out that was part of my "problem".
Last night, I went to make a call and didn't have any headset so I did my regular routine of upping the volume to max BUT the call was already in progress (ringing on the other end). I happened to take the phone away from the side of my face while I did this and saw the screen say "call volume". It was on like 2 and I upped it all the way to 5. There are no numbers, I'm just referring to button pushes. (If the phone is on it's lowest volume, it takes 5 pushes of the volume up button to reach it's highest volume.) Voila! With "call volume" all the way up it's actually like a lower speakerphone setting. Meaning speakerphone won't let you turn the volume down to nothing. So, even at it's lowest, it's kind of loud - as a speakerphone should be. With the "call volume" all the way up, the phone can sit on my desktop a couple feet away from my ear and I can still hear the voice on the other end - in a quiet room it is loud enough to function as a speakerphone. It's quite loud when actually held up to my ear.
Once again, I'm feeling like a half-wit. I realize now what I was doing.
I thought I'd turned the volume all the way up before making the call. So, when it wasn't loud enough I switched to the speakerphone which was then too loud and I'd turn the volume down to 1 or 2 - which was actually lowering the "call volume" level. So, my "call volume" level was really always on about 1 or 2 - which is why I couldn't hear well in noisy situations. Duh. Where's the smiley for embarrassed? Also, with a wired headset the volume only needs to be at 1 or 2, so inadvertently I always had my "call volume" set to it's lowest or next to lowest setting. With my Bluetooth headset, the volume button on the phone has no effect. It can be on it's highest or lowest and the volume through the BT is the same. It only changes using the volume switch on the headset itself.
Anyway, just thought I'd post about this in case anyone else out there is making the same mistake I've been making - thinking all along that if you've upped the "earpiece volume" to max that the "call volume" is maxed out when in reality it's two different settings.
Devices: T-Mobile MDA (Cingular SIM), i-mate SP5m (sitting in a drawer at the moment while I attempt to migrate to PPC permanently), Cingular 3125 (unlocked and in use on T-Mobile), Motorola MPx220 (retired), Motorola MPx200 (retired)
Accessories: Plantronics Explorer 330 & 2G Patriot Micro-SD (use w/MDA), Kingston 2G mini-SD used in SP5m, Plantronics Discovery 640 & 2G San Disk micro-SD (use w/3125), Jabra A210 BT adapter + Motorola HS805 (retired)