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What baseband will I have if I update to 6.1.3?

cheeseball

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I have a 3GS on 5.0.1 with 05.16.05 baseband and the serial is 88208, so I can't do the iPad thing. I can't return it and the original owner has gone into hiding, so I can't get AT&T to unlock it. I've looked but haven't been able to find out if I update to 6.1.3, will the baseband change to something that can be unlocked? I figure if it started with something that couldn't be unlocked, they wouldn't be kind enough to switch to something that could be unlocked, but I'd rather feel silly for a minute and ask so I know for certain.
 
The latest baseband for the 3GS is 05.16.08. On the new bootrom 3GS, you can still get the iPad Baseband on there, but it's a lengthier process than the old bootrom 3GS. You'd first have to downgrade to iOS 4.1 on the 3GS. This does not require SHSH blobs as 4.1 is still being signed for the 3GS only. Once you're on 4.1, use RedSn0w to jailbreak and at the same time, tick "Install iPad Baseband". This will jailbreak your device and flash it to 06.15.00. Once jailbroken and flashed, go back to RedSn0w -> Jailbreak, and this time, untick everything and tick only "Downgrade iPad Baseband", which will net you the 05.13.08 baseband for UltraSn0w.

Next restore to 6.1.3 and preserve the baseband of your device. You can use Sn0wBreeze or RedSn0w to do so. Make sure you're using iTunes 11.0.5 or below. Once you're on 6.1.3 with either the 06.15.00 baseband or 05.13.08 baseband (both are unlockable with UltraSn0w), jailbreak using p0sixspwn, install UltraSn0w. If you need to modify your APN, you can install PDAnet or something along the lines to allow for APN editing.
 
Thank you willerz2 for this info - now I have to go look up all these things so I can follow your instructions. "If I need to modify APN." *snicker* I'm not qualified to modify anything at this point. By the way, will I lose GPS? I've got a fair amount of trepidation, because everything I've seen is, "If your device was manufactured after _____, it will be bricked!"
 
GPS can be loss if you unlock on the iPad Baseband. To be extremely honest, I haven't used UltraSn0w to unlock anything since iOS 5.0/5.0.1's fairly initial release, and add on to the fact that I've got it working on both an old/new bootrom 3GS and on an iPhone 4 on the 01.59.00 baseband, all of which were successful on the first go. However, based on the prior experience, the reading of articles/discussions on the topic (as well as using several forums as lab rats hehe), it all pretty much built up to the point that "X will not work based on trial and error" and "Y will work based on trial and error". So when I say that the GPS component can be loss on the 06.15.00 unlocked device, it's from reported happenings and such, but, there are fixes for it, and that much has been made apparent through a lot of sources.

With respect to bricking, I've dealt with bricked devices before, and from very minor testing/theorycrafting, iOS 4.1 seems to be the bridge that allows new bootrom 3GS's to flash and downgrade their baseband. From the scenarios that I've dealt with, there hasn't been a case where the 3GS was not successfully flashed and downgraded in terms of its baseband, but in (I would say) 50% or so of the cases, GPS was the underlying issue that aroused after unlocking, but repeating the entire process of getting the latest baseband, downgrading to iOS 4.1, re-flashing and re-downgrading, then restoring, then re-jailbreaking has ended up resolving the issue.

From stories and from cases that I've read, the only time that a user has experienced a bricked device with respect to the baseband in general, is when the user attempts to replace their baseband chipset directly from another device, the user attempts to flash the baseband on a new bootrom 3GS whilst on whatever the latest iOS is, or when the user attempts to downgrade from a baseband that is not 06.15.00. The margin for error in anything hacking/jailbreaking related is relatively small and stepping pass that margin would result in a one-way ticket to restoring your device, which isn't the end of the world for a 3GS, but just saying in general. In your case, the risk of bricking your device is extremely minute assuming you don't undergo the "smash my keyboard and mouse first, and ask questions later" mentality that (unfortunately) does plague a lot of the hacking world.

TL;DR: GPS can be recovered if loss, device will brick if and only if you close your eyes while a toddler is smashing keys on your computer and not ask questions if you have any.
 
Okay...
1. Find iTunes 11.0.5 or earlier
2. Downgrade to 4.1
3. Jailbreak with RedSn0w and install iPad baseband
4. Downgrade iPad baseband
5. Restore to 6.1.3 and preserve either 6.15.00 or 05.13.08
6. Jailbreak with p0sixspwn and install UltraSn0w
7. If GPS is lost, repeat entire procedure
8. Don't allow the neighbor's child to visit during procedure

Did I miss anything?
 
I started downloading stuff, was picturing my triumphant, "It worked!" and then I started feeling nervous (this stupid situation has totally knocked me off my game, because I am not a nervous nelly). I posted elsewhere and got an emphatic: "You cannot manipulate the baseband in that phone, you will kill the baseband chip.
Your option is an IMEI unlock, find an aftermarket vendor who will do it for a fee. But, I wouldn't spend any $$ on a 3GS, just too old a model to pay for an unlock.
Buy a newer model that is already IMEI unlocked."

I'm already ticked off with myself for being scammed in the first place, so yeah, I chickened out. Maybe a couple more rounds of having to borrow a phone for any and all calls will fire me back up. I really appreciate your time, though☺
 
The amount of aftermarket unlocks have drastically decrease because carriers clamped down on them with the release of the 5C and 5S. It was as low as $25 for an AT&T unlock, but it's risen to about $80 or so (or more) depending on carrier. For the 3GS, an older Gevey SIM may work.

With regards to killing the baseband chipset, if you downgrade to iOS 4.1, there are mechanisms that you can exploit that will not kill the baseband chipset, and is exclusive to iOS 4.1 and below as they're later patched.
 
Prices seem to be coming back down, but some places were/are charging as much as $150...there was no way I was going to pay as much to unlock it as I paid for this phone (advertised as factory unlocked); if I'd had that much to spend in the first place, I would have gone with a 4S.

I like that you don't wig out when presented with another opinion - it does a lot to inspire confidence. I have to ponder a bit...
 
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