Alltel Htc Hero N00b

Wassup guys! I'm still with alltel & my upgrade is coming soon.. I know nothing about android, but i wanna mod the phone as soon as i get it. Custom Roms, Unlock it and all that stuff.. So far, i haven't been able to find info on the hacking the alltel hero, only the sprint version. Can someone give me links on the steps i need to follow? Thanks!