Do you carry/pack a spare phone?

Posted by: teacher

Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/11/19 07:09 PM

We're considering getting some basic phones for the car kits -- just to be able to call for help.
Posted by: chaosmagnet

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/11/19 07:45 PM

An old cellphone with a working charger can still call 911. Basic pay-as-you-go phones are cheap. This is a very good idea.
Posted by: Russ

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/11/19 07:57 PM

I carry a Kyocera DuraXV LTE from Verizon when I’m out and about.
Quote:
Kyocera’s DuraXV LTE is built with a durable design for staying connected, even in harsh working environments. With a Military Standard 810G rating, it protects against shock, solar radiation, vibration, corrosion and other extreme conditions. Defend against humidity and blowing rain with the DuraXV LTE’s dustproof and waterproof design.*

It’s pricey for a basic phone though, although I’ve dropped mine enough to justify the expense. There is also the Kyocera Cadence LTE at less than half the price but without the waterproof, dustproof... MilSpec attributes of the DuraXV.

I’ll be interested to see if the new ”reimagined” Nokia 3310 is available through one of the major carriers. Classic.
Posted by: Chisel

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/12/19 08:07 AM

I would like to see a 'smarter' "dumb phone"

I like the Nokia 3310 but texting is not that easy with its keyboard. Also, I would like to have a 3mp camera for real practical reasons. Other than that , the battery that can last for a week+.

Right now I am using a regular 'smart phone' but not the whole stuff like internet connection and GPS. Just calling, texting, and camera. A cheaper version that is "half smart" would be great.
Posted by: Ren

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/12/19 01:10 PM

Just remembered the SpareOne Emergency Phone. Seems was not a commercial success, and no longer in production.
Was a phone powered by an AA battery, so with some lithium AA primary batteries could store it for years with no problem.

Edit: Just looked on ebay out of curiosity,
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?&_nkw=spareone+phone

Going for <$10 each delivered.

Posted by: Russ

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/12/19 02:50 PM

Doing a search on the relationship of 4G and LTE (two different things) an article showed on, How to Disable LTE on iPhone (and Why You Might Want To).
Quote:
Tap on “Enable LTE” and choose “OFF” (or alternatively, you can set ‘Data Only’ to stabilize some voice calls, or “Voice & Data” as the default)*
I followed the directions above and turned LTE to “OFF” — signal strength improved. I only use the phone for voice and text; cellular data is turned off ~99% of the time. Try it, see if it works.

IPhone 6s is my version of a smarter dumbphone wink Voice, text and a pretty good 12mp camera.
Posted by: chaosmagnet

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/17/19 07:50 PM

Originally Posted By: Ren
Just remembered the SpareOne Emergency Phone.


Thanks for this. At this price, I'm adding one to each vehicle.
Posted by: Ren

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/17/19 09:53 PM

Yeah, even without a sim card, it'll call emergency services.

Might have to use a sim card temporarily just to test it's functioning ok.
Posted by: EMPnotImplyNuclear

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/17/19 11:56 PM

Originally Posted By: teacher
We're considering getting some basic phones for the car kits -- just to be able to call for help.
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
Basic pay-as-you-go phones are cheap. This is a very good idea.

Hi,
Why exactly?

Why not rely on your regular phone in your pocket to call for help?
Why is it a good idea to have an extra item that you never use but you have to keep charged?

3 spare batteries for regular phone are smaller/lighter than an extra phone

The strategy of duplicate items, esp electronics, just in case of, something, hasn't paid off in my land experience.


Also, some basic phones for sale now, even with touchscreen, are only 3G, and 3G is going away soon.
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
An old cellphone with a working charger can still call 911.

Old phones wont work for long,
AT&T shutdown its 2G Network on December 31, 2016
The big networks will shutdown 2G and 3G by 2020/2021
No network no phonecalls
Posted by: chaosmagnet

Re: Do you carry/pack a spare phone? - 09/18/19 11:50 AM

Originally Posted By: EMPnotImplyNuclear

Why not rely on your regular phone in your pocket to call for help?
Why is it a good idea to have an extra item that you never use but you have to keep charged?


Phones can be broken, lost, stolen or run out of charge, easily. The charging issue I consider "solved" for the cars in my family. Each vehicle has an emergency kit with (among other things!) a spare 12V to USB adapter, a spare cable, and a low-self-discharge powerbank. If I'm carrying a bag, it has a powerbank and charging cable in it.

I have occasionally found that cellphone provider diversity can be helpful.

Quote:
The strategy of duplicate items, esp electronics, just in case of, something, hasn't paid off in my land experience.


I've spent my entire career in IT, so perhaps that's colored my perceptions of spare electronics. Suffice it to say that my experiences have differed from your own laugh laugh laugh.

Of all the tools available, the one most likely to solve a problem easily and with the best outcome is a working cellphone. For about $12 (including shipping and the cost of a Lithium AA) I can put an extra one that's going to be good for years without maintenance in each car.

Quote:
Old phones wont work for long


AT&T's 3G network is good until 2022, so that's over two years from now to figure out another spare phone solution for the car kits. I'm good with that at this price.