Contributor
That system is going away at least in my part of the world and some people don't like that fact. In fact the copper network it relies on is suffering from benign neglect. Verizon is replacing copper with fiber and wireless. Apparently fiber costs more to install but far less to maintain (and they need fiber for the cell network anyway).Originally Posted by Jim Koepke
Contributor
This the 3rd Tracfone. Tracfone has sent free phone upgrades twice going back to 2002. It is 4G but so dumb it is worthless for anything but talk and text.
Photo on 3-4-23 at 9.24 AM.jpg
Best Regards, Maurice
[OP]
Contributor
That would be perfect for moi... talk but no text. Thanks
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Member
You can get that one from HSN for $39.99 with the 1500 minutes that last 1 year.
[OP]
Contributor
Sold, American!
I will definitely check that out
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Member
I admire your ability to keep your phone life simple Patty.
I got my first cell phone about 5 years ago. I wanted to keep my life simple and just have a landline. But then cell service got way cheaper than the landline. It took me a while to get into the voice and text pattern of my family and friends. Now I can't imagine life without it.
For one thing Banks only let me log in by sending me a text first! It's kind of a requirement for everyday life now to have a phone that texts.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t - you’re right."
- Henry Ford
Contributor
Copper phone lines and central office backup power for "land lines" are no longer a thing where I live. It's all VOIP. Service is provided via cable or fiber network and the unit in your house has a backup battery that lasts about 6 hours in an outage. Since we don't have cell service here (Boston suburbs, what do you expect?) we're still keeping the LL. It's a very small upcharge on what they get for a great internet connection. We now have a whole house generator so I don't worry about the power going out, which it does regularly. With the network on a UPS I don't lose my connection at all when the power goes out.
[OP]
Contributor
THank you
Dumb phone (and LL) does have its drawbacks. Fortunately my credit union allows Login via 2 step verification using email.
Everything that can be done / needs to be done on a computer I do at home, where the screen is BIG and the Keyboard is BIG (and Vic-Wardian tricked out)**.
I can't imagine trying to do anything on something as small as a smart phone.
The other thing is that I when I talk to someone who is using a cell phone (and I am on my trusty OJ can with string) the fidelity is terrible.
The other person fades, cuts in and out, there are funny noises in the background (not "funny" ha-ha, but "funny" strange)
How do you all stand it? It would drive me to distraction.
**My Steampunked keyboard (monitor is still boringly normal)
Keyboard.jpg Keyboard lights.jpg
Last edited by Patty Hann; 03-06-2023 at 2:19 PM.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Contributor
My Smartphone which is a IPhone has no issues and I do online Banking all the time, Shop online and etc. Since I have unlimited everything I can also use it as a internet Hotspot to link to my computers instead of Cox or any other Internet provider. Thats why I do not need a LL or any DSL. I do not try to waste money or on the other hand waste my time to save a few cents, I have things to do instead.
Patty did you take that picture in your Avatar?
Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10
[OP]
Contributor
I wish my friends' phones were like yours...theirs sound awful.
And thinking it was me (or my LL) I asked them if they ever get fades or dropouts (is that the term?) or funny sounds when they talk to people with cell/smart phones.
"Oh, yes".
And then there is just plain no connection because of buildings or other things in the way.
Good heavens, no (haha...little celestial pun there)... I think that is a stock "archival" photo (i.e., from a plate) maybe from Palomar or Cerro Tololo (I'd have to look it up).**
I do visual observation (binocular).
**Maybe not Cerro Tololo...I don't know how far south it is...maybe too far.
Last edited by Patty Hann; 03-06-2023 at 4:56 PM.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Contributor
Patty, That keyboard is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.
My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities
The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson
[OP]
Contributor
Thank youPatty, That keyboard is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.
It's still in use (tho' I've changed a few of the doo-dads on it)... I'm typing this post on it.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Moderator
Weird sounds and "roboto voice" is a signal strength issue. Digital transmissions don't "fade" like analog does/did...they just have enough data going missing that the redundancy features in the technology can no longer keep up and things drop out selectively all the way to "gone".
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
[OP]
Contributor
Well, whatever the reason it is most annoying. A LL doesn't do that.
Even so, the sometimes poor voice quality is willingly overlooked by most people (and I understand why...tradeoffs, juneau). As I said previously, life is choices.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Member
I find that when I am in my shop I get no signal. I have to open the overhead door and get close to it before I get a signal. Even back when I had a bag phone.
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