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| Thread ID: 70021 | 2006-06-19 18:56:00 | Portable phone question. | JJJJJ (528) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 464557 | 2006-06-19 18:56:00 | I have a Panasonic mobile phone (don't ask what model). It's worked well for the past couple of years. We had a power outage yesterday. When power was restored it took about ten minutes of shaking , pressing buttons and curseing before I could get a dial tone. Even this morning the ring is almost non existant. The "ringer" button does not work. Could a power outage cause this? If it's a flat battery could the power cut somehow have drained the battery? Just an aside. When the power went off I was sitting at my computer. My first thought the computer had blown up. Poor computer gets blamed for everything. |
JJJJJ (528) | ||
| 464558 | 2006-06-19 23:55:00 | For portable phone please read Cordless Phone. "DUMBO" |
JJJJJ (528) | ||
| 464559 | 2006-06-20 00:45:00 | Power outages/restoration (at network level) can cause problems with cordless phone base units, but not usually with the phone itself. The transient spikes resulting from network switching, when combined with the separate network connection of the phone line, does give rise to failures with high voltages being developed between the devices (affect dial-up modems in the same manner). Your phone problem sounds more like it's within the phone itself, so its possible a cell has died in the battery or more likely that the spike has got through into the phone electronics. The battery should hold up for a day or three without power. If it was a low battery issue one would expect some indication of that on the phone. Time for a new phone perhaps? |
godfather (25) | ||
| 464560 | 2006-06-20 01:24:00 | I'm still not happy. Bought a Uniden Cordless this morning. Installed it and then read the manual when it wouldn't work. Has to sit here plugged in for twenty hours to charge the battery before use. So at the moment I have two phones on my desk. One that I can't use for twenty hours and one that I can use,but can't hear it ring if someone calls me. If the power outage caused the trouble I was very lucky that it didn't get at my computer too. They are both plugged in to the same plug. |
JJJJJ (528) | ||
| 464561 | 2006-06-20 01:38:00 | Jack - might I suggest keeping a simple dial-up phone (non-cordless) as a backup. I bought one from DSE (www.dse.co.nz) about a year ago - $20. Saves a lot of frustration when the cordless dies/lost/power goes off. :D | Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 464562 | 2006-06-20 02:33:00 | One for godfather if he's in. Do all cordless 'phones cease to operate immediately when the mains power goes off? If so why? |
bonzo29 (2348) | ||
| 464563 | 2006-06-20 03:01:00 | The base unit runs from the mains. Unless it has backup batteries (unlikely, that would add a bit to the cost), it will stop working as soon as the power goes off. The portable handset will work as long as its battery has charge. But with no base station to talk to, you can't make calls with it. ;) | Graham L (2) | ||
| 464564 | 2006-06-20 04:39:00 | The base unit runs from the mains. Unless it has backup batteries (unlikely, that would add a bit to the cost), it will stop working as soon as the power goes off. The portable handset will work as long as its battery has charge. But with no base station to talk to, you can't make calls with it. ;) Thanks Graham thats what I thought. Maybe the answer is more than installing a couple of NiMh batteries in the base, serviced by the same charger as the handset as surely that cost increase is minimal compared with the convenience of having backup for a few hours |
bonzo29 (2348) | ||
| 464565 | 2006-06-20 04:45:00 | Just curious. Roughly, what's the cost of the Ni-Cad battery pack for these phones. The new phone I bought cost $48. So I reckoned it was almost as cheap as trying to find a new battery for the old one. And then finding that the problem was more than a stuffed batery, |
JJJJJ (528) | ||
| 464566 | 2006-06-20 06:05:00 | Depending what Uniden model, the batteries start at $20 and go up to $30. So yes, a new phone at that price is a sound idea. Looks like it was probably a Uniden XS215 2.4 GHz or similar at that price (end of line clearance, a very good buy)? |
godfather (25) | ||
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