Dumb phone: recommend me one, please.

[KneesUp]

If I wanted a dumb phone I'd go for the classiest dumb phone ever made, which was:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nokia-82...044340&hash=item28330bdf51:g:RAwAAOSwWktaUsLc

At worst you might have to get a new battery, but they're in plentiful supply on ebay for seven or eight quid.

Real quality. A lovely piece of kit.

I had a red one of them. I used to use it to browse WAP sites on my Psion Revo. The could communicate with each other using infra red.

 

[r04DiE]

Mobile phone masts are almost all omni directional. There are directional, or sectored, cells but they are rare and reserved for places like halfway up tall buildings where you don't want to waste electromagnetic energy cooking the residents.

As such, it isn't possible to trig very well using mobile phone masts alone. Best you can hope for is an ellipse, which in an urban area is liable to be several hundred metres, extending to miles in open country where the cell sites are further apart.

Excellent.

 

[classic33]

Mobile phone masts are almost all omni directional. There are directional, or sectored, cells but they are rare and reserved for places like halfway up tall buildings where you don't want to waste electromagnetic energy cooking the residents.

As such, it isn't possible to trig very well using mobile phone masts alone. Best you can hope for is an ellipse, which in an urban area is liable to be several hundred metres, extending to miles in open country where the cell sites are further apart.

I've a directional mast 800 yards away, with a 2nd a mile away.

On Automatic Network Search, the handset will always be seeking the strongest signal, switching between masts in some cases. Going to "Manual" it stops the continuous searching & swapping.

 

[tamiya]

where's this?

Ah sorry, I'm downunder

How weird. I see from your link that is true, but the ones they make for the Australian market (where 2g has been switched off) are 3g or 3g/4g.

that's the rumour I've been hearing too, but so far have failed to find any local stock! Haven't spotted any in use on the street either.
Ppl must be buying them & exporting like Oz milk powder

 

[jefmcg]

Mobile phone masts are almost all omni directional. There are directional, or sectored, cells but they are rare and reserved for places like halfway up tall buildings where you don't want to waste electromagnetic energy cooking the residents.

As such, it isn't possible to trig very well using mobile phone masts alone. Best you can hope for is an ellipse, which in an urban area is liable to be several hundred metres, extending to miles in open country where the cell sites are further apart.

How did we get here? Of course you phone company knows where you are, otherwise they wouldn't be able to direct calls to you. And of course they can't pin your exact location from tower info, but could narrow it down if they chose to. But they don't choose to. Why would they? It can't pin you down to a store, so the information has no value to them. The only people that would be using tower data to trace your steps would be law enforcement, and the best way to elude them it for them not to know it's you. Use what the US call "burner phones", cheap phones with sims purchased anonymously, both discarded at regular intervals before anyone can gather much useful data.

I am sure this isn't @r04DiE situation, or he wouldn't be asking us using a long standing account with lots of logs of his IP addresses.

 

[jefmcg]

Ah sorry, I'm downunder



that's the rumour I've been hearing too, but so far have failed to find any local stock! Haven't spotted any in use on the street either.
Ppl must be buying them & exporting like Oz milk powder

My plan was to google, and humiliate you with shops that had it in stock. It did not go according to plan.
- a ha! JB has them.
.... Add to cart; view cart ....

Yup, I guess (unsurprisingly) you are right.

@tamiya - found this locally in the UK, probably doesn't do you any good, but maybe see if they will ship to Oz?

https://www.giffgaff.com/mobile-pho...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKaE6O-ys9wCFUJi0wodztMK1g

 

[classic33]

How did we get here? Of course you phone company knows where you are, otherwise they wouldn't be able to direct calls to you. And of course they can't pin your exact location from tower info, but could narrow it down if they chose to. But they don't choose to. Why would they? It can't pin you down to a store, so the information has no value to them. The only people that would be using tower data to trace your steps would be law enforcement, and the best way to elude them it for them not to know it's you. Use what the US call "burner phones", cheap phones with sims purchased anonymously, both discarded at regular intervals before anyone can gather much useful data.

I am sure this isn't @r04DiE situation, or he wouldn't be asking us using a long standing account with lots of logs of his IP addresses.

And the law enforcers would have to go through your provider for the detail.

For your provider it enables them to see where another mast may be required, due to usage.

 

[classic33]

Ah sorry, I'm downunder



that's the rumour I've been hearing too, but so far have failed to find any local stock! Haven't spotted any in use on the street either.
Ppl must be buying them & exporting like Oz milk powder

Seen a number of handsets that will work with a 4G SIM, on sale downunder. One works with a 5G SIM.

 

[cyberknight]

Instead of wasting money on another phone, why not turn your smartphone into a dumb one? Turn the data and the Wi-Fi off and you won't be bothered by anything other than text messages and calls, and you get to keep your nice big screen and easy to use keyboard.

I have done the same

 

[r04DiE]

How did we get here? Of course you phone company knows where you are, otherwise they wouldn't be able to direct calls to you. And of course they can't pin your exact location from tower info, but could narrow it down if they chose to. But they don't choose to. Why would they? It can't pin you down to a store, so the information has no value to them. The only people that would be using tower data to trace your steps would be law enforcement, and the best way to elude them it for them not to know it's you. Use what the US call "burner phones", cheap phones with sims purchased anonymously, both discarded at regular intervals before anyone can gather much useful data.

I am sure this isn't @r04DiE situation, or he wouldn't be asking us using a long standing account with lots of logs of his IP addresses.

Ha ha, this is what I aspire to - I don't want law enforcers, the government, or anybody else tracking me or snooping into my private affairs! I have a fake Google Account for my apps, I use a VPN on my computer and my phone, my email is encrypted and I try to keep private online, keeping my personal information to myself.

It might not be perfect, but I am doing my best, and learning all of the time.

 

[Drago]

If you communicate by any electronic means ECHELON will be listening, programmed to watch out for key words.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

If you communicate by any electronic means ECHELON will be listening, programmed to watch out for key words.

This Echelon?

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Ha ha, this is what I aspire to - I don't want law enforcers, the government, or anybody else tracking me or snooping into my private affairs! I have a fake Google Account for my apps, I use a VPN on my computer and my phone, my email is encrypted and I try to keep private online, keeping my personal information to myself.

It might not be perfect, but I am doing my best, and learning all of the time.

Every digital phone has it's movement tracked, not just smartphones.

 

[Drago]

The basic algorithm that governs telephone switching goes back to the late 1940s. It was written in America, and each subsequent version has more back doors than an illicit gambling den.

 

[jefmcg]

Every digital phone has it's movement tracked, not just smartphones.

That's why if privacy is your biggest concern, buy phones and sims anonymously and discard them frequently.

(Terrorists in Australia have used UK sims, because - presumably - you don't need proof of identity to get one)