Mobile phone options HELP

Compare the deals on offer.
You will soon work out if the plan they are offering gives you low cost calls and the phone for almost nothing.

Austravel,

What is your adversity to a "hands-free" Car Kit?

It provides the best method of not only connecting the external aerial, but supplying power to the phone as well.

You have a choice of whether you lock yourself into a plan with Telstra, or buy the phone outright on a pre-paid no plan option.

You can buy a Pre-Paid Nokia 2112 CDMA phone with $10 of included credit for $69 total. That is cheap and has all the options you are most likely to need.
You merely buy additional credit anytime you choose. No contract or monthly invoices. You can buy credit at any Telstra Shop, or do it via BPAY over the Web.

My 2112 CDMA Pre-Paid and 6610 GSM phones are interchangeable in the same Car Kit (CARK 126) cradle. I was lucky, the Car Kit cost me $49.95 at Telstra during a clearance sale. An equivalent Kit is probably around $300 but IMHO still worth it for the flexibility and convenience it provides.

One final word of thought.
The Bull Bar is NOT the best location for an aerial. I recommend you go to a specialist installer. Mine sits just in front of the Roof Rack, on the roof of the vehicle. Only about 100mm high normally and is of a flexible "rubber" style, but can be swapped with an 800mm Hi-Gain antenna when I go bush to give optimal reception.

the Korean phones on range out gun Nokia
all Korean phones have external aerial plug which Nokia dont
Check out the options to buy outright or get the phone included on the plan
The Kyocera KX440 is a great simple basic phone with excellent reception and good battery life.

Geez, you must have lived a sheltered life not having a mobile phone up to now

Hi, we have a basic CDMA phone, LG , We have the arial on bullbar and use patchlead. We do it pre-paid and have had no problems with ease of use of phone or problems, coverage is pretty good. top up account just about anywhere these days. Hope this helps. Cheers Michele

Telstra recently had a special with Nokia 6225 CDMA phones where you got a full car kit for $49 with ph deal, $30 a month i think, was good deal for a good basic ph.
We went with the newer 6235 models, but mobiles are an intergrated part of our business life , good luck.

Cheers Pesty